Promoting a pawn early in a game

[Malcolm Clarke]

I recently looked up the Hampshire Chess Association website and found an interesting friendly blitz game between two players graded about 180 which was played in 2005. It went 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 c6 Nf6 4 d4 Nxe4 5 d5 Ne7 6 Nxe5 d6 7 Bb5+ c6 8 dXc6 Qb6 9 cxb7+ Kd8 10 Nxf7+ Ke7 11 bxa8 (N) mate.

It is not often you see five knights on the boards after 11 moves, even in a blitz game, where mistakes are more likely to occur

I once played in a league match where my opponent was graded, where I believe it took me only 8 moves to get a second queen. It was a French defence and I played c5 on move 3, captured on d4 and c3, played Bb4 and then captured on b2 with discovered check.

I expect though that someone else can think of instances where a pawn has been promoted earlier in the game than this, even if it must take at least five moves to achieve.

[Matthew Turner]

This is the earliest example of a promotion I know about in normal chess
1 d4 d4 2 c4 e5 3. dxe5 d4 4. e3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 dxe3 6. Bxb4 exf2+ 7. Ke2 fxg1(N)+

Strangely it is again promotion to a Knight which is a knockout blow.

[Tristan Clayton]

As white, I once had to let my opponent promote on move 9, capturing a Rook in the process, after botching the opening:

1.b3 e5 2.Bb2 Nc6 3.e3 d5 4.Bb5 Bd6 5.f4 exf4 6.Bxg7 Qh4+ 7.g3 fxg3 8.Nf3 g2+ 9.Ke2 gxh1=Q

Somehow I still held on for a draw after 28 moves!

[Geoff Chandler]

Hi Malcolm.

Good post and should bring out a few horrors.
However your posted example reads wrong. Move 3 must be 3.c3 and
the King goes to c7 (a Knight is on e7) and it's not a mate.
Thought my brain board was playing tricks (again).

Come on Carl I'm getting too old to throw these things around in my
battered brain. Give us a game moving PGN thingy.

[Richard Thursby]

An example of how not to play the King's Gambit:

1 e4 e5 2 f4 exf4 3 b3 Qh4+ 4 g3 fxg3 5 h3 g2+ 6 Ke2 Qxe4+ 7 Kf2 gxh1N#

For the benefit of Geoff:
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1075778

[IM Jack Rudd]

Or one from Barnstaple Chess Club a couple of years ago:

Jon Munsey v Peter Marriott
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.e3 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 dxe3 6.Bxb4 exf2+ 7.Ke2 fxg1=N+ 0-1

[Malcolm Clarke]

Sorry about that Geoff. Your statement below is perfectly correct. However other people have already given examples of promotion being achieved in seven moves, so the discussion has moved on, although I thank those who replied promptly to the question.

However your posted example reads wrong. Move 3 must be 3.c3 and
the King goes to c7 (a Knight is on e7) and it's not a mate.
Thought my brain board was playing tricks (again).
[quote][/quote]

On a separate issue I expect you are looking forward to the Leyton Orient v Arsenal cup tie this weekend, especially after almost going out to Droylsden. My own club Eastleigh play at the same level as Droylsden (different league), but we lost to Woking after being ahead in the F A Cup, although if we had won we would have played Brighton.

[Geoff Chandler]

Hi Malcolm.

Was not to be read as a 'nit-pick' I'm not into correcting spelling etc..etc.. in forums.

Just another plea and an excuse for a game displayer.
If we had a PGN mover then these wee slips would have been noticed.

Yes the big A. Tomorrow.
Dad use to take me to Orient and Arsenal games that was the seaon
the O's got promoted to Div I (with Liverpool). O's were relegated the next season
and Liverpool....well the rest is history.

Somehow ended up an O's fan instead of Arsenal.
(No regrets, most Arsenal fans I know have never even seen them play).

Did you read that post about the armchair glums who don't like to be told
the score before Match of the Day. This is how they get their sad thrills.
A true fan would do anything to know the score.

What do they do when a WWII film is on the telly.
Turn it off before the end so they don't know who won!

Had plans for the Droylsden game but got beat by the weather.
ATM it's two home games a season and when it's on, Hartlepool, Doncaster, Carlisle away.
Though have been known to just jump a train on Saturday morning
and go and see them anywhere.

Get my live stuff following Hibs up here or travelling around Scotland
to see anyone who takes my fancy.
Have been to nearly every ground in Scotland Just Ross County, Annan
and Peterhead to cross off.

Also pop along to see The Spartans (Edinburgh Scottish Non-league)
if Hibs away. Wear my O's scarf, same colours.

If you ever get the chance to see a Rangers - Cletic game take it.
I have been to most English 'derbys'. They totally pale.
Every football fan should attend one of these...incredible.

Good team Arsenal, still have room for them.
O's unbeaten in 10, bumpy pitch, game of their lives....it's possible.

Cheers. Good Thread.

Geoff

[Malcolm Clarke]

Geoff - Thank you for that. Talking football is a bit of digression, but I expect this topic is finished unless someone can come up with better examples than the ones indicated.

Funnily enough I actually found the game on the Hampshire Chess Association website, from where it can be accessed by clicking on Games, followed by Other Games and then looking at the one dated 22nd September 2005.

Do not worry about pointing out mistakes. It is an easy thing to do. I try and cut and paste when I can, but did not find it particularly easy to do in this case.

Back to the subject of football. Next year is the 50th anniversary of the Leyton Orient and Liverpool promotion season you talk about. Saw Eastleigh lose 2-0 to Braintree today, and I think the latter are favourites to win our league and earn promotion to the Conference National, one of whose members played Manchester United in the F A Cup today.

[Geoff Chandler]

Massive cheer went up when the O's scored.
Arsenal are not too popular north of the border for some reason.
Liverpool and Man utd seem to be the favourites.

Handful of University Awks in their new Arsenal tops
sat their texting their pals all through the game.
They slunk away and I jumped up in my battered Orient
gear and start baying at them;

"You will get a degree, where will it get yah!
You'll be pulling nine to five in a Call Centre."

Then got told to get off the table by the bar staff.
(most likely degree holders reduced to pulling pints)

Brilliant! and Hibs won 1-0!

OK Malcolm, back on track. Here is a quick mate with
a pawn promoting to a Knight.

I have written my own PGN viewer to cover up the sites short comings.

It can show me, 'live', some over rated game from the other side of the world
played between two cloned clowns but it cannot show me Smiggns v Higgins
from the Sheffield league 1984. Huh!

[Malcolm Clarke]

Geoff - I make that 6 moves, although I believe that this can be achieved in five, although unlikely to occur in actual play. I have never converted a pawn into a knight in a competitive match, although I think I may have converted one into a rook to avoid stalemate. Interestingly enough in the game I refer to at the start of the thread, the example you give here, and in the four examples other people give, it is always black that promotes.

Leyton Orient and Eastleigh football clubs have one thing in common. They both have been captained by Andy Harris who managed Weymouth last season.

I wonder if the reason Man Utd and Liverpool are reasonably liked north of the border is successful managers Sir Matt Busby, Sir Alex Ferguson, Bill Shankly and Kenny Dalglish are all scottish.

Hibernian have had some good players over the years Eddie Turnbull, Willie Ormond, Colin Stein, Joe Baker, Peter Cormack and Peter Marinello. When Peter left Hibs to join Arsenal he was talked of as being the second George Best. He now lives in Bournemouth, and I know of a former footballing colleague of his who bumped into him, and I believe he has run into harder times.

[Sebastian Stone]

I have a game knocking around the internet somewhere in which my opponent promoted a pawn, about move 16 and was promptly mated the next move.

[Geoff Chandler]

Hi Malcolm

In a game v Duncan Walker I sacced everything on the strength
of two passed pawns.
My positon was dire, he had mate in one.
I had to twice promote to a Knight in succesive moves with a check.
It ended with a Knight check perpetual.

Sad to hear about Marinello, saw him score a great goal
against Kilmarnok. A real classic.

Hibs had a great team a few seasons ago when Mowbry was in charge.
Then in the close season it was totally decimated with players
going to Celtic and Rangers and Moe going to West Brom.

Like my live football, it's not the same watching it in a pub
full of 'supporters'.
You support a team by putting your hand in your pocket
and paying to see them. If you don't pay, you don't have a say.

Though I watch and support Hibs more than anyone else
I only once bought a Hibs season ticket.
That was the season Hibs got relegated and hearts won the cup.

A lad in the pub said Arsenal fielded their 2nd team and the O's
will get hammered in the replay.
I replied that was the O's 3rd team, we only use our first team
for away matches!

Reckon Arsenal will let the O's win the replay as they won't
fancy a trip to Manchester.

[HLang]

In the five move version, the checkmate happens on the queenside:

1. d4 e5 2. Kd2 exd4 3. b3 d3 4. Kc3 dxe2 5. Kb2 exd1=N#

[kieransmallbone]

Regards early promotion, rather than early under-promotion, I've had a few games (as Black) that have gone

1 e4 d6 2 d4 Nf6 3 Nc3 c6 4 Bc4 b5 5 Bb3 b4 6 e5 bc3 7 ef6 cb 8 fg ba1Q 9 gh8Q

and it's all to play for, though I've generally done awfully, there being four too many queens on the board for my liking.