The Queen Stab in the Back and Crossword

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nd4 {Bid's Defence. Playable and handy to have up your sleeve (by that I mean knowing something about it) as you will often get a chance to use it.} 4. Nxd4 exd4 5. O-O a6 {A waste of a tempo. The longer you leave the Bishop on b5 where it is loose, note no natural Nc3 to protect it, then White will have to move it or face some tactics against it.} 6. Bc4 {I like my Bishop on the Classical diagonal, any messing about and I whacko on f7.} 6... Qf6 {That looks a bit dodgy as well. I ignore it and develop.} 7. d3 Qg6 {Ahh...a threat. d5 and Bh3.} 8. f4 {Now d5 is met with f5.} 8... Qb6 {No idea what the Queen is up to on that square......I’ll develop.} 9. Nd2 Bb4 {OK. It's show time. I’m guided by that Black Queen and my development.} 10. Bxf7+ Kxf7 11. Nc4 {There are a few taboo squares for the Queen. Qc6 and Qg6 meet Ne4+ No matter where the Queen goes I keep attacking her...} 11... Qa7 {....except there. OK I'll get the King instead. It is after all the object of the game.} 12. Qh5+ g6 13. Qd5+ Kg7 14. Ne5 {Threatens a real nasty check on f7.} 14... Nh6 15. f5 gxf5 16. Bxh6+ {Black resigned. The intended finish was ...} 16... Kxh6 17. Ng4+ {Black has to take this Knight. 17....Kg7 18.Qe5+ and Nh6+} 17... fxg4 18. Rf6+ Kg7 19. Qf7

[FEN "rnbq1rk1/pp2nppp/2p1p3/3pP3/3P4/2PB1N2/P1P2PPP/R1BQK2R w KQ - 0 8"]
8. Bxh7+ Kxh7 9. Ng5+ {Black can play Kg6 here, a defence that must always be looked at when saccing h7, but White has not castled and 2...Kg6 3. h4 and h5+ put Black to sleep.} 9... Kg8 10. Qh5 Re8 11. Qh7+ Kf8 12. Ba3 {Black resigned. There is no answer to the eventual Qh8 mate.}

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. e3 d5 4. Bd3 c5 5. c3 cxd4 6. cxd4 Bd6 7. Nbd2 O-O 8. O-O Nc6 {White has been planning to Bishop sac on h7 since move 4. First he must stop Nb4.} 9. a3 Bd7 {Now to deflect or get rid of that f6 Knight.} 10. e4 dxe4 11. Nxe4 Nxe4 12. Bxe4 Rc8 {f5 is coming so 13.Re1 to tickle the future backward e6 pawn. Or....} 13. Bxh7+ {...the move 4 plan.} 13... Kxh7 14. Ng5+ {14...Kg8 15.Qh5 and the log jam of Black pieces allows a standard Classical Bishop Sac mate. (see next game.)} 14... Kg6 {But after this White has no good follow up.} 15. Qg4 {Very crafty and on another day in another game it would have worked. The obvious 15...e5 gets Black checkmated with 16.Ne6+} 15... f5 {Sadly this move undoes White} 16. Qh4 {The Queen had to go back to d1 when White is just a piece down.} 16... Rh8 {The Queen is lost.}

[FEN "2rq1rk1/pp1b1ppp/2nbp3/8/3PB3/P4N2/1P3PPP/R1BQ1RK1 w - - 0 13"]
13. Bxh7+ Kxh7 14. Ng5+ {In the actual game we saw Kg6 if....} 14... Kg8 15. Qh5 Re8 {To give the King f8 as a flight square.} 16. Qxf7+ {White takes here first and continues....} 16... Kh8 17. Qh5+ Kg8 18. Qh7+ Kf8 19. Qh8+ Ke7 20. Qxg7 {Checkmate, now you see why the f-pawn was taken.}

[FEN "rnbq1rk1/p1p2ppp/1p2pn2/3p4/2PPP3/2PB4/P4PPP/R1BQK1NR w KQ - 0 8"]
8. e5 {That is the f6 Knight chased away from holding h7.} 8... Nfd7 9. Nh3 {Not to N f3 because now...} 9... Ba6 10. Bxh7+ Kxh7 11. Qh5+ {No Kg6 defences to work out and the Knight still...} 11... Kg8 12. Ng5 {....lands on g5.} 12... Re8 13. Qxf7+ Kh8 14. Qh5+ Kg8 15. Qh7+ Kf8 16. Qh8+ Ke7 17. Qxg7 {We just saw that mating pattern in the previous game.}

1. b3 e5 {My standard reply to the Larsen Opening.} 2. Bb2 Nc6 3. e3 {White's plan is to play Bb5 chop on c6 and undermine my e-pawn.} 3... a6 {A move I first tried in 1980 after seeing it was not mentioned in an opening book on the Larsen. White is out of the book and does not know what to do with that f1 Bishop.} 4. d4 exd4 5. exd4 d5 6. Bd3 {It's a good Bishop the d3 Bishop, it's the Larsen Bishop on b2 that is looking grim.} 6... Nf6 7. Ne2 {There is nothing wrong with 7.Nf3. I now get that good d3 Bishop.} 7... Nb4 8. Nd2 Nxd3+ 9. cxd3 Bd6 {I'm happy as Black here.} 10. 0-0 {10....Bxh2+ won’t work. After Qh4+ and Ng4 White has Nf3.} 10... 0-0 11. f4 {That was a surprise and now I see Nf3 and Ne5. Got to stop that.} 11... Ng4 {Threaten Ne3 and I am considering f6 to cover e5 if things go that way.} 12. Rf3 {12...Qh4 13.Rh3 Qf2+ is OK but after the simple 13.h3 I have nothing. But with the Rook on f3 he cannot play Nf3 and Ne5. Develop. Aim for Ne3 again.} 12... Re8 13. Nf1 {The good news is that Knight won't be going to e5. Bad news, Knights on f1 (and h8) stop Classical Bishop Sacrifices.} 13... Nh6 {Clearing g4 for the Bishop and from h6 the Knight hops to f5 hitting e3. It's a plan. I'm banking on my opponent slipping up due to his game load. (40 + games v my one game, this one.)} 14. Qd2 Bg4 15. Rf2 {It wins a pawn. Nothing more.} 15... Bxe2 16. Rxe2 Rxe2 17. Qxe2 Bxf4 {OK a pawn up, big deal, this is going to be a slog of a game.} 18. Ne3 {OOPS! Black has created a self pin on the undefended White Queen.} 18... Qe7 {Naturally.} 19. Re1 Re8 20. Bc1 {So far so good. Now I could not resist a stab in the back Queen trap.} 20... Bxh2+ 21. Kxh2 Qh4+ 22. Kg1 Ng4 {The Drunken Knight is back in the game. White played 23.Kf1?? I was hoping for.....} 23. Nxg4 {The trap being if 23...Rxe2 24.Rxe2 I cannot take on g4 because of Re8 Mate and it's my Queen v 3 bits. Very Messy.} 23... Qxe1+ {The Queen Stab in the Back Trick.} 24. Qxe1 {24. Qf1 Re2 would have taken it to another game with me a Rook and pawns v two pieces.. Again messy but I could not resist going for this line.} 24... Rxe1+ {And I pick up the c1 Bishop.}

[FEN "2r3k1/1q3ppp/p4b2/1p5r/3N4/P1NR2Pb/1PQ2P1P/2R3K1 w - - 0 24"]
24. f3 Bxd4+ 25. Rxd4 Qxf3 26. Ne4 {White has left the Queen hanging, it cannot be taken due to the weak back rank. Black spots a stab in the back.} 26... Qe3+ 27. Nf2 Qxc1+ {A genuine stab in the back combo.} 28. Qxc1 Rxc1+ {Black, now a Rook ahead, won without any drama.}