Last Saturday was the second local online tournament for the 2020-2021 youth chess season. In "
Lessons from a Youth Tournament", I presented an overview of the event and two instructive games. Today's article features some positions where the player on move had an opportunity for immediate checkmate and did not seize the opportunity. Such moments are too frequent in youth play, and can make it difficult to watch youth games.
I remember the first tournament for the player of the Black pieces in the first position. He was young and was winning game after game, including some nice wins against seasoned competitors. Where did he come from? Who is coaching him? He still shows that he can hold his own among all but the very best local players, and even they must bring their A game or suffer the consequences.
I was watching this game as it transpired. Black had an unstoppable checkmate that could be delayed and disrupted by a queen sacrifice, but could not be stopped. He played the first move while I was watching. I then waited for what seemed a long time for the final move and the end of the game. Checking the game times this morning, however, I discovered that this long wait was less than thirty seconds.
Black to move
He played 26...Qd5, threatening checkmate on g2. His opponent blocked the immediate mate with 27.f3. Black still had a mating attack, but it was more complicated. He missed it, too, and White's queenside pawns turned the material advantage back in favor of the first player who eventually won the game.
Our youngest player thoroughly dominated in round two, reaching this position.
Black to move
36...Qxe1+ is still a winning move, of course, but not the move that checkmates. Several moves later, Black suffered the fate of so many youth players who achieve overwhelming force against a weaker opponent: stalemate.
In the final round, the kindergartner once again had a good game with a forced checkmate in two. The first move in the sequence, 29.Nd6+ was played.
White to move
The game continued another eleven moves with White kicking the Black king around. After the game, we learned from a parent that Black offered a draw and White refused, but the game was drawn anyway. I had been watching the conclusion and thought I saw a repetition, which was communicated to the parent. Careful checking confirmed that a position had been reached for the third time with Black on the move each time when Black offered the draw. The game could have ended victoriously for White earlier.
Black won this next game in 63 moves via checkmate, but it is move 35 here.
Black to move
The oldest player missed a forced checkmate in two from this position, although she did win a few moves later. That game was featured in the post linked above.
White to move
In a battle between two second graders, the victorious player missed a quicker finish from this position.
White to move
Finally, Black found checkmate on the second move from this position, but it is available now.
Black to move
Having seen many similar examples of missed checkmates over twenty years of coaching youth players, I have developed a large number of resources for teaching checkmate patterns. Some fifteen years ago, I wrote a small booklet, "A Checklist of Checkmates", that I incorporate into my awards curriculum (see "
Knight Award Problems"). Inquiries concerning this pamphlet can be submitted through the contact link on the right. My self-published
Checkmate and Tactics (2019) contains a fair number of checkmate exercises and its "glossary" explains some of the most common patterns.
Forcing Checkmate (2017) consists of a series of exercises that begin with fifty checkmates in one, then two, then contains a number of exercises where checkmate can be forced in longer sequences up to nine moves. It offers good practice for youth players.
Despite these available now, last weekend's tournament has motivated me to develop additional materials. Young players, in my opinion, should be regularly solving simple checkmate exercises on a regular basis. You cannot win the game if you cannot find checkmate.
