Bizarre opening
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Bizarre opening
In the absence of a most bizarre or worst category I'm posting this here:
After black's best move and white's most tempting reply black has a move that leads to a truly bizarre but good for black position. I saw Eric Rosen showing this on Twitch and it seemed too funny/bizarre not to share.
After black's best move and white's most tempting reply black has a move that leads to a truly bizarre but good for black position. I saw Eric Rosen showing this on Twitch and it seemed too funny/bizarre not to share.
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Re: Bizarre opening
Yes, not much of a challenge for you I'm afraid
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Re: Bizarre opening
Am positive I would have got that, because it shows a motif that I don't have a name for, but involves the optically impressive feat of putting two pieces en prise to the same pawn (not as impressive as it seems, as the second 'sacrifice' involves pinning the pawn, so only one capture is ever possible).
I wonder if problemists have a name for these general types of motifs? What would people here call it?
The reason I would recognise it is because it appeared in one of my games that I have posted here before (I failed to win, but that is not the point):
This is the position (after move 17) that I was thinking of, with White to play:
As Black, I have just played 16...Qxc3 and 17...Ba3, which is the same Q+B being placed en prise to the same pawn motif as above.
Back then, Roger De C was kind enough to look up some previous occurrences of this motif in that specific opening line:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4361&p=89924#p89967
I am wondering if the same methodology can be used to look up positions where pieces are placed en prise to the same pawn within a few moves of each other? I don't think it is that easy to set up the right query, but if it can be done, would be interested to see the results.
I wonder if problemists have a name for these general types of motifs? What would people here call it?
The reason I would recognise it is because it appeared in one of my games that I have posted here before (I failed to win, but that is not the point):
This is the position (after move 17) that I was thinking of, with White to play:
As Black, I have just played 16...Qxc3 and 17...Ba3, which is the same Q+B being placed en prise to the same pawn motif as above.
Back then, Roger De C was kind enough to look up some previous occurrences of this motif in that specific opening line:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4361&p=89924#p89967
I am wondering if the same methodology can be used to look up positions where pieces are placed en prise to the same pawn within a few moves of each other? I don't think it is that easy to set up the right query, but if it can be done, would be interested to see the results.
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Re: Bizarre opening
There was a game Miles-Nunn in the second Master Game where black played ...Neg4 and ...Ne4 on consecutive moves with a white pawn on f3.
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Re: Bizarre opening
Check out Gary's 11th and 12th moves here -
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessga ... =1#reply22
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessga ... =1#reply22
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Re: Bizarre opening
I managed to perform this queen and bishop en prise to a pawn trick when my opponent fell into a fairly well-known opening trap many moons ago...
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(I prefer email to PM - contact me via this link - https://www.saund.org.uk/email.html)
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Re: Bizarre opening
Wonderful game by John! Not the style I came to know...
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Re: Bizarre opening
A nice game, but the concept of Qf3!! in these Gruenfeld positions was known long beforehand.
"Set up your attacks so that when the fire is out, it isn't out!" (H N Pillsbury)
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Re: Bizarre opening
"A nice game, but the concept of Qf3!! in these Gruenfeld positions was known long beforehand."
Yes - I know. I think the " Not the style I came to know..." should have alerted readers to the fact that John's later career had a more positional basis. When I played him or saw him in action, his normal reaction to having a piece on the 6th rank on move 11 would have been to retreat it as quickly and as far as possible.
I do apologise to members of the forum for making the mistake of thinking you can compliment someone without fear of retribution.
Yes - I know. I think the " Not the style I came to know..." should have alerted readers to the fact that John's later career had a more positional basis. When I played him or saw him in action, his normal reaction to having a piece on the 6th rank on move 11 would have been to retreat it as quickly and as far as possible.
I do apologise to members of the forum for making the mistake of thinking you can compliment someone without fear of retribution.
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Re: Bizarre opening
I was playing in the match (Bucks v Surrey) where John uncorked 14 .. Qf3. He had not long returned from studying/working in Spain, so this may have been one of his first games back in his previous home area.Matt Mackenzie wrote: ↑Fri Jun 16, 2023 12:17 amA nice game, but the concept of Qf3!! in these Gruenfeld positions was known long beforehand.
Hartston gives the .. Qa3 line as a variation in Chapter 2 of his 1971 Batsford, with the .. Qf3 trick mentioned on page 16. He describes it as "an old, but still pretty, trap".
I wonder when the trap was first sprung. I can find a game from the Polish Championship of 1955 where White spotted the problem and just gave up a pawn with 15. 0-0
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Re: Bizarre opening
I think it goes back at least a decade before that, and its hardly "retribution" to point out it was played previously.
"Set up your attacks so that when the fire is out, it isn't out!" (H N Pillsbury)