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Jan-02-07
 | | Phony Benoni: Sorry, folks; I had to get to bed early last night.
<SILLY DATABASE STATISTIC OF THE DAY> WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN
Got White against <WannaBe>? Try steering the game into one of these lines! Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox, Rubinstein Attack, Main line (D65) (White scores a whoppiing 83.30%, based on 18 games) Benoni, Classical, 9...a6, 10.a4 (A74) (78.20%, 16 games) Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Main line with 8...dc and 9...cd (E57) (76.90%, 13 games) Dutch, Ilyin-Genevsky Variation with Qc2 (A98) (69.85%, 53 games) Dutch, Stonewall with Ba3 (A94) (69.65%, 61 games) Dutch, Ilyin-Genevsky Variation with b3 (A99) (69.00%, 71 games) Queen's Gambit Declined (D06) (68.50%, 319 games) Catalan, Closed (E08) (67.40%, 370 games) Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense, Classical (D68) (67.30%, 101 games) Queen's Gambit Declined, Anti-Neo-Orthodox Variation (D54) (66.85%, 89 games) You can see a definite trend here, since many of these are based on an insignificant number of games. Players of the Black pieces know enough to avoid them, and can easily to so. For instance, D06 contains irregular Black replies to 1.d4 d5 2.c4. such as 2...Nf6 or 2...Bf5. |
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Jan-02-07
 | | WannaBe: <Phony Benoni> Now, that Benoni, Classical, 9...a6 10. a4 Why does that remind me so much a Sicilian move? Opening Explorer Seems like a lot of these games and openings have quite a bit in common in terms of strategy and squares to occupy/attack/defend. |
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Jan-02-07
| | Phony Benoni: <WannaBe> Yes, there are some similarities. But there are even more differences.
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In the Classical Benoni, Black's plan is to play ...b5 setting his queenside pawn majority in motion. If allowed, he will follow ...b5 with ...c4 and ...Nbd7-Nc5. To stop this, White almost invaribly plays 10.a4.
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In the Najdorf Sicilian, 6.a4 also inhibits ...b5, but is unnecessary because Black rarely plays that move; for one thing, he doesn't have a pawn majority to set in motion. So White generally plays a more versatile developing move, such as 6.Be3, 6.Bg5, or 6.Be2. |
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Jan-02-07
| | Phony Benoni: WHITE TO PLAY AND DRAW
(Composed by A. P. Gulayev, 1936. Published in Chessboard Magic by Irving Chernev, #82.)
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The knight in zugzwang.
<1.Be4>
Necessary, since 1.Re1 Nxd3 2.Rf1 h1Q 3.Rxh1 Nf2+ is deadly. <1...fxe4 2.Re5+ Kg4 3.Rxe4+ Kg3 4.Re1 Nd3 5.Rf1 Kg2 6.Ke2 Nf4+ 7.Ke1 Nh3> 
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With 8...Ng1 to follow, unless White acts quickly.
<8.Rh1! Kxh1 9.Kf1!> And draws! Since the knight must change colors each move, it cannot play a tempo move to keep control of a critical square. Note that if the knight had been on h4 (or any dark square), White would have to move to a dark square with 9.Kf2! to draw. |
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| Jan-03-07 | | MrMelad: Hi, I'm sorry for interrupting but I have a small question, if I may.. <Dec-22-06>
javascript:OpenWin('/perl/fen?fen= 
click for larger view') <<1.Ng7+ Kf8 2.Rf2>
That was easy.>
Here you give the continuation
<2...Bd1+! 3.Ke1 Bf3> while after 2..Qxf2 3.Kxf2 Bb6+ black is a piece ahead. Does this position of King + 2 Bishops vs King + Knight known to be a sealed draw? Because it seems to me Black might be able to force a slow mate. |
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Jan-03-07
| | Phony Benoni: <MrMelad> Looks like you have a point. I checked a tablebase, and the resulting 2Bs v. N position is a win for Black in around 60 moves. Chernev did not check these endings carefully, and some unsound ones crept into the book. Generally, I'm adopting his attitude of admiring the beauty of the study rather than worrying about its correctness, but I probably should be on the lookout for simple lines like this. I think I recall that back in the 1930s when this study was composed, 2Bs vs. N was generally considered to be a draw. Only in the computer age has the truth become known. |
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Jan-03-07
| | Phony Benoni: <SILLY DATABASE STATISTIC OF THE DAY> Black is OK!
Well, at least in these openings:
Sicilian, Boleslavsky Variation, 7.Nb3 (B59) (Black scores 64.30%, based on 245 games) Sicilian, Closed, 6.Be3 (B26) (58.05%, 562 games) Two Knights (C57) (57.60%, 689 games) Sicilian, Closed (B25) (57.50%, 788 games) Benoni, Classical with ...Re8 and ...Na6 (A78) (57.30%, 55 games) Richter-Veresov Attack (D01) (56.60%, 631 games) Benoni, Fianchetto, 9...Nbd7 (A63) (56.55%, 69 games) Sicilian, Najdorf, 6...e6 (B95) (55.75%, 320 games) Queen's Gambit Declined, Ragozin, Vienna Variation (D39) (55.10%, 126 games) Bird's Opening (A03) (55%, 647 games) Four lines of the Sicilian in the top ten! No wonder it's so popular. |
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Jan-03-07
| | WannaBe: Wooo... these are good stuff, I love playing as black, and I love playing the Sicilian... *Drool* |
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Jan-04-07
| | Phony Benoni: <SILLY DATABASE STATISTIC OF THE DAY> IS DRAW, NOTHING BUT DRAW
Looking for the quiet life? Here are the ten openings with the highest drawing percentage in the database: Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, Exchange Variation (D14) (70.4%, 530 games) Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense, Classical, 13.de (D69) (69.4%, 72 games) Queen's Gambit Declined, Tartakower (D59) (69.2% 253 games) Queen's Indian, Old Main line, 9.Qxc3 (E19) (65.0%, 605 games) Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox, Rubinstein Attack (D62) (63.7%, 124 games) Neo-Grunfeld, 6.O-O, Main line (D79) (62.8%, 438 games) Queen's Gambit Declined (D56) (60.5%, 365 games) Queen's Indian, Old Main line, 7.Nc3 (E18) (59.3%, 877 games) Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, Exchange Variation (D13) (57.8%, 547 games) Queen's Gambit Declined, Tartakower (Makagonov-Bondarevsky) Syst (D58) (56.5%, 1240 games) Not a single e4 opening! The first one is Ruy Lopez, Closed, Smyslov Defense (C93) (56.5%, 383 games) which comes in 11th. Not surprising to see a couple of Slav Exchange variations, as it has a reputation as a deluxe grandmaster draw line. But things doesn't always work out that way; see Eliskases vs L Laurentius, 1935 |
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Jan-04-07
| | Phony Benoni: WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN
(Composed by A. A. Troitzki, 1935. Published in Chessboard Magic by Irving Chernev, #83.)
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No escape!
<1.Qc3+>
Since 1...Ke6 or 1...Ke4 both lose the queen, Black must capture a knight. But which one? <1...Kxf5 2.Qxf3+ Kg6 3.Qg4+ Ng5 4.Qh5+ Kxh5 5.Nf4#!>
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<1...Kxd5 2.Qd4+ Kc6 3.Qxc4+ Nc5 4.Qb5+ Kxb5 5.Nd4#!>
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| Jan-04-07 | | MrMelad: Thanks a lot, that's what I thought. |
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Jan-05-07
| | Phony Benoni: <SILLY DATABASE STATISTIC OF THE DAY> DEATH OF THE DRAW
If you want fighting chess and don't care if you win or lose, these are the openings for you! King's Gambit Accepted (C37) (8.9% draws, 404 games) King's Gambit Accepted (C38) (11.6% draws, 424 games) King's Knight Opening (C40) (12.3% draws, 373 gmaes) Two Knights (C57) (13.4% draws, 689 games) Evans Gambit (C51) (13.7% draws, 788 games) Bishop's Opening (C23) (14.4% draws, 216 games) Center Game (C21) (14.4% draws, 312 games) Evans Gambit (C52) (14.6% draws, 520 games) King's Gambit Accepted (C39) (14.8% draws, 663 games) King's Gambit Accepted (C34) (15.1% draws, 1075 games) Not surprisingly, the King's Gambit dominates this category. In fact, of the ten ECO sections covering the King's Gambit, the most drawish is #37 on the list out of 500 sections total. |
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Jan-05-07
 | | cu8sfan: <Phony Benoni: <SILLY DATABASE STATISTIC OF THE DAY>> Very interesting! The last two opening statistics show clearly what to expect from 1.e4 and 1.d4 respectively. (-; |
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Jan-05-07
| | Phony Benoni: WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN
(Composed by A. S. Gurewitz, 1928. Published in Chessboard Magic by Irving Chernev, #84.)
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One of my favorites from this book, with a very funny stalemate finish. <1.Bh7 b6+ 2.Kc6>
Still threatening mate, this time by 3.Nd6+ Kd4 4.Nb5+ Kc4 5.Bg8#. Black has only one good way to stop it. <2...Rxa4 3.Nd6+ Kd4 4.Nb5+ Kc4 5.Bg8+ Kb4>
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<6.Ba2!!>
Swoop! Suddenly, Black has only one move left.
<6...e4 7.g4>
Stalemate! |
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Jan-05-07
| | Phony Benoni: Oh, darn. That last one whould have been WHITE TO PLAY AND DRAW, of course. Add me to the list of people who would like to be able to edit posted messages! |
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Jan-06-07
| | Phony Benoni: <SILLY DATABASE STATISTIC OF THE DAY> EVERYBODY WINS
These are lines it might be wise to learn from both sides, since both seem to have a nearly equal chance to win. Sicilian, Scheveningen (B80) (White wins 389 games, Black wins 389 games) Nimzo-Indian, Samisch (E26) (63-63) Alekhine's Defense (B02) (335-334) Sicilian, Fischer-Sozin Attack (B86) (229-228) English, Symmetrical, Benoni Formation (A31) (186-187) Nimzo-Indian, Spielmann Variation (E22) (49-50) Nimzo-Indian, Samisch Variation (E27) (17-18) Sicilian, Najdorf (B96) (234-236) Sicilian, Najdorf (B97) (212-214) Sicilian, Dragon, Classical (B74) (102-104) Neo-Grunfeld, 5.Nf3 (D73) (81-83) Sicilian, Richter-Rauzer (B62) (60-62) Queen's Gambit Accepted, Classical (D29) (59-57) Grunfeld, Russian (D98) (35-37) King's Indian, Four Pawns Attack, with Be2 and Nf3 (E78) (5-7) The Sicilian is a clear leader here with 6 of the top 15, the Nimzo-Indian coming in second with 3. Interesting to see the Alekhine so high, but B02 contains the less usual variations for White. |
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Jan-06-07
| | Phony Benoni: WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN
(Composed by M. Havel, 1930. Published in Chessboard Magic by Irving Chernev, #85.)
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OK, I double-checked. This one actually is a win for White. It's a demonstration of the art of the composer: not just the beautiful ideas, but the way in which the pieces are manipulated to just the right squares from which they can deliver the desired effect. <1.a6 Bg5+>
So that he can advance his d-pawn without losing the bishop. <2.Kg6 d3 3.Ne3+! Bxe3> Well, fine. What difference did that make?
<4.a7 d2 5.a8Q d1Q>
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<6.Qg2+ Kf4>
6...Kh4 7.Qh2+ Kg4 8.Qh5+ wins.
<7.Qg5+ Ke4 8.Qf5+ Kd4 9.Qd7+> And wins the queen. Note that for all this to work, White's king had to be on g6 (where the necessary 1...Bg5+ chased it), the bishop had to be on e3 to block the king's escaping the checks safely via e3 and d2 (3.Ne3+ Bxe3), and the Black pawn had to promote on d1. It all just clicks. |
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Jan-06-07
| | Phony Benoni: Please note that all my database statistics were collected on 1/1/2007, and are already a bit out of date. I'm not going to redo them anytime soon either. That was a very boring way to spend New Year's Day. |
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Jan-07-07
| | Phony Benoni: <SILLY DATABASE STATISTIC OF THE DAY> EVEB-STEVEN
These are lines in which the chances for a win, loss and draw are most evenly balanced. Alekhine's Defense (B02) (White wins 33.6%, Black wins 33.5%, drawn 32.9%; difference of 0.7%) Nimzo-Indian, Leningrad (E30) (difference of 1.1%) Sicilian, Dragon, Classical (B74) (1.3%) Nimzo-Indian, Fischer Variation (E43) (1.3%) Sicilian (B58) (1.5%) Sicilian, Scheveningen (B80) (1.7%) Sicilian, Kan, 5.Nc3 (B43) (1.9%) Sicilian, Scheveningen (B84) (2.0%) Nimzo-Indian, Samisch (E29) (2.4%) Reti Opening (A06) (2.5%) Again, the Sicilian and Nimzo-Indian dominate. For the database as a whole, White wins 36.8%, Black wins 26.6%, draws 36.6% for a difference of 10.2%. All statistics were collected on 1/1/2007.
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Jan-07-07
| | Phony Benoni: WHITE TO PLAY AND DRAW
(Composed by F. M. Simkovitsch, 1940. Published in Chessboard Magic by Irving Chernev, #86.)
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Just so you know, ♗+2♘ defeat ♗, so White has to do something besides sit tight. <1.b7 Nxb7 2.Bc6 Nd6 3.Bxd5> So far, so good--but White's king is in a bad position. <3...Nf5+ 4.Kh5 Be2+ 5.Kg6 Ne7+ 6.Kf7 Nxd5>
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And now Black feels good--but just for a minute or two. <7.g6 Bh5 8.Kf8!>
OK, so 8...Bxg6 is stalemate. Just get the knight in there. <8...Nf6 9.g7+ Kh7 10.g8Q+ Nxg8> He has to take, but that's stalemate too!
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Jan-08-07
| | Phony Benoni: WHITE TO PLAY AND DRAW
(Composed by J. Sehwers, 1910. Published in Chessboard Magic by Irving Chernev, #87.)
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Stalemate one way or another.
<1.Bd5+ Kd4 3.Rg1 Bf1 3.Rg4+ Kxd5 4.Rb4>
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Problems have arisen! If Black doesn't promote, White just plays 5.Rb1, drawing easily due to the wrong-colored rook pawn. If Black promotes to a queen or bishop, White is stalemated at once, and 4...e1N 5.Rb1 wins a piece. What else is there? <4...e1R 5.Rb1!>
With stalemate again if the rook is taken! |
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Jan-09-07
| | Phony Benoni: WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN
(Composed by J Hasek, 1929. Published in Chessboard Magic by Irving Chernev, #88.)
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The knight has two images. One is the dashing gallant, hurtling itself headlong into the fray against more powerful foes and unimaginable perils. The other is the sneaky, crooked-path mover slithering unpredictably about the board. In this study, guess which of White's knights is which. But first, the immediate task is to stop Black's passed pawn. The d8 knight takes the first shot. <1.Nc6 dxc6>
That didn't help. Now the h8 knight will try its best. <2.Ng6 f3 3.Ne5 f2 4.Nd3 f1Q>
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And now, as Snidley Whiplash sneers an evil laugh:
<6.Nb2!>
Black is doomed to undergo either 7.a4# or 7.c4#! And it turns out that the d8 knight was a sneaky beast after all: its sacrifice meant that the Black queen cannot check on the h1-a8 diagonal. |
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Jan-09-07
| | Phony Benoni: <WORST DIAGRAM APPEARING IN A CHESS BOOK> The first nominee in this category comes from the book, "Chess the hard way" by D.A. Yanofsky. On p.58, during the game Yanofsky--Marchand from the US Open at Dallas in 1942, this is the position after Black's 34th move:
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The diagram in the book looks like this:
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I think that if you flip the 2nd diagram 180 degrees, then slice the board in half and put the bottom half on top, you get the correct position. But I flunked topology, so I'm not sure. |
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Jan-10-07
| | Phony Benoni: WHITE TO PLAY AND DRAW
(Composed by K. A. L. Kubbel, 1935. Published in Chessboard Magic by Irving Chernev, #89.)
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OK, this looks easy. <1.gxh7 Rh2+ 2.Kg1 Ra2 3.Rc8+ Kxc8 4.h8Q+ Kb7>
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Hold on, that can't be right; 5...Rd1+ will win. Reboot! <1.Kg2 Rh5 2.gxh7 Kd6 3.Ra8! Rxh7 4.Ra6+>
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And a rook gets skwered. That's more like it! |
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| Jan-10-07 | | boz: C'mon wannabe, give this man a caissar for the best bio. |
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Later Kibitzing> |
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Kibitzing
