Building Pattern Understanding

My intention with my after school club on Thursday was to reinforce some opening principles by showing the students some short games where king safety or piece mobility was horribly neglected by one player. Nonetheless, most of the miniatures that I shared from memory concerned a weakened e1-h4 diagonal--an important pattern.

The first two were exceptions, but both involved quick knockouts of the Caro-Kann Defense, which should be solid. The first game was played over-the-board in 2011 when I arrived twenty minutes late for round two. 

Stripes,J. -- Opponent
Eastern Washington Open, 1 October 2011

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.Nf3 h6

6...e6 or 6...Nf6 would be normal.

7.Ne5 Bh7 8.Bc4 e6 9.Qh5 Qe7

This unfortunate blocking in of the bishop is the computer's top recommendation to my surprise.

10.O-O Nf6 11.Qe2 Nbd7 12.Bf4

I wanted to maintain a piece on e5.

12...O-O-O??

12...Nxe5 13.Bxe5 and White is slightly better.

White to move

I asked the students to find my move.

13.Nxc6 and Black resigned facing checkmate or the loss of his queen.

The second game was played online. A catastrophic blunder spoiled a difficult but playable position that I have done well against.

Stripes,J. -- Internet Opponent

Chess.com 3 April 2024

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.h4 h6?!

4...h5 and 4...c5 both get played against me regularly.

5.g4!? Be4 6.f3 Bh7 7.e6! fxe6

7...Qd6 might be best here. I've seen it once.

8.Bd3 Bxd3 9.Qxd3

Black to move

9...Nd7??

9...e5 or 9...Qd6 are playable.

10.Qg6#

Then, I showed the students the first game in Irving Chernev, The 1000 Best Short Games of Chess (1955).

Gibauld -- Lazard

Paris 1924

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nd2 e5 3.dxe5 Ng4 4.h3??

Black to move

4...Ne3 and White resigned.

After showing this game to some online students one morning in 2021, I played the following game that afternoon. Pulling the game from my database reminded me that I played an identical game again in 2023.

Stripes,J.--Internet Opponent
Chess.com 7 October 2021

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nd2 e5 3.dxe5 Ng4 4.Ngf3 d6

Watch what develops as it will appear in another game, too.

5.exd6 Bxd6 6.h3??

Black to move

6...Ne3 7.fxe3 Bg3#

The next game was presented to the students as one that I saw at the Mead High School Chess Club about 2006, but others have played it, too. It seems that I even played it on chess.com once in 2009.

A Visitor -- A Mead Team Member
Mead High School c.2006

1.f4 e5 2.fxe5 d6 3.exd6 Bxd6 

White to move

4.Nc3??

When I've had the diagram position against Michael Cambareri, he has played 4.Nf3 or 4.d5. I usually end up losing after a battle.

My students found the conclusion quickly.

4...Qh4+ 5.g3 Qxg3+

5...Bxg3+ 6.hxg3 Qxg3# is more common.

6.hxg3 Bxg3#

This next game is the source for the banner at the top of the page. It was played online in less than a minute during my lunch break while teaching chess in elementary school classrooms.

Internet Opponent -- Stripes,J.
Chess.com 18 January 2012

1.e4 e6 2.f4 c5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nf6!? 6.e5 Ne4 7.Bd3 Qh4+ 8.g3 Nxg3 9.Nf3

Black to move

9...Qg4??

9...Qh3 was best.

10.hxg3

10.Rg1 was slightly better.

10...Qxg3+ 11.Ke2??

11.Kf1 and White is much better.

11...Qg2+

White to move

12.Ke3?

Moves into checkmate. 12.Ke1 loses the rook, but holds out longer.

12...Bc5+ 13.Ke4 f5+ 

With students, I always ask them to find the only move to get out of check. En passant is difficult for young chess players.

14.exf6 d5#

The last game appears in Emanuel Lasker, Common Sense in Chess (1917), has been played by Eric Rosen more than once, and appears in his video and Lichess Study on the Stafford Gambit. I have played the entire game nine times on chess.com.

Several Players -- Stripes,J.
chess.com November 2022 - October 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 Nc6 4.Nxc6 dxc6 5.d3 Bc5 6.Bg5??

Black to move

6...Nxe4

I played 6...O-O the first time that I found myself in this position and won after a long battle.

7.Bxd8?

White still loses with 7.Be3, the best option. Eric Rosen's study offers the variations and I showed the main ones to my students.

7...Bxf2+ 8.Ke2 Bg4#

I hope my students will guard the diagonal leading to their king and also will exploit the vulnerability when their opponent fails to do so.