| Jan-08-02 | | bishop: 4.Bxf7+ gives black the better game.The scoresheet for this game is inaccurate. |
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| Jan-12-04 | | mjk: Apparently no "draw by threefold repetition" rule was in effect here. |
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Jan-23-05
 | | tpstar: 7. Ne2! sets the trap 7 ... exd5? 8. Qb3+ mates, thus 7 ... Be6 instead. I like how Black developed with threats = 15 ... Bc5 and 16 ... Rf8 leading to a huge bind. Then Black could have cashed in with 21 ... Bb4! since 22. Qxb4 Qxf2+ 23. Kh1 Nc2 wins the exchange (24. Nxc2? Qg2#), while 22. Qxd4 Qxf2+ 23. Kh1 Qxe1+ mates. All that messing around was silly, plus there must be a transcription error since 33 ... Rf4?? loses to 34. gxf4. It's most likely 33 ... Rf3, but still the immediate 27 ... Rhf5! was best (28. Nxf5? Rf1#) rather than torturing White like that. selfish_animal2005-tpstar0 (Yahoo 1/22/05): 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nxe4 4. Bxf7+!? Kxf7 5. Nxe4 d5 6. Qf3+ Kg8 7. Nc3 Be6 8. d3 Bb4 (8 ... Nc6 9. Nge2 Nb4) 9. Bd2 Nc6 10. Nge2 Qd7 11. 0-0 Rf8 12. Qg3 d4!? (12 ... h5) 13. Ne4 Bxd2 14. Nxd2 h5 15. f4 h4 16. Qe1 h3 17. g3 Bd5!? 18. fe Rxf1+ 19. Qxf1 Rh5 20. Nf4 Rxe5 21. Nxd5 Rxd5 22. Ne4 Qf5 23. Qe2 Re5 24. Rf1 Qe6 25. Qf3 Qh6 26. Kh1 Kh7 27. Qf7 Re6 28. Qxc7 Rxe4!? 29. dxe4 Qd2 30. Qf4? (30. Rg1 Qxc2 31. Qf4 Qxb2 32. Qf5+) Qg2# (0-1). |
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| Jan-24-05 | | Cyphelium: <tpstar> I agree about 21.-  b4!, though I like to add that after 22.  xb4 xf2+ 23.  h1, there is also 23.-  f3, which works out quite nicely. |
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Jan-24-05
| | tpstar: <Cyphelium> Oh yes! I saw 23 ... Nf3 24. Re2 or 24. Ngf1 defending h2 but missed 24 ... Qg1#. So 21 ... Bb4! should win quickly. Thank you. |
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Jan-24-05
 | | akiba82: <tpstar and Cyphelium> Good stuff! Marco missed the superior 21...Bb4, but the actual finish has a certain aesthetic quality to it, which is marred somewhat by the unnecessary repetition moves. In any case I enjoyed the doublecheck with mate finish. |
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Jan-24-05
| | akiba82: Mason had been a top player in the early 1880s, perhaps reaching as high as #5. (The top four were 1.Steinitz 2.Zukertort 3.Winawer and 4.Blackburne). By 1894 he was having severe problems with alcoholism and finished near the bottom of the crosstable at Leipzig. |
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Jan-24-05
| | akiba82: Another problem Mason encountered was his chronic underestimation of the two bishops. He seemed oblivious to the fact that most pawn configurations favor two bishops over bishop and knight and especially two knights. As a result, he lost a lot of games to players like Steinitz, Schlechter and Tarrasch, who were aware of this nuance. |
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Jan-24-05
| | akiba82: Mason's opening play was feeble, since he not only ceded the two Bishops, but allowed Black a pawn center. Just the sort of position in which the White Knights would have little scope.
I think Marco showed unusually good judgment in electing to march his h-pawn down the board on moves 11-14. This weakened White's King position, allowing Black's Bishops to rake. In addition it enabled Black to activate the dormant Rh8 via a restricted advance Rh5-f5. |
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Dec-23-07
 | | whiteshark: It is said that Mason arrived tanked, tired out from singing Irish ballads. |
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