The Lewis Men and the Titanic

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 d6 3. Nf3 Be6 4. Bxe6 fxe6 5. d4 Qf6 {The right square, the wrong piece. 5...Nf6 was a better choice. Now we witness a perfect example of how an early development of the Queen can lead to a quick loss.} 6. dxe5 dxe5 7. Bg5 {Black has to give up his Queen or be mated, He chooses the latter.} 7... Qg6 8. Qd8+ Kf7 9. Nxe5 {A King and Queen Knight fork checkmate.}

1. c4 c6 2. d4 d5 {The Slav Defence. The pawn on c6 holds d5. Theoretically Black can live with a pawn on c6. It’s OK but Black now shows a total disregard for Lasker’s advice. }3. Nf3 f6 {As in the previous game the wrong piece goes to f6. The idea is to chase the Knight with g7-g5-g4. but the weakening of the Black Kingside means that White can actually go along with this idea.} 4. Nc3 g5 5. h3 a5 6. e4 Nd7 {Pawns on c6 and f6 leave the Knights without any good squares in the opening. One just needs to look at White Knights to see who has the better options. White now jumps tactically all over 6...Nd7.} 7. Nxg5 {Ready to answer 7...fxg5 with 8.Qh5 mate.} 7... Bg7 {To give the King some running room. White can now play 8.Ne6 forking the Queen and the g7 Bishop. A good move. Now you have found one, look around for a better one.} 8. Qh5+ Kf8 9. Ne6 {Another King and Queen Knight fork mate.}

1. e4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. exd5 exd5 4. d4 {The Exchange French. Barren and a quick recipe for a draw at the top level. But at the lower end the open board favours any budding tactician.} 4... Bd6 5. Nc3 c6 6. Bd3 Bg4 7. O-O Ne7 8. Re1 {Funny how in this third example again we see White with Lasker Knights and Black's Knights not on c6 or f6. Perhaps there is more in Lasker's advice than we care to admit. Here Black should go for Nd7-f6. Instead he walks into a Greek Gift.} 8... O-O 9. Bxh7+ Kxh7 10. Ng5+ Kg8 11. Qxg4 Nd7 {Black now rushes to get a Knight to f6 to hold h7.} 12. Re6 {A smashing move hitting the undefended d6 Bishop. If 12...fxe6 then 13.Nxe6 hitting the Queen and threatening mate on g7. Remember what I was saying about the open board and a tactician.} 12... Nb6 {Black can hang on with 12...f5 (12...Nf6 13.Rxf6!) after 12...Nb6 White has a forced win.} 13. Qh3 Re8 14. Qh7+ Kf8 15. Qh8+ Ng8 16. Nh7

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 exd5 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. Bd2 0-0 7. a3 Be7 8. Be2 Bf5 9. 0-0 c6 10. Ne5 Nbd7 11. Nxd7 Qxd7 12. Re1 Bd6 {Black pieces are on more aggressive squares. Look at the Bishops. However White is not in any immediate danger except perhaps in feeling that the position is drawish so he makes a move (a pawn move) and goes onto his next game.} 13. h3 Bxh3 {Black goes for it.} 14. gxh3 Qxh3 {White now has to play 15.f4 when Black has at the very least a perpetual in his back pocket (Qg3+ and Qh3+) but he may have more with Re8 and he can continue with the attack or bail out with three pawns for the piece. That would have been an interesting continuation.} 15. Bf3 {But this allows Black to play the old Queen & Bishop Tango.} 15... Bh2+ 16. Kh1 Bg3+ 17. Kg1 Qh2+ 18. Kf1 Qxf2

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Be7 {The most solid defence. 5...Ba5 and 5...Bc5 are the alternatives.} 6. d4 Na5 7. Be2 {This is theory but 7.Bxf7+ and Nxe5+ getting a pawn and King on the run would be interesting. Worth a go at Blitz.} 7... d6 8. Qa4+ c6 9. dxe5 dxe5 10. Nxe5 {Still staying within known opening moves. Black has given back the pawn and will catch up on development with the better pawn structure.} 10... Nf6 11. O-O O-O 12. Rd1 Qb6 13. Na3 Qc7 14. Bf4 b5 15. Bxb5 {This piece sac leads to interesting play.} 15... cxb5 16. Nxb5 Qb6 17. Rab1 a6 {A difficult looking move. Certainly not run of the mill. Black forces the discovered attack on the Queen. It does appear that any other move allows the discovered attack to mean something more sinister.} 18. Nd6 Qc5 {White looks good here. You always look good when you have a Queen defending a piece.} 19. Nd3 Qc6 {Ah...Black has it all worked out. He is wriggling out of what looked liked a very awkward position. I would certainly have taken White's position after 15.Bxb5 full of confidence.} 20. Qxa5 {Don't bother looking at any Nxc8 tricks. White's Queen was hanging, 20.Qxa5 was forced.} 20... Bxd6 21. e5 {No. White miscalculates. 21.Bxd6 first. The pawn fork can be thwarted....} 21... Bc7 {First the Bishop moves with a tempo on the Queen.} 22. Qa3 Nh5 {And the Knight moves with a tempo on the Bishop,} 23. Qb4 {A bad pointless move but White was losing anyway.} 23... Rb8 {White now resigned. It's hopeless. It could end.....} 24. Qa3 Rxb1 25. Rxb1 Bf5 26. Nb4 Qe4 {....something like that. A massacre.}

[FEN "1r1r2k1/p1p2p1p/4q1p1/8/8/2P2Q1P/Pn1R1PP1/5RK1 w - - 0 1"]

1. Re2 {White is a piece down and does not have much hope. Black in his haste to put this one to bed drops a clanger.} 1... Qd5 {Can you see what is wrong with this? White missed it, he played 2.Qf6 and resigned soon after wards. Instead he could have won back his missing piece and come out of it the exchange up.} 2. Re8+ {The instructive shot both players missed. Now 2...Rxe8 would allow White to take the Black Queen. Check all Checks...Please!!} 2... Kg7 3. Qxd5 Rxd5 4. Rxb8 {And White is winning.}

[FEN "r1b1q2k/ppp3pp/3p4/2b3N1/3nP1n1/2NP2P1/PPP2P1P/R1BQK2R w KQ - 0 1"]
1. f3 {White kicks the Knight away from his King.} 1... Ne5 2. f4 {But this second kick is wrong. Black now played 2...Ng6 3.Qh5 and was mated on h7. Instead he missed.....} 2... Bg4 {Now 3.Qd2 Ndf3+ 4.Nxf3 Nxf3+ wins the White Queen.} 3. Ne2 Nef3+ {3...Bxe2 also does it, there are many ways to win this for Black. I am showing the prettiest of the wins.} 4. Nxf3 Nxf3+ 5. Kf1 Bh3# *

[FEN "r3k1nr/pp5p/3Bp3/q1p5/4P3/6Q1/P1P1KPPP/bN5R w kq - 0 1"]

1. Nd2 Nf6 {If this had worked it would have been move of the month. A brilliant trap. He is looking at 2.Rxa1 Qxd2!+ 3,Kxd2 Nxe4+ winning back the Queen with a won game.} 2. Qg7 {Aw Snitch. White has seen it. Black now played 2....Qb5+ and was mated on e7 a few moves later. But the trick is still there!!....} 2... Qxd2+ {The same idea, a different tactic. He was looking for it on the last move but missed it when it dropped into his lap. } 3. Kxd2 Nxe4+ {The point. Black plays 4....Bxg7 and wins.}