Games ...
Good Games, Bad Games, Interesting Games, Yaaawwwnnnn ....
Something can be learnt from them all.
1 November 2020
3Cs' Grandmaster Stephen Gordon had an excellent win for the club in the 4NCL when playing as black against former World Championship candidate GM Jon Speelman who himself writes a regular chess column in "Chess Base" magazine.
Following his defeat by Stephen, Jon Speelman wrote about it in his column, giving a detailed acount of how the game progressed. His report can be seen via the following link .
The first video in a new series "Inspired by AlphaZero" features a game by GM Matthew Sadler against 3Cs' International Master Andy Horton from the 4NCL. In it Matthew plays ideas leant from AlphaZero's game "Exactly how to attack"
The game and instructional video can be seen via the following link ...
Next time you think you have played a bad game then just remember this .....
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 f5 4. d3 fxe4
5. dxe4 Nf6 6. Ng5 Qe7 7. Bf7 Kd8 8. Ne6+ 1-0
So who was playing as black for this game ?
A junior ? A complete novice ?
NO ... this was a match at the 2020 Gibraltar Chess Festival where a "Battle of the Sexes" took place with a men's and women's team facing each other and each comprising of six of the world's top Grandmasters who were able to discuss between them what their team's next move would be.
The men's team (black) included Shakhriyar Mamedyarov; Maxime Vachier-Legrave, Ivan Cheparinov; Mickey Adams and David Howell ... all being 2600+ rated players !
You feel better now ?
(For the record the men's team won the next two games to win the tournament 2-1).
You can watch the event here ...
ONE OF THE CLASSIC GAMES OF ALL TIME ...... A "MUST" FOR ALL YOUNG CHESS PLAYERS TO KNOW.
Morphy,Paul v Duke of Brunswick,
Opera House, Paris, 02.11.1858
The notes on the game are from a talk by the great Robert (Bobby) Fischer, World Champion 1972-75.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Bg4 [This is a weak move already. Later Steinitz said you shouldn't move out your bishops before you bring out your knights, a very good rule for beginners.]
[The right move was 3...Nd7]
4.dxe5 Bxf3 [He must give up his bishop]
[because if he takes: 4...dxe5 5.Qxd8+ Kxd8 6.Nxe5]
5.Qxf3 [Later on Steinitz said you should take with the pawn 5.gxf3 dxe5 6.Qxd8+ Kxd8 7.f4 and you play this endgame with two bishops. He gave one variation to support this: 7...Nf6 8.fxe5 Nxe4 9.Bg2 Nc5 defending the pawn 10.b4 and take on b7 after the knight moves, wins. This is typical of Steinitz's ideas and a typical variation.]
5...dxe5 6.Bc4 [[Laughs] I have a friend who shows this game and says "I can show you my game against the Duke of Brunswick". [The Morphy game Fischer is annotating was played at an opera house in Paris against two strong amateurs, the German noble Duke Karl of Brunswick and the French aristocrat Count Isouard].]
6...Nf6 [To defend the mate [on f7].]
[It's funny: I played two [simultaneous] exhibitions here in Sarajevo, and both players played exactly the same: 6...Qf6 Maybe they were trying to lose the same way, as a joke or something. 7.Qb3 b6 8.Nc3 c6 to prevent this 9.Bg5 A very good move. 9...Qg6 (9...Qxg5 10.Bxf7+ Ke7 11.Bxg8 wins.) 10.Rd1 (I couldn't castle: 10.0–0–0 Qxg5+) 10...Be7 (10...Nd7 11.Bxf7+ Qxf7 12.Qxf7+ Kxf7 13.Rxd7+ and I win a pawn and the endgame.) 11.Bxe7 Nxe7 12.Bxf7+ Qxf7 13.Rd8+ Kxd8 14.Qxf7 Both played exactly the same, but different from here on [both lost of course]. Bjelica: "You think Morphy played better than you?" Fischer: "Well, we both won!"]
7.Qb3 [This is already a winning move, because he is threatening two pawns. Now Black played a clever move:]
7...Qe7 8.Nc3 [Now if he takes 8.Qxb7 Qb4+ trade queens and play a long time in a lost endgame.; 8.Bxf7+ Qxf7 9.Qxb7 Bc5 10.Qc8+ Ke7 11.Qxh8 Bxf2+ 12.Ke2±]
8...c6 9.Bg5 [Now Black is in a zugzwang position here. He can't develop his [b8] knight because his pawn [on b7] is hanging, the bishop is blocked by the queen...]
9...b5 [And now he finished with a beautiful sacrifice:]
10.Nxb5 cxb5 11.Bxb5+ Nbd7 [11...Kd8 12.Bxf6 and Qd5+ and Qxa8]
12.0–0–0 [He's threatening to take the knight.]
12...Rd8 [He can't take with the knight or the queen, so]
[He can't castle: 12...0–0–0 13.Ba6+ and Qb7 mate.]
13.Rxd7 Rxd7 14.Rd1 [Now White can simply take the knight and the rook and is two pawns ahead.]
14...Qe6 15.Bxd7+ [Morphy was looking for a brilliancy.]
[15.Qxe6+ fxe6 16.Bxf6 is an easy winning ending.]
15...Nxd7 16.Qb8+ Nxb8 17.Rd8#
1–0
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