[BrianWall-ChessList] Once in a blue moon

Tue Jun 9 02:51:05 MDT 2009

Most Chess themes are repetitive, in my 48 years of Chess study I see the same
things reoccur thousands of times. Once in a while you bump into an idea you
can't use again, it seems to be unique, you can't really make a principle out
of what you've learned. Here are two recent examples.
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[Event "ICC 120 0 u"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2009.05.14"]
[Round "-"]
[White "*IM_Shankland"]
[Black "*Hughes"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2464"]
[BlackElo "2293"]
[Opening "Sicilian: Kan, 5.Nc3"]
[ECO "B43"]
[NIC "SI.41"]
[Time "19:36:36"]
[TimeControl "7200+0"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3 b5 6. Bd3 Qb6 7. Nb3 Qc7 8.
Qe2 Bb7 9. Bd2 b4 10. Nd1 Nc6 11. O-O Nf6 12. f4 a5 13. e5 Nd5 14. Ne3 Nxe3
15. Bxe3 g6 16. Rfd1 Ne7 17. Qf2 Nd5 18. Bc5 Rc8 19. Bxf8 Kxf8 20. a3 Kg7
21. Be4 Nc3 22. bxc3 Bxe4 23. cxb4 axb4 24. axb4 Qxc2 25. Nc5 Qxf2+ 26. Kxf2
Bd5 27. Rdc1 Rb8 28. Rab1 Bc6 29. Rb2 Rb6 30. Ke3 Rhb8 31. Rcb1 h5 32. g3
Kf8 33. Kd4 Ke7 34. Nd3 d6 35. exd6+ Kxd6 36. Ne5 Ke7 37. Rc1 Be8 38. Rc4
Rb5 39. Kc3 Ra8 40. Nf3 Ra3+ 41. Rb3 Ra2 42. Nd4 Rb7 43. Rb2 Ra3+ 44. Kd2
Ra4 45. Kd3 Bb5 46. Nxb5 Rxb5 47. Kc3 Kd6 48. Kb3 Ra1 49. Rc8 Kd7 50. Rc3
Rd5 51. Ra2 Rxa2 52. Kxa2 Rd2+ 53. Ka3 Rxh2 54. b5 h4 55. b6 hxg3 56. Rc7+
Kd6 57. Rc8 Rh1 58. b7 Rb1 59. b8=Q+ Rxb8 60. Rxb8 e5 61. Rb4 f5 62. Rb6+
Kc5 63. Rxg6 exf4 64. Kb3 Kd4 65. Kc2 Ke3 66. Re6+ Kf2 67. Kd2 f3 {Black
wins} 0-1
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This is a game between two 18 year olds in the 2009 US Championship.
The other youngsters playing were IM Ray Robson and almost GM Robert Hess.

Sam Shankland had a clear advantage in the middlegame but
the last 40 moves of the game played out an even endgame.

The problem pops up on move 66.
Even though White only has two pieces,
a King and a Rook and I tell everyone,
" White to play and draw ", they all give up.
Tyler said he and Sam had no clue in the
postmortem there was a draw there.
Those two are roughly 2400 strength.
So far only two people have solved it,
Joe Ford, who loves endgames and some guy
at the 16th street mall who just tried absolutely
everything until he stumbled onto the solution.
I have had much stronger players give up.

Part of the problem is every line except the solution
loses badly so it's easy to get discouraged.

We have all heard,
Rook belong behind passed pawns
because their mobility increases
as the passed pawn is pushed.

I don't remember,
The King belongs behind passed pawns,
maybe once in a while in a minor piece ending.
Well, come to think of it, I see that idea a lot.
For some reason, no one seems to get it here.

66 Kc3!!   Kf2  67  Kd4!!  g2  68  Ke5!!  f3  69  Kf4!!  Ke2  70  Rg3=

Anything besides  66 Kc3!!
loses instantly.

A little unlucky for Sam who had equality
for 40 moves but didn't know it.
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The next example is even rarer -
Move the Queen away from the battle area and pursue
the enemy King from the edges of the board.

This is a 15 minute ICC blitz game I was watching Danielle Rice play.

[Event "ICC 15 0"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2009.06.07"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Danielle"]
[Black "Terlizzi"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A48"]
[WhiteElo "1977"]
[BlackElo "1893"]
[Annotator "Microsoft"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "2009.??.??"]
[TimeControl "900"]

1. d4 g6 2. Bf4 Nf6 3. e3 d6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. c3 O-O 6. Nbd2 c6 7. Be2 b5
8. h3 a6 9. O-O Nbd7 10. Bh2 c5 11. a4 b4 12. Nc4 a5 13. Nxd6!?

An attempt at a Full Metal Jacket ( all 8 pawns ).

http://www.chessville.com/Wall/FullMetalJacket.htm

Terlizzi is a USCF 1500 trying to improve but he played
some parts so strongly I thought maybe he was a computer.

13 ...  exd6!  14. Bxd6  Re8!  15. dxc5 bxc3!
16. bxc3 Ne4! 17. Qd5!  Ba6!  18. Bxa6!  Rxa6!

Terlizzi has played 6 best moves since the last note.
However in answer to a very bad move
(  19  Nd4??  Nd:c5!!   wins easily )
Terlizzi responds with a worse one.

Question -
How do weak players make a string of good moves?

Answer -
They recognize obvious patterns.

19. Nd4??  Bxd4?? 20. cxd4!!

Now Danielle and I have something close to a Full Metal Jacket position
we were aiming for in the first place. We have almost all our pawns left,
3 pawns and a Bishop for Two Knights.

20 ...  Ndf6?   21. Qb7!!

It's about equal now like before we started this faulty combo.

21 ... Ra8 22. Bh2!!

Peekaboo Bishops often win blitz games although
I recently found out they create bank rank issues.

22 ...  Nd5!  23. f3

This was Danielle's idea,
to march the pawn chain forward a color
off the backs of the Knights.

23 ... Re7

The problem with marching a pawn chain forward
is the enemy always wants to sac back on it.
Terlizzi has tricky Knight fork sequences like
23  ... Nec3!!  24  e4  Ne3!!  25  d5!!  N:f1  26  R:f1
and now it's a fun fight between a Terlizzi Rook
and two connected passed pawns for Danielle.

24. Qb2!

Danielle found that one

24 ...  Nef6?

Here the dreaded countersac is in order -
24 ... N:e3  25  fe  N:f1  26  R:f1  R:e4   27  Bd6
with a pawn for the exchange looks roughly equal

25. e4!!   Nb4! 26. Bd6 Rd7!  27. e5

It was my idea to create a Super-Bishop in the center of the board,
not as strong as Danielle's plan, 26  d5!!

27 ... Nfd5!  28. Qe2

The battering ram pawn wave  28  f4!!  is best while
28 Qd2!! to support the center while staying away from Knight forks
is also good

28 ... Qg5

I was getting frustrated,
Terlizzi kept answering my crushing
ideas with good ideas of his own.

29. e6 Re8 30. f4 Qf6!   31. f5!!

A good move in a wild position

31 ...  Qxd4+ 32. Kh1!

Now  32 ... fe!!
is about equal

32 ... Ne3??  33. exf7+??  Kxf7 34. fxg6+!  Kxg6!  35. Rae1!!

Somehow all the insanity and blunders have evened out.

35 ... Nbd5!  36. Rf3!  Nc3??
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This is the part that's a weird once in a blue moon possibility.
With everything going on right where the White Queen is,
the killer move is to run away from all that and stalk the King
with  37  Qa6!!  where nothing is happening. I've never seen that
idea before and would have a hard time creating a second example.
Despite an extra piece and an active disposition of his forces,
Terlizzi is completely helpless to the power of the Mighty Decentralizer,
37  Qa6!!!!!!!
Example
37  Qa6!!    Re6   38  Qc8!!
Danielle continues to stalk the Black King along
the edge of the board like a homicidal cockroach.
38 ...  Ree7  39  Qg8+
The murderous Cockroach Attack continues
39 ...  Rg7  40  Qe6+  mates
I've never seen a Queen slither around the board
like this with so many other things going on.
After  36 ... Nc3??  37  Rg3+!!  or  37  Qf2!
are not nearly as effective as the odd  37  Qa6!!!!!!!
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37. Qf2!   Ncd5

I suggested  37 ... Ng4!!  38   Q:d4  R:e1+
to Danielle as a better try for Black

38. Qg3+

Even stronger when prefaced with
38  c6!!!    R:d6  39  Qg3+!!
and  38  Bf4!!  is another killer

38 ... Kh6??
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A very strange game.
Terlizzi's King is safe on  h5!
After  38 ... Kh6??  39   Rf:e3!!!
is a total wipeout. The main idea is a switchback
38 ... Kh6??  39   Rf:e3!!!   R:e3  39  R:e3  Q:e3
seemingly covering f4 and everything else but
40  Bf8+!!   mates quickly
After  38 ... Kh6??  39  Rf4!!  or  Ree3!!
are not nearly as effective as the impossible looking
39  Rf:e3!!!!!!!

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39. Bf4+!!   Nxf4!!   40. Rxf4!! Nf5!!
41. Rxf5!!  Rxe1+!!   42. Qxe1!!  Qxa4?  43. Qe6+!!

Mating

43 ...  Kg7!   44. Qf6+!!   Kg8! 45. Qf8#

{Black checkmated}  1-0

There was much mutual praise in the
postmortem between Danielle and Terlizzi.

There were many best moves played and
some even more fantastic moves missed.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Event "ICC 15 0"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2009.06.07"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Danielle"]
[Black "Terlizzi"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A48"]
[WhiteElo "1977"]
[BlackElo "1893"]
[Annotator "Microsoft"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "2009.??.??"]
[TimeControl "900"]

1. d4 g6 2. Bf4 Nf6 3. e3 d6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. c3 O-O 6. Nbd2 c6 7. Be2 b5 8. h3 a6
9. O-O Nbd7 10. Bh2 c5 11. a4 b4 12. Nc4 a5 13. Nxd6 exd6 14. Bxd6 Re8 15. dxc5
bxc3 16. bxc3 Ne4 17. Qd5 Ba6 18. Bxa6 Rxa6 19. Nd4 Bxd4 20. cxd4 Ndf6 21. Qb7
Ra8 22. Bh2 Nd5 23. f3 Re7 24. Qb2 Nef6 25. e4 Nb4 26. Bd6 Rd7 27. e5 Nfd5 28.
Qe2 Qg5 29. e6 Re8 30. f4 Qf6 31. f5 Qxd4+ 32. Kh1 Ne3 33. exf7+ Kxf7 34. fxg6+
Kxg6 35. Rae1 Nbd5 36. Rf3 Nc3 37. Qf2 Ncd5 38. Qg3+ Kh6 39. Bf4+ Nxf4 40. Rxf4
Nf5 41. Rxf5 Rxe1+ 42. Qxe1 Qxa4 43. Qe6+ Kg7 44. Qf6+ Kg8 45. Qf8# {Black
checkmated} 1-0
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