Re the sad passing of J Doyle - a game which shows how dangerous Jimmy could be, and which set me thinking about the role of chance in chess, at least amongst the lesser chess mortals.
W Buchanan - Jimmy Doyle, Edinburgh Scottish, 2009
1. c4 e5 2. g3 h5 3. Nc3 h4 4. Bg2 hxg3 5. fxg3 Bc5 6. d3 Nf6 7. Bg5 Bf2+ 8. Kd2
Jimmy started to think intently. White has been a bit frisky on these black squares, and in allowing his K to be displaced.
8...Rh5
This is committal, but I didn't get what Black was up to.
9. Nf3
9. Bxf6 is safer, and better than it looks.
9....Rxg5 !? Unexpected, and deep.
10. Nxg5 Be3+!
11. Kxe3 Ng4+
12. Kd2
This is forced. We later looked at 12 Kf3 Qxg5 and the WK was mated in two attempts - one on the h file and the other on the a file!
However the engine complains that instead of capturing the N, 12 ...Qf6+! leads to a quick mate.
12...Qxg5+ 13. Ke1
There are various ways in which a few moves ago it would look like Black can at least regain the material.
A shot like 13...Nxh2 would ordinarily be good, but Black now misses his h-pawn - he can't untangle on the open h-file after 14 Ne4; if the N moves, Rh8+ will be deadly.
On the dangerous-looking 13...Qe3 White has Ne4 and if f5, Bf3 saves the piece.
However Black's main intention I believe was the move played.
13...Ne3
This wins the B on g2; only temporarily however, as the N is trapped on g2 after the fortuitous 14 Qc1.
14 Qc1 Nxg2+ 15 Kf2.
Surprisingly, even with the WK exposed after 15... Nf4 16 exf4, there isn't anything B can do to it.
As Black's clever combination unfolded on me I thought the game would end in a perpetual after 15... Nf4 16 gxf4 Qh4+ , which would have been lucky enough for me. I imagine on move 8 or 9, Black thought this was the least he would have.
Unfortunately for Black, it turns out there's not even a perpetual - as the WK escapes to the d-file after 17 Kg2, only going to f1 when B plays Qg4+, blocking the Black B from going to the h3 square after a ...d6.
So Black was obliged to swap queens on move 15.
Such finesses would be very hard to see on move 8 or 9.
To borrow a snooker term, with the 'run of the pieces' in any of the variations around move 13-16 Black could have chalked up a brilliant and deserved victory.
Perhaps in some dystopian future, a brain-intrusive program will rate your moves according to what you actually saw. That would have produced a very different outcome in this game to the actual result!
W Buchanan - Jimmy Doyle, Edinburgh Scottish, 2009
1. c4 e5 2. g3 h5 3. Nc3 h4 4. Bg2 hxg3 5. fxg3 Bc5 6. d3 Nf6 7. Bg5 Bf2+ 8. Kd2
Jimmy started to think intently. White has been a bit frisky on these black squares, and in allowing his K to be displaced.
8...Rh5
This is committal, but I didn't get what Black was up to.
9. Nf3
9. Bxf6 is safer, and better than it looks.
9....Rxg5 !? Unexpected, and deep.
10. Nxg5 Be3+!
11. Kxe3 Ng4+
12. Kd2
This is forced. We later looked at 12 Kf3 Qxg5 and the WK was mated in two attempts - one on the h file and the other on the a file!
However the engine complains that instead of capturing the N, 12 ...Qf6+! leads to a quick mate.
12...Qxg5+ 13. Ke1
There are various ways in which a few moves ago it would look like Black can at least regain the material.
A shot like 13...Nxh2 would ordinarily be good, but Black now misses his h-pawn - he can't untangle on the open h-file after 14 Ne4; if the N moves, Rh8+ will be deadly.
On the dangerous-looking 13...Qe3 White has Ne4 and if f5, Bf3 saves the piece.
However Black's main intention I believe was the move played.
13...Ne3
This wins the B on g2; only temporarily however, as the N is trapped on g2 after the fortuitous 14 Qc1.
14 Qc1 Nxg2+ 15 Kf2.
Surprisingly, even with the WK exposed after 15... Nf4 16 exf4, there isn't anything B can do to it.
As Black's clever combination unfolded on me I thought the game would end in a perpetual after 15... Nf4 16 gxf4 Qh4+ , which would have been lucky enough for me. I imagine on move 8 or 9, Black thought this was the least he would have.
Unfortunately for Black, it turns out there's not even a perpetual - as the WK escapes to the d-file after 17 Kg2, only going to f1 when B plays Qg4+, blocking the Black B from going to the h3 square after a ...d6.
So Black was obliged to swap queens on move 15.
Such finesses would be very hard to see on move 8 or 9.
To borrow a snooker term, with the 'run of the pieces' in any of the variations around move 13-16 Black could have chalked up a brilliant and deserved victory.
Perhaps in some dystopian future, a brain-intrusive program will rate your moves according to what you actually saw. That would have produced a very different outcome in this game to the actual result!