I just finished a very interesting blitz game. Unfortunately, I was on the receiving end of a good thrashing this time. My opponent sacrificed a piece virtually in the opening and made life extremely difficult (especially for a 3 minute game).
White has all sorts of nasty's in mind:
f8 bishop moves g7 falls.
b7 is under attack.
One white rook goes to d1 and pins d7.
The other goes to e1, forcing Be7 (Bxg7).
Black may survive, but he must play extremely accurately.
Even then, white seems to have enough compensation.
It's astonishing that white can sac a piece, seemingly out of nowhere, castle (passing the move to black), and still have tremendous pressure like this!
Next, I will show how the position came about , and how I just got lucky and survived.
Here is the game:
The interesting thing (to me) about this is the helplessness of black's position after seemingly not doing anything wrong. It makes you wonder how many piece sacrifices like this you overlook (or discredit) when calculating variations in games.
They're out there just waiting to pop up and nab the unsuspecting player!
Originally posted by paulbuchmanfromficsI don't know but I think you play so many weaker players in blitz, not any fault of yours, that you have become comfy on the attack and thus very uncomfy on the defense. I think you overreacted to the threats and actually the a5 move that the comp shows seems perfectly rational and not like a box move at all.
[fen]r2qkb1r/pppn1pp1/7p/5p2/1P6/P4Q2/1BP2PPP/R4RK1[/fen]
I just finished a very interesting blitz game. Unfortunately, I was on the receiving end of a good thrashing this time. My opponent sacrificed a piece virtually in the opening and made life extremely difficult (especially for a 3 minute game).
White has all sorts of nasty's in mind e out there just waiting to pop up and nab the unsuspecting player!
First, white doesn't want to trade pieces and there is a slight threat of that.
Second, if the rook on a1 vacates to d1 then black gets an open a file when white will have to worry about incursions along the first and second ranks.
Third, in the case of Re1+ ...Be7 Bxg7 ...Rg8 Bxh6 puts the bishop out of play and gives you more open files to work with and these ones are on whites king! I envision something along the lines of ...Ne5 Qe2 ...Qd5 f3 when now the a pawn comes in handy by sawpping itself for the b pawn forcefully because white has to watch over the c5 square so the bishop can't park there but then ...Rxa1 Rxa1 and f3 falls and with it the game.
Fourth, I think this is a case where black just plays calm, takes shots where he can and waits for white to collapse. Whites threats seem like ghosts to me and were made greater because you saw them as concrete and overreacted.
Fifth, I see your point though... Good sacrifices are probably overlooked quite often in the games of amateurs.
Originally posted by tomtom232I agree, that I tend to make more mistakes on the defensive. It seems like I can work out the right attacks, but on defense, I see all these attacking ideas and get lost choosing the correct path. Some of it is those darn ghosts.
I don't know but I think you play so many weaker players in blitz, not any fault of yours, that you have become comfy on the attack and thus very uncomfy on the defense. I think you overreacted to the threats and actually the a5 move that the comp shows seems perfectly rational and not like a box move at all.
First, white doesn't want to trade pieces an ...[text shortened]... point though... Good sacrifices are probably overlooked quite often in the games of amateurs.
That a5 move is still sort of a baffler to me. I saw some lines where black exploits a pin on the a1 rook, but still, it's hard to believe. Everything seems to indicate that the two pins will be super strong. White can take on b7 or g7 and leave the king with nowhere to go. The center is wide open and my chess "upbringing" tells me the king must get out of the center as soon as possible. Be7, Rg8, and c5 seems to be the best line for black, but again, black must play very accurately.
Even in some of the best lines I looked at, black still only held an advantage from slight to around a pawn. That's really something, to be a whole piece down without a concrete win, and still only be down a pawn or less! I even looked at a few endings, where white had a c pawn, rooks, and a queen versus a knight, rooks, and a queen. The evaluation was still only a pawn and a half! Another variation, showed white pinning and winning the d7 knight, but back rank mate tricks prevented white from every making the capture! It's a lively struggle even in the simpler looking positions.
I hate to repeat myself, but I wonder how many variations like this we never see.
I bet a computer sees lines like these and rejects them for something slightly better all the time. I wish a computer could actually be programmed to look for equal to slight advantage/disadvantage piece sacrifices as opposed to always finding the absolute best move.
Heck, I'd settle for an opening book with about 20 or so piece sacrifices like this, to catch the unwary. Until that happens, I'll just have to settle for the games of Mikhail Tal or Greenpawn.
Originally posted by paulbuchmanfromficsWhite definitely has compensation but I think black just needs to stay calm and not be afraid to sac back if the opportunity arises. Too often I see people win pieces and then clamp up and get tense because the other guy didn't resign.
I agree, that I tend to make more mistakes on the defensive. It seems like I can work out the right attacks, but on defense, I see all these attacking ideas and get lost choosing the correct path. Some of it is those darn ghosts.
That a5 move is still sort of a baffler to me. I saw some lines where black exploits a pin on the a1 rook, but ...[text shortened]... Until that happens, I'll just have to settle for the games of Mikhail Tal or Greenpawn.
Hi Paul
"I wish a computer could actually be programmed to look for equal to slight
advantage/disadvantage piece sacrifices as opposed to always finding the
absolute best move. "
There is one on the market. It's called the human brain, it comes free with every birth.
Slight difference between Tal's sacs and mine on here.
I'm succesful against -1500 players who play 40+ games at once.
If I try this stuff against any reasonable player on here who takes his time
my trousers are pulled down I get spanked.
Tal's opponents were just that little bit stonger. 😉
In Blitz a piece sac for oodles of counterplay is always a good ploy.
It's easier to attack then defend (for most of us.) and you are really in a no
loss situation.
He did not outplay you, you sacced a piece and failed to find a win.
I still reckon it was a blunder, ( a good blunder!) his follow up play was not
consistent with a saccer. Here.
The best White came up with was 15.Rae1 and double up on the e-file
trying to win his piece back. Even not using the f4 idea and piece play instead.