Surviving a frightening position

After a hiatus of several months, the Gabridoodle was finally back at Boston's South Station for the monthly simultaneous exhibition given by Grandmaster Larry Christiansen. There was a full house, so the Gabridoodle only got in two games.  He lost both but each went more than 30 moves, a small achievement.

In the second game, he managed to survive this frightening position.  Oh, sure it looks tame enough, but in fact, all hell is threatening to break loose.

Derby Joe menagerie

Just two days before Halloween, things were crazy in downtown Salem.  Derby Joe, a chess-friendly café on Derby Street, was jam-packed with tourists, in particular Pennsylvanians.

After losing a game on time, the Gabridoodle proceeded to demolish the Chess Pirate in three brisk but non-clocked games.  As a result, he won three new friends, George the baboon, Garry the gibbon, and Bruce the lavender log cabin elephant.

The Gabridoodle poses with his dear new friend George

The whole gang.

A couple of amusing mates:

An odd variation at Derby Joe

Derby Joe, a funky little café near the House of Seven Gables in Salem hosts a chess gathering every Saturday at 11:00.   Today's shindig featured a battle for The Shiny.  In that blazing-fast 5 minute game, the Chess Pirate stripped her own king naked and soon paid the price: the Gabridoodle was able to thump his chest like a gorilla and keep possession of The Shiny.

After this excitement, which was followed by the usual indulgence of piratical vanity, the Pirate insisted on doing something "interesting."  "Interesting" turned out to mean a game with this crazy starting position:

A coin was flipped to determine who went first.  The Pirate won the toss but lost the game, the Gabridoodle being able to adjust to the variant's theoretical implications quickly enough.

Sudden death for the Gabridoodle at Derby Joe (30 Jul 2016)

At Derby Joe in Salem, the Chess Pirate won The Shiny with a quick checkmate -- a classic bishop-queen battery that even a patzer like the Gabridoodle should have seen.  Here's the Pirate's poetical account of the event:

The beautiful Chess Pirate wore a sweetly flowered light blue print shirt, to compliment her blue eyes. Her golden locks were long and flowing. She sat down and smiled, angelically. The Gabridoodle also sat and the timer was set. Who knows what for ? The game only lasted 46 short seconds, with a brilliant checkmate stunningly played by a cool and collected Pirate.

Horsing around with the grandmaster

As always, we extend hearty thank-yous to grandmaster Larry Christiansen and the Boylston Chess Club for organizing the monthly simultaneous exhibition at South Station.

In both of today's games, but particularly the first one, the grandmaster did have to pause for a few seconds of thought on several occasions.  This at least gives the Gabridoodle one small achievement to boast of.

Game 1

In the first game, GM Christiansen gave the Gabridoodle a jolt by opening with d4 rather than the usual e4. This wasn't the first time he'd opened with d4, but it's the sort of thing that ruffles the Gabridoodle.

By move 25, a pair of horses was off the board.  Prior to this phase of the game, however, there had been quite a few knight moves by both players.  Here, Christiansen is offering a free horse, but the Gabridoodle smelled a rat and moved his king instead.

Next, the grandmaster offers a free bishop.  With a tone, but not the actual act, of resignation, the Gabridoodle took it, not that he had any choice.

The game ended with a funny mate.  Christiansen's e5 reveals a check, which isn't mate, but blocking with his bishop was the Gabridoodle's only legal move.  The recapture was all she wrote.

Game 2

The first game went a respectable 30 moves.  The second was over after 21, qualifying it as either an outright miniature or a near-miniature, depending on how we define it.  At least the grandmaster opened with e4, allowing the Gabridoodle to respond with the very Sicilian c5, his "best" strategy against him.

Horses again !  By move 18, GM Christiansen's ponies have infested the Gabridoodle's position.

The grandmaster could have taken the vulnerable d-pawn at his leisure, but he had higher priorities. Here he offers the Gabridoodle an entire queen.  The Chess Pirate would have instacaptured, but the Gabridoodle didn't: he saw that if he did, the rook would be headed to h3 with disastrous consequences.  Christiansen asked, "You didn't like my generous offer ?"  The Gabridoodle replied, "No, it just wouldn't be fair to take it."

The Gabridoodle was promptly forced to wave the glorious white flag, as there's really no defense.

Larry Christiansen: the modesty of a grandmaster

While there wasn't much truly remarkable about today's simul at South Station, Grandmaster Larry Christiansen did begin by joking that his autograph was worth 39¢ on eBay.  The Gabridoodle isn't selling !

There was a full house and the Gabridoodle only got in two games. Both were relatively long, 36 and 41 moves.  Against a grandmaster, the Gabridoodle considers anything more than 30 moves a small triumph.

A gawker posted a video in which the Gabridoodle appears briefly.

Game 1

The Gabridoodle was stunned when the GM opened with c4 -- he almost always starts with e4.  Perhaps, as GM Ben Finegold likes to joke, it was because c4 is an explosive move.  After collecting himself, the Gabridoodle went for a symmetrical English.  However, he later blundered a piece and never really recovered.

Game 2

The second game featured some relatively interesting action. GM Christian had the white pieces again.

Here, the Gabridoodle actually managed to be a dirty rat and pull a fast one on the GM. After moving his queen to f6, Christian chased it away with his knight.  Maybe he didn't notice the pawn on f2 was hanging or, perhaps more likely, he didn't care.

Christiansen's rook to f1 chases away the Gabridoodle's queen but with queen to d4, he threatens mate and forces a queen trade.  The GM seemed unhappy about this.

Later on, the GM finagled an exchange and is about to turn his queenside pawns into a fleet of runaway locomotives.  Here, finally at move 41, the Gabridoodle resigned rather than suffer while Christiansen ground out the win.

There's usually more than one way to get out of check

This is a little lesson for the beginners...

We won't name any names, but the Gabridoodle had an amusing 16-move miniature in a game with a member of Salem CHESS CLUB played at Chess.com. 

What happened

The game had a very sharp opening.  The unnamed player panicked a little and swapped a piece for a pesky pawn.  However, the Gabridoodle was then given a few scares by his opponent's rampaging queen.  After some fancy footwork, he found a way to bail out, forcing a queen trade.  Or so he thought...

For once in his life, the Gabridoodle was gallant and messaged his opponent a hint: don't panic and consider there may be more than one way to get out of check.  Despite this helpful advice, his opponent responded to the check with a fatal mistake: Kd1.

At first, the Gabridoodle was all excited about the prospect of taking his opponent's queen for free.  But then he saw that he could deliver instamate instead.

As they say: when you see a good move, look for a better one.

They also joke that if you have a choice between taking your opponent's queen for free and checkmate, take the queen.  There is small grain of truth to this: the mate you see might turn out not to be mate, while if you take the queen, you'll probably end up winning.

What should have happened...

When you're in check and it isn't mate, you'll have one, two, or three ways of getting out of check:

* Moving the king.

* Interposing a piece between the king and the attacking piece.

* Capturing the attacking piece.

Had the unnamed opponent simply captured the Gabridoodle's queen, he'd have recaptured with the bishop and the game would have continued.

Simul at South Station: a passerby demands the notation

Once a month, Grandmaster Larry Christiansen gives a simultaneous exhibition at Boston's South Station.  Salem CHESS CLUB thanks the GM, the organizers, and the sponsors for making the event happen.

Here, in the first game, the Gabridoodle got a bit cocky and tried his new move -- he learned it from videos on teh interwebs, of course.  When placing a knight on a good outpost, screw it in like a lightbulb !  Needless to say, Christiansen had seen this before.

The Gabridoodle lost the first two games, the second a very brisk miniature.  He also lost the third, but in that one he mounted a spirited defense.  In fact, a passerby asked to photograph the notation !  This left the Gabridoodle chuffed but he managed to stop himself from puffing.

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2 Nc6 9. Bc4 Ne5 10. Bb3 a6 11. h4 b5 12. h5 Nc4 13. Bxc4 bxc4 14. Bh6 Bd7 15. Bxg7 Kxg7 16. hxg6 fxg6 17. Qh6 Kf7 18. O-O-O Rh8 19. Nd5 Qf8 20. Qe3 Nxd5 21. exd5 Qg7 22. Rh4 Raf8 23. Ne6 Bxe6 24. Qxe6 Ke8 25. Rxc4

ended with:

Here are some more snaps from the event...

Meanwhile, on the Twitter, someone posted video of the GM in action.

In which RN and Henry call Fischer

From an Icelandic book...