... that just as my chess-Friday ended by winning a cc game with a combination checkmate involving Knight, Queen, pawns, and a Rook, my chess-Saturday should end similarly.
The two games were played against different opponents, in different tournaments hosted by different chess clubs, but still... In the Saturday night checkmate it is my Rook that making the primary attack, but the Queen, Knight, and pawns all play their parts by sealing off any possible flight squares to which the Black King could try to escape.
The board at the end of the Saturday night game is pictured above, and its move record is below:
In my Saturday morning mail was a notice that I'd won another correspondence chess club tournament game.
After my Black Queen captured his White Queen at 24...Qxd4 White resigned from our game giving me the victory by default. He was right to do this. After losing his Queen he had only one major piece left in his army, that lonely Rook on the f1 square. My Black army, on the other hand, had five major pieces including my Queen, the Bishop pair, and a Knight. With my overwhelming material advantage, checkmating his King was inevitable.
Our board at game's end is pictured above, and our move record below:
Tonight I won this correspondence chess game with a Knight-pawn-Queen-Rook combination checkmate. My c6-Knight is the attacking piece. Black has nothing that can capture that Knight, and every possible flight square to which his King might try to escape is covered by that Knight, or by the pawns on the 4th rank, or by my White Queen, or by my a1-Rook. So... checkmate
The position of pieces at games end is pictured above, and our full move record is below:
My opponent playing the White pieces simply let her clock run out in this Corrrespondence Chess game yesterday without making a move, giving me a win with Black by default. We were playing with the very relaxed time control of 5 days per move, so she had plenty of time to politely resign if she wanted to. But, nooo... she just silently walked away.
At least we'd made enough moves so this counts as a real game, and I do get credit for the win, so there is that.
The final position of the pieces is above, and our complete, but very short move record is below:
Email this morning brought notification that I'd won another Correspondence Chess game as my opponent playing White resigned, giving me the win by default..
My 14...Nxf3+, forking White's King, his Queen, and his Rook does look rather dramatic on the face of it. White's next move, of course would have been to capture that attacking Knight with his g-pawn.
But then I could have put his King in check again with another fork attack, my Black Bishop taking his f-pawn, the Bishop there being defended by my Knight at g4. After he moved his King to safety I'd have traded that Bishop for his e1-Rook.
This was my first time playing this particular opponent, and I'm rather surprised that he resigned the game to me when he did. Some guys are really attached to their Rooks, and losing one feels almost like losing a Queen to them. Perhaps he's one of those. Who knows?
At any rate, our board at game's end is pictured above and our full move record is below.
I FINALLY won this Correspondence Chess game that seemed to drag on forever. Black simply would not give up even when he had no chance of winning. He was probably hoping to force a stalemate if I failed to manage my pawns and Rook properly. But... that was not to be.
My checkmate was finally delivered with my 53rd move this afternoon.. Position of pieces at game's end is posted above, and our full move record below:
... I'm finally all caught up on my chess work, and I have two College Bowl Games to watch today.
My schedule was thrown off enough during Christmas week that my chess work was cut back quite a bit. Oh sure, I moved in some games almost every day, but today was the first day in almost a week that I've been able to work on every single game for which I have moves pending.
Now I've got plenty of time-cushion built up in all my games, so I'm not under time-pressure anywhere. And of my twenty or so ongoing games there are only about ten that require serious study and analysis. Still, it's good to be back to where I can give all my games the attention they deserve.
And today's chess work is out of the way giving me plenty of time to enjoy Oklahoma State in the Cheez-It Bowl later this afternoon and Texas in the Alamo Bowl tonight.
...thanks to my daughter, I got to watch a great-grandson and two great-granddaughters laugh and play with Christmas toys. And I got to wish them all (and they,me) Merry Christmas!
My daughter and son-in-law drove an hour this morning through the Midwestern Winter to pick up the great-granddaughters so she could watch them for the weekend. And she took them to visit her other daughter and son-in-law and her grandson (my great-grandson.) As the kids were playing she called me via video chat and we had the most delightful visit!
From a thousand miles away Sylvia and I were watching and laughing and visiting with the great-grandbabies. And THIS was such a wonderful Christmas present! Thanks so much, Heather!
And the adventure continues.
Published on 26 December 2020, ~ 15:10 Central Time.
... shall be the 2020 New Mexico Bowl. And the kick-off time is scheduled for just a shade over an hour from now as I sit here at the keyboard.
This comes after one of Sylvia's big breakfasts: stuffed omelet, bacon, stack of pancakes. And it finds me enjoying a quiet, happy day: a most pleasant Christmas Eve.
