Donkey chess, or a funny mate at South Station

As always, we thank Grandmaster Larry Christiansen, the Boylston Chess Club, and their other partners for hosting the monthly simulaneous exhibition at South Station.  Today's event was a make-up for the not-quite-a-blizzard blizzard earlier in the month.

In pre-game chitchat, the GM recommended the Old West history book A Tenderfoot in Tombstone, which, he noted, includes an account of a donkey being cut in half by a lightning strike !  In one game, the Gabridoodle said, "Lightning... Donkey" when capturing the GM's horse, prompting a grandmasterly chuckle.

Game 2 featured a funny checkmate, shown it its full glory below, with Christiansen's move indicated by the red arrows and the Gabridoodle's by the green.

Tense standoff at Derby Joe ends peacefully

While the promised tournament didn't materialize, chess was still played at Salem's inimitable Derby Joe café.  CHESS CLUB would like to congratulate the proprietor on the birth of his brand spanking new daughter.

It must be confessed that in the Chess Pirate's absence, the players took the opportunity to play without clocks !

Meanwhile, a very energetic puppy gave the Gabridoodle's panther-smelling pants a thorough sniffing.

In a long, scholarly, positional game between the Gabridoodle and the Boa Constrictor, a tense endgame ended peacefully in a draw-by-insufficient-material.

St. Valentine's Day massacre

Perhaps due to recent snow events, there was only a small crowd at Boston's South Station for this month's simultaneous exhibition given by grandmaster and three-time US champion Larry Christiansen.  The result, of course, was very brisk play.  A dead-ender like the Gabridoodle was able to get five games in.  Christiansen started doing his trademark leg pump fairly early, and indeed, he was out to destroy us all, Valentine's Day or no Valentine's Day.  At one point, the Gabridoodle joked to a neighbor, "There's a 20 move quota today."

Game 1

A 20 move miniature with the Gabridoodle resigning when mate became unstoppable.

Game 2

Another quickie -- this time a mere 19 moves.  The Gabridoodle resigned before Christiansen's material lead became even more yawning.

Game 3

This game was actually somewhat reasonable.  The Gabridoodle made Christiansen work for it, even winning The Exchange at one point.  It ended with Christiansen inflicting a pretty mate at move 30.  Ever the gentlemanly grandmaster, Christiansen did allow, "You had a good game going."

Game 4

With Christiansen sporting a two-piece advantage after 24 moves, the Gabridoodle decided to visit Resignsville and move on to another game.

Game 5

This one began with the Gabridoodle conceding, "You refuted the French, so we'll do the Sicilian."  As in game 3, the Gabridoodle kept Christiansen on his toes and the game even reached an honest-to-goodness endgame.  The Grandmaster's two-pawn edge was sure to grind out the victory (and the king at g4 obviously meant business), so the Gabridoodle resigned with a touch of bravado: "Luckily for you, I have a train to catch."

Christiansen beats the Gabridoodle... But it takes 65 moves !

Many of you may already be hip to this, but Grandmaster Larry Christiansen, a former US champion, gives a monthly simul at Boston's South Station. Today's game between the Gabridoodle and the GM was a 65 move epic.  The GM won, as usual, but this time he really had to earn it (we should allow that the Gabridoodle was careful to follow Father Lopez's advice and sit such that the sun was in his opponent's eyes).

The highlight of the game, at least from the Gabridoodle's standpoint was move 25, where he skewered Christiansen's knight and rook. As GM Christiansen himself lamented, "I stepped into that one."  Thus the Gabridoodle wins an exchange but still has some pawn issues.

At move 31, the Gabridoodle, determined to do some pawn hunting, decided it was time to give back the material, allowing him to snaffle up the white b-pawn.

The Gabridoodle subsequently managed to get a grip on the pawn situation, although Christiansen stubbornly clung to a one pawn lead.  The remaining rooks and eventually all but one pawn came off the board.  That last pawn was a runaway locomotive.  However, at move 62, Gabridoodle did have a stalemate trick: if white advances the pawn and promotes to queen, it's a draw !

But the grandmaster didn't fall for it.  Mate ensued several moves later.

The whole game...

Christiansen - Gabridoodle, 1-0

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 d6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Nde2 Nf6 7. Ng3 Be7 8. Bc4 O-O 9. Bg5 Nd4 10. O-O a6 11. a4 Bd7 12. a5 Rb8 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Nd5 Bc6 15. c3 Ne6 16. Nf5 Nc7 17. Qd3 Nxd5 18. Bxd5 Be7 19. Rfd1 g6 20. Ne3 Bg5 21. Nc4 Qe7 22. Bxc6 bxc6 23. Qxd6 Qxd6 24. Rxd6 Rbc8 25. Nxe5 Bf4 26. Nc4 Bxd6 27. Nxd6 Rb8 28. Nc4 Rb7 29. f3 Rd7 30. Kf2 Rfd8 31. Ra4 Rd2+ 32. Nxd2 Rxd2+ 33. Kg3 Rxb2 34. Rc4 Rb5 35. Rxc6 Rxa5 36. Kf4 Ra4 37. h4 h5 38. c4 a5 39. Rc7 Rb4 40. Kg5 Kg7 41. e5 Rb6 42. c5 Re6 43. f4 a4 44. Ra7 Rc6 45. g4 hxg4 46. Kxg4 Rxc5 47. Rxa4 Rc8 48. Ra7 Re8 49. h5 gxh5+ 50. Kxh5 Rh8+ 51. Kg5 Re8 52. Ra5 Rd8 53. f5 Re8 54. f6+ Kh7 55. Kf5 Rf8 56. Ra1 Rh8 57. Rh1+ Kg8 58. Rxh8+ Kxh8 59. e6 fxe6+ 60. Kxe6 Kg8 61. Ke7 Kh8 62. f7 Kh7 63. Kf6 Kh8 64. f8=Q+ Kh7 65. Qg7# 1-0 

Mates on the board at Derby Joe

The onset of a horrendous snowstorm didn't stop us from descending on Derby Joe -- a snug, cozy café on Derby Street in Salem -- for some battles over the chessboard.

Gabridoodle beats the Chess Pirate

The Chess Pirate, a notorious action junkie, wanted a three minute game and that's what she got.  At one point, the Gabridoodle informed the Pirate that she could have captured en passant.  This elicited the quote-of-the-game: "I don't play French !"  Hilariously, the Gabridoodle later left his queen en prise but the Pirate didn't notice ! In the end, with less than 20 seconds left on the clock, the Gabridoodle delivered mate on the board.

The Armenian Eagle beats the Gabridoodle... with bishops !

In a game with the Armenian Eagle, the Gabridoodle fell victim to a rapacious bird of prey.  The Eagle was made to earn his victory (in no small measure thanks to the Pirate's "Marines never give up" kibitzing).  The Eagle eventually delivered an artful mate with his bishops.

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.