The En Passant Pin!

I had black here in an online blitz game and my last move was 24...f5.

In a blitz game it would be very easy to fall for a trap here and take en passant. This is very unusual that a rank can be cleared with two pieces in between in one move so going 25.exf6?? Would certainly be plausible but my opponent didn't fall for it this time. Rare theme but still one I've seen before.

For the lesser skilled, 25.exf6 allows 25...Rxh5 winning the queen ;-)

Live Blitz #13 - Black vs IM 1.b3

I also posted Live Blitz #78 on ChessVideos.tv.  I have different series on Youtube, 3 minute games there, 5 minute games on CV.tv. I might change that but at least it will be different series.

Latest upload on CV.tv: http://www.chessvideos.tv/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8085

ICC tactics

From a 3-minute game tonight. I was white vs PenelopeCruz



Black is probably fine, even slightly better after 30...exd4 since d5 is likely to fall. He however got fancy with 30...Qxd5+ which is tempting. Take a pawn with check and then take the bishop. However I had a nice shot 31.e4! Qxe4+ 32.f3 and white wins a piece since black can't take the bishop and save the queen and rook with one move, also the bishop conveniently covers Rb2+

New video posted on ChessVideos.tv

I recently posted my first game in the 5-minute pool on ICC. Usually I post 5-minute games from ICC on CV.tv and PlayChess games on the YouTube channel. In this game I have the black pieces against Grandmaster Botvirosian in a Symmetrical English.

http://www.chessvideos.tv/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8063

Also I thought that the game Short-Vallejo from Reggio Emilia was interesting for French players. The Brazilian lover of the French Defence, Rateodoro has analyzed this video on Chessvideos.tv. You can find this game here:

http://www.chessvideos.tv/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8055

ICC Tactic to beat a GM

Got this position in the 5-minute pool with black against GM Legko who is the very strong Oleg Korneev. I played a ...Nf6 against the Tarrasch variation of the French and found a slightly non-standard tactic for this line.



17...Nh3+!

A good move but only second best, 17...Nxg2!! probably does the job slightly better ;-)

18.gxh3

18.Kh1 Rxf3 -+

18...Rxf3 19.Bh6 Bf4! 20.Bxf4 Qxf4 21.Rcd1 Raf8



And here my position is so overwhelming that even I couldn't blow this despite some decent efforts.....0-1 and a good scalp ;-)

Nice simplifcation pattern

Had white here in this position against an IM on ICC.



It woud be easy to wrong here with 30.Qxa6? and all of a sudden black is better after 30...Qd2! Instead I found a forced way to get a winning endgame.
30.Qxd8! Bxd8 31.Nc6 Bb6 32.cxb5 axb5 33.Bxf6 gxf6 34.a4!



It is clear now that the a-pawn just can't be stopped as the knight controls all the black squares along the way to queening. And the black king is too far away to push the knight away from it's strong post!

Some help......mate?

My opponent with black was kind enough in his attempt to flag me to play 53...f6??



I pre-moved 54.f4+ exf4 55. exf4# and was still searching for my next pre-move when I realized the game was over!! A funny little helpmate!

GM scalp, thanks to Marin once again ;-)

I more or less try to follow the Marin books when playing with the white pieces. At the moment I go for Closed Sicilian Reversed instead of the lines recommended by Marin. I also need to study more the c4 e5 lines from book one. I am however getting better and better with every week in the Symmetrical English. When I first started playing the English follow "Strategical Opening Repertoire" I alway had trouble when they played completely symmetrical and  had to go for the early d4 lines like in the following game. I finally studied it some after getting the Marin books and in this game against a strong opponent in the ICC 3-minute pool I managed to put together a good game following Marin's theory and get the nice result!

A good win in the Black Queen Blues on ICC

This 6...Qa5 move, the so called "Black Queen Blues" as dubbed by Moskalenko has more or less become my main weapon in the Winawer. It's a nice variation, usually ending up in nice blocked French type positions. Here I use it again GM Julio Becerra and get a good win in the 3-minute pool on ICC.

Chess Tactics Training #1

Nice scalp in 3-minute pool

I managed a nice win in the 3-minute pool yesterday. My opponent is a Brazilian GM, Andre Diamant, Brazilian Champion in 2008.

After his weird opening, we get a Dutch type of position and I quickly get the upper hand.

A nice win in the 3-minute pool on ICC

Not often that I play or beat such super strong players. Generalisimus is one of the strongest blitz players on ICC over the last 3-5 years. His real name is Rauf Mamedov from Azerbaijan and he has a FIDE rating of 2660. He was also on of the participants in the recently concluded World Blitz Chess Championship in Moscow.

White: Generalisimus (GM)
Black: Zibbit (FM)
ICC 3-minute pool

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Be7

The so called Morozevich variation. Romanishin was one of the first players to employ it regularly but Morozevich really put it well on the map and it is one of the main continuation for black these days in the Tarrasch.

4.Bd3 c5 5.dxc5 Nf6 6.Qe2 a5 7.Ngf3 0–0 8.e5 Nfd7 9.h4

The first moment of interest. I am out of book, my knowledge has ended. I want to play Nxc5 if possible but unfortunately that would be met with the violent 10.Bxh7! A sacrifice that everyone should know! I think I found a playable solution

9...f5 10.g4 Nxc5 11.gxf5 Nxd3+ 12.cxd3 Rxf5 13.Nd4 Rf7


Here I was happy with my position. I have the bishop pair, my position seems solid and it is difficult for white to find a shelter for his king. Next I bring my pieces out naturally in a "french" sort of way increasing the pressure with every move.

 14.N2f3 Nc6 15.Bd2 Qb6 16.Bc3 Bd7 17.Rg1 Raf8

Not having done anything special my pieces co-ordinate very well. The queen, the knight on c6 and soon the bishop on b4 put pressure on b2 and d4 and the rooks are very useful on the f-file, pinning the f3 knight and making it very difficult for white to find moves.

 18.0–0–0 Bb4 19.Qe3

If  19.Ng5 which looks threatening I have... Bxc3! (19...Rxf2?? 20.Qh5±) the key point of Bxc3 is removing defence of b2 thereby enabling me to play Rxf2 next!

19...Rxf3

19...Bc5–+ is the move the computer likes and it looks close to just winning for black. The simplfication that I chose looks more human and I think most players would have gone for that in a blitz game. I get two pieces for a rook and an overwhelming position.

20.Nxf3

Here Mamedov missed his last chance to complicate with 20.Rxg7+!! Kxg7 (20...Kh8 21.Qh6) 21.Nxe6+ Bxe6 22.Rg1+ Kh8 23.Qxb6 even here I think black is in control and stands better.

20...Qxe3+ 21.fxe3 Rxf3–+



22.Rde1 Bxc3 23.bxc3 Nxe5 24.Kd2 Rf2+ 25.Re2 Rxe2+

I missed the easy 25...Nf3+ but in my defence I saw it a couple of moves later and at this point in 3-minute games the main focus is not to flag!

26.Kxe2 Bb5 27.Kd2 Nf3+ White resigns 0–1