Friday, August 26, 2011

Try to Avoid English Opening 1.c4 d5!?

The move 1...d7-d5 is a universal move that can be played against any first move by White. The only real challenges are the two moves where White plays a pawn to e4 or c4 intending to capture the d5-pawn on move two. The first option is 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 called the Scandinavian Defence (also called the Center Counter Defence).

After the second option 1.c4, White can increase pressure on d5 by Nc3/g3+Bg2/Qb3/e4 etc. Black can fight for d5 with pawns by first playing 1...e6 or 1...c6 (heading for a Slav Defence after 2.d4 d5). The weakness of 1.c4 is that it does not counter other central squares available for Black's focus, such as c5, d4, e5, and e4. Black can play 1...c5, 1...e5, 1...Nf6 or 1...f5 (Dutch Defence). Sometimes I also play 1...Nc6 intending 2...e5, 2...d5 or 2...Nf6 depending on what White chooses and what Black prefers.

Some books on the English Opening hardly mention 1.c4 d5!? at all. The obvious positive plus about this line is that if Black already knows a line after 2.d4, then does not have to learn much that is unique to the English Opening after 1.c4. It is common for such books to be a summary of how top players handle the opening. Top players rarely play 1.c4 d5. Chess database game collections are heavily weighted by grandmaster and master games. Club players make it into databases much less often.

The average rating for players in my large database with millions of games is about 2300. The rating for players as Black in the opening 1.c4 d5 is in the 1900s and occurs about one out of every 300 games. In my experience as White after 1.c4 I faced 1...d5 once every 20 games; the average player who played 1.c4 d5 vs me was rated in the 1600s. Compare that to the most common move that I have faced from Black after 1.c4 which is 1...Nf6 (over 200 times) where Black was rated on average 2109.

This MaryDawson vs Sawyer game saw me play my prepared line after 1.c4 d5 2.cxd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd6! 4.Nf3 e5. Clearly White has a lead in development, but Black is not dead. There are good chances for Black to complete his development. For the fun of it, in the notes, I have added a simultaneous exhibition game where the world champion Emanuel Lasker lost to an unknown opponent in this line 100 years ago.

My English Tactics book (1.c4) has 500 combinations and checkmates.
My Checkmate Tactics book has the best 500 opening mates.
My Combination Tactics book has the best 500 ways to win material.

MaryDawson (1958) - Sawyer (2094), ICC 3 0 Internet Chess Club, 19.03.2011 begins 1.c4 d5 2.cxd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd6 [3...Qd8 4.d4 Nf6 5.e4 e6 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Bd3 Be7 8.h4 Ng4 9.Ng5 e5 10.d5 Nd4 11.f3 h6 12.Nxf7 Bxh4+ 13.Kf1 Kxf7 14.fxg4 Qf6+ 0–1 Lasker-NN, Great Britain 1908] 4.Nf3 e5
5.g3 a6 6.Bg2 Nf6 7.d3 Be7 8.0–0 0–0 9.Bg5 Nc6 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.Ne4 Qd8 [11...Qe6=] 12.Nxf6+ Qxf6 13.a3 Be6 14.Rc1 Bd5 15.b4 Rac8 16.Qd2 Rfd8 17.Rfd1 Nd4 18.Nxd4 exd4 19.Bh3 Be6 20.Bg2 Bd5 21.f3 Bb3 22.Re1 b5 23.Rc5 c6 24.Qc1 Bd5 25.h4 g6 26.Kh2 Qd6 27.e4 dxe3 28.Rxe3 Re8 29.Qe1 Kf8 30.Rxe8+ Rxe8 31.Qc3 [31.Qd2 Qe5=+] 31...Qe5 [31...Re2!-+] 32.d4 Qe3 33.Qxe3 Rxe3 34.g4 Rxa3 35.Kg3 Rb3 36.h5 Rxb4 37.hxg6 hxg6 38.f4 Rc4 [38...Rb3+ 39.Kf2 Rb2+ 40.Ke3 Rxg2-+] 39.Bxd5 [39.Rxc4 Bxc4-+] 39...Rxc5 40.dxc5 [40.Be4 Rc3+ 41.Kf2 b4-+] 40...cxd5 41.Kf3 a5 42.Ke3 a4 43.Kd3 a3 44.Kc2 b4 45.Kb3 Ke7 46.f5 gxf5 47.gxf5 Kd7 48.f6 Kc6 49.Kxb4 a2 50.Kb3 a1Q 51.Kc2 Qa3 52.Kd2 Kxc5 [White resigns] 0–1



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Saturday, August 20, 2011

Grob, Bloodgood, Bogart and Chess

All types of people play chess: young and old, male and female, rich and poor, good and bad. The most infamous opponent I have played was Claude Bloodgood. In 1996 APCT announced a thematic tournament with the Grob (1.g4). When I saw Claude Bloodgood had entered, I entered too, especially to play him via correspondence.

Bloodgood was in prison for life, and a few years ago he died. There is no condoning the crimes for which Bloodgood had been convicted. Yet, I found this 72-year-old man to be a very friendly opponent. We carried on a lively discussion from postcard to postcard.

At one point I mentioned to Tom Purser that I was playing Bloodgood. Tom inquired about the famous Humphrey Bogart game via 1.d4 Nf6 2.g4 played against an unknown opponent in New York in 1933. Bloodgood told me that it had been published. Our games ended with three draws and one Bloodgood win. We said our goodbyes and I figured I'd never hear from him again. Then there comes this fascinating note about which I wrote an article that originally appeared in Purser's BDG World 77. Bloodgood wrote:

"Dear Tim,
You asked me about the Bogart Poisoned Spike Game some time ago. I mentioned that it had been published. It was originally published in the New York Daily News circa 1935, later in the New York Times.
I first became aware of it when Bogart visited the U.S. Naval Hospital at Camp Pendleton (Calif.) in late 1955. I was playing chess when he and several other Hollywood actors arrived on the ward where I was recovering from a foot surgery. He watched me play for a while and then discovered I was playing for money. He got a great big grin and asked if I'd care to play him for a small wager. The games were blitz (no scores), but he held his own (I think we broke even after 8 games) and gave me a phone number to call him when I could get out of the hospital for a day or so.
When I called, I got someone else, but arrangements were in place and a car was sent for me. I played Bogart (and some others) at beach houses in Santa Monica one time and Van Nuys several times. Bogart took real pride in his chess ability and was a born hustler. I am enclosing two Bogart games (1 against me) which I hope you will find interesting. Same opening line in Bloodgood-Lowmaster also enclosed... Best, Claude"

Bloodgood called this opening the "Maltese Falcon Attack," a cousin of the BDG:
Humphrey Bogart-Claude Bloodgood, Santa Monica 1955
1.d4 f5 2.Nf3 e6 3.e4 fxe4 4.Ng5 d5 5.f3 exf3 6.Qxf3 Nf6 7.Bd3 g6 8.Nxh7 Rxh7 9.Bxg6+ Rf7 10.0-0 Bg7 11.Bg5 Nbd7 (11...Kf8 12.Bxf7 Kxf7 13.Qh5+ Kg8 14.Bxf6 Bxf6 15.Qg6+ Bg7 16.Rf7 1-0. Claude Bloodgood - Robert Lowmaster, Camp McGill, Japan 1956) 12.Nc3 Kf8 13.Bxf7 Kxf7 14.Rae1 c5 15.Nxd5 exd5 16.Qxd5+ Kg6 (16... Kf8 17.Qd6+ Kg8 18.Re7 Ne8 19.Qe6+ Kh8 20.Rxg7 1-0. Humphrey Bogart - NN, Santa Monica 1955) 17.Bxf6 Bxf6 18.Re6 Qh8 19.Qf5+ Kf7 20.d5 Qh4 21.c3 Qg5 22.Qh7+ Qg7 23.R1xf6+ Nxf6 24.Re7+ Kxe7 25.Qxg7+ Kd6 26.Qxf6+ Kxd5 27.Qd8+ 1-0.

Claude Bloodgood was the author of The Tactical Grob. He inspired me to do a project on the Grob myself via ChessCentral. There is much more to write about Bloodgood. Someday I may do that with another of our games. Below is one of our drawn games. The Grob is a fascinating opening. Sometimes I follow Basman's more solid approach. Here I follow Bloodgood's own wild gambit approach. I suggest a few alternatives in the notes to this game.

Sawyer (1960) - Bloodgood (2100), corr APCT 96-Grob-1 (2), 19.07.1996 begins 1.g4 d5 2.Bg2 Bxg4 [2...c6 3.h3 e5] 3.c4 Nf6 [3...c6 4.cxd5 cxd5 5.Qb3 Nf6] 4.cxd5 [4.Qb3] 4...Nxd5 [4...c6 5.Qb3 cxd5] 5.Qb3 c6 6.Qxb7 Nd7 [6...Nb6] 7.Bxd5 [7.Nc3] 7...cxd5 8.Qxd5 e6 [8...g6] 9.Qd4 Bf5 10.Nc3 Qa5 11.Nf3 Rc8 12.Qa4 Qc7 13.d3 Bc5 14.0-0 0-0 15.Be3 Nb6 16.Qf4 Bd6
17.Qh4 Be7 18.Qf4 Bd6 19.Qh4 Draw 1/2-1/2



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Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Attacking the Old Benoni Defence

The day I played this game I watched an old television episode of Highway To Heaven. A grandfather had given up on competition figuring he was too OLD to try. Then he had the chance to run a 5K with his grandson; that gave the grandfather a new attitude. So far this year I have done two 5K's myself, although I did not RUN much. Old guys can still compete! Recently in blitz chess, I have had a little winning streak. My rating has inched up higher than it's been in a while. It's not like the old days, but it is still fun!

My opponent played the Old Benoni Defence 1.d4 c5. For those of us who play lots of openings, sometimes we switch to a 1.e4 opening here with 2.e4 making the game a Sicilian Defence. A natural continuation would be the Smith-Morra Gambit which is normally reached by 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3!? When I played 1.d4 in this game, I was not thinking Sicilian Defence. Since Blackmar-Diemer Gambit players must deal with the Benoni Defence anyway, it is simpler to grab some space and more freedom with 2.d5.

Our game proceeded: 1.d4 c5 2.d5 Nf6. The classic Old Benoni avoids an early Nf6. Black decided not to be Old anymore. We could have gone to the Modern Benoni with 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6. Here 6.Nf3 g6 would transpose to Spassky-Fischer, Game 3, World Championship match 1972. Bobby Fischer defeated Boris Spassky for the first time winning that game. My choice was to play 3.Nc3 called the Schmid Variation. (Lothar Schmid was the Arbiter of the Spassky-Fischer match.) Of this variation, Jeremy Silman wrote in a review of the Benoni: "This is basically a normal Benoni where White hasn't played c2-c4. In general, it's thought to be sound, but a bit better for the first player." My opponent was rated about 100 points above me. He got the upper hand. He threw everything in the direction of my king. I ducked a few bullets and took aim at his king. He had a point where he could have broken off his attack to offer a queen swap with 33...Qf5! That would have broken me. Instead, I catch his king naked with my queen and rook, winning his queen and the game.

Sawyer (1985) - oli2 (2077), ICC 3 0 Internet Chess Club, 02.08.2011 begins 1.d4 c5 2.d5 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.e4 d6 5.f4 [It is decision time. 5.Nf3 is more common.] 5...Bg7 6.Bb5+! [My research indicates that this move leads to a slight edge for White. The idea is to be able to play e4-e5 at a critical moment.] 6...Nfd7! 7.Nf3 [ECO gives 7.a4 or 7.Bd3] 7...0-0 8.0-0 Nf6
9.a4 [Here 9.e5! seems stronger.] 9...e6 10.dxe6 fxe6 11.Bc4 Nc6 12.Ng5 Qe7 13.Re1 h6 14.Nf3 Kh8 15.Be3 [15.e5] 15...Ng4 16.Qd2 Nxe3 17.Qxe3 Nd4 18.Rac1 Bd7 19.g3 Bc6 20.Red1 Rad8 21.Ne2 [21.Nxd4] 21...Nxf3+ 22.Qxf3 d5 23.exd5 exd5 24.Bb5 Bxb2 25.Rb1 Bg7 26.Bxc6 bxc6 27.Re1 Rb8 28.Rxb8 Rxb8 29.Kf1 Rb2 30.Qd3 Qe6 31.Nc3 Qh3+ 32.Kg1 Bd4+ 33.Kh1 h5 [33...Qf5] 34.Qxg6 Qd7 35.Re8+ Black resigns 1-0



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