Most Common ICC Blunder Leads to Epaulette Mate

 Blitz Player rf(Robert Fischer diehard fan probably)  usually crushes me, but today he blundered trying to castle Queenside. I don't have incontrovertible proof, but with the center wide open he moved his Queen to d1 rather than TRIPLE O.

Do you see the mate in 2 in the position below with Black to move?  Rc1 attracts Whites rook to that square and then mate at d2 for the shouldered White Monarch. Note that Epaulette Mates would NOT BE THING if two pieces could occupy same square!

So, Yup attempted castling is the most common blunder. I guess some people just can not get used to King being able to move two squares.

Was I playing Monkey; I mean former business colleague

A computer programmer that I sort of knew popped into my mind during the following blitz game. I did not know him well but he had a reputation as an excellent debugger and trouble shooter among the project leads and the developers or coders as they are called these days. 

Tom Holmen was logical guy that would explain his love of chess. Toguho, a monkey from Finland, played weakly in opening, dropping a pawn for nothing and then just running his h pawn down the board neglecting his development. 

His punishment was the lost ending you see where White has two minor pieces for the Rook and will win comfortably.  Last I heard, he was doing HR work and liking it, but we ended up in different countries so it has been awhile. 

 

Two Distinct Mating Patterns Decide this Sloppy Contest

 Norwegian Chess player Mark Fatty Thomas(markfattythomas) was in poor form lucky for me since he usually chews me up and spits me out Marvin Huckaby style.

The ICC blitz player when in for a piece sacrifice which was unsound owing to his ultra aggressive mood I suspect.

In the above diagrammed position White had a mate in two which is an enormous amount of information rendering this a trivial tactic to find. Problem in the game is the combatants HAVE TO KNOW IT IS A MATE IN 2 rather than sitting around on their couch in this Delta Mutation hell with a captioned position to work from.

White instinctively castled not noticing the forcing mate in 2 variation. The motif of two mating patterns simultaneously is what decides the game quickly

What can happen when one attacks just because they feel aggressive

 For some reason the name Nicholas Ernest de Firmian flashed through my conscious after reviewing the following chess position illustrated in the diagram. I think Nick and GM Chistiansen were close back in the late 90s. Larry works for USCF and I think Nick distanced himself from the Royal Game. I was at a tournament in Florida when Larry, in a Jacksonville Hotel Bar, lamented the truth that the US is owned/run by insurance companies. He is a good guy one time giving a 60 board simul in Lubbock Texas pre Susan Polgar.  

After a few moments of ennui, I realized it was because Nick espoused/endorsed Jeremy Silman's famous work titled "How to Reassess Your Chess" where he made the term imbalance a wildly popular chess teacher word. Don't know if de Firmian made any money  off calling Jeremy's book the most seminal positional piece of chess literature since My System. 

ICC player extrauniversal2, from Denmark, commenced an unjustified attack which resulted in his King side pawns being maimed. White rejected winning material in favor of long term positional squeeze. The Danish player committed the chessic sin of attacking because he "just felt like it" and had to resign 12 moves later. 

Naked Pin Ends this game of Chess

 If naked pin is not a tactical motif, then it should be. What happened to American player WildRaven is actually called a deflection sacrifice

In the above diagrammed position, Black just played Rd5 protecting his b5 pawn and "keeping an eye" on White's far advanced d7 pawn. The winning  move is easy to discover if one realizes the simple truth that a Queen is invariably worth more than a Rook. HInt: What is the only move White can make to prevent Queen Pawn from becoming a lovely lethal lady? Alliteration for choice!

Incidentally, I have never understood why WildRaven has a USCF rating below 1600. He is such an uncompromising and principled player at the Internet Chess Club in Pennsylvania!

Also Kenny Lucky can tell your more about Naked Pin as it relates to Mary Wollstonecraft.

Hippopotamus In Reverse Catastrophe

 South African  chess player btropic played  soooo poorly with the White pieces that Black's seventh move Bf2 check leads to forced win.

In the diagrammed position, White his timidly set up what appears to be a Hippopotamus defense in reverse. Note that White's monarch is surrounded by its own forces in Epaulette fashion. He was duly punished with the attraction sacrifice Bishop capture King Bishop 2 pawn check in the old English descriptive notation. 

After Ng4 check, the a1 rook in the corner gets ingested and gets reactivated via c2 square. Would like to know if Alessio De Santis has ever essayed the Reverse Hippo and how he fared. 

Also why would a chess player play such a gutless, mindless opening with White?

Elegant Square Clearing Pawn Move

 Austrian Chess player Arsenal11 must have thought he stood no worse after the solid looking g6 pawn move. After all, his King on e6 had the opposition over its White counterpart on the e4 square.

However, he overlooked the game winning space clearance move pawn to f5 EXCLAM. So what space was cleared from this temporary pawn sacrifice? The f4 square, to be occupied by White Monarch, is the answer when Black finds himself in Zugzwang( German for NO move I think) 

Not only will Black's f5 fall, but the c5 pawn could be lost in some variations. Also if Black moves his pawn f6, White's g pawn jettisons Bruce Pandolfini! 

BTW, I have heard soccer goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has more than a mild interest in the Royal Game

Be very careful how you say Forking Knight

 The terse chess informant notation definitely applies to the following position. The Houston,Texas Master did not notice his King and Queen were forkable on the f2 and d2 squares or maybe he did but did not notice the f3 pawn was ABSOLUTELY pinned by the f5 Queen.

Hobart was more concerned about the weak c2 square which led to the blunder. He moved one of his rooks to c1 guarding c2, BUT allowing Ne4 forking King and Queen followed by resignation. His position was already loose with his King quite vulnerable. He fell victim to the burden of being the higher rated player by 600 USCF rating points. In this case, the first player was not going to accept a draw under any circumstances to a much weaker 1600 player.

The lesson to be learned is try to keep tabs on all weak squares even those induced by absolute pins. The informant notation(using a times/multiplication symbol) is (Xc2,e4)

Thematic King's Indian Bishop Sacrifice

 Was reminded of an old chess friend from Houston, Texas in the following game. Mick Bighamian(USCF rating of around 2400 at the time) said something that really stuck in my mind. The specificity of his claim made me realize that Chess players are really inveterate nerds. "when the unmoved c8 Bishop sacrifices itself at h3 the result of game is frequently, if not always, in favor of the second player". Now that may not be exactly the way Mick phrased it, but if he reads this I am sure he would agree with the paraphrasing. He had close to a photographic memory for positions which is a big part of the reason he was a senior master and one of the top 5 or so players in Bayou City. 

Another master from the region, Todd Thomas, penned an accurate quote in the Texas Knights monthly periodical stating that the late Robert Brieger was on chess nerd fringe in the same fashion that chess nerds are on the fringe of society at large. Todd was lampooning Brieger for making a big deal about the difference between the terms Zugzwang and Squeeze. Funny how certain things just stick in your head!!

So check out the position, arising from a Dutch Defense,  where Mick's always winning move wipes out Australian player Pritoka. After Bxh3, the f8 Rook occupies f3 square with fatal consequences. The Black king regicide is only avoided by the 9 pointer giving herself up. 

I do love this kind of position where an "undeveloped piece" is actually the most active force on the board! This actually shows how the nebulous concept of development as it is taught sometime in middle school as "just getting you pieces out" is quite mistaken.

Would like to close by paying tribute to the now defunct Dave's Chess Studio. Lotta good times there around 20 years ago, but alas the inconstancy of friendship and life getting in the way prevails. 

Take another look at this Drawn Bishop wrong color ending!!!

 Any chess neophyte can tell you that if the rook pawn is queening square that is not the some color as opponent's Bishop, the game will be drawn, BUT  let us not forget Lasker's infamous ceteris paribus(what does ceteris paribus mean from Latin-"all things being equal")

Well all things were definitely NOT equal in the following ICC 3 minute blitz game!!!

Note that Black's a6 pawn on a White Square would be Queening on the Black a1 square. Problem appears to be the stand impotent pair commentary since Black's prelate only guards White square diagonals!! 

So I doubt any of you would believe that Black to move it is mate in 10 in the diagrammed position. The give away hint is that Black must let White Queen his pawn on the a8 square.  This involves Black's Rook pawn becoming a Knight pawn and mating White King at a1 with pawn to b2 checkmate!!  Mind you White would have a just Queened pawn at a8 witnessing the Regicide. It is all about mating patterns and having the huge balls to count it out!!

Fortunately for Boaz1775,  this knuckleheaded American did not discover the mate in 10 and lost the game on time. 

Also please note that I am not referencing the dimorphic mating patterns as alluded to in scholarly effort by Guo-Hua Ding, Yun Tang, Zhi-Hua Lin, Xiao-Li Fan, and Li Wei  

Lisitsin Gambit Accident

 I can still remember Mike R. Flewelling exclaiming "I think your opening Sucks!!" despite absurd claims by chess commentator Miodrag Perunovic who ignorantly asserts the From's Gambit refutes the Bird's Opening, Michael knew it was viable opening. Perunovic was probably trying to elevate ad revenue on his YouTube channel with erroneous tripe.

Mike has a very bright daughter named Heather who shared her Dad's love for the Royal Game in Houston,Texas. 

The above diagrammed position details the tragicomedy experienced by ICC blitz player dutsbooi resulting in the dreaded checkmate delivered by the Lady on the g6 square. The poor dude had to stare at the abrasively cruel Qxg6# symbol on the scoresheet to add insult to injury.

 Alex Yermolinsky went public with his justified criticism of Kingside weakening aspect of the Dutch opening which is super amplified by 2. e4 in the Lisitsin's Gambit.  GM Larry Christiansen, who NEVER WAS AN IM,  did some beautiful pre computer engine analysis on refuting the Qd6 variation finding at least a forced draw for White if I recall(nothing to be proud of)

Mating Pawn

 The ICC chess playing engine authors Tord Romstad, Marco Costalba and Joona Kiiski  indicated the following razor sharp position was a Mate in nine.  I should say the Stockfish chess playing program written/coded by  by these geniuses revealed a checkmate in 9 moves.   USA player Schachspieler(German for chess player. I once asked a red hot German girl if she was a spieler and was promptly slapped- I deserved it, but eventually got laid by only her sister) was on the wrong end of this one with the Black pieces

OK back to the less sexually tense  diagrammed position where e6 is the obvious move threatening mate at f7.  Either Rd5 or the suicidal Qd7 prevent mate in one. You all can work out the rest of it. 

BTW Arlen G. Gallo does a nice job of covering mating pawns, but she should drop the weird sound effects on YouTube

Minority Attack Versus a Breezy Queen Side Pawn Structure

 A nice guy named Randy Bonds told me about the minority attack in the exchange variation of the Queen's Gambit where White's a and b pawns advance to weaken the three black queen side pawns(two pawns versus three pawns sounds like a minority to me!!)

The following setup against something like a Kings Indian Defense reminded me of the Dave's Chess Studio mainstay. As you can see, White voluntarily moved his pawn to c5 just to be triple attacked!!

Since it does not look like Black will get any kind of initiative with the standard KI f5 etc, White can pile his Rooks up on the b,c, and d files in a target practice sort of fashion not particularly worried about being a pawn down.

Also "The awakening of the men in the rear" might apply here with the f3 Knight hopping to the ideal c4 square. 

Minority attack adherents include Fotzus Zachus, Richard Dickinson, Rod MacNevin, arnav kapur, Ellen Revell

Protected Passed Pawn Converted to Winning Diagonal Opposition

 

Lovable NYC chess coach, writer, teacher, mainstay contributor to USCF periodical Chess life Bruce Pandolfini has an extreme fondness for the term Jettison. 

In the above diagrammed position with 3 pawns per side, Blacks protected passed d5 pawn appears stuck unless one is acquainted with the endgame principle of diagonal opposition. So note that if Black plays pawn to d4 the White Monarch is forced to capture the jettisoned peon. After the Black King captures  White's f6 button, the Kings are on same diagonal separated by a single square and White's c5 pawn will eventually fall leading to a winning KP ending for Black.

In this example Bruce's term jettison essentially deflects the White King into a losing KP ending. 

Winning Isolated Queen Pawn KP Ending

 I still have quite a few issues of Inside Chess which was a bimonthly periodical brain child  of Seattle native Yasser Seirawan prior to easy access to the internet. I thought of Yaz after reaching the following KP ending where I was left with the doomed IQP.

It is crazy, but Whites last pawn move f4 is LOSING. I screwed it up with the game becoming a draw. Despite Black's ostensibly weak d4 pawn, White is busted with Black enjoying the enviable extra pawn move advantage which will create a zugzwang favoring the second player. 

Also the only winning move is h6 which was not noticed by this slightly above average player! So, despite Black having 3 pawn islands to White's more manageable 2, Black is winning for concrete reasons rather than blind adherence to general principles. 

Common Sense Refutation of 1. b4

 I am sure ICC player mast knows why his favorite opening 1. b4 is named after a Monkey or Ape, but he has mastered an opening where White can only hope and pray(Wesley So might be only chess player to appeal to a supernatural being to favor him in a board game) to EQUALIZE WITH WHITE.

The following game is an example of why White's queenside pawn expansion is unjustified and inferior theoretically. A Polish opening player is begging Black to react with unnecessary and weakening queenside pawn moves. 

If Black patiently bides his time, she will be rewarded with ownership of the weak d3 square as the above diagrammed position indicates. In fact, White has nothing better than the defensive Nb2 to cover the anemic d3 square!!

So this partially proves that the Polish Opening is labeled as irregular, and sometimes even inferior opening, for a good reason, but God bless Alexei  Pavlovich for his pioneering spirit!! 

Also even die-hard advocates like Josiah Brush and Rob Silverman deep down know this controversial variation does not have even any surprise value nowadays. At the club play level the opening still enjoys practical value against booked up fish who may not have read this article.

Orangutan or Polish Opening

Column Mate

 Canadian chess player Joe Don played poorly to let the below position even happen, but it is instructive nonetheless. 

I don't know if Column Mate is widely accepted in chess parlance or vernacular, but that is what happened to Joe this Wednesday night in the USA. Mr Maple Leaf attacked the Black Rook at c6 not realizing his blunder setup a mate in 2 owing to the f3 pawn controlling the g2 escape square.

So, by now, you all see why a simple Queen Sacrifice Forces Joe to tip over his King. Also observe that the Canadian only had his Rook to guard the mating g2 square, BUT that occupied a vital escape square for the entombed White Monarch. 

I am guessing Miss Jessica Era Martin, chess instructor par excellence, would know the name of this mating pattern.

Some Discovered Checks are fatal Blunders

 I am writing this partly due to Eric Camp's tireless devotion to the well known tactical motif of Discovered Check. I had a game with American provisional player Bigj18 where the ICC player automatically played a move that setup a Knight move Queen Discovered check on the Black Monarch at g8. 

Eric despite his two failed marriages has done a magnificent job of expounding upon the preconditions that must exist to ignore the threat of the normally DEALDY discovered check tactical theme!! Camp published a game where he was able to calculate that a threatened discovered check WAS NOT REALLY A THREAT AT ALL BUT, IN FACT, AN EGREGIOUS BLUNDER.

In the diagrammed position, Black can all ignore Whites threat by attacking White's very breezy King side with the move Qh3. After Qh3, White continued with Ne3 discovered check. After Kh8, White guards the g3 pawn with Nf5,BUT White just rips off the strong Horse with Rxf5 and wins easily due to Whites miserably developed Queenside including a "stuck Bishop on the back rank and a spectator 5 pointer at a1 that will stand witness to the impending REGICIDE!!!

Shout out and thanks to all my El Segundo California buddies! We shared a lot of good times, women, and male bonding!!

There is NO Mate with Knight at f8

 The English Descriptive notation equivalent would be "NO mate with Knight at King's Rook one", but that shit does not rhyme!! In the below diagram with WTM Swedish player Zorkne certainly must have thought he possessed the initiative, but notice that the Horse on f8 square guards the checkmate sensitive h7 square along the "permanent post" looking e6 square. So the minor piece located on the back rank protects two crucial weak points.

So Back stands better because White's e1 square is being gang raped by the doubled rooks and White Lady's eventual occupation of the b4 square. 

I hope that Brooklyn's Levy Rozman, the Gotham chess content provider, filed a police report regarding the home burglary that wiped out many years of chess wisdom and lessons that help me to briefly become a USCF rated expert. Eric Rosen and Dewa Kipas are also excellent Royal Game tutors who have fair rates and quite COVID compliant with my cousin's kids!!

Benin Chess Oddity

 I thought of social media Icon James B. Delmhorst  as I observed the following chess game by a dude named Suntzu76 from Benin Africa. This guy is very strong, but inexplicably resigned after dropping the exchange due to a Knight fork on the c6 square.

Now James from Connecticut, in the United States of America, firmly believes one has the right to steal any street sign with ones name on it. BUT what if your last name is STOP Mr Delmhorst? Would you really want to be responsible for a T Bone crash at a major intersection?!?

Fortunately, Nigerian Ministry of Education views chess as much more important than the ignominious online financial scams that originate in his country.