Swindles

[Michael Jones]

Since the "Road to GM" thread has rather been taken over, I thought I'd give them their own thread. So far we've got:

Anon - Thorpe
1.e4 g6 2.Nf3 Bg7 3.Nc3 c5 4.Be2 Nc6 5.O-O e6 6.d3 Nge7 7.Be3 b6 8.d4 cxd4 9.Nxd4 O-O 10.Nxc6 dxc6 11.Bg5 f6 12.Bh4 Bb7 13.e5 g5 14.exf6 Bxf6 15.Bg3 Nf5 16.Bg4 Qxd1 17.Raxd1 Rad8 18.Rfe1 Rxd1 19.Rxd1 Bc8 20.Bb8 a6 21.Ba7 b5 22.Bc5 Re8 23.Re1 Rd8 24.Ne4 Bxb2
25.c3 Rd3 26.Bb4 a5 27.Bxa5 Ba3 28.Nxg5 Ng7 29.g3 Rd6 30.Bc7 Rd7



31.Nxe6? Re7! 32.Rd1 Bxe6 33.Rd8+ Kf7 34.Bd6 Bxd6 35.Rxd6 Bxg4 36.Rxc6 Bf3 0-1

Jones - Whitmore, Coventry League 2009
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Bb5+ Bd7 7. Bxd7+ Nbxd7 8. O-O Bg7 9. Be3 a6 10. a3 Rc8 11. Qd2 O-O 12. f3 Ne5 13. b3 Qc7 14. Nd5 Nxd5 15. exd5 Nd7 16. c4 Nc5 17. Rac1 Bxd4 18. Qxd4 Nxb3 19. Qh4 Nxc1 20. Rxc1 f6 21. f4 Qd7 22. g4 e6 23. dxe6 Qxe6 24. Re1 Qxc4 25. Qh6 Rce8 26. Kf2 d5 27. f5 Qxg4 28. fxg6



28... Qxg6?? 29. Rg1 Qxg1+ 30. Kxg1 Rf7 31. Bd4 Rg7+ 32. Kf2 Rg6 33. Qh5 Re4 34. Qxd5+ 1-0

Paterson - Jones, Coventry League 2010
1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 Nb6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.Nc3 Bf5 7.Nf3 Nc6 8.Bd3 Bxd3 9.Qxd3 Nb4 10.Qe2 Nxc4 11.Qxc4 Nc2+ 12.Kd1 Nxa1 13.Bf4 Qd7 14.Nd2 Qg4+ 15.Ne2 Rc8 16.Qb5+ Kd8 17.f3 Qg6 18.Ne4 Qxg2 19.Rg1 Qxf3 20.Ng5 Qc6 21.Qxc6 Rxc6 22.Nxf7+ Ke8 23.Nxh8 Nc2 24.a3
e5 25.dxe5 dxe5 26.Bxe5 Ne3+ 27.Ke1 Nf5 28.Rf1 g6 29.Nd4 Rc1+ 30.Ke2 Rxf1 31.Kxf1 Bg7 32.Bxg7 Nxg7 33.Nb5 g5 34.Nd6+ Kf8 35.Ke2 Ne6



36.Ke3?? Nd8 37.Ke4 Kg7 38.Kf5 Kxh8 39.Kf6 g4 40.Nf5 Nc6 41.Nh6 Na5 42.b4 Nc4 43.Nxg4 Nxa3 44.Nh6 Nc2 45.Kf7 Nd4 46.Kf8 Ne6+ 47.Kf7 Nd8+ 48.Kf8 b6 49.Nf5 a5 50.bxa5 bxa5 51.h4 a4 52.h5 a3 53.Ne3 Ne6+ 54.Kf7 Nd4 55.Kf8 h6 56.Ng2 a2 57.Nf4 a1Q 58.Ng6+ Kh7 0-1

Clelland - Chandler, Edinburgh 1985



1... a3 2. bxa3 Kxc3 3. Ka2 b4 4. a4? Kc2! 0-1

Chandler - Hunter 1984



1... Re7+ 2. Be6#

Thorpe - Anon



1. Bb4 Rxb4?? 2. Re8#

Gosling - Rudd, Reinfeld Memorial 1994



1... Nf4 2. Qd6+ Ke8 3. Bd8? Qf1+!! and either 4. Kxf1 Rh1# or 4. Rxf1 Ne2#.

Further submissions welcome!

[Jonathan Rogers]

I wrote an article on the proper definition of a swindle many years ago (KINGPIN 1995/6 or thereabouts). I actually gave Gosling v Rudd, and argued that it was not a "swindle", as properly understood.

[Geoff Chandler]

My anon is V.Clelland - G.Chandler Edinburgh 1985.

(good thread).

Edit 1:

Jack's is a classic. Sort of game you don't mind losing.

It's more in the 'bolt from the blue' category.
Far too clever to be classed as a mere swindle.

[Alex Holowczak]

There's mine that you put on your Corner here: http://www.chessedinburgh.co.uk/chandle ... handID=390

The unfortunate player who was a victim of this isn't playing in the Birmingham League this season...

[Thomas Rendle]

Transferring this across from Road to Grandmaster.

Armstrong,M (2126) - Rendle,T (2416) [A80]
Open Liverpool ENG (4), 05.09.2007

1.d4 f5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bg5 e6 4.Nbd2 Be7 5.c3 b6 6.e3 Bb7 7.Bd3 Ne4 8.Bxe7 Qxe7 9.0-0 0-0 10.Qc2 Nxd2 11.Nxd2 Qg5 12.e4 f4 13.f3 e5 14.a4 a5 15.Nc4 d6 16.Rfd1 Nd7 17.dxe5 dxe5? [17...Nxe5=] 18.Nxa5! Bc8 19.Bc4+ Kh8 20.Nb3 Nf6 21.a5 bxa5 22.Rxa5 Bb7 23.Rxa8 Bxa8 24.Nc5 Qh5 25.Nd7 Bxe4!??! [25...Nxd7 26.Rxd7+-] 26.fxe4 Ng4 27.h3 Ne3 28.Qe2? [28.Nxf8 Nxc2 29.Rd8 h6 30.Ng6+ Kh7 31.Bf7 Qxg6 32.Bxg6+ Kxg6 33.Rc8 and it's all over;
28.Qa4+-] 28...f3 29.Qxe3?? [29.Rf1! Nxf1 30.Qxf1± Rd8] 29...f2+ 30.Kh2 Qxd1 31.Nxf8 Qg1+ 32.Kg3 f1N+ 0-1

I offered a draw on move 18 (felt pretty annoyed at myself) but Malcolm rightly turned me down. I soon realised that he was simply exchanging off pieces one by one and that my chances in any ending were very slim.
25...Bxe4 was all I could find to complicate the game. The main reason I was pleased with the move was that I saw the line with 28.Nxf8 and realised I'd have to resign at the end of it (I missed 28.Qa4 was also winning) but felt it was my best chance. It's a pity at the end that 32...f1/Q is also -+ but the chance to under-promote doesn't come around too often.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

There's mine that you put on your Corner here: http://www.chessedinburgh.co.uk/chandle ... handID=390

I've just been looking at that position over the course of this evening, trying to change it to allow a genuine combination (as opposed to a swindle).

I've used the image generator Geoff linked earlier to give the positions below.

The original position:



This position from the game J.Crump - A. Holowczak, West Brom v WQ Birmingham Div2 (2009), was given as Black to move and swindle a draw, with the answer at the bottom of Geoff's column here:

http://www.chessedinburgh.co.uk/chandle ... handID=390

White can still win after the move Alex played to start the swindle, so I spent a few hours on trying to find an improvement on this position, with the aim of finding not a swindle, but a position that has a unique combination as a solution. I came up first with this new position, where I've moved the Black queen from c8 to e6, and the Black rook on c7 to c8. This is rather a minimal adjustment that very nearly (but not quite) allows a nice combination.



I initially thought this worked, but checking on Fritz told me it didn't work. I tried moving the White queen around to allow the combination to work, but nothing seemed to be working. And then I thought to myself: "what if the White queen was replaced with a rook instead?" And I then swapped the position of the White queen on b3 with the White rook on c1, and miracle of miracles, the position now seems to work! Well, some lines are ferociously complicated and I wouldn't have known how to assess them without Fritz giving me a helping hand, but after hours of working on this I'm now daring to hope that this is a sound composition.

It's not a problem, it's not an endgame study, it's a combination that may do no more than draw, but how many people would find this move over the board with the clock ticking?



Black to play, what result?

EDIT: Solution is here: http://www.ecforum.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2283

[Geoff Chandler]

Hi Chris.

I too love messing about with juicy postions.

I'm seeing this far and guess I'm on the right path.



Please do not mention The Corner. (I never started it Mr. Carl.)
You will only stir the grey faces into gnashing their teeth and calling me names.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Hi Chris.

I too love messing about with juicy postions.

I'm seeing this far and guess I'm on the right path.



Please do not mention The Corner. (I never started it Mr. Carl.)
You will only stir the grey faces into gnashing their teeth and calling me names.

You have the pawns on the d-file in the wrong positions, and there should be a white knight on c6 and moving the black pawn to h5 is the wrong move, but otherwise pretty close!

[Geoff Chandler]

Hi.

That is because I am an idiot.
(I did the position thing from memory...getting too old for this memory lark.)



That's it.

I cannot see all the win (Rb1/Kh4 looks holding) but if you say Fritz has it
then who am I to argue. Is there a cold pawn move covering a flight square.
(Nf2+ before h5 perhaps). Good position.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

I cannot see all the win (Rb1/Kh4 looks holding) but if you say Fritz has it
then who am I to argue. Is there a cold pawn move covering a flight square.
(Nf2+ before h5 perhaps). Good position.

The position is now correct, but you need to take back the h5 move and try and find something else to justify sacrificing a whole rook. Careful, as there are some tempting lines that don't work. I'll not give any more hints!

[Geoff Chandler]

Ah....Having loads of fun today.

At the moment have 4 windows open (2 on here).
Answering PM's and playing chess and disucussing the Cuban Crisis
on other sites also trying to photo copy an small piece of the
American Chess Review July 1961 (which stated the Cuban Missile debate)
because it has relevance here.

So it looks like Nf2+ (all the forcing things first). and draw.
(there are a lot of loose ends in this - is it a win or a draw?).

[Michael Bennett]

Nxf2+ followed by h6 looks like a tempting line. We're threatening Re4+ and Rh1+ then. Can the white king escape?

[Geoff Chandler]

Hi

What a carry on to finally get a gif posted.
Join a site, sign my life away, give dates of birth.

Stupid photo copier telling me I have to wait for
the light to warm up. What kind of technology is this?

I remember we had to wait for the valves to warm up
but that was back in the 50's.

The debate about the Cuban Missile crisis has moved on to
does the Sheep always win in Wolf and Sheep.
(Better known as Fox and Hounds...I'll keep you updated.).

Anyway...forget that crap.

This is relevant to swindles.

The clock is the swindlers friend.
Next time you mate as your flag falls remember you owe it all
to one English Schoolboy who took on the world and won.

This from the July 1961 American Chess Review.



The other two disputes mentioned were nothing to do with swindling.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Nxf2+ followed by h6 looks like a tempting line. We're threatening Re4+ and Rh1+ then. Can the white king escape?

After Nxf2+ and h6, White can escape to g3 by playing g4. If Black plays Ne4 to cover g3, then the white rook on c3 can come to h3, meaning it is no longer mate when the Black rook goes to h1. The trickiest move to find is the one after Nxf2+ and also the ones a few moves later when it looks like Black has run out of moves (this is where I had to get help from Fritz), but, surprisingly, it doesn't take long for the threats to start up again. It is amazing how versatile a rook and knight can be when weaving mating nets (helped by a few pawns).

In case anyone has lost track, the position is this:



Black to move.

[Alex Holowczak]

Never have so many people been interested in one of my games.

There must be at least... 3 people?