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drak's sekrits

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Laying a Trap

Drak

Entry posted by Drak

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chess puzzle20150127.01



Click "Read Full Entry" in order to see the picture, above. This is my best recent blitz game. I played Black against a higher-rated player with a time control of ten minutes.

With Black to play, what is the best move?

White resigned two moves later. The entire game is below. Decide what you would move as Black and then compare your answer against mine. The chessboard displays move #21. Do you agree with my choice or do you find a better move?

















The algebraic notation used below is best explained by Wikipedia's article. Modern players use algebraic because it is actually simpler. Everyone knows just what the e4 square is. It is the same square White's pawn moves to when he plays P-K4, but it always remains e4, regardless of whether White or Black is moving. Algebraic notation never varies based upon whose move it is. That is why players prefer it.

Here I play what I call the Drunken Knight opening with Black. I like it because it always puzzles my opponents and breaks them out of book straightaway. I have been told that other players call the opening Sodium, maybe because they find it causes high blood pressure. Note that the chessboard above displays move #21, with Black to move. 1.e4 Na6 2.Bxa6 bxa6 3.d4 Bb7 4.Nc3 g6 5.Nf3 Bg7 6.O-O c5 7.Be3 Nf6 8.e5 Ng4 9.h3 cxd4 10.Bxd4 Nh6 11.Re1 O-O 12.g4 e6 13.Bc5 Re8 14.Bd6 f6 15.exf6 Bxf6 16.Qd2 Nf7 17.Bf4 e5 18.Bxe5 Bxf3 19.Bxf6 Qxf6 20.Rxe8+ Rxe8 21.Qxd7 Bc6 22. Qxa7?? White ignores the looming threat and grabs a pawn. White's best reply is the passive, dismal Qd3. 22. Nd5 looks promising, but is refuted by 22. .. Qxb2!, which wins at least a rook and a pawn for a bishop. The game continued: 22. .. Qf3, at which point White realized the error of his ways and resigned. 0-1.
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Kitt

If it is blacks play the game is over with knight to kings knight 1

 

What's the catch here? White theoretically could not leave himself in check at the end of a move

 

 

I think it has been too long since I have played! I must be missing something!

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craftingmom
If it is blacks play the game is over with knight to kings knight 1

 

What's the catch here? White theoretically could not leave himself in check at the end of a move

 

 

I think it has been too long since I have played! I must be missing something!

 

I'm no chess expert, but I think that's a bishop that you are trying to move like a knight. The white king isn't in check yet. Of course I don't know what blacks best move should be...

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craftingmom

But aren't the horses the knights? They are on my online games at least. So the piece at kings bishop six isn't a black knight, it's a black bishop.

 

And, even if the king was in check, then the white queen couldn't have just made that move, right?... white would have to have moved the king to take it out of Check, right?

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Kitt

I suppose I need to put my glasses on first next time!  He looked like a night to me, and I hadn't noticed that horse heads were representing knights in this depiction.

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Drak

I've grown to love the Condal style of chess pieces, even the odd bishop that lacks a cross. The Condal bishop resembles somewhat the bishop of the Staunton chess set. Both seem to be wearing headgear of some kind. The headgear is the same as a medieval knight in full plate armor would wear, hence the confusion, but the knight in this set is represented by a horse, the most integral part of a knight. Medieval knights are mounted infantry first of all. A knight without a horse is just infantry. Some players call the knight in chess the horse.

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Irritable1

I'm really lousy at this... Can the black rook move to threaten the white Queen from below? She'd be in a sort-of fork thereby. I apologize, but I've forgotten which way the letters and the numbers go on a chessboard (if I ever knew...)

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Drak

I'm really lousy at this... Can the black rook move to threaten the white Queen from below? She'd be in a sort-of fork thereby. I apologize, but I've forgotten which way the letters and the numbers go on a chessboard (if I ever knew...)

 

That is fine, but there is a better move. Thank you for your comment. I have added a Wikipedia link that explains algebraic notation.

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Drak

Doh! D8?

 

Qd8 is perfectly reasonable, inviting a trade of Queens with an eye on Black's material superiority. However, White can simply scoop up Black's defenseless pawn on a7 with impunity, evading the trade. There is a better move.

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Irritable1

Sigh, I give up. I've even read the explanation, but I don't get the difference. I'll have to sit down with a board and play it out.

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