King's Gambit
(Calvo - Hamann, Menorca 1974) 1...g1=Q! 2. Bxg1 Kg2 3. Kg4 and now White can't leave the h-pawn unguarded. 3...Ba8! 4. Kh4 Bf3 is zugzwang! If 5. a8=Q then 5...Bxa8 6. Kg4 Bf3+ 7. Kh4 Be4 8. Kg4 Bf5+! and White loses. If 5. Kg5 then 5...Kxg1 6. Kf4 Kg2 and so on.
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1... g1-Q 2.Bxg1 Kg2 3.Kg4 Ba8! 4.Kh4 Bf3 0-1
By 
, at
9:27 AM
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White to move
Here is a position from one of my recent games. As you can see, White is up a pawn and has a passed pawn. Black has majority on the kingside but his king is stuck in the square of the a-pawn. During the game I of course knew this position was a win for White, but it turns out that White must play carefully.
If 1. Kxb4? then 1... f5! 2. Kc5 (the white king can't block the black king from entering the square b7) g4 3. Kc4 g4 and Black queens at least one of the pawns.
If 1. Kb6? then 1...Kc8 2. a6 Kb8 (now the passed pawn can't queen) 3. Kc5 f5! and the situation is the same as before.
The key for White is to lose no time in stopping Black's push. 1. Kd4! f5 2. Ke3 Now the push fails: 2...g4 3. fxg4 fxg4 4. hxg4 h3 5. Kf3 and the king is in the square. Now Black has to stop two passed pawns with one king and thus loses. Trying to block the White king gives nothing for Black: 2...Kd6 3. f4! g4 4. hxg4 h3 5. Kf3 and again White wins.
What happened in the game then? White played: 1. Kb6? Kc8 2. Ka7 Kc7 and Black won easily.
0 Comments:
1. Qh7+!! Kxh7 thanks to the bishop. 2. Rxg7+ Kh8 3. Rg8+ Kh7 4. R1g7+ Kh6 5. Rg6+ Kh7 6. R8g7+ Kh8 7. Rh6#
0 Comments:
This recent game features quite a bit of maneuvering. Once again I had the edge from the start, then gave it away but converted into a winning queen-bishop end game with a passed pawn to my advantage. The idea of playing the Reti comes from reading his book "Games by Master Chess Players".
T.Lassila - N.N., Correspondence Game (A04 - Reti Opening)
1. Nf3 e6
2. c4 Bc5?
Either my opponent thinks I'm using an opening book and trying to get out of book or then has no idea of general opening principles.
3. d4 Bb4+
4. Bd2 Bxd2+
Black has now moved the bishop three times and it's no longer even on the board!
5. Qxd2 d5
6. b3 Nf6
Better would have been 6. e3.
7. Nc3 O-O
8. Ne5 Ne4
9. Nxe4 dxe4
10. f3?! exf3
This was probably a mistake that gave Black some play, but I just couldn't let him park that pawn on e4. In hindsight, patience in removing it might have been a better choice.
11. exf3 Re8
12. Be2 Qe7
My king is dangerously weak and I castle in the nick of time.
13. O-O Nc6?!
Messing up his pawn structure. This weakness proved to be fatal for Black.
14. Nxc6 bxc6
15. Rfd1 Qh4
16. Qe1 Qg5
17. Qd2 Qg6
At this point my pieces seemed awkwardly placed so I tried to exchange the queens. The bishop is very bad at this point but will end up as a vital piece in the end.
18. f4 e5
Sacrificing a pawn with the idea of a cheap mate. The attack would be much more fierce if Black hadn't squandered the dark-squared bishop on move 4.
19. dxe5 Bh3
I pondered between Bf1 and Bf3. Both stop the mate but Bf3 enables Bxc6 forking the rooks later on once the threat of mate has passed. Note that the black rook can't leave the 8th rank due to 20...Re6 21. Qd8 Re8 to prevent mate. Black saw this and made a move that dangerously opened up his king.
20. Bf1 h5?
While simultaneously attacking my king position seems like a good idea, 20...h4 would have been more correct since it doesn't open up Black's king as much as the game move.
21. Kh1! Bg4
Now Black's attack fizzles as my king is better protected than his.
22. Rde1 Rad8
23. Qf2 f6?
Pointless move. Not only does it open up Black's king, it allows a very strong response.
24. e6 Bxe6?
I missed some material here: 25. Rxe6! Rxe6 26. f5 wins the bishop.
25. Rad1?! Bg4
26. Rxd8 Rxd8
Black doesn't seem to care about his a-pawn, so I thank him and create a passed pawn.
27. Qxa7 h4
28. Qf2 Rd1
29. Rxd1 Bxd1
30. c5 Bg4
With the idea of creating a strong outpost for the bishop. The h-pawn is hanging so I take it once making sure Black has no immediate threat.
31. Qxh4 Qb1
32. Qf2 Qc1
33. Qg1?! Qxf4
This was a bit inaccurate as the trap 34. Bc4+ is quite obvious. But it does drive the Black queen away from the 1st rank.
34. Bc4+! Kf8
Appears to be an unnecessary check but now my bishop is very strongly placed while Black's is completely useless. As a grandmaster has said, "Passed pawns must be pushed". The check also wins a tempo here.
35. a4 Qd2
36. h3 Bd1
37. a5 Bc2
38. a6 Qa5
Luring the queen out to hunt the a-pawn gives White a winning play. Notice it's a queen-bishop end game but my last four moves were pushing pawns!
39. Qd4! Qe1+
Threatening mate. Anything else would lose the bishop and/or the game. For example: 39...Ke7? 40. Qe3+ Kf8 41. Qe6 Bg6 42. Qg8+ Ke7 43. Qxg7+.
40. Kh2 Qe8
41. Qh4 Bf5?
41. a7 and 42. Qa1 also wins. The only move for Black is 41... Qe5+ but 42. Qg3 and Black can't reach a draw no matter what he tries. Now the exchange of queens wins immediately.
42. Qh8+ Ke7
43. Qxe8+ Kxe8
44. a7 1-0
0 Comments:
1. Ne3! threatens Qf6#. If 1...Qd8 then 2. Qf5+ Ke7 3. Qxh7+ Ke6 4. Qf5+ Ke7 5. Qxg5+ Kd7 6. e6+! Kc8 7. Qxd8+ Kxd8 8. d5 and the passed pawns can't be stopped.
0 Comments:
1. gxf5! sacrificing the bishop for the open g-file wins here. If 1... Qxb5? then 2. Qg4+! Kf8 3. Rg1 and Black is in a mate web. The best choice for Black is 1...Qe3! but after 2. Bd3 the attacks look too strong.
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(Bronstein - Medina, Göteburg 1955) 1. d6!! clears way for the knight. Black resigns due to: 1...Bxd6 2. Bxd6 Nxd6 3. Nd5! and Black loses the queen for a pawn and a knight.
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Here's a game I just finished. I played my standard opening with White but then made some unnecessary exchanges that conceded a bit of space to Black. I had already entertained the possibility of offering a draw when Black missed a tactical attack that quickly won material and the game. Get the PGN here.
T.Lassila - N.N., Correspondence Game (D21 - Queen's Gambit Accepted)
1. d4 d5
2. c4 dxc4
Queen's Gambit Accepted. I'm at home with this opening and Black is going to have a tough time with keeping up with my development.
3. Nf3 e6
4. e3 b5
This is the only way for Black to hold on to his pawn on c4. But this is exactly what I wanted him to play since this slows down his development while allowing me to open up the queen side with 5. a4.
5. a4 Bd7
6. Ne5! Qe7?
This is a very good move which both secures an outpost and attacks the defender of b5. My opponent is scared of 7. Nxf7!? and blunders as a result.
7. Nxd7?! Qxd7
Better would have been 7. Qf3!. Now I give up the outpost to gain his bishop for a knight. Oh well.
8. Be2 c6
Here I had time to commit a developing move instead of charging at b5.
9. axb5 cxb5
Activating the rook. Now to tuck my king away and ferry the rest of my pieces over to join the battle.
10. Bf3 Nc6
The idea is not to attack the rook but the block the diagonal between b5 and the queen. If 10...Bb4+ then 11. Nc3 Bxc3+? 12. bxc3 and White has won the bishops and has connected his pawns.
11. O-O Rc8
Breaks the pin but does little for Black's development. Time to develop further.
12. Bd2 Nf6?
Better is 12...Nh6 and 13...Nf5. Now the bishop on f3 dominates the knight.
13. Nc3 Nd8
Challenging for d5... Black anticipates 14. d5, but better would have been 13...Nb4! since it allows Nd3.
14. Re1 Bd6
15. Bc1?! Bc7
If 15...b4! then Black regains some play. I do acknowledge that letting the pawns go unchallenged is an invitation for Black to push them and cause problems but here I was looking for a central attack before Black gets his stuff together.
16. Rxa7? Qd6
Black lays a trap but doesn't even realize it! 16...Bxh2! 17. Kxh2 Qxa7. If 17. Nxb5? Qxh2+ 18. Kf1 and the c4-pawn is isolated, but the cost is way too high as Black gets a dangerous attack.
17. g3 Qb6
18. Ra2 O-O
19. d5 exd5
I thought long and hard about this one but could not see anything better.
20. Nxd5 Qe6
21. Nxc7?! Rxc7
Another questionnable exchange, but now I have won the bishops which makes it about even with Black up a pawn.
22. Ra8 Rd7!
Saw this one coming but didn't think it was too bad.
23. Qc2 Nc6
24. Rxf8+ Kxf8
This exchange is justified since now the h7-pawn is only protected by the knight. Remember that it's still dominated by the bishop and now I'm threatening to push my e-pawn to drive it away. In fact this is exactly what happened next.
25. Bxc6 Qxc6
I'm afraid of Nb4 attacking the queen and decide to simplify things a bit.
26. e4 Rd8
Shutting out d5 and threatening e5 to win material. A sharp line for Black would have been 26...Rd3.
27. e5 Ng4?
Black had a save: 27...Qe6. Now he loses material as I can see the tactics already.
28. Qxh7 Qc5?
Threatening Qxf2+ and mate in one. But of course that's not going to happen. Instead Black should have saved the knight.
29. Qh8+ Ke7
30. Qh4+! Kd7
Now the game is won. Black might still try for perpetual with his queen but my king is too well positioned while his king has become a punching bag.
31. Qxg4+ Kc7
32. Bf4 Kb6??
Threatening discovered check and my opponent loses his nerves, blundering the queen.
33. Be3 1-0
0 Comments:
1. Qf6+!! leads to a forced walk: Kxh5 2. g4+ Kxg4 (the king is being fed before taken to the slaughter!) 3. Rd4+ Kh3 4. Qf3+ Kh2 5. Qg2#.
0 Comments:
1. Nh6+! gxh6 (1...Kf8 and 1...Kg8 both lead to forks losing the queen) 2. Qe6+ Kg7 (or Kf8) 3. Nd7! and mate in four follows after 4. Bxc6+.
0 Comments:
15. Bxc6+! and White has a beautiful line to win the pinned bishop on e7. Followed by 15...bxc6 16. Ba3 Rd7 17. Rab1! O-O (Black is forced to castle to protect against 18. Rb8+) 18. Bxe7 Rc8 (18...Re8 19. Bc5 Red8 20. Re7 Rxe7 21. Bxe7 Re8 22. Re1) and Black is in dire trouble.
0 Comments:
1. Na5! forces 1... Rxc1 2. Qxc1. Now if 2...Re7 then 3. b7 Nd7 4. Qc8! Nb8 and White has a winning position.
0 Comments:
1... Qxh4!. Now if White responds 2. gxh4? then follows 2...Bf3+ (the discovered check is lethal here) 3. Kf1 Bg2+ 4. Kg1 Bxe4+ 5. Kf1 Bxc2 and Black is a piece up and has a strong attack against the king.
Be sure and check the daily problem at Chessgames.com as well, it's particularly nice today.
0 Comments:
Presented here is an annotation to a game I played against a friend some time ago. The reader will note it's not very advanced chess but it serves as an example of common errors that befall weaker players. My personal pet weakness is not noticing when my opponent has hanging pieces - I partly attribute this to practicing against chess programs. If you're not used to your opponent hanging their pieces it can be easy to overlook such positions. Thankfully a tactical combination won the game here despite a few missed opportunities. Download the PGN here.
T.Lassila - N.N., Friendly Game (C45 - Scotch Game)
1. Nf3 Nc6
2. e4 e5
3. d4 d6
3...exd4 4. Nxd4 Qh4 and black comes to play with force.
4. d5 Na5??
4...Nce7 is the obvious choice. Now the knight is dead in water. For some reason I decided to exchange the bishops instead.
5. Bb5+? Bd7
5. b4 would win the knight with no compensation.
6. Nc3 Bxb5
White wastes a tempo here trying to lure the c-pawn out. The light-squared bishop would have come handy later on.
7. Nxb5 Qd7
8. Nc3 f5
9. Ng5 h6??
White threatens 10. Ne6!. The game move is a horrible blunder that decides the game.
10. Qh5+ Ke7?
Should be 10...Kd8.
11. Qf7+ Kd8
12. Qxf8+ Qe8
13. Qf7? hxg5
13. Nf7+ Kd7 14. Qxg7 Ne7 15. Qf6 Qg8 16. Qe6+ Ke8 17. Nxh8 wins an exhange and the game. I'm often too nervous when the queen is deep in enemy territory to make efficient use of the upper hand that I have.
14. Bxg5+ Ne7
15. Qe6 Qf8
16. exf5 Rh5
17. Bxe7+ Qxe7
Even after exchanging the queens, black has little play left.
18. g4 Rg5?
19. Rg1 Qxe6
19. Qg8+ Qe8 20. Qxe8 Kxe8 21. Rg1 gives little for white.
20. fxe6? c6
20. dxe6! Nc6 21. h4 and the rook is history.
21. dxc6 bxc6
22. O-O-O d5
23. Nxd5! cxd5
Now the rook comes to play and pins the black e-pawn.
24. Rxd5+ Ke7
25. Rxa5 Kxe6??
26. f4 1-0
Black resigns upon losing the rook: 26...exf4 27. Rxg5. Not that 25...Rg6 26. Re1 Rxe6 27. Rexe5 Rxe5 28. Rxe5+ Kf6 is much better for Black.
0 Comments:
1. Kf4! and now Black can only delay against the threat of g4+ and Rh6#. For example: 1...Ra4+ 2. Re4 Rxe4 3. fxe4 f6 4. Rxf6 Rg8 5. g4+ Rxg4 6. hxg4+ Kh4 7. Rh6#. Look forward for more challenging problems to appear soon!
0 Comments:
I find that going through games with a good chess program that can evaluate tactics, like Crafty or Fritz, can help hone your strategic and positional skills while avoiding falling into tactical traps that in a real game would cause you to rethink your position or even lose the game. Here is one game I constructed with the help of Crafty. I've included a .PGN file here and annotation for the moves. Please feel free to send me your comments and evaluations!
N.N. - A.A., Learning Example (D20 - Queen's Gambit Accepted)
1. d4 d5
2. c4 dxc4
3. Nf3 Nf6
4. e3 e6
5. Bxc4 Bd6
5...Bb4+ would take out either the queen side bishop or a knight. Instead Black opts to close the center from White's pieces.
6. Nc3 Nc6
6. Nc3 secures e4 so the pawn can advance and release the dark-squared bishop.
7. e4? Bb4!
Too early. Black has a counter to win the pawn.
8. O-O Bxc3
Trying to save the pawn would hinder White's development.
9. bxc3 Nxe4
10. Qc2 Nd6
Now the queen is well-placed to attack on the king side. White prepares to play this idea. 10...f5?! is too risky and 11. Nd2 or 11. Nf6 neutralizes the well-positioned knight.
11. Bd3! h6
The queen-bishop battery is complete. Black's only bishop is cornered and the hapless e-pawn is going nowhere soon.
12. Re1 O-O
Faced with 13. d5!, Black has to castle to the weakened king side.
13. Ne5 Nf5
13...Nxe5 14. Rxe5 would only serve to give the fourth rank to the White rook. 14. Nxc6?! bxc6 doubles Black's pawns but releases the blocked bishop.
14. Rb1 Nxe5
Now Black is forced to make the exchange as the b-pawn is under attack.
15. Rxe5 Nd6
16. Bh7+ Kh8
Luring the king into the corner...
17. Bd3 b6
The bishop is free at last. Unfortunately it won't be able to block White's king side attack.
18. Bf4 Bb7
Offering to exchange the bishop to the knight.
19. Rh5! Re8?
Important move in preparation to what follows. Black would do better to counter.
20. Bxh6!! gxh6
Offering the bishop gives wonderful play for White.
21. Qd2 Qf6
Black has no good moves due to mate threats by the queen. For example 21...Kg8 22. Qxg6 f5 23. Qh8+ Kf7 24. Rh7+ Kg6 25. Qg6#.
22. Rxh6+ Kg7
23. Rxf6 Kxf6
24. Qf4+ Ke7
25. Qh4+ Kd7
26. Bb5+?! Nxb5
The objective now is to lure the Black king out and push with the pawns. This is easier done without the black knight.
27. Rxb5 Rh8
28. Qf4 f5
29. g3 Rag8
30. c4 Bc6
31. d5! Bxb5
Giving up the exchange opens up the pawn formation and makes the king vulnerable to checks.
32. cxb5 exd5
33. Qxf5+ Kd6
34. Qf6+ Kc5
35. Qc6+ Kb4
36. Qxd5 Rd8
37. Qb3+ Kc5
38. a4 Rc8
The position is complete. Now it's time to secure the march of the f-pawn. If not 38...Rc8 then 39. Qd3+ and the rest of Black's pawns fall quickly.
39. Qc3+ Kd5
40. f4 Rhg8
41. Qe5+ Kc4
42. Qe4+ Kb3
Now the king has been chased into the corner and White is set to make the winning push.
43. f5 Rce8
44. Qf4 Re1+
45. Kf2 Rge8
Black's only hope is counter-attack.
46. f6 R1e2+
47. Kf3 Rxh2
48. f7 Rf8
49. g4 Rh3+
50. Kg2 Rc3
Threats of losing the rook to a double-attack by the queen force the rook off the vital h-file.
51. Qh6! 1-0
Black resigns as 51...Rc2+ and the White king walks over to support the f-pawn's march to the eight rank.
0 Comments:
Problem Of The Day
I am kicking this site off by presenting a problem where White has a slightly cramped position but can convert to a magnificent win with a few key moves. I hope you enjoy it and will post the solution tomorrow.
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Serious chess. Serious fun!
