Ace of Spades HQ

June 16, 2012

Sat. Nite Chess Thread 06-16-2012 [OregonMuse]
— Open Blogger

Sorry about not being here last week, but last Saturday was right in the middle of the BK brouhaha and comments for all posts had been disabled. At that point, I really didn't know if there was ever going to be another chess thread, so I thought it prudent to just lay low for awhile and see how it all played out.

Seems to be back to normal now, though. More or less.

Anyway, here's a chess set worthy of a real moron:

Chess shot glasses75.jpg

Capture a piece, do a shot! What could possibly go wrong? Plus, I'm sure all you morons really like Pabst Blue Ribbon ("the Valu-Rite of beers").

The only thing lacking is that the shot glasses aren't in pornographic shapes. If we could only get that, then we could declare it to be the only official AoSHQ-approved chess set.

Another fun endgame

Unfortunately, I've been way too busy to go through all the analysis and comments about the endgame I put up last time, and you all have probably forgotten about it, anyway. So here's another problem:

Believe it or not, White to move can actually win in this position. The question is, how?
Game of the Week

This week's famous chess game is Botvinnik - Fischer, Varna Olympiad 1962. This was a game for the ages. It has been extensively analyzed all over the place, most notably by Fischer in his book My 60 Memorable Games. Highlight #1: Botvinnik had come up with an innovation in the Gruenfeld he thought was a killer, which he was able to use against Fischer. This would have been great except that Bobby, under the pressure of tournament conditions, found the one continuation that Botvinnik had missed (17... Qxf4). Botvinnik was devastated. He wrote afterwards, "[t]he reader can guess that my equanimity was wrecked." Highlight #2: Botvinnik eventually got back into the game, which was adjourned at move 45 with Fischer having a small but definite advantage. The story I've heard about this is that the Soviets analyzed all night and found the one line that allowed Botvinnik to stay in the game. The Americans (poss. one of the Byrne brothers?) had found it, too, but Fischer, being Fischer, had gotten into one of his usual pointless squabbles with whoever it was that found it and wasn't speaking to him, so he didn't see the continuation himself until Botvinnik played it. The game was drawn, mainly because Fischer, as usual, was his own worst enemy.

You can play through it yourself here.

Chess Books That Should Be Updated to Algebraic(4^th in a series)

Dover Publications should just upgrade its entire catalog of chess books, but it's probably not cost effective for them to do so. But if they would do just one, this one would be the one I would prefer. I've mentioned this book in an earlier thread, it's got tons of games and not just the 'famous' ones that get reprinted all the time. This book should be in every serious player's collection.

Thanks to those of you who have sent me tips for this thread. They may be sent to me at

OregonMuse
and then the at sign
followed by yahoo
and then dot
com

Posted by: Open Blogger at 02:22 PM | Comments (82)
Post contains 547 words, total size 4 kb.

1 My boy just finished his first chess workshop as a summer program. When asked if he learned anything, he always said 'no.'

Posted by: nickless at June 16, 2012 02:29 PM (MMC8r)

2 White can win. By getting a pawn to the other side of the board where it becomes a queen.

Posted by: Ulsterman and the White House Insider at June 16, 2012 02:30 PM (+DaAO)

3 THAT'S a cool chess set!

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at June 16, 2012 02:31 PM (piMMO)

4 Guiness to e5
PBR x Q!

Posted by: Wilkins at June 16, 2012 02:32 PM (fVgpT)

5 Quite a few shot glass chess sets available on amazon NDH.

Posted by: buzzion at June 16, 2012 02:33 PM (GULKT)

6 Chest set of a real Moron is Christina Hendricks.

Posted by: hanoverfist at June 16, 2012 02:34 PM (HiKk0)

7 "Pabst Blue Ribbon ("the Valu-Rite of beers")"

Makes me think I can take up chess at 52.

Posted by: dfbaskwill at June 16, 2012 02:42 PM (ndlFj)

8 6 Chest set of a real Moron is Christina Hendricks. Posted by: hanoverfist at June 16, 2012 06:34 PM (HiKk0) Yay, though I walk thru the valley of the cleaving of boobies...

Posted by: CoolCzech at June 16, 2012 02:45 PM (niZvt)

Who is to move in the endgame setup?

Assuming white to move...

1) h3 .. Ke5

2) Kf3 .. Kf6

3) Kg3 .. Kg6

4) h4 .. g5xh4

5) Kxh4 .. [zugzwang?]

and then the white king and pawn slowly/carefully march to promotion and the win.

Posted by: knob at June 16, 2012 02:45 PM (54hYa)

10 Obama is a stuttering clusterf*ck of a miserable failure.

Posted by: steevy at June 16, 2012 02:46 PM (Xb3hu)

11 Believe it or not, White can actually win in this position. The question is, how?

By stabbing your opponent in the eye and declaring victory?

Posted by: booger at June 16, 2012 02:54 PM (HI6wa)

12 Believe it or not, White can actually win in this position. The question is, how? By executive order.

Posted by: King Barry O. at June 16, 2012 03:06 PM (U3z55)

13 Assuming white to move

Oops. Sorry, yes it's White's move. The text now makes this clear. Thanks.

Posted by: OregonMuse at June 16, 2012 03:07 PM (xm1A1)

14 ...and then the white king and pawn slowly/carefully march to promotion and the win.

Sorry, I don't think so. Just because White is a pawn up doesn't mean he can necessarily force a win. I fact, I believe the position your analysis leads to is one of those classic drawn positions - with exact play by Black, of course.

Posted by: OregonMuse at June 16, 2012 03:11 PM (xm1A1)

15 #14

If white can keep his king adjacent to his pawn in his march up the board, he should be able to prevent a draw.

Posted by: GMan at June 16, 2012 03:18 PM (UkbKS)

14/15: Yeah, careful is the operative word. White would need to keep the black king from alternating between the G/H files. If the pawn gets to the 7th rank and the black king is directly in front with the white king directly behind, of course it draws.

I think the 'careful' operation, just imagining it in my brain, is to keep the White king on the H file, either even or one rank ahead of the white pawn. I believe that would secure the pawn promote.

Posted by: knob at June 16, 2012 03:30 PM (54hYa)

17 If white neutralizes the black pawn...which is a given, he can force a win.

Posted by: Sticky Wicket at June 16, 2012 03:31 PM (L7hol)

18 h2-h4

Posted by: BillyBob at June 16, 2012 03:33 PM (d3FpJ)

19 If white can keep his king adjacent to his pawn in his march up the board, he should be able to prevent a draw.

Play it out. You can certainly force the Black King back, but once you've pushed it back to the 8th rank, I think you'll find that you will not be able to dislodge Black from the crucial square(s) without risking either stalemate or losing the pawn.. Try it.

Posted by: OregonMuse at June 16, 2012 03:34 PM (xm1A1)

20
#18

That gives black the win.

Posted by: Sticky Wicket at June 16, 2012 03:35 PM (L7hol)

son of a scoamf

fuck

Posted by: just another dave at June 16, 2012 03:37 PM (IcwG4)

22 Believe it or not, White can actually
win in this position. The question is, how?

Prehensile nose.

Posted by: Stimpy at June 16, 2012 03:42 PM (Y6J63)

23 That gives black the win.

I believe that would draw.

h4 ... gxh4
g5 ... Ke5
Kf3 ... h3

How does white force the win?

Kf3 puts the white King closer to the action, and I would consider following with h3

Posted by: fluffy at June 16, 2012 03:49 PM (z9HTb)

24 How does white force the win?

Hee hee.

Posted by: OregonMuse at June 16, 2012 03:53 PM (xm1A1)

25 And the loser has to drink the Pabst's?

That's pretty cold, dude.

Posted by: andycanuck at June 16, 2012 03:54 PM (nrW1y)

26 Holy Taco: 25 pretty bad-ass chess sets. Several are really neat. (And one dud.)

Posted by: andycanuck at June 16, 2012 04:01 PM (nrW1y)

27 PBR is overrated. I go with Stevens Point nowadays.

Posted by: west town at June 16, 2012 04:01 PM (V8Hba)

28 I took to Twitter to round up the chess-heads and send them this way but, alas, I think they are all here.

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at June 16, 2012 04:03 PM (piMMO)

29 Anyone wanna play?

Posted by: rdbrewer at June 16, 2012 04:18 PM (Iyg03)

30 What about walking the king to g3. The black king must move and it doesn't matter where. Then h2-h4. black takes xh4 and Kxh4. If black doesn't take, then white takes xg5. Black take Kxg5. White moves King to h3 and black is in Zugswang. Must move out of the way. White king walks up.

Posted by: MrX at June 16, 2012 04:24 PM (ZsAO3)

31 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy...

Posted by: maverick muse at June 16, 2012 04:24 PM (BAnPT)

32 As far as I can tell, 1. h4 is a win for White.

Posted by: rickl at June 16, 2012 04:26 PM (sdi6R)

33 What about walking the king to g3. The black king must move and it doesn't matter where. Then h2-h4

See comments 9, and 14

Posted by: OregonMuse at June 16, 2012 04:29 PM (xm1A1)

34 32 As far as I can tell, 1. h4 is a win for White. OK, upon further investigation I was mistaken about that.

Posted by: rickl at June 16, 2012 04:32 PM (sdi6R)

35 As far as I can tell, 1. h4 is a win for White.

How do you figure? After 1... gxh4, Black now has a passed pawn of his own and it looks like White will barely hold on to the draw, let alone force a win.

Posted by: OregonMuse at June 16, 2012 04:32 PM (xm1A1)

36 This grips me more than would a muddy old river or a reclining Buddha.

Posted by: Murray Head at June 16, 2012 04:34 PM (Y6J63)

37 Believe it or not, White can actually win in this position. The question is, how? Easy. Black weighs less than me and has already taken eighteen shots of beer (I was able to refill a few of them when he wasn't looking).

Posted by: t-bird at June 16, 2012 04:35 PM (FcR7P)

38 Easy. Black weighs less than me and has already taken eighteen shots of beer (I was able to refill a few of them when he wasn't looking).

Posted by: t-bird at June 16, 2012 08:35 PM (FcR7P)

Really they're going to be that bad after doing a can and a half of beer?

Posted by: buzzion at June 16, 2012 04:40 PM (GULKT)

39 Had a falling out with some of you a couple months back, but Ace is Grade-A heroin, so I've hung around.

I know you don't know me or owe me squat, but was wondering if you might say a prayer for me, or at least for my daughters, as I was laid off three days ago.

And maybe drop a good word for my dad, who was career army, and has seen two of his three sons lose their jobs in the past three years.

If not, no worries. But any extra words to the Big Guy, whose existence I'm beginning to doubt, would be appreciated.

Posted by: Hey.Wheres.Barry at June 16, 2012 04:41 PM (hyP1j)

40 White has a longbow?

Posted by: eman at June 16, 2012 04:42 PM (ejmiE)

The chess set in the photo is set up wrong: you've got a black square in the lower right corner.

Tartakower & Du Mont's "500 Master Games of Chess" is a great collection, but they really goofed in the notes to game 217. After move 19 they write ". . . Black can breathe more freely and think of castling on the Q side, which would favour his chances," and after White's 20th, "Preventing . . . Castles QR." But the opening was an Allgaier Gambit, and Black moved his K on the 6th move.

To appreciate the advantages of algebraic over descriptive notation, ask the question, "what is a fianchetto?"

In descriptive: "It's when you play P-N3 and B-N2."

In algebraic: "It's when you play b3 and Bb2 or g3 and Bg2 as White, or else you play b6 and Bb7 or g6 and Bg7 as Black."

Posted by: bof at June 16, 2012 04:44 PM (Bu4wL)

42 The hell with chess. That Chinese taikonaut is a cutie. http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k247/rickl_2006/Web/SZ9094.jpg

Posted by: rickl at June 16, 2012 04:48 PM (sdi6R)

43 Once you spring the pawn free, run the king along F, which should leave the H open for black to have an escape.
It's possible to end up with 2 white pawns, if black is goofy. Still, keep white king on F as much as possible.

Posted by: The Atom Bomb of Loving Kindness at June 16, 2012 04:57 PM (jqHOY)

44 Has a respectable period of time lapsed now that the hijacking may commence?

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at June 16, 2012 04:59 PM (piMMO)

45 What's a haikunaut?

Posted by: The Atom Bomb of Loving Kindness at June 16, 2012 05:00 PM (jqHOY)

46 Posted by: Hey.Wheres.Barry at June 16, 2012 08:41 PM (hyP1j)

****

You'll find that not many hold grudges around these parts.

Word to the Big Guy coming up.

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at June 16, 2012 05:01 PM (piMMO)

47 White's winning strategy is based upon the following ideas. (1) The h2 pawn has the ability to "waste" a tempo by moving to h3; this enables White to achieve the opposition at a key moment. (2) If the White king is at g3 while the Black king is too far from the g-file, then White wins by h4, trading pawns, and advancing his king to the 6th rank. (3) If the White king is able to reach e4, then White wins by the "outflanking" maneuver. (4) The Black king cannot go to f5, and so White can triangulate using the f3 square. Black cannot defend against both threats (pawn to h4 or White king to e4). 1.Kf2 Ke4 2.Kg3 Ke5 3.h4 gxh4 4.Kxh4 Kf6 5.Kh5 Kg7 6.Kg5 with a book win. 1.Kf2 Ke5 2.Kf3 Kf6 3.Ke4 Ke6 4.h3! White wins the opposition and Black will be outflanked. 1.Kf2 Ke6 2.Kg2 Kf6 3.Kg3 Kg6 4.Kf3 Kf6 5.Ke4 Ke6 6.h3! and again outflanking decides. (Sorry this explanation is so technical - but that reflects the difficulty of the problem.)

Posted by: GolfBoy at June 16, 2012 05:01 PM (M0ftf)

48 h4 gxh4+ Kxh4 Kf4 g5 Kf5 Kh5 Ke6 g6 Kf6 Kh6 Ke7 g7 Kf7 Kh7 Ke7 g8=Q

Posted by: BillyBob at June 16, 2012 05:05 PM (d3FpJ)

49
#42

I would have happily volunteered to insert her urinary catheter.

Posted by: Sticky Wicket at June 16, 2012 05:08 PM (L7hol)

50 heywheresbarry here is hoping some good luck comes your way

Posted by: chemjeff on the phone at June 16, 2012 05:09 PM (U3z55)

51 You know what this thread needs - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_ve7Vp_J_o

3:15 minutes in

Posted by: Boulder Toilet Hobo at June 16, 2012 05:11 PM (QTHTd)

52 All right, put your pencils down, boys and girls, we have a winner at #47. Thank you, Golfboy, for that excellent bit of analysis.

1. Kf2 is indeed the killer move. There is no defense against it no matter how carefully Black plays.

This is an old problem (dated 1848!) that I found in one of my endgame books.

Posted by: OregonMuse at June 16, 2012 05:12 PM (xm1A1)

53 Quoting: "Believe it or not, White to move can actually win in this position. The question is, how?"

White takes black king. Game over. Why? Because rules are only for Republicans. ~ His Royal Highness and Messiah Obama

Posted by: Mr_Write at June 16, 2012 05:13 PM (CLkAH)

54 heywheresbarry things will improve. Keep fighting until it happens.

Posted by: Cicero at June 16, 2012 05:13 PM (7ppar)

55 Billy Bob, if I'm black, I'm not going to take that pawn. Instead, I'll move my king closer and get a draw (or stalemate? I forget what one pawn ends up as)

Posted by: t-bird at June 16, 2012 05:13 PM (FcR7P)

56 From the phrasing of the question, it is clear that this situation tends to a draw, for the reasons described by Oregon Muse. I believe, therefore, that the key to the solution is timing, forcing Black to move towards the action first so that at a key moment White can get his King to f5. The only move that seems to offer that option for White is d3.

Posted by: TH at June 16, 2012 05:14 PM (1EJIj)

57 #52

Damn...I would have gone Kf3.

Posted by: Sticky Wicket at June 16, 2012 05:14 PM (L7hol)

58 I don't even understand this language they're speaking. Didn't they used to say stuff like queen's pawn to queen's pawn 4?

Posted by: teej at June 16, 2012 05:22 PM (cDwCa)

59 #58

Yeah. Then girls figured out the code, so we changed it. Brilliant!

Posted by: Sticky Wicket at June 16, 2012 05:24 PM (L7hol)

60 LOL - It's been so long since I've played I wouldn't know which direction to have the board itself in. A white square on my left maybe?

Posted by: teej at June 16, 2012 05:27 PM (cDwCa)

61 Just enlarged it on my phone. I see how you're doing it. Like Battleship.

Posted by: teej at June 16, 2012 05:29 PM (cDwCa)

62 Have fun! Gonna practice.

Posted by: teej at June 16, 2012 05:30 PM (cDwCa)

63 WOW! 60 comments in 3 hours. This site could crash any second now.

Posted by: wierd flunky at June 16, 2012 05:32 PM (tlhtD)

64 #63

Everyone's looking at the Chinese Astro-nette. Most from their bunks. It's hard to type with just one hand.

Posted by: Sticky Wicket at June 16, 2012 05:34 PM (L7hol)

65 39-

Done.

Posted by: Alaskan Warthog at June 16, 2012 05:46 PM (WFITi)

66 OT as if the was one to be off, the Arkansas Tea Party lady's joke was pretty funny. Not because its racist but because like all good jokes, it's so close to the truth it pisses somebody off.

Posted by: wierd flunky at June 16, 2012 05:53 PM (tlhtD)

"Everyone's looking at the Chinese Astro-nette."

Yeah, that's just China trying to flex fake muscle.

I've got ten on her burning up a la Columbia.

Posted by: ErikW at June 16, 2012 05:53 PM (Cs9gg)

68 #67

Take a close look at the pic....Iran did a better job faking their missile launches. What the hell is with the six fingered claw in the background?

Posted by: Sticky Wicket at June 16, 2012 05:55 PM (L7hol)

69 Shit, for my part I was watching Sesame Street parodies on Youtube.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R06ft5rqKw

Posted by: Boulder Toilet Hobo at June 16, 2012 05:55 PM (QTHTd)

70 OT as if the was one to be off, the Arkansas Tea Party lady's joke was pretty funny. Not because its racist but because like all good jokes, it's so close to the truth it pisses somebody off.

what was the joke?

Posted by: OregonMuse at June 16, 2012 05:57 PM (mm7B+)

71 a link will suffice, no need to repost it here

Posted by: OregonMuse at June 16, 2012 05:58 PM (mm7B+)

72 WE invented modern chess. Al invented the internet and I invented fashion. Our coupling of hearts, minds and sagging bodies are just what chess needed in the 21st century! You can thank us at President Obama's 2nd coronation.

Posted by: Al Gore Mating with Anna Wintour at June 16, 2012 05:58 PM (c3mby)

73 70 Not gonna repeat it and face the ban hammer. It's on the Blaze.

Posted by: wierd flunky at June 16, 2012 05:59 PM (tlhtD)

74 All right, put your pencils down, boys and girls, we have a winner at #47. Thank you, Golfboy, for that excellent bit of analysis.

1. Kf2 is indeed the killer move. There is no defense against it no matter how carefully Black plays.

This is an old problem (dated 1848!) that I found in one of my endgame books.

Posted by: OregonMuse at June 16, 2012 09:12 PM (xm1A1)

I beg to differ. The guy at # 12 gave the correct answer. You did not say that we have to follow the rules.

Posted by: The Jackhole at June 16, 2012 06:05 PM (DU15A)

75 60 comments in 3 hours.

Summertime and the living is easy. Pfwwwtt, ere.

Posted by: Pixy's Hamsters at June 16, 2012 06:25 PM (NqmTy)

76 I get that Kf2 works. However, just for the purposes of personal education, I would appreciate a response as to why my suggested move, Kd3, would not also be the basis of a solution. My approach trades a file for a rank, and restricts the initial Black move on the e file to e5 or e6. Does it go wrong at any point after that? Just curious.

Posted by: TH at June 16, 2012 07:48 PM (1EJIj)

77 I recently purchased the Tartakover / Dumont collection, and was pleased to see that it was in descriptive notation, but then, I'm a traditionalist old fart. Let old things remain as they were made! (Except for fossil fuels and old-growth forests, of course.)

Posted by: Francis W. Porretto at June 17, 2012 02:09 AM (FeYbR)

78 TH, after 1.Kd3 Ke5 white must reply 2.Ke3 (or else the black king reaches f4 and draws). Then Black has 2...Kd5, bringing about a repetition of the initial position.

Posted by: GolfBoy at June 17, 2012 03:15 AM (M0ftf)

79 I like it - automatic handicap for the better player.

Posted by: mojo at June 17, 2012 09:39 AM (d/67n)

80 Re:47

In the first line, what happens if at move 3 black doesn't take the pawn?

Instead of:

1.Kf2 Ke4
2.Kg3 Ke5
3.h4 gxh4

we go

3. h4 Kf6

either white exchanges pawns

4.hxg5 Kxg5 and black king is right on top of white pawn

or white king is stuck defending the rook pawn unless he pushes past. Then black merely has to stay far enough back to catch the rook pawn but block the white king from getting to f5.

Posted by: CAL at June 17, 2012 01:28 PM (JDIe+)

81 CAL, 1.Kf2 Ke4 2.Kg3 Ke5 3.h4 Kf6 4.h5 is a win for White, as he can then forcibly win the g5 pawn. For example, 4... Ke6 5.Kf3 Ke5 6.Ke3 Kf6 [6...Kd5 7.h6] 7.Ke4 Ke6 8.Kd4! Kf6 [8...Kd6 9.h6] 9.Kd5 Kf7 10.Ke5 Kg7 11.Kf5 Kh6 12.Kf6 Kh7 13.Kxg5 The connected passed pawns are then unstoppable.

Posted by: GolfBoy at June 17, 2012 06:16 PM (M0ftf)

82 Looking at the 'endgame' puzzle without looking at the above comments, the key to this puzzle for white is that white's king is one square closer to the pawns than black's king is. Slide white king over to about the g file, then advance H pawn to h4. If black captures with the pawn, white king gobbles the pawn and escorts the g pawn to rank 8 and win. If black doesn't capture, white either captures and gets escorted the same way, or keeps on truckin' to rank 8, queen, and win.

Posted by: Brian Pendell at June 18, 2012 07:35 AM (GDDIu)

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