Happy New Year!

Relationships are complicated. I'm more like the guy playing the toaster, but things can get pretty intense over the chessboard, as you'll see in today's article.

*I decided not to marry a chess player.*

I'm covering some games from the “2022 Northern Ontario & Friends Daily Tournament" on chess.com.

I. The Good

Here we have a position straight from the rulebook. Have you ever heard of 'en passant' and thought "that sounds like a fishy situation?" Well, this is what it looks like over the board.

The e-pawn has slid past her counterpart on the d-file. "Wait-a-minute, wait-a-minute, wait-a-minute" said the White pawn, "You Can't Do THAT!" Indeed, Black can be so bold, but for one move, and one-move only, White has the option to capture the pawn en passant. This rule dates back to the days when pawns could only move one square at a time even at the start.

*Our friend Ish executed the capture in one fell swoop. The notation is "dxe6."*

Next up we have a trap. Should Black capture the free pawn on e4?

Nope. Some might call this a poisoned pawn. The Queen swings out with check on a4 and puts the knight squarely in her crosshairs.

II. The Bad

So, as the opening cartoons suggest, there are different ways to approach the game. Even the calm and steady toaster approach can lead you to being zapped if you are not careful about thinking of your opponent's next move.

Here we have two twelve move doozies. Well, one is a doozy and the other is a snoozy.

*The Snoozy. Only the a-file Rooks haven't been developed yet. Is Rd1 coming next DUN DUN DUUUUUN!*

They are both twelve moves, but in one game one opponent is already resigning after a vicious attack and counter-attack, while in the other game the players are just getting comfortable. I got to 1600 from 1400 by developing all my pieces first and castling before coming up with a plan. That doesn't mean I don't occasionally lose in a ball of flames right out of the opening, but it doesn't happen often.

The main point of this article is nonetheless to show you some attacks on the f7 square. This is a main theme in a lot of the games.

Let’s start by dealing with an itchy trigger finger and going for R+p for B+N:

*“Ball 4.” The Knight, Bishop, Rook and pawn all take a hike.*

The first concession to consider is giving up two minor pieces for a Rook and pawn. You might say that's an even trade of 6 points each. Not so fast! It takes two to tango and the Rook and pawn make poor dancing partners, while the Bishop and Knight were born to dance, or at least ride into the sunset together. Hang on to this dynamic duo if you can and build up your attack, maybe buttressed by a Rook on f1 and an open f-file.

In the next position we’ll consider, however, the stars really are aligning against f7.

*Here we go, incredible pressure against f7.*

Um, I really think Black needs to castle here. White has just eliminated a knight defender on e5, so probably ....Nxe5 is coming, with the added benefit of attacking the Queen on f3 and defending f7. Then the marauding Black knight can take the Bishop on c4. Phew, that was a close one, I hope I'm not getting ahead of myself. It does look like White's attack can breakthrough at any moment.

Here's a clash between two top seeds in one of the sections.

Material is even. White is building up a space advantage in the centre and putting pressure on f7. Black is tied down to defense, but if he accepts his mission it is tough for White to break through. Bishops of opposite colour would increase Black's chances, it's trickier with Bishops of the same colour - one might get locked up behind a pawn wall, while the other is more active. It's more exciting if one side has a knight instead. Anyway, I'll have to wait and see what happens.

If Black succeeds in trading off the Bishops and Queens, then the saying goes “all Rook endings are drawn.”

III. The Ugly

Never judge a book by its cover, and that goes for articles too. I just love endgames, and no it was not love at first sight. Here's a great game leaving the middlegame behind.

*Pour yourself a glass of Pinot Noir and try to convert this for Black. What’s the plan?*

I'd like to either pick up the Black pieces and play for a win or even better take the White side and fight for a draw a pawn down.

Finally, an update to a B vs N ending:

Who do you think is winning now? I'm pretty sure figuring out how to play bishops versus knights is one of the main reasons I got from 1600 to 1800 in rating.

Black has got his Rook out
Black has a better post for his bishop
White’s King is a bit better placed.
The pawns are looser. There are more pawn islands.
Where can the Knight go?

Oh yeah, don't create "holes" in your position. That means undefended or open squares around your King. Here Black plays ...f6 and the rest isn't pretty. Maybe he just didn't know?

Next time: some great Knight forks are on the menu!

Refs:

https://www.chess.com/terms/en-passant

https://youtu.be/cphNpqKpKc4

“Nuts and Bolts from the opening and middlegame”

by Alex Lambruschini

January 1^st, 2022

Northern Ontario Chess League

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