ArcaMax

From a 5-minute game I played yesterday. With a few minutes or seconds left on the clock in any 5-minute game, it becomes important to recognize quickly mating patterns. In this position, the importance of the pin on the f7 pawn is crucial.

Here we have an example of Black playing the first moves well and achieving equality, but then he starts to go astray with the usual result. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3 d5 4.Qa4 f6 5.Bb5 Nge7 6.exd5 Qxd5 7.0–0 Bd7 8.d4 e4? (the first mistake-best was 8...exd4 9.cxd4 Ne5) 9.Nfd2 Ng6 10.Bc4 Qa5?? (the second mistake-best was 10...Qh5) 11.Qb3 f5 12....

Chess games are not infrequently decided by one player not paying attention to little details that are actually a big deal. This game is an example of that. It starts out calmly enough. 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 c6 4.e3 Bf5 5.cxd5 cxd5 6.Nc3 e6 7.Ne5 Nbd7? [But here we have a mistake. Black needed to play 7...Nfd7 8.g4 Bg6 with an equal game, but ...

The particular line Black chose through move ten is still very popular. On move 11, however, he shuts out his bishop to give a square for his queen, and it starts to go downhill.

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Nbd7 6.Nf3 Be7 7.Nxf6+ Nxf6 8.Bd3 b6 9.0–0 Bb7 10.Qe2 0–0 11.Rad1 c6? 12.Ne5 Qc7 13.Qe3 Nd5 (Better was 13...c5 14....

Here are the opening moves of a game that are familiar to most players up to move seven. Then it gets interesting-- 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d3 Nf6 5.Nc3 0–0 6.Bg5 h6 7.h4? hxg5! 8.hxg5 Ng4 9.g6 Nxf2?? (See the diagram) Black falls into the trap. Always look for the freeing move d5 in any 1.e4 e5 game 9...d5 10.Bxd5 Bxf2+ 11.Kf1 Be6 and ...

The Classical French is known as a tough nut to crack, but White does a demolition job on it. The game starts with 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Be7 6.Bxf6 Bxf6 7.Nf3 0–0 8.c3 Nd7 9.Bd3 b6 10.h4 h6 11.Qc2 Bb7 12.0–0–0 Rc8 13.Kb1 Qe7 14.g4 g5? 15.hxg5 hxg5 and now we reach our diagram. How do you continue the attack?

Here’s a Stonewall Attack for your enjoyment. 1.d4 d5 2.e3 e6 3.Bd3 Nf6 4.Nd2 Bd6 5.f4 Nc6 6.c3 Ne7 7.Nh3 0–0 8.0–0 Bd7 9.e4 dxe4 10.Nxe4 Ng6 11.Nxf6+ gxf6 12.f5 exf5 13.Bxf5 Bxf5 14.Rxf5 Kh8 15.Qh5 Rg8 and now our diagram.

This game has barely gotten underway and White is ahead in development, yet the game is essentially over.

This position is from 1841, from a Muzio Gambit, which early in the opening sacrifices a piece for an attack. Here we are in a middle game where White is still a piece down and the queens have been exchanged. Yet there is still a mating attack. Have at it!

A post WWII amateur game. An instructive miniature. Armitage - Reese (C80)UK Army v Navy, 1946. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Nxe4 6.Re1 (Better is 6.d4, but this is tricky)6...Nc5 7.Nc3 (Better is 7.Bxc6) 7...Nxa4 8.Nxe5 Be7 9.Nd5 0–0? (Now would be a good time to bring the knight back so it can go to e6 to block the e-file. 9....

This is a win with one decisive move at the outset that is best.

This requires calculation. Be careful!

A startling brilliancy by Joseph Blackburne of England against Simon Lipschutz in the great New York tournament of 1889. Blackburne said that even world champ Steinitz’s reaction was priceless: “Steintiz bent his head over the board and would scarcely believe that a mating position had been created.

I first thought of just putting the diagram, but people might wonder how the heck that position actually came about in a real game. So, you get a whole briefly annotated game well worth playing over.

A very cute mate in two. White’s first move allows Black five choices.

Queen and rook teamwork necessary here.

As White you’re in a tough spot. Can you figure out a way to avoid a loss here?

Maia Chiburdanidze, women’s world champion for 13 years, won this gem against GM Bent Larsen in 1993.