davidmoodychess (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} davidmoodychess) wrote,@ 2006-06-28 20:24:00 |
|
Cross checking
A common scenario in commercials utilizing chess is the cross check. First, an impressive fellow with a Russian air moves a piece and says, "Check!" with an intonation implying that the game is essentially over and you are wasting his precious time. The opponent, usually a beautiful woman or a timid young kid with glasses, triumphantly moves a piece and says, "Checkmate!", thus proving that their soft drink of choice imparts superior brain power along with that tasty fizz.
Such things rarely happen in real life, though I did do it once:
Moody,David (2015) - Kung,Fred (1794) [C44]
Trenton Mini-Swiss (June) Trenton, Mich. (1), 15.06.1985
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 d6 5.c3 dxc3 6.Qb3 Qd7 7.Nxc3 Na5 8.Qb4 Nxc4 9.Qxc4 Be7 10.0–0 Nf6 11.e5 dxe5 12.Rd1 Bd6 13.Nxe5 Qe6 14.Qb5+ Nd7 15.Nxd7 Bxd7 16.Qxb7 0–0 17.Nb5 Rab8 18.Nxc7 Qe5 19.Qd5 Qxh2+ 20.Kf1 Bxc7 21.Qxd7 Qh1+ 22.Ke2 Rfe8+ 23.Be3 Qh5+ 24.Kf1 Qh1+ 25.Ke2 Qh5+ 26.Kf1 Red8 27.Qa4 Qh1+ 28.Ke2 Rxb2+ 29.Bd2
Black is winning this easily; after 29...Qxg2, he has two extra pawns in addition to a crushing attack. Instead he finds:
29...Re8+?? 30.Qxe8# 1–0
I don't know if that proves anything about my soft drink of choice.
More common than answering a check with checkmate is answering with a simple check, or "cross checking". Even so, I doubt it occurs in more than two or three per cent of games. Also, it's usually of a single type. Consider this position:
W: Ke3, Pf3, g3
B: Ke5, Pg5
Now 1.f4+ gxf4+ 2.gxf4+ gives us three checks in a row. I wouldn't be surprised if this scenario accounted for more than 75% of cross checks in real games.
That's why this game is so unusual. In addition to the standard cross checking scheme just mentioned, it has two other cross checks of entirely different types.
Matthew Muir (1937) - Ken Spencer (2132) [B21]
MOTCF Columbus, Ohio, 1993
[Ohio Chess Bulletin, 1993:Jan./Apr.]
1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 d3 4.Bxd3 Nc6 5.Nf3 d6 6.0–0 Nf6 7.Bg5 h6 8.Be3 e6 9.Nbd2 Be7 10.Qe2 0–0 11.Nd4 Ne5 12.Bc2 Nfg4 13.f4 Nxe3 14.Qxe3 Ng4 15.Qf3 e5 16.Nf5 Bxf5 17.exf5 Qb6+ 18.Kh1 Ne3 19.Rfc1 exf4 20.Bb3 Qc6 21.Bc2 Qxf3 22.Nxf3 Nxc2 23.Rxc2 g5 24.fxg6 fxg6 25.Re2 Bf6 26.Re6 Rad8 27.Rd1 d5 28.Kg1 Kf7 29.Re2 g5 30.Red2 Ke6 31.Ne1 b6 32.Nc2 a5 33.Na3 g4 34.Nb5 Rf7 35.c4 d4 36.Nxd4+ Bxd4+
That's one.
37.Rxd4 Rxd4 38.Rxd4 Rf6 39.Kf2 Ke5 40.Rd2 Rc6 41.b3 Ke4 42.Re2+ Kd3 43.Re5 a4 44.Rf5 axb3 45.axb3 Ke4 46.Rb5 Rd6 47.Ke2 f3+ 48.gxf3+ gxf3+
That's our standard scenario.
49.Ke1 Ke3 50.Re5+ Kf4 51.Rb5 Kg4 52.c5 bxc5 53.Rxc5 Rd3 54.b4 Rb3 55.b5 Rb2 56.Rc6 h5 57.b6 h4 58.Rg6+ Kh3 59.Rd6 Kg2 60.Rd2+
Hoping for 60...Rxd2 61.Kxd2 and both sides queen, but the final cross check decides matters.
60...f2+! 0–1
A common scenario in commercials utilizing chess is the cross check. First, an impressive fellow with a Russian air moves a piece and says, "Check!" with an intonation implying that the game is essentially over and you are wasting his precious time. The opponent, usually a beautiful woman or a timid young kid with glasses, triumphantly moves a piece and says, "Checkmate!", thus proving that their soft drink of choice imparts superior brain power along with that tasty fizz.
Such things rarely happen in real life, though I did do it once:
Moody,David (2015) - Kung,Fred (1794) [C44]
Trenton Mini-Swiss (June) Trenton, Mich. (1), 15.06.1985
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 d6 5.c3 dxc3 6.Qb3 Qd7 7.Nxc3 Na5 8.Qb4 Nxc4 9.Qxc4 Be7 10.0–0 Nf6 11.e5 dxe5 12.Rd1 Bd6 13.Nxe5 Qe6 14.Qb5+ Nd7 15.Nxd7 Bxd7 16.Qxb7 0–0 17.Nb5 Rab8 18.Nxc7 Qe5 19.Qd5 Qxh2+ 20.Kf1 Bxc7 21.Qxd7 Qh1+ 22.Ke2 Rfe8+ 23.Be3 Qh5+ 24.Kf1 Qh1+ 25.Ke2 Qh5+ 26.Kf1 Red8 27.Qa4 Qh1+ 28.Ke2 Rxb2+ 29.Bd2
Black is winning this easily; after 29...Qxg2, he has two extra pawns in addition to a crushing attack. Instead he finds:
29...Re8+?? 30.Qxe8# 1–0
I don't know if that proves anything about my soft drink of choice.
More common than answering a check with checkmate is answering with a simple check, or "cross checking". Even so, I doubt it occurs in more than two or three per cent of games. Also, it's usually of a single type. Consider this position:
W: Ke3, Pf3, g3
B: Ke5, Pg5
Now 1.f4+ gxf4+ 2.gxf4+ gives us three checks in a row. I wouldn't be surprised if this scenario accounted for more than 75% of cross checks in real games.
That's why this game is so unusual. In addition to the standard cross checking scheme just mentioned, it has two other cross checks of entirely different types.
Matthew Muir (1937) - Ken Spencer (2132) [B21]
MOTCF Columbus, Ohio, 1993
[Ohio Chess Bulletin, 1993:Jan./Apr.]
1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 d3 4.Bxd3 Nc6 5.Nf3 d6 6.0–0 Nf6 7.Bg5 h6 8.Be3 e6 9.Nbd2 Be7 10.Qe2 0–0 11.Nd4 Ne5 12.Bc2 Nfg4 13.f4 Nxe3 14.Qxe3 Ng4 15.Qf3 e5 16.Nf5 Bxf5 17.exf5 Qb6+ 18.Kh1 Ne3 19.Rfc1 exf4 20.Bb3 Qc6 21.Bc2 Qxf3 22.Nxf3 Nxc2 23.Rxc2 g5 24.fxg6 fxg6 25.Re2 Bf6 26.Re6 Rad8 27.Rd1 d5 28.Kg1 Kf7 29.Re2 g5 30.Red2 Ke6 31.Ne1 b6 32.Nc2 a5 33.Na3 g4 34.Nb5 Rf7 35.c4 d4 36.Nxd4+ Bxd4+
That's one.
37.Rxd4 Rxd4 38.Rxd4 Rf6 39.Kf2 Ke5 40.Rd2 Rc6 41.b3 Ke4 42.Re2+ Kd3 43.Re5 a4 44.Rf5 axb3 45.axb3 Ke4 46.Rb5 Rd6 47.Ke2 f3+ 48.gxf3+ gxf3+
That's our standard scenario.
49.Ke1 Ke3 50.Re5+ Kf4 51.Rb5 Kg4 52.c5 bxc5 53.Rxc5 Rd3 54.b4 Rb3 55.b5 Rb2 56.Rc6 h5 57.b6 h4 58.Rg6+ Kh3 59.Rd6 Kg2 60.Rd2+
Hoping for 60...Rxd2 61.Kxd2 and both sides queen, but the final cross check decides matters.
60...f2+! 0–1
