by greenpawn34 on Aug 28 2012 14:29 | 5710 views | 4 edits | Last edit on Nov 28 2015 16:07
I am without any degree of uncertainty the worst end game player
in the Edinburgh Chess Club.
“Chandler is playing an ending.”
I would hear the whisper go around the club rooms
Those who had seen this before quickly agreed draws and left.
The nervous few whose games were far from being drawn but not quite
at the resigning stage had to stay.
A wince or a sharp intake of breath is something you do when you see
a man stub his toe on a house brick. These re-actions are child’s play.
My skill crosses all barriers and knows no limits as far as onlookers are concerned.
Experienced old hackers stare and fall into a zombie like trance only to be snapped
out it by the crash of Capablanca's picture falling off the wall.
Class ‘B; players weep, raw beginners burst into tears, the club cat chews it’s leg.
Once I even turned a GM’s hair white.
But it’s my opponents who suffer the most.
Take Colonel Claude ‘Toots’ Tootingham of the 5th Light Horse.
He has won that many medals for bravery that he is not allowed to wear
them all at once because they interfere with aircraft navigational systems.
He has been torpedoed, harpooned and marooned, shot down, shot up, blown up,
blown down, chased by panzers, hunted by ninjas and half eaten by a Nile crocodile.
After the game this man who had seen unspeakable horrors held out a trembling hand…
“That….that….that was……”
He fell back and lay still on the floor with his unshaken hand pointing to the ceiling.
“You have killed him.” gasped a club member.
“Murderer!” yelled another.
“His lips are still moving.” I pointed out.
(I have had experience of this thing before, I always look at the lips.)
We bent down and listened to him whispering over and over again his name, rank and number.
He was stretchered out of the club with his right hand still offering a
frozen handshake.
Recovering after a few months, they usually do, he added a new chapter
in his bulky war memoirs describing our game and the effect it had on him.
I appear in between the chapters on how he sunk two battleships before breakfast
and his hair raising escape from Devils Island.
Last seen he was onboard a ship bound for the Artic.
1. d4 f5 {The Dutch Defence where we will see a new light & dark square concept.} 2. Nc3 d5 {First weaken the central squares of e6 and e5.} 3. Bg5 h6 {Now g6 is a hole.} 4. Bf4 Nf6 5. e3 a6 6. Qf3 c6 {And b6 too. Black has within a few moves created dark squares weakness’ on the Queenside and light squared weakness’ on the Kingside, light and dark squared weakness’ in the centre. This is an acquired skill. MEGASERV The Duck salutes you.} 7. Qg3 {Threatening the b8 Knight.} 7... Nbd7 {Take your pick. White can play 8.Bc7 and win the Black Queen or play the move he chose in the game.} 8. Qg6{Checkmate. (That was not the Dutch Defence....that was the Duck Defence...ha ha ha...gp) Shut up green nut. Crawl back under your stone and stay there.}
The Duck’s new friend Phillidor284 also features in the next game
a mate in 14 moves. This time my buddy is Black.
1. e4 e5 2. Qh5 {It's one of them. This one usually heralds a quick win for either side.} 2... Nc6 3. Bc4 {31 lads on RHP have been mated on the next move on RHP in this position .} 3... g6 {This not to be No.32.} 4. Qf3 {On RHP 5 times Black has played 4...Nd5 here and been mated with 5.Qxf7.} 4... Nf6 {This is not to be number 6.} 5. c3 Bg7 6. d3 Na5 7. Bb3 Nxb3 8. axb3 d5 9. exd5 Bg4 10. Qg3 Qxd5 11. c4 Qe6 12. Nc3 O-O-O {Whoa...that is a risky move. White can play 13.Rxa7. Can you see the wee trick hiding in there. (see next game.)} 13. Ne4 {Why White never played 13.Rxa7 here is beyond me. Perhaps he is superstitious and does not like taking pawns on move 13. So instead he makes a move that will see him getting mated on even unluckier move 14.} (13. Nf3 Nh5) 13... Nxe4 14. dxe4 Rd1
That wee trick I mentioned after 13.Rxa7
FEN
2kr3r/ppp2pbp/4qnp1/4p3/2P3b1/1PNP2Q1/1P3PPP/R1B1K1NR w KQ - 0 1
[FEN "2kr3r/ppp2pbp/4qnp1/4p3/2P3b1/1PNP2Q1/1P3PPP/R1B1K1NR w KQ - 0 1"]
1. Rxa7 Kb8 2. Nb5 {And if Black now thinks he is winning a Rook by playing...} 2... c6 {...attacking the Rook's sole defender then...} 3. Ra8+ Kxa8 {He does infact win the Rook but...} 4. Nc7+ {....losses his Queen.}
Next: Kresten - papabeargary RHP Ch 2012 (rd2)
Black set up a trap and White tumbles into it.
White set up a trap and Black tumbles into it.
FEN
6k1/1pp1q1pp/p2p1r2/3Ppr2/6b1/1P1PRNQ1/1PP3PP/5RK1 b - - 0 21
[FEN "6k1/1pp1q1pp/p2p1r2/3Ppr2/6b1/1P1PRNQ1/1PP3PP/5RK1 b - - 0 21"] 21... Rg6 {Black sets up the 'OOPS I've Blundered Trick ' where he places both Rooks in a Knight Fork Pattern.} 22. Nh4 {White spots it and plays for it.} 22... Rxf1+ {Black now shows his full hand. 21...Rg6 was a TRAP. The King is lured to a white square.} 23. Kxf1 Be2+ 24. Rxe2 Rxg3 25. hxg3 {Trap over. Black has the Queen v a Rook and Knight. It's still needs winning by Black. If White can get the Knight on a good outpost (e6) then he can present Black with some difficult moments.} 25... Qg5 26. Kf2 Qc1 {The Queen goes off on a pawn hunting expedition before White can re-organise his pieces.} 27. c4 Qd1 28. Ke3 Qxb3 29. Nf5 b5 30. Rf2 {White's turn to set up a TRAP offering Black a position he simply could not resist.} 30... bxc4 {Black gleefully captures the c-pawn and is now threatening 31...Qxd3 checkmate. Offering your opponent mate in one traps is good. Offering him a mate in 4 trap may not work because your opponent may not see it. I’m of the opinion that the more naive the trap the more victims it will snare.} 31. Ne7+ {Ding! Black resigned I wonder if White had the foresight to a enter a conditional move: If.....} 31... Kh8 {...then...} 32. Rf8
BTW did you put your mouse pointer on the man with white hair.