English Chess Forum

Here is a game that i was checkmated in 9 moves at Coulsdon.I wonder if other members have lost in under 9 moves?
played on 9.4 2012
Peter D Williams V J.Okosieme

1 c4 e6
2 g3 d5
3 Bg2 c6
4 b3 Nf6
5 Bb2 Nb8 d7
6 Nf3 a6
7 a4 Ne4
8 Ba3 Qb6
9 Bxf8 Qxf2 mate

I don't recall actually being checkmated that quickly since my earlier years at school, but I do remember playing badly enough that I should have resigned by move 9 in one or two games. However I was once quoted by a local paper as saying that I had lost to Jessie Gilbert in "about 3 moves." As it happens it was 23 moves before I resigned (papers never quote you correctly, do they?) but one would have thought that if one had lost in that short a period of time, one might remember exactly how may moves it was.

In my chess club, many years ago I witnessed this checkmate in 8 moves:
1. d4 e5 2. de5 Nc6 3. Nf3 Qe7 4. Bf4 Qb4 5. Bd2 Qb2 6. Bc3 Bb4 7. Qd2 Bc3 8. Qc3 Qc1#

Meh. I've seen the "Blackburne Shilling" trap pulled off in tournament play (1e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3Bc4 Nd4?! 4 Ne5? Qg5 5 Nf7 Qg2 6Rf1 Qe4+ 7Be2 Nf3#)

Also a Budapest line where Black gives smothered mate on move 8 (?) after leaving his bishop "en prise"

Matt Mackenzie wrote:Also a Budapest line where Black gives smothered mate on move 8 (?) after leaving his bishop "en prise"

I may have fallen for this in a schools tournament one time...

There's this one, which all Dragon players should know, but some don't.


1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.f4 Bg7 7.e5 dxe5 8.fxe5 Ng4 9.Bb5+ Kf8 10.Ne6+ 11.Qxd8+ 1-0

The error, as demonstrated by Jon Mestel back in the seventies, is not 6 .. Bg7 as some lazy writers used to tell us, but 7 .. dxe5, where the "only move" is 7 .. Nh5. A point being that 8 g4 can be met by 8 .. Nxf4.

My quickest ever win was in 13 moves.

Barnet Minor 1998
N Burrows Vs G Lane

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nge7 4.o-o a6 5.Ba4 d6 6.h3 f5 7.Nc3 fxe4 8.Nxe4 Bd7 9.c3 Qc8 10.Nfg5 h6 11.Qh5+ g6 12.Nf6+ Kd8 13.Nf7 1-0

Scott Freeman wrote:I don't recall actually being checkmated that quickly since my earlier years at school, but I do remember playing badly enough that I should have resigned by move 9 in one or two games. However I was once quoted by a local paper as saying that I had lost to Jessie Gilbert in "about 3 moves." As it happens it was 23 moves before I resigned (papers never quote you correctly, do they?) but one would have thought that if one had lost in that short a period of time, one might remember exactly how may moves it was.

Your right about papers not always quoting you correctly and then often that quote stays with you!
I think a fair few people are often in resigning postions early on but hope for a stalemate.

In my game i was just thinking about taking his bishop off and did not look at all for checkmate as it was early in the game. I thought i was winning till he said checkmate! maybe you could use game to show some of the juniors at the club.

We have to play a friendly chess game one day Scott.

Re the Budapest, there is also the Fajarowicz cheapo - 1d4 Nf6 2c4 e5 3de5 Ne4 4a3 d6 5ed6 Bd6 6g3?? Nf2 - which I have also seen played, though in that case (as in most others where it has happened) White grovelled for a while before accepting the inevitable

Have also witnessed the Caro-Kann cheapo (1e4 c6 2d4 d5 3Nc3/d2 de4 4 Ne4 Nd7 5Qe2 Ngf6???? 6Nd6#) which IIRC Keres pulled off in a serious game once.

And have actually played the "Lasker Trap" in the Albin Counter Gambit - but only in quickplay, sadly

Here's a relatively obscure trap in the King's Gambit:

1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 Be7 4. Bc4 Bh4+ 5. Kf1 d5 6. Bxd5 Nf6 7. Nxh4 Nxd5 8. Nf3?? Ne3+

It brought me an easy point in a league game in 2004.

Matt Mackenzie wrote:
Also a Budapest line where Black gives smothered mate on move 8 (?) after leaving his bishop "en prise"

Infamously, future GM Dharshan Kumaran once fell for this when he should have been old enough to know better (1987, I think, but maybe even 1988). Must have been a Dharshan thing. I remember him chatting with other juniors at Lloyds around that time and insisting that it was perfectly natural for Black to want to play 3...Nf6 after 1 e4 e5 2 Bc4 Nc6 3 Qh5

Jonathan Rogers wrote:

Matt Mackenzie wrote:
Also a Budapest line where Black gives smothered mate on move 8 (?) after leaving his bishop "en prise"

Infamously, future GM Dharshan Kumaran once fell for this when he should have been old enough to know better (1987, I think, but maybe even 1988). Must have been a Dharshan thing. I remember him chatting with other juniors at Lloyds around that time and insisting that it was perfectly natural for Black to want to play 3...Nf6 after 1 e4 e5 2 Bc4 Nc6 3 Qh5

Well it gains a tempo and forces the queen to move for a second time

The point is, surely, that it *is* a "natural" move in some respects - just like 5....Ngf6 in that Caro Kann line, above......

Neither quite take due account of certain tactical considerations, though

I once mated my opponent in six moves on Board 1 of a Bolton League match. My opponent was a respectable 130 player. It must be hard to play a quicker mate than that in a serious match. The game was a Listsin Gambit. On move 5 Black realised I had the twin threats of 6. Bxh7 and 6. Nxh7. His 5th move stopped those threats but... I have not played White's 6th move. I will let you spot the continuation.
1. Nf3 f5 2. e4 fxe4 3. Ng5 Nf6 4. d3 exd3 5. Bxd3 h6 #

Let's not forget the trap against the Benko, which I saw played, or a close relative, only this week in a League game.

[Result "1-0"] 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.cxb5 a6 5.Nc3 axb5 6.e4 b4 7.Nb5 Nxe4 8.Qe2 Nf6 9.Nd6# 1-0