Using small bait to mate

It should be noted that the chess.com 2k computer analysis always seems to suggest placing the queen's knight at c3, but this depends on how early the opponent attacks e4, or d4, etc., and with what support. I would say about 2/3 of the time I can arrive at the thematic intact in said 11 moves. An epiphany for me was not to fixate on the thematic so much as the lines it creates - you can "play through" or forward of the thematic in a much more advanced way, keeping in mind the defense of the critical squares (e.g., e4, d3), lest the center fall (as always, for most any opening) and the opponent comes pouring through. I.e., some of the pieces might advance beyond the template before 11 moves. (E.g., in some situations it behooves one to advance the g-pawn to g4 before the king's knight to f3, even, with a bias to O-O-O, especially if the opponent presses king-side early). I think the density derives from all the potential counters and counter-counters.

Of course, no opening is perfect. You have to observe and (correctly, or correctly choose to or quasi-not-choose-to) respond to your opponent. In football I believe they call this "taking what the defense gives you." Sorry for the digression from the main topic.

Do you happen to have an example(s) you can provide, where you play this as White, for which I can click through the moves one-by-one?

Look at some of the earlier games I've posted here. More importantly, it's a template: how you arrive at it depends on your opponent's opening (do they go for the early fianchetto/Larsen, the Grob, a b-knight trap, etc.?) Try it, you'll see - mistakes in the order (and there is no set order - again, you have to look at your opponent's leads) can lead to some bad holes/exploits. But it's kinda really satisfying when you can hit the template in 11 moves intact. Everyone I've played takes pause and stock of it when I do. Cheers and happy hunting!

Do you have any games you lost with analysis of what you learnt?

Here are just a few things I've learnt playing this opening many, many times. I don't really feel like going back through and farming all the lines for all to see at the moment, and if I remember correctly, you've been pretty adversarial in the past, Scottrf. Why do you need me to post a loss - any blunders made in executing this opening cause unraveling pretty rapidly and for obvious reasons. The strength is in achieving the template. Once set, it's great. Faced with aggressive center play, one has to adapt and be willing to abandon it for correct or better play, which I do. It's an opening, and a template. I like playing it and it quickly feels natural. Just try it if you're interested and you'll see pretty easily, rather very easily, what the order needs to be for most openings. With the correct prioritization, it's a robust template that can play to many possible openings for black. And it plays as an opening for black as well, in spite of black being automatically back about 1/2 a turn from the open. If the insistence is just on me posting a loss, I'm at a loss as to what that insistence is about. In all my annotations, I look at the mistakes I make and, better yet, saved. I'm a pretty honest player - I don't crow to be #1 anywhere. (See 15. Qc7 above, e.g., and elsewhere.) The games I lose I usually lose to blunders (don't we all?). Blunders don't really seem to be that interesting - a blunder is a blunder, and what makes a blunder is there was clearly one alternative move that was far superior that usually has little to say about the strategy and more about the execution. This is about an opening. And as such, this is all off-topic, and I'd like the posts to get back to baits. Here's something, at least, to get the truly curious started (e.g., Chicken_Monster). Thanks for reading.

I remember some similar generality as well, but don't think it holds as much here. True, cxd5 is often a critical choice to make as this opening develops, indeed. I don't usually make it because it doesn't come up very often. Usually it's a matter of recapturing c4 (easily done with plenty of options to choose from, although in general the knight at d2 is preferrably held in reserve to protect attacks on b3 or e4), or protecting d3/e4. The knights come into play a lot in doing so if black is really aggressive. What I like about it is that it kind of "invites" black forward to d4 or e4, but pawn and knight action kingside supported by the paired rooks or penetration of the fianchetto and waiting queen or a combination of those acts as a pretty vicious counter on a O-O king. Kind of like a hug, or a hook and cross.

Yes, I bought a woman a Martini last evening which lead to mate after a few more moves.

You had to get her drunk to take your small bait to mate, I see.

One last post from me about the opening (hopefully). Here's a game which I should have lost (clearly) but apparently I'm not the only one playing bad chess today. We both blunder, and I kept doubting myself instead of letting my historical instincts take control at critical points (note the moves where I'm behind the computer - I know where to go but I take too long to execute; e.g., Ngf3 (as there's no e-pawn!) and Kb1 and the revealed bishop check in the endgame). Again, prioritization. Hopefully this helps give an objective look at the template, including where its weaknesses are. As I said, a poorly played game, and if it wasn't for the last blunder, I probably would have (should have) lost. It is kind of a kooky looking Ma02, though. Anyway.

P.S. The computer identifies this particular version as A13: English Opening: Agincourt Defense based on 1... e6. Don't know if anyone really cares, not sure why I do.

No, it's good to know what opening it is classified under. Thanks.

Neat!!

He always loses. Unreal.

He has been alive for a couple hundred years, too.

Nomen nescio abbreviated to N.N., is used to signify an anonymous or unnamed person.

The ghost of Bobby Fischer?

"Nomen nescio" is Latin for "I do not know the name."

Nicely done. That was a good example of early deviation from your template, showing that you must be flexible (as you mentioned before).