The bragging thread

[Leonard Barden]

Impressed by this game, I tried to make the gambit work against the late Simon Webb at Islington 1976. He was less accommodating than Nigel in his salad days, and I was smashed. It was the last time I played the gambit in a serious game...

Wouldn't you have played it against Karpov if he had allowed it?

[Christopher Kreuzer]

I am going to embarrass Nigel Short by showing a game he played when he was VERY young: Stone v Short, Liverpool 1975 (?):
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. Bd3 cxd4 7. cxd4 Bd7 8. 0-0 Nxd4 9. Nxd4 Qxd4 10. Nc3 a6 11. Qe2 Ne7 12. Kh1 Nc6 13. f4 Nb4 14. Rd1 Nxd3 15. Rxd3 Qa7? 16.f5 exf5 17. Nxd5 b5 18. Bg5 Be6 19. Qf3 Rc8 20. Rad1 h6 21. Nc7+! Qxc7 22. Qc6+!! 1-0

I quote from memory, having witnessed the game, and my recollection may be imperfect - but I can vouch for the accuracy of the beautiful finish. Black may have played 20.... Bc5.

Added pgn tags and tided some of the moves.

[Nick Ivell]

Thanks for posting the game in the correct format. Government health warning: I cannot vouch for its perfect accuracy. It is the finish which is indelibly imprinted on my mind.

Karpov? Yes, I probably would have given the Milner-Barry a punt. I do not think he would have been as accommodating as the young Nigel though.

The Stone - Short game was played at one of the many training tournaments held at Bluecoat School in the 1970s. What wonderful tournaments they were. How much must Nigel have learnt from a tonking such as this?

I am not sure the game has ever been published. To Mr Stone the glory! I wish I could remember my own games as well as I remember other peoples'.

[Kevin Thurlow]

Not entirely relevant, but a good and true story...

Civil Service were playing RAF in a match some years ago. An RAF player arrives late, and dashes to the only empty chair, apologises to his opponent, and makes a few hurried moves. When he has recovered his composure, he goes to get a cup of tea, and his captain greets him. The player explains his lateness and then says,

"This old boy seems to know the Milner-Barry Gambit very well."

"That's because you're playing Milner-Barry!"

Player returns to board with a worried look.

[Chris Rice]

I played Sir Stuart in the London League just prior to his death in 1995. He was a frail 87 year old man with a walking stick and was wearing a tweed jacket. I was White and I think it was a Two Knights Defence as I recall and we'd played about 14 moves. A woman came up to him, must have been his grandaughter I guess, and asked him what time he thought he'd be home for tea. He gently turned around to me and then in a deep booming voice that nearly knocked me off my chair said "Do you want a draw?". Before I knew what was happening I'd shaken his hand and reset the pieces. My team mates were not happy but I really couldn't have cared less. It was a real honour to play such a legend.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Those are lovely anecdotes. Given the 1995 reference, I thought it possible a grading reference might still exist, but was only able to find someone who is/was presumably a relative:

http://www.ecfgrading.org.uk/?ref=115591L

The name is "P.S. Thelma Milner-Barry" (his full name was 'Philip Stuart' and his wife's name was Thelma).

More relevant is a nice blog by Steve Giddins from September 2011:

http://stevegiddinschessblog.wordpress. ... ish-chess/

Plus a series of follow-up blogs:

http://stevegiddinschessblog.wordpress. ... -friendly/
http://stevegiddinschessblog.wordpress. ... ostscript/
http://stevegiddinschessblog.wordpress. ... ostscript/

Well worth reading.

[Matt Mackenzie]

That grading reference probably *is* him, and the "Thelma" is just a misprint.

[PeterTurland]

Played this last night on FICS, I think I was inspired by MC, also by the fact I picked up my new motability wheels yesterday.

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 e6 5. e4 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e5 Qd8 8. Bxc4 c5 9. d5 exd5 10. Bb5+ Nc6 11. Nf3 d4 12. Ne4 a6 13. Bxc6+ bxc6 14. O-O d3 15. Qa4 Bd7 16. Qc4 Be7 17. Nd6+ Bxd6 18. exd6 O-O 19. Qxd3 Qf6 20. b3 Rfe8 21. Rae1 a5 22. Re3 Re6 23. Rxe6 Bxe6 24. Re1 Bf5 25. Qd1 Rd8 26. Qd2 Rxd6 27. Qxa5 Rd5 28. Qa8+ Rd8 29. Re8+ Rxe8 30. Qxe8+ Kh7 31. Qe5 Bg4 32. Qxf6 gxf6 33. h3 Bxf3 34. gxf3 h5 35. a4 Kg8 36. a5 Kf8 37. a6 Ke8 38. a7 Kd8 39. a8=Q+ Kc7 40. Qa7+ Kd6 41. Qxf7 Ke5 42. Kg2 h4 43. Qh5+

[John Philpott]

Matt Mackenzie wrote

That grading reference probably *is* him, and the "Thelma" is just a misprint

Not necessarily. If I remember correctly, at the time that I first attended BCF Council meetings Lady Thelma Milner-Barry was the Director of Women's Chess.

[Roger de Coverly]

If I remember correctly, at the time that I first attended BCF Council meetings Lady Thelma Milner-Barry was the Director of Women's Chess.

By the late 1980s, Sir Stuart had a grade of around 170. Whilst Lady Thelma was active in the BCF, I don't recall seeing reports of her playing and the resulting grade.

[Mats Winther]

[Event "rated standard game"] [Site "Free Internet Chess Server"] [Date "2014.08.22"] [Round "?"] [White "N.N."] [Black "Winther,M."] [Result "0-1"] [PlyCount "60"] [EventDate "2014.??.??"] [TimeControl "1200+2"] 1. {Not a brilliant game, but instructive. Played on FICS. T: 20'+2'} e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. exd6 cxd6 6. Nf3 Bg4 7. Be2 e6 8. O-O Be7 9. b3 Nc6 10. Bb2 d5 11. c5 Bxf3 12. Bxf3 Nc8 13. a3 Bf6 14. b4 a6 15. Re1 N8e7 16. Qd3 O-O 17. Nd2 Nf5 18. Nb3 g6 19. Bg4 Kh8 20. Bxf5 gxf5 21. Bc1 Rg8 22. Bf4 Rg4 23. g3 Qg8 24. Kh1 Qg7 25. Rad1 Rg8 {threatens Rxf4} 26. Be3 f4 27. Bc1 fxg3 28. hxg3 Nxd4 29. Kg2 Nf5 30. Rh1 Nxg3 {0-1}

[Lewis Martin]

Instructive in what way?

[Lewis Martin]

"These IMs are quite good you know."

No. Never let that thought enter your head. You are doomed if you do.
The moment the game is on all grades are equal and titles are out the window.

Think: "If this IM was really any good they would be a GM'."
They are flawed, there is something they have not yet nailed.
Then even if they are the most famous IM in the world ask them their name.
(that always bring a look of surprise and any before game psyche has gone.)

Ask then their rating and then write 'JOKE' in the space on the scoresheet for the grade.

Don't worry about upsetting them. You will be doing that when you have won the game.
If you worry about upsetting them before the game how are you going to win?
(And anyway, I have hundreds of chess friends and am running out of grey cells to store all their names.)

Now you are in the right frame of mind to play for a win and you won't be agreeing any draws
in won positions to give yourself a false pat on the back.
50% of the game is played before a pawn is pushed.

What a strange way of going about it. If I ever become an IM and you did this against me, I'd find it quite funny and think that you are an odd person.

As for being "in the right frame of mind" to play for a win, that's true in all cases no matter who your opponent is. All these antics just don't work. As for "50% of the game is played before a pawn is pushed." To an extent that is true, but only with regards to being physically fit and mentally fit i.e. you are in the best condition to play the game. Nothing at all to do with psychology which only appears in the amateur level.

Someone not that long ago tried to do various things to try and annoy me during the game while I was thinking. He took out something like 10 pens and tried them to see if they worked. It amused me, and I was partly tempted to give him my spare pen!

But yeah, my game was perfectly smooth after an offbeat opening on my part.

[John McKenna]

[Event "rated standard game"] [Site "Free Internet Chess Server"] [Date "2014.08.22"] [Round "?"] [White "N.N."] [Black "Winther,M."] [Result "0-1"] [PlyCount "60"] [EventDate "2014.??.??"] [TimeControl "1200+2"] 1. {Not a brilliant game, but instructive. Played on FICS. T: 20'+2'} e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. exd6 cxd6 6. Nf3 Bg4 7. Be2 e6 8. O-O Be7 9. b3 Nc6 10. Bb2 d5 11. c5 Bxf3 12. Bxf3 Nc8 13. a3 Bf6 14. b4 a6 15. Re1 N8e7 16. Qd3 O-O 17. Nd2 Nf5 18. Nb3 g6 19. Bg4 Kh8 20. Bxf5 gxf5 21. Bc1 Rg8 22. Bf4 Rg4 23. g3 Qg8 24. Kh1 Qg7 25. Rad1 Rg8 {threatens Rxf4} 26. Be3 f4 27. Bc1 fxg3 28. hxg3 Nxd4 29. Kg2 Nf5 30. Rh1 Nxg3 {0-1}

Instructive in what way?

The game above seems instructive to me in the sense that White gave Black a free hand between move 13 and 18 then gave him a helping hand from move 19 to 30 - an object lesson in how not to play competitive chess.

After the same position was reached with 10.Bb2, below, White continued more actively than NN -

[Event ""] [Site "Kecskemet"] [Date "1927.??.??"] [Round "4"] [White "Brinckmann, Alfred"] [Black "Colle, Edgar"] [Result "*"] [ECO "B05"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "1927.??.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "HUN"] [Source ""] 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3 Bg4 5. Be2 e6 6. O-O Nc6 7. c4 Nb6 8. exd6 cxd6 9. b3 Be7 10. Bb2 Bf6 11. Nbd2 d5 12. Ne5 Bxe5 13. dxe5 Bxe2 14. Qxe2 dxc4 15. Nxc4 Nxc4 16. Qxc4 O-O 17. Ba3 Re8 18. Bd6 Ne7 19. Qb4 b6 20. f4 Nd5 21. Qd2 f5 22. Rac1 Rc8 23. Rc4 b5 24. Rxc8 Qxc8 25. Rc1 Qb7 26. Rc5 b4 27. Qd4 Nc3 28. Qc4 Ne4 29. Rb5 Qd7 30. Qxb4 {And White soon won.} *

[Mats Winther]

Instructive in what way?

It's instructive positional play. All I did was to build up pressure on the weak points. So I didn't really need to think. The game played itself. Already from the first move I exerted pressure on the weakest point. Then I continued with this throughout the game. Chess is simple: just put pressure on the weak points.
/Mats