Books Chess.com Over the board

Saturday 20 September 2014

nhollyman vs patthatownie on chess.com, Game Start: 24 June 2014

Time limit: 7 days per move. 1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.g3 Bg7 5.Bg2 Nc6 6.d4 cxd4 7.Nxd4 O-O 8.O-O Ng4 9.e3 d6 10.b3 Nxd4 11.exd4 Nh6 12.h3 Rb8 13.Bb2 Nf5 14.Ne2 Bd7 15.a4 Bc6 16.Bxc6 bxc6 17.Rb1 e6 18.Ba3 a5 19.Qd3 e5 20.dxe5 dxe5 21.Qf3 Re8 22.Qxc6 Qd2 23.Rb2 Qd3 24.Nc1 Qd8 25.Qe4 Nd4 26.Re1 f5 27.Qe3 e4 28.Kg2 Nf3 29.Rh1 Bd4 30.Qh6 Bxb2 31.Bxb2 Qc7 32.Qe3 Rbd8 33.Qc3 Re5 34.Qe3 Rc5 35.Ba3 Rc6 36.Qc3 f4 37.Bb2 Nh4+ 38.Kh2 fxg3+ 39.fxg3 Rd2+ 40.Kg1 Rg2+ 41.Kf1 Qf7+ White Resigns

Thursday 31 July 2014

Potter vs Amateur, London, 1870

Mr. Potter does the impossible! He gives his opponent the terrific odds of a Queen, makes only six moves and then announces a forced checkmate in nine more moves!

(Remove White's Queen) 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Na5 5. Nxe5 Nxe4 6. d3 Nc5 7. Bxf7+ Ke7 8. Bg5+ Kd6 9. Nb5+ Kxe5 10. f4+ Kf5 11. Nd4+ Kg4 12. h3+ Kg3 13. Ne2+ Kxg2 14. Bd5+ Ne4 15. Bxe4# 

Game 5 from 1,000 Best Short Games of Chess, by Irving Chernev.

Saturday 19 July 2014

patthatownie vs nhollyman on chess.com, Game Start: 23 May 2014

Time limit: 7 days per move. 1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. g3 b6 5. Bg2 Bb7 6. O-O Bg7 7. d4 cxd4 8. Qxd4 Nc6 9. Qh4 O-O 10. Bh6 e6 11. Bg5 h5 12. Ne4 d5 13. Nxf6+ Bxf6 14. Bxf6 Qd7 15. g4 Rfc8 16. gxh5 Kf8 17. hxg6 Ne7 18. g7+ Black Resigns

Tuesday 15 July 2014

Boris Chessky vs frankrs on chess.com

Time limit: 14 days per move. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.d3 Nc6 5.Bd2 Bxc3 6.Bxc3 d6 7.Be2 b6 8.O-O Bb7 9.Qd2 Qe7 10.a3 Nd7 11.Qg5 f6 12.Qg3 O-O-O 13.b4 Rdg8 14.b5 Nd8 White timeout

Thursday 1 May 2014

A Ridiculous Chess Problem

A "ridiculously hard chess problem" that ChessNetwork was given on chess.com's Tactics Trainer.

Sunday 13 April 2014

Isolated Pawn definition in the Dictionary Of Modern Chess

A Pawn which has no Pawn of the same color on either of its adjacent files.

Due to the fact that, first, an "isolated Pawn" is deprived of the potential support which united Pawns can offer to each other, and second, that it must be guarded by a major or minor piece, it is generally considered to be a disadvantage to its owner.

An "isolated Pawn" is frequently referred to as an "isolani".

See also: chess.ky/2014/03/the-isolani_11.html

Wednesday 2 April 2014

Boris Chessky vs agussalim on Chess.com

Time limit: 14 days per move. 1. Nf3 d6 2. g3 Nf6 3. d4 e6 4. c4 c5 5. Bg2 cxd4 6. Nxd4 e5 7. Nb5 a6 8. Qa4 Bd7 9. Bxb7 Ra7 10. Bg2 Be7 11. Qa3 Bxb5 12. cxb5 O-O 13. Qe3 Rc7 14. Nc3 axb5 15. Nxb5 Rc5 16. a4 Ng4 17. Qf3 f5 18. b4 Rc2 19. Qb3+ Black Resigns

Tuesday 11 March 2014

The Isolani

Hans Berliner states this about isolated pawns in The System, A World Champion's Approach to Chess:

The System detests isolated pawns, and you should too. It is not so much that isolated pawns have to be defended by pieces; it is much more that the squares in front of an isolani can no longer be attacked by a pawn. 

The System favours board control strategy, and when there are important squares that can no longer be controlled, the strategy has probably failed. Isolated pawns may be all right if they are passed; particularly if they are centre pawns and have advanced beyond the 4th rank. 

Isolated pawns are also not a serious disadvantage of they are a- or h- pawns because the squares in front of them are not very important. 

Side-by-side pawns on the 4th rank such as on d4 and e4, or c4 and d4 are very good. They control a significant part of the board, and as such are worth much more than they amount to individually.

Apparently IM Daniel Tapia eats chocolate isolanis for breakfast:


Monday 17 February 2014

Dadian vs Doubrava, Kiev, 1896

"Check and mate to your King!" is the usual ending to the story, but here is one with a different twist.


1. e4 d6 2. Bc4 Nd7 3. Nf3 g6 4. Ng5 Nh6 5. Bxf7+ Nxf7 6. Ne6
Game 4 from 1,000 Best Short Games of Chess, by Irving Chernev.

Saturday 25 January 2014

Castizo vs Boris Chessky on chess.com

I think I was lucky to get a timeout win on this one (although the time limit was 14 days, so a timeout is really like a resignation as far as I'm concerned).

Due to the opponent's low rating, I was a bit pushy with my pawns and careless of my King's safety, so things started to get somewhat... interesting.

Time limit: 14 days per move. 1.e4 c5 2.Bc4 e6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.c3 d6 5.O-O a6 6.a3 b5 7.Ba2 Nf6 8.d4 Nxe4 9.d5 Ne7 10.dxe6 Bxe6 11.Re1 d5 12.Nbd2 f5 13.Nxe4 fxe4 14.Ng5 Qb6 15.Be3 h6 16.Nxe6 Qxe6 17.Bxc5 O-O-O 18.b4 Nc6 19.Bb6 Rd7 20.Qb3 g5 Black wins by timeout

Monday 20 January 2014

Gibaud vs Lazard, Paris, 1924

This is the shortest game ever played between masters in tournament competition.

It ends in a knockout in four moves!

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nd2 e5 3. dxe5 Ng4 4. h3 Ne3!
Instead of retreating, the Knight hurls himself into the enemy camp with an attack on the Queen.

White resigns, as capturing the Knight would be answered by 5 ... Qh4, forcing mate.

Game 1 from 1,000 Best Short Games of Chess, by Irving Chernev.