User Profile: phony benoni

Members · Prefs · Laboratory · Collections · Openings · Endgames · Sacrifices · History · Search Kibitzing · Kibitzer's Café · Chessforums · Tournament Index · Players ·

Kibitzing

Phony Benoni
Member since Feb-10-06 · Last seen Jun-11-22

Greetings, O Seeker After Knowledge! You have arrived in Dearborn, Michigan (whether you like it or not), and are reading words of wisdom from a player rated 2938--plus or minus 1000 points.
However, I've retired from serious play--not that I ever took playing chess all that seriously. You only have to look at my games to see that. These days I pursue the simple pleasures of finding games that are bizarre or just plain funny. I'd rather enjoy a game than analyze it.
For the record, my name is David Moody. This probably means nothing to you unless you're a longtime player from Michigan, though it's possible that if you attended any US Opens from 1975-1999 we might have crossed paths. Lucky you.
If you know me at all, you'll realize that most of my remarks are meant to be humorous. I do this deliberately, so that if my analysis stinks to High Heaven I can always say that I was just joking.
As you can undoubtedly tell from my sparkling wit, I'm a librarian in my spare time. Even worse, I'm a cataloger, which means I keep log books for cattle. Also, I'm not one of those extroverts who sit at the Reference Desk and help you with research. Instead, I spend all day staring at a computer screen updating and maintaining information in the library's catalog. The general public thinks Reference Librarians are dull. Reference Librarians think Catalogers are dull.
My greatest achievement in chess, other than tricking you into reading this, was probably mating with king, bishop and knight against king in a tournament game. I have to admit that this happened after an adjournment, and that I booked up like crazy before resuming. By the way, the fact I have had adjourned games shows you I've been around too long.
My funniest moment occurred when I finally got a chance to pull off a smothered mate in actual play. You know, 1.Nf7+ Kg8 2.Nh6+ Kh8 3.Qg8+ Rxg8 4.Nf7#. When I played the climactic queen check my opponent looked at the board in shocked disbelief and said, "But that's not mate! I can take the queen!"

Finally, I must confess that I once played a positional move, back around 1982. I'll try not to let that happen again.

>> Click here to see phony benoni's game collections.

   Phony Benoni has kibitzed 18634 times to chessgames [more...]

   Jun-11-22 M Blau vs Keres, 1959

Phony Benoni: Not a good recommendation for the DERLD. Out of 59 moves, White makes only three in Black's half of the board. And two of those conist of 3.Bb5 and 6.Bxc6.

   Jun-11-22 chessgames.com chessforum

Phony Benoni: Er, it's back. Karpov vs Timman, 1988

   Jun-10-22 Orlo Milo Rolo

Phony Benoni: Marco!

   Jun-10-22 Lilienthal vs Bondarevsky, 1947

Phony Benoni: Another one for you King Hunters. Black's monarch travels fron g8 to b8, then takes the Great Circle Route back to h3 before calling it a day.

   Jun-10-22 GrahamClayton chessforum

Phony Benoni: <GrahamClayton> I've posted a question for you at L T Magee vs J Holland, 1948

   Jun-10-22 L T Magee vs E L Holland, 1948

Phony Benoni: <GrahamClayton> The source you cite, <Chess Review, May 1948, p. 24>, gives Black's name as <E Holland> "Chess Life" (June 5, 1948, p. 1) has a table of results giving <E L Holland>. That form also appears in USCF rating supplements for a player fro ...

   Jun-09-22 Biographer Bistro

Phony Benoni: SkinnVer Here Among the Fold?

   Jun-09-22 Flohr vs Bondarevsky, 1947

Phony Benoni: Black's bishop makes me think of Godzilla emerging from the depths of the ocean to wreak havoc. However, in the end it's his Two Little Friends who steal the show. Well, maybe not so litt.

   Jun-06-22 W Ritson-Morry vs G T Crown, 1947

Phony Benoni: it was the last round. Rison-Morry was mired in last place. These things happen.

   Jun-06-22 W Adams vs M Kagan, 1947

Phony Benoni: Some more informztion. The game was published in <Chess Review>, March 1948, p. 23. Black's name is given as "M Kagan", and the location as "Massachusetts". There is no other game data, but I think we can now safely assume Black is <Milton Kagan>. Earlier in the ...

indicates a reply to the comment.

Living in the Past

< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 33 OF 914 · Later Kibitzing>
Aug-13-08		whiteshark: #4 Mutual blindness (four-eye-principle) ::D

Aug-14-08		Phony Benoni: I agree with the consensus here in picking #4; double blindness is generally more than twice as bad as single blindness. Sort of like how the bishop pair is more than twice as strong as a single bishop. In almost any other year, #5 would have been a winner. I've always been attracted to its "straining a gnat and swallowing a camel whole" atmosphere. The next set will come up in a couple of days.

Aug-17-08		ravel5184: Do more of 'em!

Aug-17-08		Phony Benoni: Well, since you insist... WORST MOVE OF THE YEAR: SET 5, 1989 <#1: BLACK TO PLAY> click for larger view This should be drawn after 1...Kd6, as the passed pawns balance each other out. Instead, there occurred <1...a6?? 2.a4?? axb5?? 3.axb5?? Kc5?? 4.c7!!> (at last!). <#2: WHITE TO PLAY> click for larger view Just another overactive king in the endgame: <1.Kf4?? Nf8!>. <#3: WHITE TO PLAY> click for larger view Trying to budge the troubling bishop on c2, White played <1.Bd1??>, to which Black replied <1...Be4??> instead of 1...Rb1#. The game continued <2.Bf3 Bc2>, REALLY hoping for a repetition. White still didn't see the mate, but played <3.Rc1> to avoid the draw and went on to win. <#4: BLACK TO PLAY> click for larger view Yes, the diagram is oriented normally, and White is going UP the board. However, Black apparently got confused, since he passed up a mate in four with 1...Kb6 for <1...Ra7?? 2.Rxa4+ Kb6 3.Rxa7 Rxa7 4.Re2 Ra8+>--and announced mate! After the unfortunately legal <5.Kd7>, the game was soon drawn. <#5: BLACK TO PLAY> click for larger view Losing becaise you snatch the b-pawn with your queen is one thing. Losing because you protect the b-pawn with your queen is another. <1...Qb5?? 2.Ba4>. <#6: WHITE TO PLAY> click for larger view In the first place, 1.d4 wins easily for White. Instead, there followed <1.Kh1?? Nf2+ 2.Kg1> and now, faced with the difficult choice of winning the queen with check or administering smothered mate, Black chose to rescue his other knight with <2...Ne5??>. White played <3.Qe2> and went on to win.

Aug-17-08		ravel5184: #4!!!

Aug-18-08		WannaBe: Number 3, without a doubt!!

Aug-19-08		arsen387: #1 is great. I wonder who were the players, maybe P. Hilton vs B. Spears? LOL. #3 is also nice :)

Aug-19-08		whiteshark: #3 is a hot candidate. #2 if you are fishing make sure you won't end as a fish in a #net. <Special <award to #4>>: 4♖s tragedies -made it already to my forum :XD

Aug-19-08		Phony Benoni: <Gang> At the time I really likde #6, but today I would pick #4. It's very original to throw away a win because you forget which way the pieces are moving. As to who played #1, I have to admit that I can't recall completely. I tried to maintain anonymity in this feature; besides, these games were played before I started using ChessBase and the scoresheets were long lost. However, I do remember that one of players in #1 once beat me in a tournament game, so I'm not gloating.

Aug-20-08		Harvestman: Hi <PB>. If I might make another contribution, number 5 above reminded me of the first part of the following double blunder of mine. I have white, in this position: click for larger view Deciding to go for the attack, I played 12.0-0-0? losing a piece to 12...Nxf4 (13.Qxf4?? Bg5). I had the bad grace to play on, and my opponent made some pretty awful moves, allowing me to reach this position: click for larger view Still a piece down, I took the perpetual with 22.Ne7+ Kh8 23.Ng6+?? Kg8 24.Ne7+ etc, and was enormously pleased with myself at saving the draw after such a horrible blunder. That is, enormously pleased until my team colleagues immediately pointed out 23.Qxh7+!! winning easily. That was my only ever chance at a queen sacrifice for a mate, and I blew it. (Incidentally, black could play 22...Kf7 instead, but it isn't hard to analyse that to a win for white either)

Aug-24-08		Phony Benoni: And now, in honor of the United States sprint relay teams, some more examples of dropping the baton. WORST MOVE OF THE YEAR: SET 6, 1990 <#1: BLACK TO PLAY> click for larger view <Black resigned>, seeing the lines 1...Kg7 2.Nxf6 Rxd7 3.Nxd7 and 1...Rxd7 2.Nxf6+ Kg7 3.Nxd7. However, escape was simple: 1...Bh4! 2.g3 fxg3 3.hxg3 Rxd7 4.Rxd7 Bd8! <#2: WHITE TO PLAY> click for larger view White started well with <1.Qb5+ Ka7>, but instead of forcing mate with 2.Qa5+ played <2.Qc6>. That was bad enough, but White was still winning--until he offered a draw. Black gave the matter appropriate thought--about one-tenth of a millisecond--and accepted. <#3: WHITE TO PLAY> click for larger view A problem-like blunder. White was not worried about 1...Nf3+, since he could simply play 2.Qxf3. Unfortunately, he hastened to exploit the pin with <1.f4??>, a self cut off move. <#4: BLACK TO PLAY> click for larger view Mate can be executed with 1...Rxe3+ 2.Kd4 Be5#. However, apparently thinking that the threat was stronger than the execution, Black played <1...Bf5??> and White executed him with <2.Qxg7#> <#5: WHITE TO PLAY> click for larger view Somewhat annoyed by the threat of a royal fork with 1...Nxh3+, White radically prvented it with <1.Qh2??>. This actually made things worse, as <1...Nxf3+> was a trifecta, also hitting the rook. <#6: WHITE TO PLAY> click for larger view White's not in the best of shape, but there was no need to castle into it with <1.0-0 Qxh2#>.

Aug-24-08		WannaBe: <Phony Benoni> What would happen in number 4, if black played ...Qxe3, would that not be mate? My vote goes to number 6...

Aug-24-08		ravel5184: #6!!!

Aug-24-08		Phony Benoni: <WannaBe> Not quite. In #4, 1...Qxe3+ would allow 2.Kc2.

Aug-24-08		WannaBe: I see, thanks Mr. <Phony>!!

Aug-25-08		Harvestman: Was going to vote #3 until I saw #6.

Aug-26-08		arsen387: #5 is my favourite. Avioding one fork to fall into another, nice

Aug-26-08		whiteshark: "Doctor, I think I have a problem with premature castling." (#6)

Aug-26-08		Phony Benoni: I'm kind of surprised at the near unanimous vote for #6; it seemed rather philistine for the cultured and refined critics who frequent these parts. Back then I preferred #5, but these days I'm more into #3's peculiar brand of inspired lunacy.

Aug-26-08		WannaBe: I liked number 6, because of, we are taught to castle, for the security of the king, and 'course, 0-0 cost the game for white. It's kinda 'ironic' that <THINKING> 0-0 will get your king tucked away safely, (white coulda/shoulda played g3 before 0-0) And who you calling 'cultured and refined'?!?! =)

Aug-27-08		Phony Benoni: Speaking of cultured and refined, who wants to be a librarian for a couple of minutes? We're opening up a new online collection of materials, and I'd want to test and see if people outside the University can access it. If you'd just click on this link: http://archives.udmercy.edu:8080/ds... it will send you to a summary page for a thesis. I'd like to know if you can get the summary page and access the PDF file mentioned there.

Aug-27-08		Open Defence: well I am at the summary page, clicked on the pdf link but nothing is appearing yet in the new window, maybe it is taking time to download

Aug-27-08		Phony Benoni: <Open Defence> Thanks; that's what I really wanted to know. Sometimes those PDF files can get a bit large, and they contain architectural drawings and other color graphics which I assume take time.

Aug-27-08		Open Defence: yeah the file is 35 MB or so, so no wonder it took time :) glad I could be of help :)

Aug-28-08		WannaBe: Port 8080?? What, you using Apache Tomcat? With some free operating system like Linux? Such as Red Hat? Ubuntu? or SuSe?? =) Geeze, raise some money for the ol' library, and get a 'real' link... forget these port 8080 or 8180 stuff! (Just kidding... Post all/any questions that you may have, and I'll try to not make fun of them the best I can!! (No, more seriously, I'll offer any so called 'expertise' that I have for you.))

Jump to page # (enter # from 1 to 914)
search thread:
< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 33 OF 914 · Later Kibitzing>

NOTE: Create an account today to post replies and access other powerful features which are available only to registered users. Becoming a member is free, anonymous, and takes less than 1 minute! If you already have a username, then simply login login under your username now to join the discussion.

Please observe our posting guidelines:

No obscene, racist, sexist, or profane language.
No spamming, advertising, duplicate, or gibberish posts.
No vitriolic or systematic personal attacks against other members.
Nothing in violation of United States law.
No cyberstalking or malicious posting of negative or private information (doxing/doxxing) of members.
No trolling.
The use of "sock puppet" accounts to circumvent disciplinary action taken by moderators, create a false impression of consensus or support, or stage conversations, is prohibited.
Do not degrade Chessgames or any of it's staff/volunteers.

Please try to maintain a semblance of civility at all times.

See something that violates our rules? Blow the whistle and inform a moderator.

NOTE: Please keep all discussion on-topic. This forum is for this specific user only. To discuss chess or this site in general, visit the Kibitzer's Café.

Messages posted by Chessgames members do not necessarily represent the views of Chessgames.com, its employees, or sponsors.
All moderator actions taken are ultimately at the sole discretion of the administration.

You are not logged in to chessgames.com.
If you need an account, register now;
it's quick, anonymous, and free!
If you already have an account, click here to sign-in.