Friday, October 23, 2015

What Happened??

Image result for free clipart What?

Black plays reasonable chess in the following game, as does White - who slowly moves the game toward equality. Then, suddenly, the second player deliberately hangs a piece, and White's attack on the enemy King crashes through. Can Readers uncover an explanation (other than "chess blindness") for Black's 17th move?

Wall, Bill - Guest7132040

PlayChess.com, 2015

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 




4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 d6 8.O-O


Or 8.Qd5+ followed by 9.O-O as in Wall,B - Guest344942, PlayChess.com, 2013 (1-0, 20).


8...Be6


8...Nf6 was seen in a number of previous games, for example:  Jerome,A - Shinkman,W, Iowa, 1876, (1/2 - 1/2, 42);  perrypawnpusher - JoseSoza, Chess.com, 2012 (0-1, 34);  Wall,B - Guest903719, PlayChess.com, 2013 (1-0, 47); and Wall,B - Guest1561957, PlayChess.com, 2014 (1-0, 25).


9.f4 Nc6 10.Qc3 Nf6 11.f5 Bd7 12.Qb3+ Kf8 13.Re1 Nd4 14.Qd3 c5


15.Bf4 Bb5 16.Qd1 Qb6 17.c3 Ba4



White can just take the Bishop. What am I missing? (If Black is planning 18...Qxb2 it would be well met by the obvious 19.Nd2.)


18.Qxa4 Nc6 19.Bxd6+ Kf7 20.Qc4+ Black resigned




Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Always Dangerous


The Blackburne Defense to the Jerome Gambit leads to a tense and complicated game for both sides. As Joseph Henry Blackburne demonstrated early in the life of the Jerome, Black can generate a wild counter-attack by returning one sacrificed piece and offering a Rook as well. On the other hand, analysis since has shown that White can draw, and practical play shows he can often do better - in games in The Database White scores 68%.

Philidor 1792 - NN
2015

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 



4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qd5+ 



White decides to steer clear of the dangers of 8.Qxh8 and grab another pawn. He hopes to show his three extra pawns will outweigh his opponent's extra piece. Philidor1792 has had significant success with the pawns vs the piece in the Jerome Gambit.

8...Be6

Seen previously was 8...Kg7 in RevvedUp - Fritz 8, 2 12, 2006 (0-1, 19).

9.Qxb7

Or 9.Qd3 Nf6 10.O-O Qe7 11.b3 Ng4 12.Bb2 Ne5 13.Qf3+ Nxf3+ 14.gxf3 Bh3 15.Bxh8 Qg5+ 16.Kh1 Qg2 checkmate, hattta - VictoriaBot, FICS, 2012. 

9...Rb8

An anternate idea was 9...Rc8 seen in stampyshortlegs - Sir Osis of the Liver, JG Tourney4, ChessWorld, 2009 (1-0, 39). 

10.Qa6 Qh4 

At first glance it looks like Black is the one playing a gambit, with the subsequent lead in development of pieces. However, if White can consolidate his position behind his pawns, he can eventually put them on the march and look for balance.

As the game goes, Black uses his pieces to keep pressuring his opponent, and the point is his.

11.Qe2 Bg4 12.Qf1 Nf6 13.d3 d5 14.Nc3 Rhe8 15.h3 Bd7 16.g3 Qh5 17.f3 Bd4 18.Nd1 Kg7 19.Be3 Bxe3 20.Nxe3 dxe4 21.fxe4 Qa5+ 22. Kd1 Qc5 

So far White's pawn cover has held up, but his oppponent's pressure is relentless and his lead in development is crushing.

23.Qf2 Nxe4 24.dxe4 Rxe4 25.Re1 Rxb2 26.Re2 Bxh3 27.Ng2 Qd6+ 28.Kc1 Rbb4 29.Nf4 Bg4 30.Rxe4 Qd1 checkmate.



Monday, October 19, 2015

A Tale of Two Knights


Image result for free clipart knights

The following game has a Knight sortie for Black, and one for White. One is effective, one is not. The "Jerome pawns" join in the fun for White.

Wall, Bill -Guest293396
PlayChess.com, 2015

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.O-O Bc5 5.Bxf7+ 



We have seen this position recently in another of Bill Wall's games, vs Mydrik.

5....Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bd6 8.dxe5 Bxe5 9.f4 Bd4+ 


Possibly a slip on Black's part, although the move has been seen before, so perhaps he was looking for a simple way to return the sacrificed piece. Still, 9...Bd6 10.e5 Bc5+ looked like a better choice, leading to an even game. 

10.Qxd4 Re8

Others:

10...d6 11.e5 dxe5 12.Qxd8 Rxd8 13.fxe5 Bg4 14.exf6 gxf6 15.Nc3 Rd7 16.Ne4 f5 17.Bg5 Kg6 18.Nc5 Rd5 19.Ne6 Re8 20.Nxc7 Black resigned, Fietsenzo - oritelgavi, FICS, 2014;

10...c6 11.e5 Nd5 12.c4 Qb6 13.c5 Qb4 14.Qf2 Rf8 15.Bd2 Qxb2 16.Bc3 Qxf2+ 17.Rxf2 b6 18.Bd4 Kg8 19.Nc3 Nxc3 20.Bxc3 bxc5 21.Rb2 Rxf4 22.Rf1 Rxf1+ 23.Kxf1 Ba6+ 24.Kf2 Rf8+ 25.Ke3 Bb5 26.Ba5 Rf5 27.Bc7 Rf7 28.Rd2 h6 29.h4 Re7 30.Bd6 Re8 31.Ke4 c4 32.Bc5 a6 33.Rxd7 c3 34.Rd1 c2 35.Rc1 Ba4 36.Kf5 Rd8 37.Be3 Rd1 38.Ke6 Rd3 39.Bf4 Bb5 40.Rxc2 Rd4 41.g3 Bd3 42.Rd2 Bc4+ 43.Kf5 Rxd2 44.Bxd2 Bxa2 45.Bb4 Kf7 46.g4 Be6+ 47.Kf4 Bd5 48.g5 hxg5+ 49.hxg5 Ke6 50.g6 Bc4 51.Bd6 a5 52.Ke4 a4 53.Kd4 Bb5 54.Kc3 Be2 55.Kb4 Bh5 56.Kxa4 Bxg6 57.Kb4 Bf5 58.Kc5 Be4 White forfeited on time, ndrwgn - lobisonte, FICS, 2013;

10...Qe7 11.e5 Nh5 12.f5 Re8 13.Qd5+ Kf8 14.Bf4 Nxf4 15.Rxf4 Qxe5 16.Qxe5 Rxe5 17.f6 gxf6 18.Rxf6+ Kg7 19.Rf1 b6 20.Nc3 Ba6 21.Rfd1 Rae8 22.Rxd7+ Kg8 23.Rxc7 Rf8 24.h3 Ref5 25.Kh2 Rf2 26.Ne4 Rxc2 27.b4 Rxc7 28.a4 Rc4 29.b5 Rxe4 30.bxa6 Rf2 31.Rc1 Rxa4 32.Rc8+ Kg7 33.Rc7+ Rf7 34.Rb7 Rxa6 35.Rb8 Ra2 36.Re8 b5 37.Re3 b4 38.Rb3 a5 39.h4 Ra3 40.Rb2 b3 41.h5 a4 42.h6+ Kg6 43.g4 Ra2 White resigned, HauntedKnight - JustaHobby, FICS, 2010

11.e5 Ng4

This "attack" is brushed off, but the retreat 11...Ng8 also has its difficulties, e.g. 12.Qd5+ Kf8 13.Nc3 d6 14.Qe4 Qh4 15.g3 Qh5 16.Qb4 c5 17.Qe4 h6 18.Nb5 Qf7 19.Nxd6 Qe6 20.Nxe8 Kxe8 21.f5 Qe7 22.Be3 Rb8 23.Rae1 b6 24.Bf4 Bb7 25.Qa4+ Kf8 26.f6 Qe6 27.fxg7+ Kxg7 28.Qxa7 Qd5 29.Qxb7+ Rxb7 30.e6 Qxa2 31.Be5+ Kg6White forfeited on time, frizerkaHR - cebop, FICS, 2013

12.h3 Nh6 13.f5 

The "Jerome pawns" are in their glory.

13...Ng8 14.Nc3 c6 15.Ne4 Qb6 16.Ng5+ 


This Knight will win material, and usher in the pawns.

16...Kf8 17.Nxh7+ Ke7 18.f6+ gxf6 19.exf6+ Nxf6 20.Qxb6 axb6 21.Nxf6 Black resigned


White is up a piece and a pawn, as well as having the safer King.