Chess thread

[Tal]

Magnus Carlsen explains all - a kind of Every Hand Revealed - on his YouTube channel:

http://en.chessbase.com/post/carlsen-analyzes-the-world-championship-1-2

He makes sense of this, for example:



(Cliffs: the knight is firing rockets at everyone, the rook is being pulled in two different directions and the bishop is zipwiring down to f7)

[Honeybadger]

Is anyone going to see the London Chess Classic this week? If I can find time I am hopefully going to go on Thursday.

Played a cute little game tonight, which I was pleased with because I allowed Black to win the exchange and trusted my gut that I could trap his Queen. Not sure if there was a way out for him, but I cannot find one and it seems my gut instinct was correct.

1. e4  e6 
2. d4  d5 
3. e5  c5 
4. c3  Nc6 
5. Nf3  Qb6 
6. Bd3

Offering to go into a Milner-Barry Gambit after 6...cxd4 7 cxd4 Bd7. But Black plays an unexpected move.

6...  Nh6 
7. Bxh6

It seemed to me that 7...gxh6 8 Qd2 should be good for me, but I had to have a plan vs the move my opponent actually played which was:

7...  Qxb2 
8. Bc1  Qxa1 
9. Qc2

And this is my plan. I have allowed Black to win the exchange, and am now going to try to trap the Black Queen.

9...  cxd4
10. O-O  dxc3
11. Nxc3  Nb4 
12. Bb5+  Kd8

12... Bd7 is probably better, but I think I am still winning after 13 Bxd7 Kxd7 14 Qb3. I can't see how Black can get his Queen out.
 
13. Qb3  d4 
14. Bg5+  f6
15. Bxf6+ gxf6
16. Rxa1
Black resigns 1-0

[Tal]

Whilst this is technically an advert for a DVD, you should be able to enjoy the article itself, as it goes through some of the great Alexander Alekhine's finest moments:

http://en.chessbase.com/post/master-class-vol-3-alexander-alekhine-2

[tikay]

I was asked elsewhere yesterday about a poker book by Stewart Reuben.

A little googling tells me he is or was a bit of a Chess big-shot.

Do you know him, or of him, what's he like?

A Vic regular, apparently, one of the UK's "foremost poker pros" allegedly.  

[Tal]

He's had a mention here before

Here's Stewart Reuben



Seen him before anywhere?

Click to see full-size image.

Yes, he's been in and around the upper echelons of the British Chess Federation for years. As a player, one of the more prominent seniors but a top level county player rather than too much stronger. Just below Master level.

Quite a character.

[McGlashan]

Whilst this is technically an advert for a DVD, you should be able to enjoy the article itself, as it goes through some of the great Alexander Alekhine's finest moments:

http://en.chessbase.com/post/master-class-vol-3-alexander-alekhine-2

Last Christmas I received a Chessbase DVD on Bobby Fischer. It was all very well put together, informative and user friendly. The only let down was that a lack of volume.

Overall I fell I'd of got better value and more usage out of a good old fashioned book.

[TightEnd]

A human game of chess, 1924

Click to see full-size image.

Struck me as an interesting picture

[The Camel]

He's had a mention here before

Here's Stewart Reuben



Seen him before anywhere?

Click to see full-size image.

Yes, he's been in and around the upper echelons of the British Chess Federation for years. As a player, one of the more prominent seniors but a top level county player rather than too much stronger. Just below Master level.

Quite a character.

Someone once described Reuben to me as "the chess equivalent of Nic Szeremeta".

Which was all I needed to know about him frankly.

[Tal]

A human game of chess, 1924

Click to see full-size image.

Struck me as an interesting picture

How fantastic is that?!

[Tal]

He's had a mention here before

Here's Stewart Reuben



Seen him before anywhere?

Click to see full-size image.

Yes, he's been in and around the upper echelons of the British Chess Federation for years. As a player, one of the more prominent seniors but a top level county player rather than too much stronger. Just below Master level.

Quite a character.

Someone once described Reuben to me as "the chess equivalent of Nic Szeremeta".

Which was all I needed to know about him frankly.

Like I say, character.

[kinboshi]

http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=64713.0

[Tal]

Thanks for that, boshi.

Here are the best endgames of 2014:

http://en.chessbase.com/post/best-of-2014-endgame-wizardry

[Tal]

Everyone loves tactics.



You are Caruana with the white pieces. Find a win, please.

They aren't all wins, though. Sometimes, it takes great tactical ability to save a losing game. Kramnik's find here with Black is mind blowing:



Here's a good one, where Kramnik was on the receiving end of a Francisco Vallejo-Pond blunderbuss:



Black's first move is reasonably straightforward, but his second is what wins the game.

Over to you.


Here are 2014's best tactical masterstrokes (with solutions at the bottom of the page):

http://en.chessbase.com/post/best-of-2014-magic-tactics

[McGlashan]

Everyone loves tactics.



You are Caruana with the white pieces. Find a win, please.

They aren't all wins, though. Sometimes, it takes great tactical ability to save a losing game. Kramnik's find here with Black is mind blowing:



Here's a good one, where Kramnik was on the receiving end of a Francisco Vallejo-Pond blunderbuss:



Black's first move is reasonably straightforward, but his second is what wins the game.

Over to you.


Here are 2014's best tactical masterstrokes (with solutions at the bottom of the page):

http://en.chessbase.com/post/best-of-2014-magic-tactics

Puzzle 1 is a great tactic. It looked familiar so I'd guess it was from Caruana's great run in the St Louis tournament.

Puzzle 3 didn't appear to have an obvious move order for either side after black plays the straightforward RA2.

[Tal]

Puzzle three, be more imaginative. We want to biff a world champion, here!