| Sep-13-06 | | think: 25. Kc1 threatens to win the game by
26. hxg7+ Kg8
27. Bxh7#
It wasn't possible the previous move because the light-squared bishop is pinned. |
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Sep-13-06
 | | Sneaky: It's the hallmark of rank amateurs at chess to develop rooks via h4 and Rh3. Or is it? |
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| Sep-13-06 | | EmperorAtahualpa: What a peculiar opening! You get the impression that White is doing all the original moves, but actually 1...b6 is already a very original reply to 1.c4. There are 20 games in this database with the same first 9 half-moves (1.c4 b6 2.Nc3 Bb7 3.e4 e6 4.d4 Bb4 5.Qc2), but this is the only game in which Black moved 5...Bxc3+! The opening explorer suggests Black has much better chances after 5...Qh4: Opening Explorer |
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| Sep-13-06 | | backyard pawn: The b-pawn wends its way across the chessboard to deliver the coup-de-grace at e7 What a long strange trip it was.
I used to advance my pawns like that, before I learned that it was important to protect one's king. ; ) Clever game by Speelman. |
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Sep-13-06
 | | Phony Benoni: <backyard pawn> For another "long strange trip" by a b-pawn, check this game: Marshall vs Alekhine, 1924 |
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Sep-13-06
 | | kevin86: Sneaky was right,that was the first thing I noticed-the sequence of h4 followed by Rh3. Who would have thought that the b-pawn would deliver the lethal blow at e-seven? |
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Sep-13-06
 | | chrisowen: Tony Miles - not too bright? just Britain's first GM. |
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Sep-13-06
| | Phony Benoni: Considering the travels of the b-pawn, perhaps a better pun would have been "Miles to go". |
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| Sep-13-06 | | mack: <What a peculiar opening!> Yeah, one of my faves too. This sort of chess was all the rage back in the 70s in Britain. |
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| Sep-13-06 | | schnarre: Both sides using a little English in this game! |
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| Apr-24-07 | | Ybrevo: 1. - b6 is a very good answer to the English Opening, but I think 5. - Bxc3 is premature. Why not keep the pin as long as possible? The early moves with the h-pawn and the Rook came as a total surprise, when I tried this game in "Guess the Move". But this kind of creativity is what makes chess so much fun! |
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Apr-24-07
 | | SwitchingQuylthulg: In 'Play 1...b6' the 1...b6 expert Christian Bauer confirms <EmperorAtahualpa>'s suggestion of 5...Qh4 as best, giving the sample line 6 Bd3 f5 7 Nf3 and only now 7...Bxc3+ (he credits this with an exclamation mark, since 7...Qg4? 8 0-0 Bxc3 allows nasty intermezzi 9 h3 or 9 Ne5) 8 Kf1 Qh5 9 bxc3 and 9...Ne7 or 9...Nf6, with the statement "The positions after either knight move are critical for the assessment of 5 Qc2, and in my opinion Black is doing well." Looks that way to me too. Miles' continuation is weaker since Black's major aim in most lines like this is ...f5; I find Miles' early expansion in the center as opposed to ideas based on ...f5 the real mistake in Black's opening, rather than 5...Bxc3 (even if it is, indeed, a bit premature). |
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Dec-02-08
 | | Domdaniel: <mack> - <This sort of chess was all the rage back in the 70s in Britain.> That must be the reason I still play it. A bit like listening to those old vinyl things from one's yoof. |
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Dec-07-08
 | | Fusilli: In "The King's Gambit" (http://www.amazon.com/Kings-Gambit-...) Paul Hoffman has a long interview with Nigel Short. Short says that Speelman has two switches: the positional one and the maniac one. It was hard to prepare to play him because he was so unpredictable. In this game, obviously the maniac switch was on! |
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