Chessola

Chess for no good reason, part 24
No justice

It was quite gratifying to get several favorable comments on yesterday's post. It's also intimidating in a way, since I don't expect to do that well every day.

What's the first step toward improving one's chess? I feel it's simply avoiding obvious blunders and exploiting the opponent's blunders when they occur, Do that consistently, and you'll be surprised how far you can go. After all, everyone blunders now and then.

Today's game also demonstrates that there's no justice in chess. Both sides make the mistake of missing a simple knight retreat. Black's blunder costs a pawn. White's blunder costs a piece.

Koller,Joseph (1846) - Moody,David (1640) [C85]
U.S. Open Lincoln, Neb. (3), 12.08.1975
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Be7 6.Bxc6

That's the problem with trying to play the Marshall: it takes so long to get to it that White can avoid it in any number of useful ways.

6...dxc6 7.Qe1 0–0?

And I promptly figure out a way to lose a pawn. 7...Nd7 is sensible.

8.Nxe5 Bd6 9.Nf3 Re8 10.d3 Bg4 11.Nbd2 Bf4 12.Nc4 Nh5 13.Bxf4 Nxf4 14.Qe3 Qf6 15.e5 Qh6 16.Rfe1 g5 17.Ncd2 Re6 18.Nd4 Rg6 19.Qg3 Bd7 20.Ne4 Rd8 21.Nf6+ Kh8 22.Nxd7 Rxd7 23.Re4??

Repeating Black's mistake; the simple retreat with 23.Ne2 was fine. The consequences, however, are far worse.

23...Rxd4 24.Rae1 Rxe4 25.Rxe4 Qh5!

This is the move that deserves a exclam. Black is preparing the trade of queens, and there's little White can do about it.

26.f3 Rh6 27.d4 Qh4 28.Qxh4 Rxh4 29.h3

29.g3 Nh3+ 30.Kg2 Rxe4 31.fxe4 g4 and the knight escapes.

29...Ng6

And now the rooks go off. The rest shows Black stumbling to victory.

30.Kf2 Rxe4 31.fxe4 h5 32.g3 Kg7 33.Ke3 Kf8 34.c4 c5 35.dxc5 Nxe5 36.Kd4 Nc6+ 37.Kd5 Nb4+ 38.Ke5 Nd3+ 39.Kf5 Nxc5 40.e5 Ne6 41.Kf6 h4 42.gxh4 gxh4 43.Kf5 Kg7 44.Kg4 Kg6 45.Kxh4 Ng5 46.Kg4 Nxh3

Eliminating the need to think any further.

47.Kxh3 Kf5 48.Kg3 Kxe5 0–1

Advertisement