There really is a very long tail in the British Championships this year. In the good old days there used to be one or two players who were about my level or weaker taking part, but nowadays it seems that about half of the competitors are just bog standard club players.
Anyway, here is a game from today where former RHP number 2 seadevil gets his arse handed to him on a plate:
Originally posted by Data Fly
A game played this morning (not in the main Championship tournament). Black missed a pretty sacrifice at move 13 - can you spot it?
[pgn]
[Event "British Championships - Morning tournament"]
[Date "2014.07.29"]
[White "Chris Snook-Lumb"]
[Black "Colin Ramage"]
[Result "0-1"]
1. f4 e5 2. fxe5 d6 3. Nf3 dxe5 4. e4 Bc5 5. Bc4 Nf6 6. Nxe5 Qd4
7. Bxf7+ ...[text shortened]... 3 Qxe5 9. Bb3 Bg4 10. Qd3 Rd8 11. Qc4 Rd4
12. Qf7+ Kd8 13. d3 Rxe4+ 14. dxe4 Qxe4+
0-1
[/pgn]
The clues to look for when someone drops a play this position in your lap.
Look out for words like "pretty or cute or smashing..." It's a Queen sac.
If no words. Then look at Queen checks first (no matter how silly).
Nothing on - Then work you way down the field, Rook sac, Bishop and Knight sacs.
Always with a check - these are the forcing moves usually having one move replies.
Don't give up (never give up) keeping looking, if you sure it's
not a sac-sac mate then look for Queen trapping ideas, mate threats
without a sac, undefended pieces, if there is a pawn on the 6th rank look for a promo-combo....
If the position looks lost look for a stalemate trick.
If none of these work then do not post anything.
Don't bluff and say "What a great problem I won't spol it by giving the solution."
The chances are (especially on here) the lad may have posted a faulty position with no sound combo. 🙂
Originally posted by greenpawn34I would also add "look for underpromotions and en passant captures", especially if it is a composition.
The clues to look for when someone drops a play this position in your lap.
Look out for words like "pretty or cute or smashing..." It's a Queen sac.
If no words. Then look at Queen checks first (no matter how silly).
Nothing on - Then work you way down the field, Rook sac, Bishop and Knight sacs.
Always with a check - these are the forcing moves ...[text shortened]... ances are (especially on here) the lad may have posted a faulty position with no sound combo. 🙂
As a rule, check for them first or second (behind queen sacs) if it's a composition, but check them last (i.e., put them at the bottom of the list) if it's a game position.
There is an older gentleman at my local club who is always getting pissed off at me because of this. He brings problems in, and I often guess the right move without calculating because I can guess the "hook" in the position.
He just doesn't realize that his showing the problem in the first place is a flag to the rest of us that we should look for particular types of moves and themes, and that we "round up the usual suspects" each time.
If problems are poetry, then he has to come up with something better than "There once was a man from Nantucket..."!
Originally posted by Data Fly
There really is a very long tail in the British Championships this year.
It says something about the current state of the British Championship when this year’s is actually better balanced that it has been for the last four or five years. Numbers are down in Aberystwyth it seems - which seems to have improved the proportion of stronger players in the field over all.
Originally posted by Data FlyPfft. Poor. He's only a ECF 160. No place for him in the British really
There really is a very long tail in the British Championships this year. In the good old days there used to be one or two players who were about my level or weaker taking part, but nowadays it seems that about half of the competitors are just bog standard club players.
Anyway, here is a game from today where former RHP number 2 seadevil gets his arse handed to him on a plate
Originally posted by Data FlyMaybe his engine was broken🙂 Did seadevil leave voluntarily?
There really is a very long tail in the British Championships this year. In the good old days there used to be one or two players who were about my level or weaker taking part, but nowadays it seems that about half of the competitors are just bog standard club players.
Anyway, here is a game from today where former RHP number 2 seadevil gets his arse han ...[text shortened]... Qc7 17. Qe3 Bxh2+ 18. Kh1 Bf4 19. Qe6 Qd6 20. Qg4 g5
21. Re6 Qb4 22. Rae1 Bd6 23. Rxe7+
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