Originally posted by RagwortEdit2
[pgn]
1. e4 {My opponent is one of RHP's high volume fast turnaround players. We've played a few times and he has beaten me once where I, overconfident and a pawn up, missed a vital tactic and paid the price.}e5 {Carving out a stake in the forest and elbow room for later maneuvers} 2. Ng1f3 d5 {Formerly called the Queen Pawn Counter Gambit, now the Elep ...[text shortened]... down...an elephant!} Bc6xf3 {The sound of the crashing stops, the stampede is over} 0-1
[/pgn]
Originally posted by hedonistAs far as I can make out it was rebranded in the 1980's by Tom Purser and the Blackmar Diemer crowd. Diemer played it himself. Seems to have stuck with entry under that name in Nunn's Chess Openings and Brian Walls chess like an Animal or whatever it's called.
Favour returned
Hi Ragwort.
Good opening, used to play it on and off, it's at least as good as the Latvian.
Here.
Instead of that pathetic 5.Be2. No other word for it, 'pathetic' White
KB's do not go to e2 in 1.e4 e5 openings. White deserved to lose.
Seeing 5.Be2 has completely ruined my day. The 'thing ended up on f1 and
was later taken as a freebie. What a miserable existence.
5.f4, 5.Bf4, 5.Nc3....anything but 5.Be2.
He was quite happy to allow 5...Nxe5 6.dxe5 Qxd1+ 7.Bxd1.
Where was it going after Bxd1. This diagram with haunt my dreams for a long time.
Do not do this to your White's King's Bishop
(good game BTW)
How's about 5.Nxf7, 6.Bc4+ and 7.0-0. You get close to what you get in the Cochrane Gambit.
You could use that Black e4-pawn as a lever to open the f-file.
Worth a punt and....(just checked)...it has been played OTB and it won.
(in that game, from some Olympiad, White took the g8 Knight after Bc4+.
Not too fond of that either, even though it won, but it was better than 5.Be2.
I'm sitting here it a complete state of shock.)
Originally posted by greenpawn34To paraphrase the Great Bard, "e2, bishop? Then fall Chandler!"
Hi Ragwort.
Good opening, used to play it on and off, it's at least as good as the Latvian.
Here.
[fen]r1bqkbnr/pppn1ppp/8/4N3/3Pp3/8/PPP2PPP/RNBQKB1R w KQkq - 0 5[/fen]
Instead of that pathetic 5.Be2. No other word for it, 'pathetic' White
KB's do not go to e2 in 1.e4 e5 openings. White deserved to lose.
Seeing 5.Be2 has completely ruined ...[text shortened]... even though it won, but it was better than 5.Be2. I sitting here it a complete state of shock.)
Originally posted by ketchuploverWithout giving too much away to potential opponents I will say that 4...Nd7 was the recommendation of Stefan Bucker (of "over the horizons" and "kaissiber" fame). FM Dr Phillip Corbin (Calypso Chess) who I've mentioned before in conjunction with this opening played 4...Nd7 early in his career before switching to 4...Bd6.
How about 5...Nxe5? tyia
I don't think the move is really played with Nxe5 dxe5 in mind. Despite GP's rant above after the exchange the white pawn stops natural Black moves such as Nf6 and Bd6. Given what he says above I reckon I'd try 4...Be6(!) against Greenpawn.
In the game I considered only 5...Bd6 and 5...Ngf6 to facilitate castling, but there are a number of other legal moves.
Hi Ragwort.
I just read the notes to the game. The Elephant theme running through was good.
You missed a chance to mention Dumbo and 4.Be2. 😉
I find RHP too 'clunky' and slow in displaying games on my kit. so I copy
the PGN, paste in ChessPad and delete the notes. I always delete notes,
I'll go back and see what is written after a particular move if I need to.
I don't look at notes to games in books. I go though the main game first,
then do it again looking at what has been said or what we are told to look at.
Someone put me onto this years ago. I think it helps. Not too sure.
As I said it's an OK opening and often throws White on the back foot.
Levy called it a joke opening (but admits he also lost ot it.)
I cannot recall losing playing it but I recall a possiblle missed win where
I took a perpetual instead. (I think that was an Elelphant....I'll need to check.)
I hate postions like that. I've sacced the house and suddenly there is a perpetual.
You feel in your bones there is a win but you cannot see it because that
poxy perpetual is sitting there and ...tick...tick....tick...tick.
'a perpetual Geoff, take the perpetual and be thankful'....tick...tick...tick....
You get all in quandry. Perpetuals and ticking clocks, I hate them.
A few times I've knocked back a perpetual and lost, on one brilliant
occassion I went for a perpetual and won! (v an IM no less.)
Originally posted by greenpawn34Hi GP,
Hi Ragwort.
I just read the notes to the game. The Elephant theme running through was good.
You missed a chance to mention Dumbo and 4.Be2. 😉
I find RHP too 'clunky' and slow in displaying games on my kit. so I copy
the PGN, paste in ChessPad and delete the notes. I always delete notes,
I'll go back and see what is written after a particular ...[text shortened]... rpetual and lost, on one brilliant
occassion I went for a perpetual and won! (v an IM no less.)
After a number of games on here I tried this opening for the first time OTB in the Hertford Congress last month, after I had lost in round 3 and was thus out of the prizes. The effect on my opponent was electrifying as he was physically shaking for the first 10 moves or so, fearing my preparation I suppose. And, although I cocked up and lost a second pawn the game was eventually drawn. But, as I said to him in the post mortem, if I'm theoretically lost at move two things cannot really get worse!
I posted this game because I was quite taken with the queen sac and the neat bishop and knight mate at the end. The notes are light and meant to entertain. The elephant running through (sic) was a convenient literary device to paraphrase some of what I was thinking about when playing the game. Like the moves themselves they could have benefited with more time devoted to them. The notes also provide a convenient cover to fact that post game analysis shows there were some inaccurate moves on my part namely 9...Bc6 and 15....e2 and maybe even 16....Qe3 which a stronger or more attentive opponent could have exploited. Never mind, I enjoyed playing it and writing it up in the forum.
I know some people may be reticent to have their games picked over by the masses because they made poor moves, or they fear being accused of engine abuse, or don't think they have anything to offer. RHP is a chess playing website and I believe interesting games played here should have centre stage in the forum. I remember the editors of correspondence chess magazines crying out for annotated games from all levels in the days before the internet, aware of their readers desires. I think that is why your blog and annotations are so appreciated here.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
And Merry Christmas to you to.
"But, as I said to him in the post mortem, if I'm theoretically lost at move
two things cannot really get worse! "
I found out very early I tend to play better when I think I'm worse.
I'm sure I'm not alone in this.
I played the Latvian OTB to get me pumping up on move two.
There were times when I played 2...f5 and I regretted it straight away.
"Why do I put myself through this...Why?..there must be easier ways to win."
It will be the same with the Elephant.
Though I do not think it is as tactically risky as the Latvian.....
Positionally risky yes, Black has shot his d5 bolt against 1.e4 far too early for
it equalise or steal the initiative.
The Latvian has a positional base (swapping an f-pawn for an e-pawn and
kicking a KNight on f3).
The fact that the Latvian King is often used as target practise is the
tactical down side.
A postional mistake you can correct or repair, a tactical blunder is usually curtains.
I like seeing games posted by players, I wish there were more.
I play over every one, even the blitz and under 20 games.
(I lie, I never play over a posted computer game.)
I like chipping in and having a rant. It's what I do.
Post more.