| Phony Benoni: So how do you capture a piece? No, I'm not talking about How the Chess Pieces Move here. I want to know the physical process you use. There seem to be two main methods.
(1) Pick the offending piece, throw it out the window, and replace it with your own pure and holy piece. (2) Pick up your own piece, use it to knock the opponent's piece to Kingdom Come, and place your own victorious piece on the Square of Battle. Either method seems to be within the scope of the laws, and there are plenty of practitioners for either way. You'd think it really wouldn't matter, that this is one of the all-too-few things an individual can decide for themselves. But sometimes it makes all the difference in the world, as the inhabitant of this page found out to his sorrow: Manuel Soto Larrea - Joaquqin Medina Zavalia
Mexican International Masters, Mexico City, MEX
Round 1 , December 27, 1934
<1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Bxd2+ 7.Qxd2 0-0 8.Nc3 d5 9.Ne5> 1-0 
click for larger viewYes, the score is complete, and Black resigned at this point. No, he didn't lose on time, nor did his cell phone ring. You see, Señor Medina Zavalia was a practitioner of Method 1. Under the misapprehension that White had played 9.cxd5, he touched the pawn on d5 intending to recapture it. Forced to play 9...dxc4 and lose a rook or so, Black wisely chose to resign immediately and spend the day in more production pursuits. Like practicing Method 2. (And, since people seem to be picky about sources these days, the basic story can be found in the "American Chess Bulletin", January 1935, p.14. Or in the "Brooklyn Daily Eagle", January 31, 1935. Take your choice -- but choose wisely.) | 
Kibitzing
