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.

A tribute to a PRINCIPLED NYC Chess player

 The ICC is a ruthless place by many people's standards. Intelligent people winning games against other intelligent people in completely level positions because they took 1/10 of second less on their clocks in blitz chess!

A resident of Croton, New York takes no quarter and gives no quarter in this regard. I watched him play on in a completely level position against a weaker player. Neil Basescu goes by the pizza name Pepperoni and wins a lot of games by clocking his opponent, but on this day the other contestant played for a Bishops of opposite color ending right out of the opening in a French Defense by just capturing White's proud e4 pawn on move 3. This avoids a ton of theory that the higher rated player Croton may have memorized. So the lower rated player beat the higher rated player in a game that would have been easily drawn in a USCF tournament.

Breaking Bad actor Art Glassman would have most certainly adjudicated the game a draw as any Senior TD would not tolerate the nonsense of shuttling opposite colored bishops back and forth for hours!

But at the internet chess club, bullet chess players will gladly sacrifice their Queen to win on time one move before getting mated OR play 104 move games like the one you see below where neither side has winning chances. Pepperoni requested multiple draws in the position which were repeatedly declined by the lower rated player because Mr Croton would have done the same thing. NO HARD feelings. IT IS WHAT IT IS!! even though this is a stone cold deadlock with the Black Dark Squared Bishop not controlling the White h1 square in the "wrong corner" where players in a longer time control tournament would agreed to a draw or Goichberg would call it a draw to avoid the spread of the Corona COVID-19 virus!!!

Swiss Chess Curmudgeon

The internet chess club saves chess playing addicts tons of money by satisfying their craving of the Royal Game online. This cuts down on hotel room costs and tolerating rooms full of snoring, farting tournament players who leave small tips for deserving waitresses.

So many players trade this experience for blitz chess at ICC where Canadian players can play guys like gianky59 from Switzerland. He is low rated player who chooses not to resign, but let his time expire in losing position. As you can see in above pic, he will censor you for about anything. I congratulated him for a remarkably well executed smothered mate where he adroitly sacrificed his Queen to checkmate my King with his Horse. It was really ingenious as he forced me to surround my own Monarch with my stuff and his pieces!  HE CENSORED ME FOR THAT. Maybe just confusing me with another member of ICC. There are many obnoxious types who play there....

Middle Game Trap of Queen

Trapping the King is the well known objective of winning a game of chess. Most players know that trapping the Queen usually wins the game too. This is certainly not always the case as Queen sacrifices have lead to some the most beautiful victories our Royal game has seen!

In the following diagram, saira playing Black out of Finland at the Internet chess club, essayed the aggressive if not slightly unsound opening of 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5?!(Albin CounterGambit) White turned the game into an Advanced French Defense in reverse.

As you can see the overly aggressive Finnish player is trying to conduct an attack with his Rook, Bishop and Knight all on the back rank. White has just played Qd3 trying to consolidate his material advantage.

Black elects to play Nf2 forking King and Queen and forcing White to capture the trouble making Horse. Can you see what the Finnish player missed in his forcing continuation? His oversight quickly led to his resignation.

Devastatingly Savage attack by 12 year old

The following diagram shows chess position reached by 12 year old Magnus Carlsen who is now the most dominant chess player on the planet.



I don't want to tell you too much about this position other than a stunning move exists that forces checkmate. Notice how most of Black's pieces are away from the action(not placed well defensively) which makes a sacrifice even more imminent.

Remember that many sacrifices are irreversible and require exact calculation. One error can allow the enemy King to slip out and the attacker will usually lose since he is minus the material required to continue to fight.

So with White to move, see if you can discover what went through the mind of the current world champion over a decade ago? When you see the move, you will certainly be able to share what  must of been a mind rush  for the exceptionally talented pre-teen chess player!!

Overrated Idea

The blockade Benoni is a defensive setup where Black places his pawns on c5,d6, and e5. Since these pawns all resided on dark squares, Black's f8 Bishop is, by definition, bad. So it seems reasonable to trade it off for White's c1 Bishop.

In the following position played at ICC, Black a  Spanish GM named jelmatos did just that via g6 and Bh6. However his kingside became a bit breezy creating the preconditions for the following attraction sacrifice which set up a fork that ultimately won a piece and forced the Grand Master to resign.




It is a very straightforward temporary sacrifice to find. I think the GM may have been drinking or perhaps letting a weaker player use his account.

Sacrifice the Lady

Queen sacrifices are understood pretty well even by people who do not particularly enjoy chess. Non-chess addicts realize that giving up the most powerful piece on the chess board represents a burn your bridges sort of conviction where a miscalculation could result in a disappointing loss.

 Also there is something rather romantic about parting with a piece of such potency from an artistic perspective. In the following game played at the internet chess club, White(inito from Russia) has built up quite an attack against Black's King but also has an exposed King and needs to finish quickly. Can you find the move that will force Black to tip over his King or force checkmate?



 Remember the hint Queen Sac as that is an enormous amount of information which should lead you quickly to the solution.