"When you don't know what to play, wait for an idea to come into your opponent's
mind. You may be sure that idea will be wrong." Siegbert Tarrasch 1862 - 1934.
(That is not Tarrasch………..Russ)
I know but all the pictures of Tarrasch are copyright. and I cannot
very well take my own pictures of him……he’s been dead since 1934.
(but you are good at drawing, do a drawing of him….Russ.)
(forget it greenpawn, just get on with it….Russ)
So this week we look at players having ideas when if they had not
had the original idea or simply ignored it they may not have lost.
I’ll start of by showing an OTB game between two strong players.
Then we see the RHP lads having ideas. There is a strange coincidence.
M. Ulibin - E. Sveshnikov, USSR, 1988
[FEN "2r2rk1/2q1bppp/p2pbn2/1p2p3/2P1P3/1PN1N3/P3QPPP/R1BR2K1 w - - 0 1"]
1. Ned5 Nxd5 2. Nxd5 Bxd5 3. cxd5 Qc2 {White should now play 4.Rd2 and the game is even. Instead White has an idea.} 4. Qg4 {Nice idea. White threatens Bh6 and hiding in there after Bh6 is Rac1 winning the c8 Rook.} 4... f5 {Black appreciates the idea and finds the flaw. The White Queen is tied to defending the d1 Rook.} 5. exf5 h5 {That is the move White missed when playing out his idea.} 6. Qf3 {It does not matter if White takes the h-pawn now or later the end is the same.} 6... e4 {The poor Queen is hounded to the very square she did not want to go to….she saw what was coming..} 7. Qxh5 Rxf5 {White resigned, it’s either lose the Queen or get checkmated. All because of an idea.}
Some examples from Red Hot Pawn. I could do the next 100 blogs on this theme.
This one too involves White playing Qg4. Maybe the lesson is don’t have Qg4 ideas
mattsand - uhf RHP 2008
[FEN "r1bq1rk1/ppp2ppp/2p5/8/4nP2/1BP1B3/P1P3PP/R2Q1RK1 w - - 0 13"]
13. f5 {Black can chop Queens and take on c3 but after f5 he has stopped and figured out what White is up too and spots a big flaw in the idea.} 13... Nxc3 14. Qg4 Qf6 {Inviting the obvious....} 15. Bd4 {Looks good!} 15... Qxd4+ {Ouch!} 16. Qxd4 Ne2+ {Black has won a clear piece. White resigned a few moves later.} *
Maybe it is the move Qg4. Let’s test this theory.
Augustkim - JBMermaid RHP 2014
[FEN "r2qr1k1/pp3ppp/2p2b2/2N5/2b1P3/8/PPPB1PPP/R2QR1K1 w - - 0 16"]
16. Nxb7 Qc7 {White can sneak the out via Na4. But the Qg4 idea flashes in his brain like a bright light.} 17. Qg4 {It's the X-Ray Attack on the unprotected Bishop that lit this bright light.} 17... Qxb7 {Thank You.} 18. e5 {Both Black Bishops are under attack....So this idea works...} 18... Be6 {Not quite, the bright light has gone out. White resigned he is a piece down. It can go...} 19. Qg3 Be7 20. Bh6 Bf8
And in this one I cannot help feeling that this Qg4 was OK it was just misplayed.
carluke - Poisbois RHP 2014
[FEN "r2q1rk1/pb2bpp1/2p1p2p/4p3/1nP2P2/5N2/PP2Q1PP/RBB2RK1 w - - 0 15"]
15. Nxe5 Bf6 {a3 kicking the Knight to a6 looks on. Then you look at Rd1 and the Rook or Knight coming to d7. But Qg4 beckons....} 16. Qg4 {White is expecting Bxe5 when fxe5 opens up all kinds of attacking ideas. White is correct. Black is intending to the Bxe5 but first....} 16... Qd4+ 17. Kh1 Bxe5 {...and the f-pawn is pinned to the Queen. White played a3 and resigned a few moves later. I thought White could get back into this game. Black has pieces hanging all over the place. I try...} 18. Rd1 Qxc4 19. b3 Qc3 20. fxe5 Qxa1 21. Bxh6 {Threatening mate on g7 and Bh7+ winning the Queen.....} 21... Qxe5 {That's a heart breaker.} 22. Qxb4 Qh5 {And how annoying that?} 23. Re1 {Not Rf1 because of Ba6.} 23... Qxh6 24. Qxb7 Qd2 25. Rg1 {I probably should have gone there first.} 25... c5 26. Qe4 g6 {Now it's looking very good for Black.}
So this week we have learned don’t do anything. First one to have an idea loses.
We start with the White Queen failing to apply the brakes.
Millwall Bill - scwymstr RHP 2014
[FEN "4k3/8/5Q2/8/8/3K4/8/8 w - - 0 1"]
1. Qg7 {Good.} 1... Kd8 2. Qf7 {This too is OK.} 2... Kc8 3. Qe7 {Still playing well.} 3... Kb8 4. Qd7 {Right now be careful and STOP!} 4... Ka8 5. Qc7 {Too late. Stalemate.}
In this next game Black has a choice of four moves that draw and three moves that lose.
If Black had chosen one of the four drawing moves we would not be seeing this game.
Kavkaz - BomberB RHP 2007
[FEN "8/1p6/1k6/8/6Kp/8/6P1/8 w - - 0 1"]
1. Kxh4 {The odds are 4-3 in Blacks favour. Black draws with Kc5, Kc6, Kc7 or Ka7. Black losses if they play Kb5, Ka6 or Ka5.} 1... Ka5 {The wrong choice.} 2. g4 b5 3. g5 b4 {That is a nice mirror image on the board. Who ever has the move wins.} 4. g6 b3 5. g7 b2 {By now you should see what is coming. If White tries to be a smarty pants (remember no thinking, just play chess) and plays 6.g1=Rook with the same idea in mind Black draws with 6...Ka4.} 6. g8=Q b1=Q 7. Qa8+ {And White skewers the Queen with the next move. 1-0. I'll play it out.} 7... Kb4 8. Qb8+ Kc3 9. Qxb1
Last one and we return to Qg4. This one is Qxg4 with a check winning a piece.
dikkedaan - cameronypark RHP 2014
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Nxe4 6. O-O Ne5 7. Re1 {I'll just skip past the opening without comment. There are a few improvements for both sides.} 7... Qh4 8. Bd5 Qxf2+ 9. Kh1 f5 10. Bxe4 fxe4 11. Rxe4 d6 12. Nb5 {We are getting close to the theme of the week. 12...Qf7 here was OK.} 12... Kd8 {OOPS!} 13. Rxe5 Bg4 {Trying to take advantage of the weak back rank. A nice try but.....} 14. Bg5+ Kd7 15. Qxg4+ {White plays Qxg4 with a CHECK! Surely this one works.} 15... Kc6 16. Qc4+ Kb6 17. Qxc7+ Ka6 18. Nxd6 {No. the curse of Qg4 strikes again.} 18... Qf1
That's what it's all about....having fun.