A Cascade of Tactics
Collopy: “This game was played in a serious manner (about an hour each spent on it) - although without clocks.” David S (2066) – R. Collopy (1722), Friendly match 2012 ECO: E10 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nf3 A...
Can a Thinker Out-think Himself?
knightbandit (1569) - kharv (1582), chess.com Online Chess 2011 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 kharv: “Caro-Kann advance variation. At my level this is the line I encounter the most with the Caro-Kann, and since I haven’t had time yet to build anything el...
The Classic Bishop Sacrifice
scarredeyes: “I find it hard to form a plan in the middlegame. I love to attack, but I always find that I do better if the game is more ‘dynamic’ with both players under pressure. Also, I keep starting an attack that I feel may g...
Fatigue Wins
Getting home after Saturday's games, I ate dinner and started preparing for Yankovsky. I had a general profile of him already, but I needed to play through a bunch of his games to ascertain what variations he played against my defenses to e4 (c5, ...
Excitement verse Fatigue
[if you missed my first piece about this tournament, it is here] As day 2 began at the Western Class Championships, the two day schedule began. Separate schedules is something which may not exist outside of the U.S.-- they allow players to play m...
Excitement verse Fatigue
[if you missed my first piece about this tournament, it is here] As day 2 began at the Western Class Championships, the two day schedule began. Separate schedules is something which may not exist outside of the U.S.-- they allow players to play ...
Two Players, Two Different Fantasies
Tic-Tac (1361) - freddiebanocia (1448), Chess.com 2011 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 When discussing an opening variation, at times I say that one side or the other has tried “everything.” In general, “everything” means 6 to 9...
If You Putter, Your Game Will Sputter
Franke: “This is a game I’m quite proud of, even though I came away from it with a half point fewer than I should have. With a USCF rating of 1984 and a recent peak at 2037, Ted is the strongest opponent by far whom I’ve ever achieved a draw again...
Finishing Off A Wounded Opponent
Phelon wrote: "Hey I just got my first win against an expert a few days ago and was hoping you could analyze it. I was playing black in the Caro-Kann, the time control was 2h/40 and then another 1h. It was a fairly complicated game, and I’m wonder...
Tiptoe Through the Tulips
Who would have thought it, but Tiny Tim (who is no longer with us) has somehow infiltrated chess. For those younger folks, Google Tiny Tim or watch this video, and all will be explained: But, in the meantime, here are the lyrics to a ...
Identical Twins: the KIA and the London System
Here is a game I played in a G/60 tournament on 9/24/11. This game is the third of a four round tournament. Both my opponent and I have one point and need to win to have a chance of doing something in the fourth round. I am playing white...
Brave Kings
The king is the main piece in chess, and the central object in any player’s thoughts. How do I protect my own king and checkmate the opponent’s monarch? While being quite valuable, the king can’t boast being mobile enough to figh...
Winning a Dead Won Game
“I read Winning Chess Strategies and RAYC 4th Ed. this year and then decided to enter my first OTB tournament in 20 years: the 2011 U.S. Class Championship. “GM Timur Gareev, at over 2700, was heading up the master section, while I was settling ...
Philidor's Ghost Is Alive and Well
Vivasyriaa (1651) – JoLou77USA (1259), chess.com 2011 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 Ah, the Philidor Defense! There's a lot more to this interesting opening than most realize. 3.d4 Nf6 Gambit lovers occasionally try 3…f5. &n...
Cultivating a Positive Attitude
2000 – 1900, Kolty Merope 2011 [A00a] 1.d4 d5 2.e4 e6 1900 said: “Instead of playing into a Blackmar-Diemer Gambit, I chose to transform the structure into a French Defense, with which I have more experience.” ...
Return of the Blunder Gland, Part Two
checkmateibeatu (1200) vs. jetfighter13 (1130), friendly game, chess.com 2011 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 jetfighter13 said – “White has an impressive center built up, my goal is the same a...
Royal Succession
This must be one of the craziest chess games ever played. This is not a typical Maroczy game, as he and Forgacs duke it out with one wild, unpredictable move after the other. Even the uncommon opening (ten straight pawn moves!?) is notable. Here...
Countdown to Mate
MB said: “I have a game for your consideration. Lately I have been “playing up” in chess tournaments, trying to raise my own rating or at least learn from the better competition. I often find myself with a small advantage, but one that I’ve paid f...
Son of Nimzovich
xombie said, “I aim for a restraint formation to prevent black’s development and park on the light squares, following which some tactics emerge in the form of a pawn break and a knight sacrifice. Black’s pieces are too slow to pr...
Highway to Chess Hell
CP said: “This game was played a few weeks ago, at a strong tournament in which I played up into the Open section. I was playing with the black pieces and lost the game after a five-hour struggle that went past 1 AM – to date the longe...
Threats, Real & Imagined
Mr. O’Dowd said: “I’m struggling to get to my best form at the moment, and this game may encapsulate some of my worse thinking – it certainly shows some of my lower areas of positional understanding (I wouldn’t send you anything I played as Black ...
The Tale of a Technical Wizard
Mr. BallsofSteeel brings us yet another movie-based name (for some reason, with a 3rd "e"), this time from Christopher Walken’s ping-pong film, BALLS OF STEEL. BallsofSteeel (1512) vs. The Butcher’s Daughter (1879), Tournoi De Culo 2...
Know Your Position's Agenda
The guy playing White has a wonderfully colorful name. For those not in the know about what "boomstick" alludes to, it was used in the movie ARMY OF DARKNESS in which Ash (played by the legendary Bruce Campbell), after being accidentally transport...
Guardin' Gomes
This is an intriguing game. After Gomes is forced to weaken his kingside pawn structure, Netto uncorcks an extremely subtle 14th move. Its purpose is only made clear after his next few moves, in which he blasts open the g-file and finds a winning ...