The title says it all. Today it’s them tomorrow it’s you….
Costad (1447) - laurence c (1384) RHP .2013
FEN
5b2/8/6k1/6P1/1pK5/2p5/2P5/2B5 w - - 0 44
[FEN "5b2/8/6k1/6P1/1pK5/2p5/2P5/2B5 w - - 0 44"]
44. Be3 Be7 {White should now play Bb6 with the idea of Ba5 and Bxb4. Instead we see....} 45. Bc5 {The right idea the wrong execution.} 45... Bxc5 46. Kxc5 b3 47. cxb3 c2 {White resigned. A perfect example of a Lemon.}
powercosmic - pujanice RHP.2010
FEN
1r6/1P6/8/1R5p/3P1p1k/5P2/6KP/8 w - - 0 43
[FEN "1r6/1P6/8/1R5p/3P1p1k/5P2/6KP/8 w - - 0 43"]
43. d5 {Black now plays a cunning trick.} 43... Rd8 {Practically a better chance than Rg8+ because that would chase the White King to f2 and the Black King would have access to h3. See the idea?} 44. b8=Q Rxd5 {Fingers crossed that White would not see Qxf4 checkmate who instead opts for a Lemon.} 45. Rxd5 {OOPS! 16........Stalemate.}
dejongh (1290) - Aanatol (1451) RHP.2013
FEN
8/6pk/1r1q3p/p4P2/2Qp2P1/1P5P/3P2K1/8 w - - 0 35
[FEN "8/6pk/1r1q3p/p4P2/2Qp2P1/1P5P/3P2K1/8 w - - 0 35"]
35. d3 Rc6 36. Qa4 Rc2+ 37. Kf3 Qd5+ 38. Kg3 Qg2+ 39. Kh4 Qf2+ 40. Kh5 {Black has a nifty trick here. Qe3 threatening mate on g5 and if h4 then Qg5+ hxg5 Rh2 mate. Instead Mr Blunderman is waiting in the wings.} 40... Rc5 41. Qe8 {We just saw a Queen sac in the notes. Here is the Rook sac ...Rxf5+ gxf5 Qxf5+ and Qg5 Checkmate.} 41... Qf4 {A typical Lemon.} 42. Qg6+ Kg8 43. Qe8+ Kh7 44. Qg6+ Kg8 45. Qe8+ Kh7 46. Qg6+ {Perpetual Check ½ - ½.}
MATIC - oishi RHP.2007
FEN
3r3r/p2Q1p1p/6k1/5p2/8/8/PPP2PPP/R4RK1 w - - 0 21
[FEN "3r3r/p2Q1p1p/6k1/5p2/8/8/PPP2PPP/R4RK1 w - - 0 21"]
21. Qxa7 Rd2 22. Qb6+ Kh5 23. c4 f4 24. Qf6 Rg8 25. Qxf7+ Rg6 26. Qxf4 Rdd6 27. Rad1 h6 {There is that move of deep cunning again.} 28. Rxd6 {The Lemon.} 28... Rxg2+ {Kxg2 is stalemate.} 29. Kh1 Rg1+ {King or Rook takes g1 is still stalemate.} 30. Rxg1
The Pinned Knight.
This tale all starts from this theoretically known position.
And here is how you get there.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.Bg5 Bb7 5.e3 h6 6.Bh4 Bb4+ {White should now play 7.Nc3 but the move we will look at is….} 7.Nbd2
Now say a big hello to PantherUK and mang00neg.
In 2008 they reached this position twice and on both occasions mang00neg was Black.
In the first game he went for displacing the White King with 7…Bxf3 8.Qxf3 Bxd2+
and the game was drawn.
mang00neg must have had a look at this game because when the position arose in the
second game he played the piece winning 7…g5 8. Bg4 g4..
See it?
The f3 Knight must move and 8…Ne4 wins the pinned Knight on d2.
Some big guns as White have fallen for this trick in the past. Colle (lost) Uhlmann (drew it)
and Tarrasch who won! (we will see the Tarrasch and Uhlmann games in a minute.)
A recent a scalp is Iksanov (2014 ) - Darmin (2342) Ufa Dautov Mem. 2009
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 b6 4.Bg5 Bb7 5.e3 h6 6.Bh4 Bb4+ 7.Nbd2 g5 8.Bg3 g4 9.Ne5 Ne4 10.Qxg4 Nxd2 11.Bh4 Qxh4 {And White resigned as Black picks up the Queen after 12.Qxh4 with Nf3+}
Now we see how Uhlmann pulled himself out of the water.
Uhlmann - Kinnmark, Halle 1963
FEN
rn1qk2r/pbpp1p2/1p2pn1p/6p1/1bPP3B/4PN2/PP1N1PPP/R2QKB1R w KQkq - 0 8
[FEN "rn1qk2r/pbpp1p2/1p2pn1p/6p1/1bPP3B/4PN2/PP1N1PPP/R2QKB1R w KQkq - 0 8"]
8. Bg3 g4 9. Ne5 Ne4 10. Qxg4 {This is a very interesting and possibly the best try.} 10... Bxd2+ 11. Ke2 Bb4 12. Bh4 Be7 13. Qg7 Rf8 14. Ng6 {A smashing move to dig out after walking into a known opening trap.} 14... fxg6 15. Qxg6+ Rf7 16. Qg8+ Rf8 17. Qg6+ Rf7 18. Qg8+ {That's a perp and that is how it finished.}
Now we come to main part of the show, the real reason for posting this line.
S. Tarrasch - E. Bogoljubow, Goteborg, 1920.
You won’t find this game in Tarrasch’s Best Games by Freddy Reinfeld nor will you find in the Most Instructive Games of Chess by Chernev.
But to me it is a perfect and easy to understand example of a good player squeezing
the most out of technically lost position and setting your opponent problems.
Tarrasch stumbles into this opening trick and fights by latching on to a tactical
nuance in the position, a Knight pinned to a Queen.
On that day in 1920 these two great players (both played World Championship Matches.)
sat down and for a few hours all they discussed was the basic tactic of a pinned piece.
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 b6 4. Bg5 Bb7 5. e3 h6 6. Bh4 Bb4+ {So Far so good but now White's sense of danger betrays him. Here he should play 7.Nc3.} 7. Nbd2 g5 8. Bg3 g4 {Tarrasch now realises he has walked into an opening trap. Watch him set Bogoljubow a pinned piece problem.} 9. a3 gxf3 10. axb4 fxg2 11. Bxg2 Bxg2 12. Rg1 Bb7 13. Bh4 {This is Tarrasch's idea. The whole game now revolves around this pinned Knight on f6.} 13... d6 {To make room for Nd7 and prevents in some line e3-e4-e5.} 14. e4 {Allowing the White Queen to go to f3, you must put pressure on a pinned piece.} 14... Nbd7 15. Qf3 {Ensuring that the d7 Knight and Black Queen must stay protecting f6.} 15... Qe7 {preparing 0-0-0 and getting a Rook onto g6.} 16. Rg4 {Threatening Rf4 putting all the weight he can muster onto f6.} 16... e5 {Prevents Rf4} 17. d5 {Shutting out the b7 Bishop taking the pressure off e4.} 17... O-O-O {Now how many of us would nick the a7 pawn. But No. Tarrasch can see Black wants to unlock his position with a Rg8 and a Rook swap.} 18. Ke2 {So White can answer....} 18... Rdg8 {...with....} 19. Rag1 Rxg4 20. Rxg4 {The first part of Black's unlocking plan has been thwarted.} 20... h5 {Plan 2. Get a Rook to h6.} 21. Rg3 {With the idea of Qf5 and Rf3 and winning the pinned Knight on f6.} 21... Kb8 {Anticipating the coming Qf5 which would have pinned the d7 Knight. One pin was bad enough the last thing Bogoljubow wanted to see was another pin.} 22. Qf5 Bc8 {Now Black is ready for Rh6.} 23. Bg5 {And that has just been prevented.} 23... h4 {Bogoljubow goes for plan 3. He intends to give back the pinned piece in return he picks up the exchange.} 24. Rf3 Qf8 25. Bxf6 Nxf6 26. Qxf6 Bg4 {The matter of the pinned piece has been settled, it ends with a pinned Rook on f3.} 27. h3 {Now an amazing piece of miscalculation from Bogoljubow. He has obviously relaxed after the all the fun around f6 has been resolved.} 27... Qh6 {He either wanted to go into a Rook v Knight ending intending on QxQ to play Bxf3+ before re-capturing on h6 or he has totally miscounted the h-pawn moves to promoting.} 28. hxg4 h3 {Did Black overate this pawn in his calculations?} 29. Qxh6 Rxh6 {The White King and Rook cannot catch that h-pawn but...} 30. Nf1 {....the Knight can.} 30... h2 31. Nxh2 Rxh2 32. Rxf7 {Black resigned. It is a simple won ending.}
