David versus Goliat...

[Smash]

The following is taken from "The Independent" dated Monday 19th March 2001. (The Independent is one of the top four British quality newspapers.) It is the start of the daily chess column by Jon Speelman (English IGM, June 2000 Elo rating 2564, world rank 83).

Recently, I've spent rather more time than is good for me playing Civilization II, an excellent strategical computer game. While this has no direct connection with chess, it has afforded me an opportunity to reassess my "natural game-playing style", a quality that I hope to be obscured when playing chess by my having sufficient understanding to play more or less the right moves, whatever my personal feelings about them.In any case, when playing "Civ" it seems I'm very much a "Hedgehog" player, happy to accept a cramped but sound opening in the hope of breaking out later. In chess, the "Hedgehog" refers to a system of development in which Black (and occasionally White "with colours reversed"), facing a line in which White plays c4 and later d4, exchanges …c5xd4 and then sets up the characteristic pawn structure a6, b6, d6, e6, f7, g7, h7 - the "Hedgehog's" quills. ...
[This message has been edited by Smash (edited March 19, 2001).]

[Carolus Rex]

1 e4 … e6
2 d4 … d5
3 Nc3 … Nf6
4 Bg5 … Be7
5 e5 … Nfd7
6 Bxe7 … Qxe7
7 Qd2 … a6
8 f4 … c5
9 Nf3 … Nc6
10 dxc5 … Qxc5
11 O-O-O … b5
12 Bd3 … b4
13 Ne2 … a5
14 Kb1 … Ba6
15 Bxa6 … Rxa6
16 Qd3 … Rb6
17 h4 … a4
18 Rh3 … Qa5
19 Nfd4 … Nc5
20 Qg3 … O-O
21 Nxc6 … Rxc6
22 Nd4 … Rc7
23 f5 … Ne4
24 Qe1 … exf5
25 Nxf5 … a3
26 Ne3 … Rc5
27 Rd4

Carolus

[Julius Brenzaida]

Great article, Smash ! Speelman is lucky to have maintained his chess level. Me, I’ve spent too many hours playing civ2 … But civ2 is so cool and so much less frustrating than chess. Sometimes I miss the stress, though. But no more sleepless nights and no more sunny days lost reading chess books …

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Oh Man, when will you understand that your greatness lies in your failure - Goethe

[Julius Brenzaida]

1 e4 … e6
2 d4 … d5
3 Nc3 … Nf6
4 Bg5 … Be7
5 e5 … Nfd7
6 Bxe7 … Qxe7
7 Qd2 … a6
8 f4 … c5
9 Nf3 … Nc6
10 dxc5 … Qxc5
11 O-O-O … b5
12 Bd3 … b4
13 Ne2 … a5
14 Kb1 … Ba6
15 Bxa6 … Rxa6
16 Qd3 … Rb6
17 h4 … a4
18 Rh3 … Qa5
19 Nfd4 … Nc5
20 Qg3 … O-O
21 Nxc6 … Rxc6
22 Nd4 … Rc7
23 f5 … Ne4
24 Qe1 … exf5
25 Nxf5 … a3
26 Ne3 … Rc5
27 Rd4 … axb2

[Julius Brenzaida]

C’est le moment de vérité !

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Oh Man, when will you understand that your greatness lies in your failure - Goethe

[Carolus Rex]

1 e4 … e6
2 d4 … d5
3 Nc3 … Nf6
4 Bg5 … Be7
5 e5 … Nfd7
6 Bxe7 … Qxe7
7 Qd2 … a6
8 f4 … c5
9 Nf3 … Nc6
10 dxc5 … Qxc5
11 O-O-O … b5
12 Bd3 … b4
13 Ne2 … a5
14 Kb1 … Ba6
15 Bxa6 … Rxa6
16 Qd3 … Rb6
17 h4 … a4
18 Rh3 … Qa5
19 Nfd4 … Nc5
20 Qg3 … O-O
21 Nxc6 … Rxc6
22 Nd4 … Rc7
23 f5 … Ne4
24 Qe1 … exf5
25 Nxf5 … a3
26 Ne3 … Rc5
27 Rd4 … axb2
28 Nxd5

Carolus

[Julius Brenzaida]

1 e4 … e6
2 d4 … d5
3 Nc3 … Nf6
4 Bg5 … Be7
5 e5 … Nfd7
6 Bxe7 … Qxe7
7 Qd2 … a6
8 f4 … c5
9 Nf3 … Nc6
10 dxc5 … Qxc5
11 O-O-O … b5
12 Bd3 … b4
13 Ne2 … a5
14 Kb1 … Ba6
15 Bxa6 … Rxa6
16 Qd3 … Rb6
17 h4 … a4
18 Rh3 … Qa5
19 Nfd4 … Nc5
20 Qg3 … O-O
21 Nxc6 … Rxc6
22 Nd4 … Rc7
23 f5 … Ne4
24 Qe1 … exf5
25 Nxf5 … a3
26 Ne3 … Rc5
27 Rd4 … axb2
28 Rxd5 … b3

[Julius Brenzaida]

Krrrrrsssshhhhhh !
The move I had to foresee since a3.
My attack definitively arrives first.
The question is will it be a decisive one or not.

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Oh Man, when will you understand that your greatness lies in your failure - Goethe

[Ribannah]

quote: Originally posted by Julius Brenzaida on 03-21-2001 05:23 AM Krrrrrsssshhhhhh ! The move I had to foresee since a3.

I was hoping he would let you play it
Nice game, Julius .


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If you have no feet, don't walk on fire

[Julius Brenzaida]

quote: Originally posted by Ribannah on 03-21-2001 06:47 AM I was hoping he would let you play it Nice game, Julius .

Thanks Ribannah !
Well, there are pretty variations everywhere. This one could become quite geometrical ...
On 27 c3 … bxc3, 28 b3 trying to stop the attack. I had the idea of this Knight sacrifice : 28 … Nd2+, 29 Kc1 … Nxb3+, 30 axb3 … c2, 31 Nxc2 … Qc7, 32 Qe2 … Rc8, 33 Rd2 … a2, 34 Kb2 … Qa7, 35 Na1 … Rc1 and wins. It all looks forced but I didn’t doublecheck. I would only have if 27 c3 or c4 would have been played.

[Ribannah]

quote: Originally posted by Julius Brenzaida on 03-21-2001 09:08 AM Well, there are pretty variations everywhere. This one could become quite geometrical ... On 27 c3 … bxc3, 28 b3 trying to stop the attack. I had the idea of this Knight sacrifice : 28 … Nd2+, 29 Kc1 … Nxb3+, 30 axb3 … c2, 31 Nxc2 … Qc7, 32 Qe2 … Rc8, 33 Rd2 … a2, 34 Kb2 … Qa7, 35 Na1 … Rc1 and wins. It all looks forced but I didn’t doublecheck. I would only have if 27 c3 or c4 would have been played.

Or 35 Rh1 Rxc2+ 36 Rxc2 Qd4+. It all looks sound to me.
Julius, do you know a way to post diagrams? I could present some compositions (mate in 2, 3 etc.).

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If you have no feet, don't walk on fire

[Carolus Rex]

Julius, just to get things straight.

My 28th move was Nxd5, not Rxd5! I will hence plan my next move according to the current position (after 28 Nxd5 b3)...

I would also appreciate if any variations posted by you or Ribannah could be held off until after the game, or, that you send them via private messages.

Carolus

[This message has been edited by Carolus Rex (edited March 21, 2001).]

[Julius Brenzaida]

Sorry, we did indeed get carried away. And I miswrote the 28th white move. It is Nxd5 and you can play accordingly. It was Nxd5 on my chessboard anyway
But if you look at the variations we were talking about, they were all after a possible 27 c3/c4 bxc3 and have nothing to do with the actual situation of the game, after 28 Nxd5. This is told to explain that no cheating was intended, not to excuse anything.
Sorry Carolus.

[Carolus Rex]

No problem. I never said anything about cheating, though. It just felt awkward that you guys discussed the game while we're still playing it.

quote: Originally posted by Julius Brenzaida on 03-21-2001 03:00 PM It is Nxd5 and you can play accordingly. It was Nxd5 on my chessboard anyway

Rats! I was hoping I'd get an advantage in case you had misread the notation!

Seriously, it's a good move. Things are looking grim...

Carolus

[Ribannah]

quote: Originally posted by Carolus Rex on 03-21-2001 10:58 AM I would also appreciate if any variations posted by you or Ribannah could be held off until after the game, or, that you send them via private messages. [This message has been edited by Carolus Rex (edited March 21, 2001).]

Sorry Carolus, you are right of course. We got carried away



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If you have no feet, don't walk on fire