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.

11 Jul 2013: Exhibition game at Damata's

The Chess Pirate is on her summer "hiatus" -- some lame excuse about the heat affecting her brain -- so there hasn't been much action at CHESS CLUB of late.  But thanks to an early arrival at a Salem Social Cards cribbage event at Salem's inimitable Damata's, the Pink Queen and the Gabridoodle were able to stage an exhibition game ! It was definitely a coffeehouse atmosphere, complete with children tormenting fish and repeatedly spilling beverages.

Pink Queen - Gabridoodle, 0-1

Fully 24 moves in, the Pink Queen and the Gabridoodle were at a bit of an impasse, having erected a forest of pawns in the middle of the board.  The Gabridoodle has managed to rob the Pink Queen of her castling rights and gotten her king terribly exposed.  She, however, has stuck a bone in his throat on the h-file.

But then there was some action !  Here, at move 27, the Gabridoodle is about to achieve his key breakthrough of the game, moving the bishop to c8, skewering the Pink Queen's rook at h3.  Her queen retreats and the Gabridoodle exchanges his bishop for her rook.

Move 35 truly ushers in the Pink Queen's final collapse.  She's made a game attempt to threaten the Gabridoodle with the battery on the g-file.  But his move of Qe3+ solves two problems at once, simultaneously removing the bone in his throat at h6 and dealing with the g-file threat.

The rest was mopping up and by move 43, the Pink Queen had had enough and resigned.