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Sunday, March 21, 2021

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. 


Saturday, March 13, 2021

Monkey See Tactic, Monkey Play Tactic

 My Russian friends at ICC are among the most rational and concrete thinking guys I have ever known. However, Potoslonam must have been having trouble with family or girlfriend when he egregiously blundered with Knight captures d5 pawn in the following diagrammed position. 

His weak amateurish idea was to pray(I know most Russians are atheist) that Black captures the horse on d5 leaving his f5 Horse en prise. Black now wins easily with Qg1 threatening mates on g3 square and Qh1 mate. The White Queen cannot defend both threats so the Russian disconnected and lost.



Hockey fan Mark Scheig is also a talented chess player and a friend of the affable Russian expert of our beloved Royal Game.


Monday, March 8, 2021

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!