Back to Back Issues Page
LCB, Issue #094 --, Get Your Pieces Out Quick
April 01, 2023

Get Your Pieces Out Quick

Lapoc Chess Board, Issue #094 -- GOTM #64


learn and play online chess
Of course you already know this. Everyone knows that the opening is all about activating your pieces and positioning your forces for the struggle in the middlegame.

And yet on occasion even good players get drawn into an opening where they are tempted keep moving the same piece. I'll continue to develop on my next move but right now I just need to move this piece one more time.

Let's see this phenomenon in practice. We're going to go back to 1872 and a game played in Aalborg. The two protagonists are A.F. Ludvigson and S.A. Sorenson.


Get Your Pieces Out Quick



Ludvigson, A.F. - Sorenson, Soren Anton [C40]


GotM #64 Aalborg, 2015
[Connaughton, Ken]

1.e4

King's Pawn Game

1...e5

Open Game

2.Nf3

King's Knight Opening

2...f5

Latvian Gambit

3.Nxe5

The most popular and most successful continuation.

(3.exf5+/= is also played regularly.)

3...Nc6?! 4.Qh5+

Game position after 4.Qh5+

Ignoring the threat to the Knight by attacking with tempo.

4...g6 5.Nxg6 Nf6

(5...hxg6? 6.Qxh8+-)

6.Qxf5?

Not only relinquishing his clear advantage, but also putting Black firmly in control.

(6.Qh3+- would have retained White's ascendancy.)

6...d6

Winning more time off the Queen before taking the piece.

7.Qf3 hxg6 8.Bb5 Bd7 9.Nc3 Ne5 10.Qg3 Bxb5 11.Nxb5 Nxe4 12.Qe3 Rh4

Game position after 12...Rh4

White's Queen has been chased around the board and Black has managed to develop a number of pieces.

13.d3 Bh6 14.Qe2 Bxc1 15.Rxc1 Qg5

Notice how Black is able to make new threats with every move.

16.0-0 Rxh2?!

Game position after 16...Rxh2?!

Not sound but this will go unpunished.

17.Nxc7+??

Black has a forced # in 6.

(17.Kxh2! Ng4+ 18.Kg1 Qh4?? (18...0-0-0 19.Qf3=/+ (19.Qxe4?? Qh4 20.Qf4 Rh8-+) ) 19.Qxe4++-)

17...Kd7 18.f4

(18.g3 Nxg3 19.Qxe5 Ne2+ 20.Kxh2 dxe5 21.Nxa8 Nf4 22.Nb6+ Ke8 23.b3 Qg2#)

18...Ng4!

Game position after 23...Qg2#

Now he offers a Queen sacrifice.

(18...Qh4!! was even quicker: 19.Qg4+ Nxg4 20.Nxa8 Rh1#)

19.fxg5

Accepted, and now comes a pretty pattern to finish:

19...Rh1+ 20.Kxh1 Ng3+ 21.Kg1 Nxe2+ 22.Kh1 Rh8#

Game position after 22...Rh8#

And he finishes with a nice #.

0-1

Ludvigson, A.F. - Sorenson, Soren Anton


P.S.
If you do not have html based email software and you're using a text only system, you may find that the links are only partially highlighted and may not work. If this is the case, simply copy and paste the entire link into the browser and hit Enter. That should get you where you want to go.
Comments, ideas, feedback? I'd be stoked to hear from you.

Get in touch

See you next month.

Ken

Back to Back Issues Page