SolitaireChess The LosingWay By Bruce Pandolfini
Dr. Limbos, I presume? AHollywood legend shows the danger of reckless pawn moves and neglected development.
It doesn’t take much to lose a chess
game. Aside from hanging mate or one’s pieces, a potential losing player could make weakening pawn moves and fall behind in development. The combination of those two deadly sins can be fatal for the side committing them. This is true for introductory players, and even for the best player in Hollywood, Humphrey Bog- art. As Black in the following game, facing a medical man, Dr. Paul Limbos, Bogart weakens his kingside and allows a lethal intrusion to the seventh rank. The fact that our example was played in Stan- leyville, in the heart of the African continent, in no way mitigates the situ- ation. Poor development and bad pawn moves lose there, too. Ourmonthly offer- ing began:
French Defense, Exchange Variation (C01) Dr. Paul Limbos Humphrey Bogart Stanleyville, 1951
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 rnlqklnr
p pp +ppp + +p+ +
+ +p+ + + PP+ +
+ + + + PPP+ PPP R NLQKLNR
Your starting position Now make sure you have the above
position set up on your chessboard. As you play through the remainingmoves in this game, use a piece of paper to cover the article, exposing White’s next move
16 Chess Life — August 2011
only after trying to guess it. If you guess correctly, give yourself the par score. Sometimes points are also rewarded for second-best moves, and there may be bonus points—or deductions—for other moves and variations. Note that **means that the note to Black’smove is over and White’s move is in the next line.**
3.
3. exd5. 3.
Nc3 …
threat of ... d5xe4.** 4.
exd5 … Par Score: 5 Full credit for 4. e5, the main alterna-
tive when nothing gets taken. 4.
exd5 After 4. ... Qxd5 5. Nf3, followed by 6.
Bd3 and 7. 0-0, Black has to make a concession: eithermove the queen again or yield the two bishops, ... Bb4xc3.**
5.
Ng1-e2. 5.
Bd3 …
ports ... Bc8-f5.** 6.
Ne2 Par Score: 5 White might have tried 6. Bg5, but
prefers getting his king to safety. Also he doesn’t want his knight pinned, 6. Nf3 Bg4. After the text he can conveniently answer ... Bc8-g4with f2-f3 (1 bonus point).
6. 7. 7.
…
0-0 …
Par Score: 5 c6 Black strengthens the d5-pawn. He 0-0 Par Score: 5 With this, White retains the option of Nf6 More flexible is 5. ... Ne7, which sup- Par Score: 5 Receive full credit for 3. Nd2, 3. e5, or Bb4 Black pins the knight and renews the
also might have tried 7. ... h6.** 8.
Bg5 8. Par Score: 5
This pin proves to be annoying. …
Nbd7 Black upholds f6, freeing his queen,
but retarding development by blocking the c8-bishop.**
9. Ng3 … Par Score: 5 The knight aims for f5 or h5. More-
over, White’s queen now observes h5. 9.
10. Bh4 is met by 10. ... g5.** 10.
Nh5 … Par Score: 5 The pressure mounts against f6 and
White menaces busting up the kingside. 10.
Nxh5 Whitemight answer 10. ... Qd6 with 11.
Re1, threatening 12. Bf4 (trapping the queen).**
11. Qxh5 Par Score: 4 Award yourself 1 bonus point for seeing
ahead of time that this recapture would threaten mate.
11. … g6 Take 1 bonus point if you realized that
11. ... h6 invites the sac 12. Bxh6 gxh6 13. Qxh6, when 13. ... f5 is answered by 14. Bxf5 Rxf5 15. Qg6+.**
12.
square. 12.
Qh6 Par Score: 4 White sinks the queen on the weak h6- … f5 If 12. ... Nb6?, then 13. Bf6 and Qg7
mate (1 bonus point). Add 2 bonus points more if you analyzed the line 12. ... f6 13. Bxg6 hxg6 14. Qxg6+ Kh8 15. Qh6+ Kg8 16. Bf4 Bd6 17. Rae1!!.**
uschess.org Qc7 Black could have tried 9. ... h6, when
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