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.

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

Stunning Pawn Sac in Dead Drawn Looking Ending

 In the following blitz game played at USA based Internet Chess Club, TheBlackCat must have thought he had an easy draw. Black despite having an extra pawn, had no way to promote his passed g3 pawn.

I was not able to figure out a brilliant pawn break through based on the "weakness of White's f4 pawn". Do you see it?!?!? That's right pawn to e5, followed by pawn to d4 leads to the capture of White's f4 pawn and Black should win! 

H C Schonberg would have easily discovered these two naked pawn sacs based on the informant notation Xf4. Contemporary commentator Naroditsky would have noticed it in less than 10 seconds probably between his binge viewing of Breaking Bad. He was cool kid at Stanford when I was working on my post doctoral stuff. He may have been the reason I never finished because his love of Royal game was soooo damn infectious along with his massively expansive vocabulary. The late Emory Tate may not have found it because he did not reach many endings based his tendencies to have things resolved in the middle game. 

Trading Queens a Losing Blunder in the blitz game

Swedish player Gianky59, a weak 1498 player, after playing better than his low USCF rating, offered a Queen exchange on the e3 square which leads to a LOST King and Pawn ending in the following diagrammed position.

After the exchange on that dark square, Black plays Kf5 to be in attacking range of White's over advanced and vulnerable 3-2 Queenside Majority. Black is easily winning because she can make an outside passed h pawn! 

 

Queen Satisfactory Blockader in this position

 So you always hear some old guy at USCF tournaments saying that a Queen is a bad blockading piece and then he will look up at you with a twinkle in his eye, smacking his dentures, like he has imparted the chessic wisdom of the ages.

I wish I could find that same old fart to show him this position where the Black Queen must blockade on d6 square or White's d5 pawn will kick ass and shoot through to promote to a Queen at d8.

White does not seem to have a way to break the blockade in the above diagram since the Black King can just move back and forth from g7 to f6 it appears. Zugzwang is certainly a theme that White seeks to utilize CORRECT EDWARD WINTER and your desire to copyright. 

Author Ronan Bennett figured out a way to monetize the nerdy concept of the Z word in a military novel. A professor emeritus of architecture in Connecticut United States of America and a lover of Rand's Atlas Shrugged also has a fascination/obsession with the notion of Zugzwang as it applies to game theory in general.

The tricky notion of opposition in Chess

 In following King and Pawn ending, Black has an extra pawn with White to move. If the opposing Kings have 1 or 3 or 5 squares between on a file, rank, or diagonal then side that just moved is said to have the opposition. Weaker chess players sometimes believe having the opposition is tantamount to winning the chess game.

The following diagram harshly refutes that ignorance. Observe that if White plays King to the f1 square,  he has the opposition with Black King places at d1. 

Now take a look at the following diagram that arose from 1. Kf1 Kd2  2. Kf2 where one observes that White still has the close opposition, BUT is losing after Pawn to g4! jettisoning the Black center pawn to its Queening square at e1!  Its clear that this kind of close opposition SUCKS! Note that the e pawn checks the White Monarch in this variant which is a vital tempo allowing Queening well before White's g pawn. 

Enter our Lord and savior DISTANT OPPOSITION  with the move Kh1 in the corner 3 squares from Black King! Now if Black plays Ke1, White plays Kg1 where g4 tactic does not work and the game is drawn after a variation involving mutual queening!  Close opposition was correct here only because of concrete analysis not some blind adherence the 4 syllable O word. Orgasm has three syllables you perverts. 

Understanding when to implement distant opposition will save you many half points!!!

Also be careful about adhering blindly to geometric motifs like “Putting your King on a square which constructs a rectangle with the other King where the corners of the rectangle are the same colored square (such as a dark square), with the usual "let the buyer beware" of no pawns interfering/between the Kings"

If I have been too sexual for you or your K-6 child, try the high quality blog at RagChess. The proprietor is careful about not disclosing his name, but seems to be an excellent and knowledgeable educator of the Royal Game.

  

Two different Assassinations

 

Chess is the Netherlands is more historically rich and dense compared to almost pop culture blitz ethos that exists in the USA. The former Santa Fe NM Grand Master would surely agree given his recent public squabbles with Greg Shahade. 

The theme illustrated in the diagram below witnesses yet another example of greed being harshly punished.  Thetheo1304 is "up the exchange and a pawn", BUT is still dead lost. So one could say he was suffering from excessive emphasis on his distorted notion of material. Yaz, the cool dude and blood brother of IM John Donaldson, once stated his first chess teacher Pupols taught it is not what comes off the board, it is what stays  on the board. 

This ICC member appears to have dearly loved Theodore Van Gogh who was assassinated by a Dutch man from Morocco,Africa.  Never got the significance of 1304 in his online moniker. 

Perhaps the death was still weighing on his distant mind when his materialism allowed Black's g pawn to become dangerously passed. Maybe he thought Rook takes pawn check on the d5 square would give him time to prevent the promotion to Queen. A draw may have been held by moving the King towards the Queening Square rather continuing with the pawn grabbing avarice. 

Geneticist taking a break with some Online Chess

I could not help but reflect on the controversial work of a China Man geneticist named Dr. He Jiankui after beating somebody named Gene Doctor at ICC.  Not sure if the guy I beat is actually a doctor or just a big fan of the movie, but White actually wins after Black promotes his g2 pawn to a Queen if Black is careless where he places his Monarch after Nd7 check. Just a fascinating position!!! Note that Nd7 is a discovered check which also supports the Queening f8 square!!

The Guangdong doctor tried to modify genes to make the FrankenBabies immune to AIDS. The Chinese recognize this a illegal. No surprise this doctor wanted to become a proxy God after hanging out with the radical liberals in Berkeley California!!

Fascinating Conversion to Winning KP ending an Exchange Down!!

ICC player eternalwarrior blundered in below diagram by moving his Rook to c7 rather than c8. His logic was impeccable wanting to protect d7 pawn, but there was a tactical oversight in his reasoning. 

Can you see the flaw in his reasoning based on Black's King location and the harmonizing/coordination of the g5 Knight an the e6 pawn?

After pawn to e7 there are two Knight Forks that lead to a won King and Pawn ending where the White King ends up at the dominating d5 square and Black possessing a weak isolated passed d pawn still stuck on its original d7 square!!! One of the variants actually forces the Black Monarch to block the passed pawn in order to to gobbled up by f6 Knight Fork!!!! SO BEAUTIFUL

It is impossible to go through all the variations as to why White is winning, but some of the ideas are White has two pawn islands to Black's three, White has 3-2 King Side pawn majority, Zugzwang(means German for every move loses),  a more active centralized King, and maybe even triangulation in some variations. 

I would love to know if Doug Hyatt or Russian Speaking White guy GM Bryan Smith would consider this position, after the blunder, to be worthy of study?

Piece Sac creates unstoppable passed pawn

ICC handle Compassion, from Sweden, was not treated compassionately after attacking White's e5 Bishop with pawn move f6. Beginners at chess sometimes are slow to learn that pawns attack diagonally which is contrary to their vertical, non capturing, motion up and down the board.

A columnist in the Yasser Seirawan magazine wrote a marvelous article about zigzag pawn moves making captures on each move as a recurring tactical motif! The affable Syrian, who has lifetime winning record against Tal, is not nearly as active these days as the chess world would prefer. 

Neophyte lovers of the Royal Game are sometimes programmed to automatically move an attacked piece, especially when a measly pawn is the offender. However, the move pawn to f6 also made Black's second rank fatally exposed. So how does White ignore the overt threat to his centralized Prelate?

The pawn advance to b6 is a game winner only because of aforementioned weakening, otherwise the Queen e5 Bishop d6 diagonal dominance would be an adequate defense!

It is about thinking in Schemes or Stages

Schematic thinking in the manner espoused by Mikhail Shereshevsky entered my thought process in the following chess game played at the Internet Chess Club. The Minsk Belarus native believed that broad stroked plans in relatively plain language were vital to improving one's judgement and course of action.

US player GarrySacco, playing Black, quickly repeated the position and claimed a draw in the Blitzin/Dasher interface written by a computer scientist at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh. However, in a longer time control, could you list a step by step plan that would have won the game for White?

First observation is that the centralized Bishop is Dog Shit defending weak pawns at c5 and e5.

Second observation is that Black g3 pawn is subject to  ingestion by White King at f3 and White Knight at f1. This maneuver cannot be stopped due to the locked up fixed pawn structure which invariably favors Horses. 

Once the g3 foot soldier falls, White's g2 pawn is passed and will promote or force the second player to sac his anemic prelate for it. 

The plan involving swapping the locations of the c4 King with the d3 Knight are surprisingly not as effective!

Instructional chess book writers Raluca Sgîrcea, Renier Castellanos, Miles Ardaman produced a lucid exposition of the Bishop versus Knight confrontation. 

Winning pawn Duo

Canadian chess player HotCanary missed a grand opportunity to create an oppressive/winning pawn duo by failing to capture Black's f5 Bishop with a pawn. The Maple Leaf stud must have been worried about his hanging h4 pawn, but it is curtains for Black  after the formation of the f5 g5 pawn duo.

The e pawn recapture at f5 also clears the e4 square for the Ricardo Martinez marauding White Monarch. Note that Black's pawns have zero mobility, whereas the White counterparts are lusting to advance producing   a winning passed g or f pawn. White's prelate at c8 prevents Black's King from chasing down the passers by controlling the vital d7 and e6 entry points!

Final takeaway is the creation of pawn duo on the 5th rank or higher is a goal worth sacrificing pawn or even the exchange  in some cases!  Ask Sergey(Not Garry) Kasparov if you doubt this writer's claim.

Widow Making 101

An old master chess buddy of mine from Austin, Texas had a cool rule of thumb for when to sacrifice the exchange which means to give up a Rook for a Horse or a Bishop. Drew said that if you could get an extra pawn out of the deal, then the exchange sacrifice was likely to be sound.

Widowmaker, a tactically aggressive player from the United States of America, had just casually played b4 expecting to casually post his prelate at b2 and positionally punish the French Defense major handicap at d7.

So remembering Sarkisian's sage advice, I ripped off the f3 Knight with the f8 Rook resulting in the e5 pawn getting munched by either of my Horses. This exchange sacrifice did not result in the maiming of White's Kingside pawns, but left Black with a passed d pawn and open lines for his remaining forces.

The player boasting the nickname of the left anterior descending  artery was crushed in this game in a fashion consistent with his ICC label.

I moved from Austin area long, but will be always grateful to the kind chess players from that region. Thanks for the memories guys!!

Flummoxed Swiss Chess player,

Bouby, from Switzerland, had played almost perfectly in this chess game having overcome challenging tactical issues in the late middle game.

However, the Swiss Jugadore played too conservatively and eventually blundered with a King move that allowed White to jettison(a term Houston/Atascosita chess teacher Clarence Yeung loves to use with his students) his h-pawn.

Despite Black's menacing central pawn mass, White went on to win the ending due to her actively placed King on d5 square in this Internet Chess Club blitz game that arose from the Bird's Opening.  I am certain that Jon Ludvig Hammer would not be shocked at the result of this game as he is a specialist in taking chances with activating his monarch with the heavy pieces still on the board, much like Nigel Short who deviously and bravely marched his king to h6 supporting a checkmate at g7 with Timman's Queen still roaming the board freely!!!!!

And Mr. Short, many female American atheists admire your willingness to stand up to the idiots who "pray to their fictitious" God for a win in a chess game!!! We are so astonished that "intelligent players of the Royal Game" could possibly believe there is some invisible force that gives a damn about the result of a board game!!! Belief in a a benevolent supreme being is the most large scale mass delusion in the history of the human animal!!!

Deceiving King and Pawn Ending for this Ohio Football Devotee

Les Horvath, Jersey number 22 according to well written piece by Matt Gutridge , was a venerated historical football player at Ohio State by being the college’s first Heisman Trophy winner.

So what does this have to do with chess Bobby Fischer would exclaim!? A gentleman, who plays solid and strong chess online, goes by Buckeye22. Well, what is a Buckeye or a Brutus Buckeye to be more exact?

A Buckeye looks like a chessnut, but is poisonous and can kill you like their vaunted defensive line! A weak idea for a mascot, but a mascot nonetheless.

So this ICC chess player from Ohio probably thought he was winning as he entered this King and Pawn ending with both White's d6 and f5 pawn being in the crosshair's of Buckeye22 's King at g7. However the Ohio State fan played the natural Kf6 and resigned 5 seconds later. 

Look carefully at diagrammed position to see how this chess addict self paralyzed himself leading to Zugzwang! I would have made the same blunder!! The on prix f5 pawn cannot be taken or the d5 pawn will Queen while in the meantime the fatally advanced Black e3 pawn will gobbled up by the White Monarch.

So logic dictates that the Ohio native can only advance his Queenside pawns  onto exposed and vulnerable squares!!!

Back to the Buckeyes football team who lost to Clemson this year. They fought hard and could have beaten Clemson had it not been for mistakes in crucial situations. BTW Black is losing also after Kf8, but it is much more challenging for White to convert.

Talented IM Valeri Lilov and beautiful breasted Anna Rudolf, also an International Master, write about Zugzwang in an illuminating fashion

.

Over Pressing in Rook and Pawn Endings

The following rook and pawn ending where Black has a passed Rook pawn and three King Side pawns versus White's Rook and four King Side Pawns makes frequent appearances at ICC. My experience has been that it is quite easy for the side with passed pawn to overplay the position believing the passed a pawn gives good winning chances.

However, blitz chess addicts prefer White's position because Black often runs out of time trying to win because his Monarch gets checked to death trying to cross over and help support the passed a pawn! So this is an example of the practical chances belonging to the side without the passed pawn. Postal Master Mark Dejmek of Houston,Texas understood the subtleties and finesses of these type of endings perfectly and frequently squeezed full points out of overconfident opponents who tried too hard to win a drawn position.

Dejmek, who drove a sports car with a personalized chess tag, was very effective utilizing his correspondence knowledge in over the board games and knew every last wrinkle of opening theory in his pet Dragon Sicilian where many games are drawn not by mutual consent but by perpetual check.

Strong Point Leading to Effective Exchange Sacrifice

Offering your Rook for a Bishop or Knight is referred to as an exchange sacrifice in the game of chess. A Rooks is usually worth more than either minor piece in a wide open position whereas Knights can be stronger in closed positions where there are few open files.

In the following game played at the Internet Chess Club, Black played Qh4 threatening Qg3 check. Now should White accept the exchange sacrifice offered by Black at d3? If he does, Black will get an extra pawn plus a passed pawn at d3 AND chances against the vulnerable White King.



The possibility of the exchange sacrifice is partially due to the strong point/square at d3 supported by the c4 pawn. Jeremy Silman does an excellent job of sizing up the notion of material and when to give it up in his classic How to Reassess your Chess. If the reader is not absolutely convinced of the effectiveness of exchange sacrifices, given the necessary preconditions, after reading this great chess author's book, then he did not spend enough time with this magnificent, chess axiom spewing tome. Ask IM John Donaldson if you do not believe this dim light!


 

Pawn Queening Deflection

The following 3 minute blitz game played at the internet chess club is an excellent example of a deflection sacrifice leading to the promotion of a pawn to a Queen. The opening was a Benko where White managed to create a passed d pawn due to a Benoni-like e5 thrust before Black's queenside play manifested.



chichi1950 from Spain, playing with the Black pieces, must have been feeling quite comfortable with  his Rooks doubled at b2 and d2 with the threat of Rook captures pawn at f2 either drawing easily or perhaps winning.

White's trump is his passed d7 pawn which is a single square from Queening. With White to move, see if you can find a deflection move which either leads to the pawn promoting to a Queen or  the loss of a Rook.

Bad Bishop and Weak Pawns Equals a Loss in this Chess Ending

Playing 3 minute blitz chess at ICC is not as bad for one's chess game as is widely promulgated. In the following ending that arose from a Catalan Opening structure, kenmiller457 finds himself with a difficult to defend position due to two considerations: 1. A bad Bishop  2. A weakened, shattered pawn structure namely doubled pawns at f7, f6, and h7.

Amazingly, Black's Bishop is bad because of one pawn! Yes the d5 pawn obstructs two long diagonals limiting the the mobility of the dismayed Prelate.  White's light squared bishop is NOT blocked by the d4 pawn giving it superior range and mobility.



White's winning plan is quite straightforward. Occupy the weak square f4 with impunity owing to the the doubled Black f pawns. After bringing his Bishop to f5, White will create a Zugzwang  position which will eventually yield a passed a pawn and a won game.

Black's weakened Kingside pawn structure occurred due to a pin on the f6 Knight by White's g5 Bishop. As the Queen's and rooks were exchanged these weaknesses became more of a concern. Remember tattered pawns are invariably a liability in an ending. Allow them at your own risk!

Two Distant Passed Pawns Easily Worth Piece in this Ending

The following ending arose from a Dutch Defense played at the Internet Chess Club or ICC. Matakay, who did not want anybody to know what country he is from since his flag is missing, just played Kc6 attacking the Black Bishop at c7.

Black could play Kd8 protecting the feeble looking Prelate, but then White would just push his pawn to h4 with Queening threats of his own.

Note that Black has a protected passed pawn at f4 which is currently mechanically blockaded by White Knight at f3. Try to find a dramatic win for Black! Remember that two distant passed pawns are difficult to stop with a single minor piece especially when the defending King is Offside.