The Chess Report(s) Card |
September 27, 2008 | |
There are a gazillion books on openings. Most of them try to tell you the best move to play in a given variation or position. But do you know what to do if your opponent doesn’t play the best move? Test yourself! Find the best moves in the following quiz:. (1) Buckley,Mark - Burkett,Max [A21] CalChess Masters, Berkeley, 1983 1.c4 e5 The English Opening. 2.Nc3 Bb4 3.Nf3 Bxc3 4.dxc3 f6 5.g3 b6 6.Bg2 Bb7 7.0-0 Ne7 8.Qc2 0-0 White to Move (2) Brujic,Bozidar - Asanin,Z [B06] Bela Crkva op, Bela Crkva, 1983 1.d4 d6 2.e4 Nd7 3.Nc3 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 The Modern Defense. 5.Bc4 h5 White to Move (3) Lane,Gary - Flesch,Janos [B22] Lloyds Bank open, London, 1983 1.e4 c5 2.c3 The Sicilian Defense Alapin Variation. 2...d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 e6 5.Nf3 Nf6 6.Be2 Be7 7.0-0 0-0 8.c4 Qf5 9.Nc3 Rd8 [9...cxd4 A much better move.] White to Move (4) Pillsbury,Harry Nelson - Fernandez [C25] Paris simultaneous, Paris, 1900 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 The Vienna Game. 3...d6 4.Nf3 a6 5.Bc4 Bg4 6.fxe5 Nxe5 White to Move (5) Smith,Stephen - Cohn,Erich [C44] Germany, 1902 1.e4 e5 2.d4 The Danish Gambit. 2...exd4 3.c3 d5 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.Nxd4 Nxd4 7.cxd4 Nf6 8.Nc3 Bb4 White to Move (6) Capablanca,Jose Raul - Adams,Edward [C46] Skittles, Washington, DC, 1909 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 The Three Knights. 3...Bc5 4.Nxe5 Nxe5 5.d4! The usual antidote. 5...Bxd4 6.Qxd4 Qf6 [6...d6 is to be preferred.] 7.Nb5 Kd8 White to Move (7) White - Black [D08] A classic Albin win, Timaru (11) 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.e3 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 dxe3 6.a3? A classic loser in the Albin Counter Gambit. [6.fxe3 This is better, but it leaves White's pawns a mess.] Black to Move (8) Miles,EJ - Gyles,Alfred [D50] New Zealand Championship, Napier, 1912 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 A Queen's Gambit. 4.Nf3 c5 5.Bg5 cxd4 6.Qxd4 Be7 7.cxd5 exd5 8.Bxf6 Bxf6 9.Qxd5? Black to Move (9) White - Black [C77] Noah's Ark Trap 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 A Ruy Lopez. 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.Nc3 [5.0-0 Probably the most common, but 5. Nc3 is okay if White follows up correctly.] 5...d6 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 [7.dxe5 Considered "best."] 7...exd4 8.Nxd4? Black to Move (10) Oskam,Gerard - Euwe,Max [D03] The Hague, 1919 1.d4 d5 2.Bg5 Queen's Pawn Trompowsky. 2...Bf5 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.c4 h6 6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.Qb3 Nc6? Now the house falls down. Black will be a future world champion! 8.Qxb7 Kd7 White to Move (11) White - Black [C56] Two Knights Defense Trap, The Hague 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.0-0 Bc5 The infamous Max Lange Attack! 6.e5 d5 7.exf6 dxc4 8.Re1+ Be6 9.Ng5 Qxf6? White to Move (12) White - Black [A52] The Budapest Gambit, The Hague 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 The Budapest Gambit. 3.dxe5 Ng4 4.Bf4 Bb4+ 5.Nd2 Nc6 6.Ngf3 Qe7 7.a3 Ngxe5 8.axb4? Why would Black give up his Bishop so easily? Black to Move The positions were provided by Bob Long of Thinker’s Press (www.chessco.com ). When you have all 12 answers (and follow-up moves), send them to: [email protected]. We’ll have a drawing and choose five correct entries to receive The Chess Reports, First Semester, a 13-week series of online chess lessons. |