Solitaire Chess / Instruction
TheBestWayToRefuteASacrifice IsToAccept It By BRUCE PANDOLFINI
If your opponent makes a dashing sacrifice, and you don’t see a clear win for him, snatch the piece off the board.
JOSEPH HENRY BLACKBURNE (1841- 1924), also known as “The Black Death,” was a top British player and a wonderful exhib-itor and gambiteer. A number of his sacrifices have found their way into the lore of chess. But he didn’t always sacrifice soundly, and some of his sacs may have been influenced by a bit too much whisky. It’s one thing to have a few when playing the white pieces (though we don’t recom- mend it) and quite another if you have the black pieces, as Blackburne had in his game against Alexander Wittek (White) played in Vienna in 1882. With or without whisky, the game began:
Exchange Variation (C01) Alexander Wittek
Joseph Henry Blackburne Vienna, June 1882
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. exd5 exd5 5. Nf3 Bd6 6. Bd3 0-0 7. 0-0 Nc6 8. a3 Bg4 9. Be3 Qd7 10. Re1 Rae8 11. Be2 Qf5
French Defense,
moves, and there may be bonus points— or deductions—for other moves and variations. Note that ** means that the note to Black’s move is over and White’s move is in the next line.**
12. h3 Par Score 5 White wants Black to declare his inten-
tions with the bishop. A key moment is reached. Will Black take the f3-knight or retreat to h5?
12. … Bxh3 Black does neither! Instead he sacri-
fices the bishop for attack, which is right up Blackburne’s alley. But does it work?**
13. gxh3 Par Score 5 White doesn’t have much choice. The
best way to refute a sacrifice is to accept it. Somebody once said that.
13. … Rxe3 One sacrifice leads to another. Black
“sacs the Exchange” (though afterward he’ll really be down a rook, not the Exchange) to make g3 available to the queen.**
14. 14. fxe3 … Par Score 5
Once again, White is left with little choice. Qxh3
The threat is 15. ... Ng4, to be followed
by 16. ... Bh2+ 17. Kh1 Nf2 mate (or 17. ... Bg3+ 18. Kg1 Bf2 mate). Add 1 bonus point if you saw the threat.**
15. Now make sure you have the above
position set up on your chessboard. As you play through the remaining moves in this game, use a piece of paper to cover the arti- cle, exposing White’s next move only after trying to guess it. If you guess correctly, give yourself the par score. Sometimes points are also rewarded for second-best
14 August 2012 | Chess Life Bf1
reposition for defense. 15.
… 16. Bg2 Par Score 5 White attacks the queen, gaining time to Qg3+ Par Score 5 The bishop shields the king and opens
the second rank for resistance by the heavy pieces. It’s hard to say just what it
was Blackburne overlooked when he started this sacrificial melee.
16. … Ne4 Black rejected 16. ... Ng4 because of
17. Re2. Accept 1 bonus point if you con- sidered 16. ... Ng4 and realized that 17. Ne2? wouldn’t have worked because of 17. ... Qf2+ 18. Kh1 Nxe3.**
17. Re2 Par Score 5 Accept only 2 points part credit if you
captured 17. Nxe4. True, this removes an attacker, but 17. ... dxe4 dislodges White’s knight from its strong defensive post at f3.
17. … f5 A rook down, Blackburne can’t stop to
count pawns. The idea is to get the rook into the game.**
18. Nxd5 18. 19. 19. 20. … exf4 … c4 Par Score 5
White collects a pawn while stopping ... Rf8-f6.
f4
Black forces open the f-file but not enough to dent White’s defenses.**
Par Score 5
This meets Black halfway, since White gets the open e-file.
Nf6
There’s no time to play 19. ... Bxf4, as the e4-knight is en prise.**
Par Score 5 Receive only 2 points part credit for 20.
Nxf6+ Rxf6, activating Black’s rook. The text calmly holds the knight at d5, await- ing events.
20. … Nh5 Black focuses on the f4-pawn. If instead
20. ... Nxd5 21. cxd5 Ne7, then 22. Qe1 (1 bonus point) forces a queen trade.**
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