The Duck in America + Richard Rapport

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 {Stops b5 allowing White to pick up the c-pawn when he is ready, also is gives the imaginative RHP players a chance to go wrong by trying to hold onto the extra pawn, see next games.} 5... Na6 6. e4 Bg4 {The ugly looking 6...Be6 also fails to hold the pawn 7.Ne5 and 8.Bxc4 or 8.Nxc4. With 6..Bg4 Black trades the extra pawn for...} 7. Bxc4 Bxf3 8. gxf3 {.....a weakness in the White pawn structure. (8.Qxf3 Qxd4). This will all be theory with the debate being is the ½ open g-file enough. Where is the White King going. Of course there are some who rather burn off their toe nails than have a doubled pawn, but keep your eye on this one.} 8... e6 9. O-O {The plan being Kh1 and Rg1. This is shaping nicely into an interesting looking game.} 9... Nb4 10. Be3 Qa5 11. Kh1 Be7 12. Rg1 g6 {An encouraging dark square weakness but Black has not yet castled.} 13. Rc1 {I like that. It's to make Black think twice about 0-0-0. His King will be right in line with c8 Rook, then a White Queen move and d5. It's too messy to analyse OTB. This is playing on an opponents fears.} 13... a6 {...b5 is coming. So Black won't be 0-0-0 after all.} 14. Qb3 {Rapport takes off his jersey and puts on a t-shirt. Printed on this t-shirt in big red letters. 'I AM GOING TO SACRIFICE A BISHOP ON E6.'} 14... Rd8 15. f4 O-O {Now Black has castled White moves up a gear.} 16. Rg5 b5 17. axb5 cxb5 18. Bxe6 {Remember that t-shirt.} 18... fxe6 {19.Qxe6+ Rf7 and you are not getting your piece back.} 19. f5 {White does not want the piece back. The e3 Bishop says 'Hello' to all the dark squares around the King and the f-pawn is more interested in the g-pawn than the pinned e6 pawn.} 19... Nfd5 {You can see the point. Blocks a2-g8 diagonal, hits the g5 Rook. It's a fighting defensive move.} 20. exd5 exd5 {The diagonal is blocked, the g5 Rook moves and Black has Rxf5 with an OK position.} 21. fxg6 {The fault being the g5 Rook does not have to move and White is not prepared to give Black an OK position.} 21... Bxg5 22. Bxg5 Nd3 {Black fights tooth and nail. Threats on the c1 Rook and there is Nxf2+ now the Knight has moved the Queen can take back on d8 and help out in the defence.} 23. Nxd5 {You cannot intimidate this lad, the threat of the discovered check and the Knight joining in on the King hunt is powerful.} 23... Nxc1 {Usually a sound try when facing a discovered check. You hit the piece that will give the check.} 24. Ne7+ {Except in this case it is double check. The King must move.} 24... Kg7 25. Qe6 {Incredible. Black does not have a check. Note if Black gets in one sound check then White is done.} 25... b4 {You have to hand to Black, he has been getting hit with a series of unexpected moves and he is doing his utmost to confuse White. This hits the Bishop, prevents Nf4+ and up his sleeve, if White plays a slack move, he has Qd5+} 26. d5 {And that is a cracking reply. How far ahead has this lad seen? This is a great game.} 26... Nd3 {Black has got his sound check all ready Qa1+ and Rxf2+ will mate White.} 27. Bh6+ {The beautiful point being on 27...Kh8 even if the White Queen was not on the board 28.g7 would be mate. Checkmated by an Assassin Pawn which infact started life on g2 and was the doubled pawn that started this whole argument.} 27... Kxh6 28. gxh7+ {White has it all worked out. If now 28...Kg7 29.h8=Q+ Rxh8 30.Nf4+ and mate in two.} 28... Kg5 29. Qg6+ {Black resigned here, the reason being.} 29... Kf4 30. Qg3+ Ke4 31. Qe3 {Checkmate. A super game. Richard was 14 years old when he played that. One indeed to keep an eye on.}

1. Nf3 {Don't worry it will transpose into the game above.} 1... d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 c6 {See. We are back into the same game.} 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bd7 {This is an attempt to hold onto the pawn. This move is OK but the plan built around is unsound.} 6. e4 b5 7. axb5 cxb5 {And Black is proudly hanging onto his extra pawn. Unfortunately this move....} 8. e5 {Puts Black's idea to the test and most Black players have gone astray here. Don’t put yourself under pressure and into Blunderland for the sake of a mere pawn. } 8... Ng8 {We see what happens to Ng4 in the next game (this is this week's theme by the way.)} 9. Ng5 h6 {This just forces White play what he intended.} 10. Nxf7 Kxf7 11. Qf3+ Ke8 {And bang goes the a1 Rook.} 12. Qh5+ {NO!!! Bang goes the e8 King. It's checkmate next move.}

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 {Again another transposition.} 3... dxc4 4. e4 b5 5. a4 Bd7 6. Nf3 Nf6 {Back into the main game.} 7. axb5 cxb5 8. e5 Ng4 9. Ng5 h6 {This move again. Give all pawn moves, especially in the opening careful thought and if hitting a piece with a pawn look to see where the piece may go before you push the pawn.} 10. Nxf7 Kxf7 11. Qf3+ Kg8 12. Qxa8 {This time taking the Rook was the best move. White went onto win fairly comfortably in 22 moves.}

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bd7 6. e4 b5 7. axb5 cxb5 8. e5 Ng4 9. Ng5 {Threaten 10.e6. Best for Black appears to be...} 9... Nh6 {This stops the Nxf7 sacs.} 10. e6 {But go for this anyway.} 10... fxe6 {10...Bxe6 11.Nxe6 fxe6 12.Qf3 and the a8 Rook goes.} 11. Nxb5 {Once that pawn goes soon the c4 pawn will follow and White has a neat game. If Black takes the b5 Knight.} 11... Bxb5 12. Nxe6 Qd7 {Looks good. Protects the b5 Bishop from the Qh5+ and Qxb5 trick and if the expected 13.Bxh6 then 13....Qxe6+} 13. Qh5+ g6 {13...Nf7 comes to the same thing.} 14. Qxb5 Qxb5 15. Nc7+ {And NxQ when White has a lovely position. These are the ideas you look for when punishing opening pawn misers.}

1. d4 b6 2. e3 {Not the choice of many of here. 2.e4 is more popular but this does have the merit of not having the e-pawn as a target for that b7 Bishop.} 2... Bb7 3. f4 {White elects to play the Stonewall set up. So Black craves the Queen's Bishop freedom, White is happy to play with Queen’s Bishop hemmed in by it's own pawns.} 3... e6 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. c3 d5 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. O-O Qd7 8. Nbd2 O-O-O {White was gearing himself up for a Kingside attack and the King has trotted off to the Queenside.} 9. a4 {So White launches a Queenside attack.} 9... Nge7 10. b4 h6 {Black has to deflect attention to the Kingside but it does appear too slow. White will get in the all important first hit.} 11. a5 Kb8 {To give the a7 pawn added protection but the c6 Knight winces. (it has no squares to go to.)} 12. axb6 cxb6 13. Nb3 g5 {Here comes Black's attack a few tempo behind.} 14. b5 Na5 {The only square I'm afraid.} 15. Nxa5 bxa5 16. Ba3 {The loose a-pawn can wait, White clears the 1st rank so his heavy pieces can slip along to the a and b-files.} 16... gxf4 17. Bxd6+ Qxd6 18. Ne5 {Now the Knight joins in on the fun with a fork threat on f7.} 18... Rdf8 {When you are reduced to moves like this in an opposite flank attack you know things are going badly.} 19. exf4 Rhg8 {Black is catching up with his Kingside attack but it still looks harmless.} 20. Rxa5 f6 {That Knight cannot stay there and forcing it to move causes more trouble.} 21. Nc6+ Nxc6 22. bxc6 Qxc6 23. Qa1 Qb6 {This is over. Black is on the ropes he's holding a pawn with a Queen on an open file.} 24. Rb1 Qc7 25. Ba6 {White wants be to sure but 25.Rxa7 was sure enough.} 25... Qxf4 {Now 26.Rxb7+ Ka8 27.Rxa7+ and the discovered checks must mate Black or win a bucket load of material. So here I make it 1-0. Good Game.} 26. Bxb7 {This is being ultra sure. White wants a 100% sound proof and easy to see checkmate.} 26... Rxg2+ {An uppercut check.} 27. Kxg2 Rg8+ 28. Kh1 {28.Kh3 meets the same fate.....} 28... Qf3 {...Checkmate. White dillied and dallied, Black hit him with the old one-two and mate.}