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opening disasters

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I've been enjoying this litlle book 'verflixte fehler',a collection of 500 miniatures.
Here's a little taste

Casas-Piazzini 1952

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1.d4d5
2.c4e6
3.Nc3Nf6
4.Bg5Be7
5.e3O-O
6.Nf3Nbd7
7.Qc2c5
8.cxd5Nxd5
9.Nxd5Bxg5
10.h4Qa5
11.b4cxb4
12.Qxh7Kxh7
13.hxg5Kg8
14.Ne7

0


      Schlezer-Tschigorin 1878
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      1.e4e5
      2.Nf3f5
      3.exf5Nc6
      4.Bb5Bc5
      5.Bxc6dxc6
      6.Nxe5Bxf5
      7.Qh5g6
      8.Nxg6hxg6
      9.Qxh8Qe7
      10.Kd1Bxf2
      11.Qxg8Kd7
      12.Qc4Re8

      0

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          This is good stuff! I see another GP blog coming from this!

          2 edits
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          The last comment in the 2nd game - "black resigned"? A typo? (or a blunder?)

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          Originally posted by andrew93
          The last comment in the 2nd game - "black resigned"? A typo? (or a blunder?)
          uhm....ehe....right,that should be white resigned of course.my bad 😳

          Later today I'll post one more nice example to make up for the emotional damage you suffered 😀

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          nice miniatures!

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          As promised a nice miniature for Andrew.Two actually,there's just so much good stuff in this book.My best buy since long!

          So I noticed you play Alekhine's defence.
          N.N.-Geschew 1935

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          1.e4Nf6
          2.Nc3d5
          3.exd5c6
          4.dxc6Nxc6
          5.d3e5
          6.Bg5Bc5
          7.Ne4Nxe4
          8.Bxd8Bxf2
          9.Ke2Nd4

          0


              Gibbs-Schmid 1968
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              1.e4Nf6
              2.Nc3d5
              3.exd5Nxd5
              4.Nge2Nc6
              5.g3Bg4
              6.Bg2Nd4
              7.Bxd5Qxd5
              8.f3Qxf3
              9.Rf1Qg2

              0


                  And a nice Réti for mr. Legett.Hopefully you don't already know it.
                  Plachetka-Zinn 1974
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                  • 2
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                  1.Nf3c5
                  2.b3Nc6
                  3.Bb2Nf6
                  4.e3d5
                  5.Bb5e6
                  6.Ne5Qc7
                  7.O-OBd6
                  8.Bxc6bxc6
                  9.f4O-O
                  10.Rf3Nd7
                  11.Rh3g6
                  12.Qh5

                  0

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                      Originally posted by torten
                      As promised a nice miniature for Andrew.Two actually,there's just so much good stuff in this book.My best buy since long!

                      So I noticed you play Alekhine's defence.
                      N.N.-Geschew 1935
                      [pgn]1. e4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. exd5 c6 4. dxc6 Nxc6 5. d3 e5 6. Bg5 Bc5
                      7. Ne4 {does this position look familiar to you?} Nxe4 {but of course!} 8. Bxd8 Bxf2+ 9. Ke2 Nd4 {black ...[text shortened]... ving it} 12. Qh5 {!! black resigned.The queen is taboo and 12....,Nf6 fails to 13.Ng4}[/pgn]
                      Thank you very much. I have seen the game before- in a database for Bird's Opening! It effectively transposes to a Bird's Opening at move 9.

                      I also like to think of it as a Queen's Indian Defense Reversed (Queen's Indian Attack?), as the position after move 9 is a normal one for the Queen's Indian with colors reversed.

                      Sometimes the extra tempo that comes from playing a "colors reversed" system doesn't mean much, simply because not all systems are very time-sensitive, and a single tempo may not have much intrinsic value.

                      I don't think that was the case here!

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                      Bobby versus Euwe, 1957, game 1.

                      This line is very little played. I think Black needed the Queen's knight on d7 at move 8.

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                      1.d4Nf6
                      2.c4e6
                      3.Nc3d5
                      4.cxd5exd5
                      5.Bg5Bb4
                      6.e3h6
                      7.Bh4c5
                      8.Bd3Nc6
                      9.Ne2cxd4
                      10.exd4O-O
                      11.O-OBe6
                      12.Bc2Be7
                      13.Nf4Qb6
                      14.Bxf6Bxf6
                      15.Qd3Rfd8
                      16.Rae1Nb4
                      17.Qh7Kf8
                      18.a3Nxc2
                      19.Ncxd5Rxd5
                      20.Nxd5

                      0

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                          Originally posted by torten
                          As promised a nice miniature for Andrew.Two actually,there's just so much good stuff in this book.My best buy since long!

                          So I noticed you play Alekhine's defence.
                          N.N.-Geschew 1935


                          {snip}

                          Thanks for posting the Alekhine defence games! I will have to keep any eye out for Legal's mate in the 2.Nc3 variation.

                          Speaking of opening disasters, I don't have any Alekhine defence disasters of my own (where I triumph!), but I had this game in a tournament earlier this year which qualifies as an opening disaster. I have never tried the Sicilian myself given I don't know enough about it, but my opponent gave it a go.

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                          1.e4c5
                          2.Ng1f3Nb8c6
                          3.d4cxd4
                          4.Nf3xd4Ng8f6
                          5.Nb1c3a6
                          6.Nd4xc6bxc6
                          7.e5Nf6g8
                          8.Bf1d3f6
                          9.Qd1h5

                          0

                              1 edit
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                              Hi Torten.

                              Smashing post.

                              Sounds like you are really enjoying that book.

                              I've loads of these books. 1,000 Miniatures by Chernev and this Russian
                              book of 444 short games which has some wonderful pieces of creativity.

                              Just a wee teensy bit of advice.

                              Try and write (and post) for your weakest reader. Show the finish.
                              (a lot of guys are a bit shy about asking. I know, I (and others ) get their
                              PM's asking me to explain what 'so and so' meant.)

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                              Here you say "The queen is taboo and 12....,Nf6 fails to 13.Ng4." I see the mate
                              and so do loads of others. But some may not see the double checkmate and will
                              think the idea of Ng4 is take the f6 Knight and mate on h7 and wonder why
                              N(f6)xQ or gxQ does not work. So perhaps show them.

                              As you will see all is not clear.
                              (infact, as you will also see it was beyond at least one OTB player.)

                              The Queen is taboo.

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                              1.gxh5Rg3
                              2.Kh8Nxf7

                              0


                              Let us have a look at how the game actually finished. There is no forced mate.

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                              1.Nf6Ng4
                              2.gxh5Nxf6
                              3.Kh8Rxh5
                              4.h6Nxd5

                              0


                              There hides in there a beautiful 3 piece mate that others may not have seen.
                              It's always a joy to bring one of these out.

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                              1.Nf6Ng4
                              2.gxh5Nxf6
                              3.Kh8Rxh5
                              4.Kg7Ne8
                              5.Kg6Rg5
                              6.Kh6Bg7

                              0


                              Beautiful. Messing about with these miniatures still gives me hours of fun.

                              Is it of any value as a method of instruction.
                              Does it improve one's play?

                              Well this position appeared in Bellon - Pfleger 1972.

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                              Yes it's the same exact position we are looking at.
                              White did not find Ng4! he played Qh6 instead and the game was drawn in 39 moves.

                              Remember to have a look carefully at these games.
                              Try different defences in the 'so called lost positions'.
                              You find other mating ideas and cute wins (as above).
                              Pull them to bits and disect them. You pick up lods of ideas.

                              As a minor gripe I'd say you have posted too many too quickly.
                              There are loads of unheard melodies in those games

                              Sometimes all is not what it seems...

                              Game 590 from Chernev's 1000. Owen v Burn London 1887.

                              Here is how it went.

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                              1.Nf6gxf6
                              2.Rg1Kh8
                              3.Qxf6Nxf6
                              4.Bxf6

                              +1


                              OK let us have a wee poke about with it.
                              None of what follows is mentioned by Chernev.

                              What happens if Black takes back on f6 with the Knight.
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                              1.Nf6Nxf6
                              2.Qxf6e5
                              3.Rg1g6
                              4.O-O-OQc6
                              5.Rd2Bxb4
                              6.Qxc6Bxd2
                              7.Kxd2Rxc6

                              +1


                              Very messy, let's go back and have another good look.

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                              1.Qxg7Nxg7
                              2.Nf6Kh8
                              3.Nxd7

                              Instead of 1.Nf6+ how about looking at that Black King and Queen who are set up for a Knight fork.

                              +1


                              And so it goes on and on till I'm happy I that the corpse of a lost game
                              has no more secrets to reveal. I use to spend hours on games like this.

                              I reckon if I had put ½ as much energy into endings and middle game postional play
                              as I did with traps and mini games I might have turned into a proper chess player.

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                              Originally posted by greenpawn34
                              Hi Torten.

                              Smashing post.

                              Sounds like you are really enjoying that book.

                              I've loads of these books. 1,000 Miniatures by Chernev and this Russian
                              book of 444 short games which has some wonderful pieces of creativity.

                              Just a wee teensy bit of advice.

                              Try and write (and post) for your weakest reader. Show the finish.
                              (a lot of guys are a b ...[text shortened]... . I know, I (and others ) get their
                              PM's asking me to explain what 'so and so' meant.)

                              I love such books.I always try to get people to read them,but they rarely do.
                              I guess it's the 'don't play for traps' advice you read in beginner handbooks.
                              But all good players know the traps!If not they end up in these books.
                              With red faces 😉

                              While instruction wasn't on my mind I would think these games cannot but instruct.
                              I'll give another and with emphasis on instruction.
                              A good club level trap in the Caro-Kann.

                              Alekhine-Bruce 1938
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                              1.e4c6
                              2.Nc3d5
                              3.Nf3dxe4
                              4.Nxe4Bf5
                              5.Ng3Bg6
                              6.h4h6
                              7.Ne5Bh7
                              8.Qh5g6
                              9.Bc4e6
                              10.Qe2Nd7
                              11.Nxf7

                              0


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                                  1.e4c6
                                  2.Nc3d5
                                  3.Nf3dxe4
                                  4.Nxe4Bf5
                                  5.Ng3Bg6
                                  6.h4h6
                                  7.Ne5Bh7
                                  8.Qh5g6
                                  9.Bc4e6
                                  10.Qe2Nd7
                                  11.Nxf7Kxf7
                                  12.Qxe6Kg7
                                  13.Qf7

                                  0


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                                      1.e4c6
                                      2.Nc3d5
                                      3.Nf3dxe4
                                      4.Nxe4Bf5
                                      5.Ng3Bg6
                                      6.h4h6
                                      7.Ne5Bh7
                                      8.Qh5g6
                                      9.Bc4e6
                                      10.Qe2Nd7
                                      11.Nxf7Qf6
                                      12.Nxh8Qxh8
                                      13.Qxe6Be7

                                      0


                                          And please,if any questions don't be afraid to ask.Now and in the future.

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                                          Traps a plenty in the Caro Kann.

                                          This one has 20 OTB victims in the 2005 DB.

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                                          1.e4c6
                                          2.d4d5
                                          3.Nc3dxe4
                                          4.Nxe4Bf5
                                          5.Ng3Bg6
                                          6.N1e2h6
                                          7.Nf4Bh7
                                          8.Bc4Nf6
                                          9.O-Oe6
                                          10.Re1Nd5
                                          11.Nxe6fxe6
                                          12.Rxe6Ne7
                                          13.Qh5g6
                                          14.Qe5Rg8
                                          15.Ne4Bg7
                                          16.Nd6Kf8
                                          17.Qf6Bxf6
                                          18.Bxh6Rg7
                                          19.Rxf6

                                          0

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