Kenilworth Kibitzer

White to play...would you Bxh7+?

White to play

...I second guessed myself.  What did I have to show?  I can bail out and take his rook on f8 and maintain somewhat material equality, but I am left with such horrible pieces.  With Game 45, I felt I was forced to play that so I could use the rest of my time to dig myself out of the hole I put myself in.  After running this position thru Fritz, I found that Nxf8 is fourth best(?!)  Fritz still gives me an advantage, but from a human standpoint, a very difficult game lies ahead.  Two stronger moves are Nxc7 and Ng5+, both still with the similar dilemma.  These moves pale in comparison to what Fritz suggests as a winning move.  Sacrificing a piece for a positional edge with no immediate winning back of material is a difficult thing to swallow.   What does Fritz do when he reaches this position?  It's no surprise he chooses to sac yet another piece.  Do you see it?

The latest cycle is as noteable for the players who have dropped out in protest (Carlsen, Adams) as it is for those who never signed up in the first place (Kramnik, Morozevich, Topalov).  The period in chess history after 1993 is perhaps comparable to the steroid era in baseball, where only in retrospect can we truly process the shame and denigration that has been heaped on the highest title in chess.  The title doesn't have much worth now because there is no one player dominant enough to lay claim to best in the world for any extended period of time, but still we must hope chess does not go the way of boxing with multiple titles and general disinterest (well, except that it did).  Our heroes are dead, all we control are the 64 squares before us; play well.

And for U1400 rated players, a precis:

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1007895

But for our purposes, let's look at the position at move 11 after a few dubious opening moves by Black.  Here a number of people smarter than myself have suggested that White play 11. Bf3, or 12. Bf3 to crimp Black.  Black, on the other hand, is facing a mobile Q-side pawn majority and is underdeveloped.

11. Rd1 O-O 12. c3?! (Bf3 is again suggested) Bg4! (forces off the White LSB) 13. Be3 Bxe2 14. Ndxe2 Rc8! (This is what really impressed me.  One of Nimzo's 'mysterious rook moves', which is a sign of his laser-like focus on restraining the White queenside pawns.  Not an easy find.)

15. Rd2 Nc6 16. Rad1 Ne5 (aiming at c4) 17. b3 (preventing Nc4) b5! (more restraint!) 18. h3 e6! (Supports an outpost on d5, and signals the turn of the tide toward Black.  Black eventually wins in style, worth a look.)

Compare the position after move 10 and after move 18, and you can see how the superior player can turn a position around quickly and quietly.

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. exd5 Nxd5 (starting off as a harmless exchange French)

5. Nf3 c5 (looking for immediate equality in the center) 6. Nxd5 Qxd5 (rather than accept an isolated pawn) 7. Be3 cxd4 8. Nxd4 (and now we notice where Black's maneuvers have left him a little underdeveloped and exposed)

8...a6 9. Be2 Qxg2? (hand in the cookie jar...) 10. Bf3 Qg6 11. Qd2 e5 (to get rid of the d4 knight...) 12. O-O-O! (or not) exd4 13. Bxd4 Nc6 (White is down a piece, but his development advantage is large.  How to bring this one home?)

14. Bf6!!    If you saw this coming you've either seen the game before, or you should say hi in the comments section, Mr. Kasparov!

14...Qxf6 15. Rhe1+ (move 15 in the exchange French, and it's already time to roll up the vinyl board) 15...Be7 16. BxN+ Kf8 (trying to avoid immediate mate but...) 17. Qd8+! Bxd8 18. Re8#

I've played games like this before, but only from the losing side.

 

I have been looking at Raymond Keene's Nigel Short: World Chess Challenger (Holt 1992) and came upon the diagram above from Short - Miles, British Championship 1984. This fascinating position was given as a quiz back in 2005 at Chessgames.com (follow the link above for the game and the "answer") but it is worth trying to figure out on your own -- and worth noting that Short did not see the winning move (or else rejected it because Black's most challenging reply just looks too good).  

I think it's even worthwhile to take the hint that White's best is a Knight move that wins at least the Exchange and Black's most challenging response is a Knight move that threatens mate in two ways--but then White has a triple-exclam shot that wins anyway.  An incredible series of moves once you see it.  

I am really enjoying Short's games, by the way, and recommend them to you.  I think too many people think of Short as a World Championship "also-ran," but he created some real masterpieces, including two games I annotated as part of my consideration of the Mad Dog response to the Pirc and his "immortal King walk" in Short - Timman, Tilburg 1991.  And he continues to play some great chess: witness Short - Kasimdzhanov, Wijk aan Zee 2009.

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1334664

Delicious and hilarious.