My Longest Online Chess Game

 

While my search for my oldest recorded Chess game continues, I have digressed into finding my longest online Chess game.  This game was started on 25 September 2014, and again, I was Black.  Again, I faced e4 and replied ... e5.  I know this is very one-sided, but it's purely coincidental that I won this game too.  It's got a few interesting decisions throughout (I still think Chess is a game more than a logic puzzle) but a positive ending for me.  My opponent, New_Titanic, resigned, otherwise this long game could have been even longer.   

1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bb5 a6

The way I usually play the Ruy Lopez as Black.  I'm happy to play 4. Bxf6 5. bxf6 Nxe5 6. Qd5 and then capture White's e-pawn.

4. Ba4 Nf6
5. d4 Nxe4
6. O-O b5

I'm not sure why I didn't play ... exd4, although I suspect that it would have lost to Bxf6, and hence I played ... b5 instead.  Not perfect, but playable.

7. Bb3 Bb7
8. dxe5 Be7
9. Qd5 Nxe5?

I don't think I was concentrating, because here is the first of my blunders.  Surely my move loses on the spot to Qxb7; even ...c6 is not going to be a sufficient response.  I'm not sure where my head was, because this was a poor series of moves from me.

10. Qxe5 O-O
11. Bd5 Bxd5
12. Qxd5 Nf6
13. Qd1 Ne4
14. Ne5 Bd6
15. Re1 Nxf2

I'm not sure if this was brave or stupid.  My thought was if Kxf2, then Qf6+ should win me the knight on e5.  Either way, I'm threatening the Queen which thought it was safe on d1.

16. Qd5 Qh4
17. Nf3 Bxh2+

I think I'm overcomplicating this, because Nxh2 is surely a safe move from white, leaving me material down.  Whichever it is, it seems like White is equally confused, and plays a safe move.

18. Kf1 Qg3
19. Nxh2 Nh1

Threatening checkmate, and moving my knight from the frying pan into the fire.

20. Qf3 Qxh2
21. Bf4 Qh4
22. Nd2 d6
23. g3 Nxg3+
24. Qxg3 Qh1+
25. Ke2 Qh5+
26. Qf3 Rfe8+
27. Kd1 Rxe1+

Forced, although I'd prefer not to trade (being a piece down).  My Queen is still en prise and my rook isn't looking great on e8.  My complications have got the better of me and I'm in trouble.  I'm not even well-developed.

28. Kxe1 Qh4+
29. Kd1 Re8

Two pieces down and trying to complicate as much as possible.  This is another transparent checkmate threat.

30. Bg3 Qd4
31. Kc1 Qg1+
32. Nf1 h6
33. Kb1 Re6
34. Bh4 Qd4

Re-centralising my Queen.  If White plays Qa8+ he will need to be aware of my possible move Qd1#.  I'm also threatening his Bishop on h4, so while I don't have much to do, I'm making the most of it.

35. Bf2 Qf6?
36. Qa8+ Kh7
37. Qg2? Re2!
38. Bh4 Rxg2
39. Bxf6 Rg1
40. b3? Rxf1+

Winning back all the material after two White blunders.  I'm now four pawns up, including three unopposed passed pawns on the kingside.  The long-term view (for me) is very positive; all I need to do know is shepherd them home.

41. Kb2 Rxf6
42. a4 b4
43. Re1 Re6
44. Rf1 f6
45. Rf4 c5
46. a5 g5
47. Rf1 h5
48. Rf2 h4
49. c3 bxc3+
50. Kxc3 Kg6
51. Kc4 Re5
52. Rd2 Re4+
53. Kc3 Rd4
54. Rh2 f5
55. Re2 Kf6
56. Re8 h3
57. Rf8+ Ke5
58. Re8+ Kf4
59. Kc2 h2
60. Rh8 Kg3
61. Rh5 Rh4

Blundering to the end.  Surely Rg4 was better, protecting the g-pawn.  But no, not me - I'm going to play this game my way!

62. Rxg5+ Kh3
63. Rxf5 h1=Q

Brute force.  Effective, but lengthy.

64. Kd2 Rd4+
65. Ke3 Qe4+ 

Centralised Rook and Queen against an isolated and defenceless King?  And I'm about to pick up White's Rook for good measure.

0-1

Some of my other Chess games that you may be interested in:

Playing the English Defence
My first face-to-face club game
My earliest online Chess game
My very earliest Chess game (it was even earlier than I thought)
The Chess game I'm most proud of - where I made the situation too complicated for my opponent, causing him to lose a piece; I then found a fork and finished off with a piece sacrifice

And some of my Ruy Lopez games (seems everybody wants to play this if they aren't going to use the Patzer).

Ruy Lopez with 2 ... f6
Ruy Lopez game with 3 ... Nf6 4 O-O
Ruy Lopez Exchange Variation

My Very Earliest Online Chess Game

 The search continues.  I thought my previous post on my earliest online Chess game was the earliest, at 2020.  I've beaten that, with a Chess game from 2014.  Given that my blog was launched in 2010, I think I might have to search even harder (and just include this game of Chess from 2010, and this game of Chess from the last few weeks of 2009).

Anyway, here's my first Chess game on Chess.com, and this one is another long-term game, with a move every three days.

I played Black, against fergosa, on 20 June 2014.

1. e4 e5
2. Bc4 Nf6

It was a recurring theme of my earliest online Chess games that my opponents would try to mate me as quickly as possible, and would therefore play ill-advised or reckless moves.  That's why I wrote a number of articles about the Patzer's opening.  Meanwhile, I would play the sensible replies and gain an advantage from a more stable position.
  
3. d3 Nc6
4. Bg5 Be7
5. Bxf6 gxf6

No, it's not great to double my pawns, and I'm sure this would be criticised by all the experts, but I want to open the g file in case my opponent castles short.

6. Qh5 O-O
7. Qg4+ Kh8

Ok, he got a check, but my king is safe in the corner and I've vacated the g-file for my rook.

8. Qd1 f5
9. exf5 d5

Well, goodbye to my doubled pawns, and hello to an activated bishop and a pawn break in the centre.

10. Bb5 Nd4
11. Ba4 Bxf5
12. Nf3 Bg4
13. Nbd2 e4

"Always attack pinned pieces."

14. h3 Bxf3
15. Nxf3 exf3

I wonder if I could have played this better, but in the end I shattered white's kingside pawns - before he can castle short - and was a knight up.  And it's an advanced knight, in the middle of the board.

16. gxf3 c6
17. O-O Qd7

He castled kingside?  Surely the end is nigh!  I played c6 to shore up my pawn, and also to give me the d7 square for my queen.  I'm now eyeing h3.

18. c3? Qxh3

Surely 18. Kh2 was better?  Oh well...

19. b3? Rg8# 

Fiddling with queenside pawns while I finally get to place my rook on the g8 square.  And deliver checkmate!

Not perfect, but a lot of fun! 

My Earliest Online Chess Game

 Way, way back in the dim and distant past, this blog was launched and called, "Dave's Chess Games", and was going to exclusively feature my Chess games - instructive, successful, disastrous, educational and bizarre.  I soon realised, however, that Chess blogs are two-a-penny and written by Chess players with far more skill in the game than me.  The blog was retitled Chess, Opinions, Maths and Puzzles; then it was changed to Web Analytics, Maths and Puzzles.  Looking at recent content, it could probably be called, "What is he going to write about next?" with a focus on mathematical, analytical and numerical content, and some science fiction thrown in for good measure.  Who knows?

What I do know, though, is that I've been playing Chess for a while, and playing online for about 10 years, starting on the Google Chess app, back when we had Google homepages. 

This may not be the oldest game I've played, but it's certainly a start: 7 September 2020.

The time control for this game is one move every three days, so blunders are to be criticised!

I was playing direct Chess back then, and this is what happened:  I was Black.

1.e4 e5
2.Bc4 Nf6 

All fairly standard.  I'm not going to let White play Qh5 and start making my life difficult.

3. d3 Be7

 4. Nf3 d6
5. O-O Bg4
6. h3 Bh5 

If and when White plays g4, I will almost certainly sacrifice one of my minor pieces to open up the files in front of his king.  I will then also advance my g and h pawns.  We'll see.

7. Nc3 Nc6
8. Be3 Qd7
9. Qd2 g5
10. Nxg5 Rg8
11. g4 

So, White has advanced his g pawn.  I've placed my queen on the c8-h3 diagonal, so it seems like the ideal time to sacrifice (especially since I have also place my rook on the g file).  I suspect this was as serious blunder by White - what else would I do?

11. ...   Nxg4
12. hxg4 Qxg4+
13. Kh2 Qh4+
14. Nh3 Bg4
15. Ne2 Qxh3+

There goes White's h pawn.

16. Kg1 Bf3+
17. Ng3 Qg2# 0-1

Whenever you join a new online Chess club or site, and start off as an unranked player, it seems like everybody wants to try and mate you as quickly as possible.  You're fresh meat and you're probably not very good (unlike the long-standing mediocre players you're about to face).  So a good plan against 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 is probably a good idea.  You can play the Sicilian (1 ... c5) or like me, play Nf6.  That should slow them down a bit.

Next:  My very earliest online Chess game (I found one that pre-dates this!)

Chess Game: Co-ordination

I know, it's been a long time since I published a Chess game on this blog. It's a bit disappointing for a website called daveschessgames.blogspot.com, but that's the way it goes sometimes! I played this blitz game on chess.com last week, and even as I was playing it - at high speed - I realised how well co-ordinated my pieces were, and how poorly my opponent's were. Rooks are better when they're either connected or doubled (covering each other horizontally or vertically) and are of no benefit when they're disconnected (on different ranks and files). Bishops, meanwhile, work best on long, open diagonals. Long, or open, but ideally both. hernin1 vs David, 19 February 2022, 10 mins per player.

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 I was taught to always capture towards the centre, and it makes sense here.

6. Qf3 Bb7 7. Bc4 d5 8. exd5 cxd5 9. Bb3

9. ...  Bb4+ 

10. Bd2 Qe7+ 

11. Qe2 Qxe2+ 

12. Kxe2 Ba6+ 

13. Kd1 Bxd2

White loses castling rights, and strands his king in the centre of the board.  Still, that can't be too dangerous with the queens off the board, right?
 

14. Nxd2 O-O 

15. Re1 c5 

16. c4 d4 

...and I've blocked White's bishop out of the game - at least temporarily.  If I can move my bishop to b7, then it will have an uncontested view of the long diagonal.  And with c4, I've also created a passed pawn.

17. Ne4 Nxe4 

18. Rxe4 Bb7 

19. Rg4 

A strange but necessary move to protect the pawn on g2.  White's rooks are now completely separated from each other - it would take several moves to get them on the same rank or file, and white has also vacated the central e-file. I'll be looking to take ownership of that e-file...

19. ... Rfe8 ... and there's no time like the present.

20. Bc2 Re7
21. a4 Rae8 

I'm not sure what a4 was aiming for, but I now have doubled rooks on the open e-file.  My bishop stands unchallenged on the long diagonal, while white's pieces are in disarray.  And the worst of it?  I'm threatening to capture white's rook with with 22. ... Re1+ and Rxa1

22. Kd2 Re2+  white plays the best move (avoiding the loss of the rook on a1), but is heading for trouble.

 23. Kd3 Rxf2

 24. Rd1 Re3# 0-1

White moved the rook to a safer square, but neglected his open king.  Yes, this was as blitz game, but I was very pleased with how I handled the pieces.  I was also surprised at how my opponent failed to co-ordinate his pieces, which were spread across the board with no clear aim, and subsequently fell to a direct attack in the centre of the board.  

Reckless Chess: Part 3 - Online Game

 I've blogged before about the fun I have playing reckless Chess, and earlier this week I wrapped up an online correspondence game which featured a sacrifice and a breakthrough on the kingside.  In this game, I remembered to wait until my opponent had castled before I went all-in.

I was Black, playing against Gaunah, and it was a Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defence.

1. e4 e5
2. Bc4 Nf6
3. d3 Be7
4. Nf3 d6
5. O-O Bg4
6. h3 Bh5
7. Nc3 Nc6
8. Be3 Qd7

 

Preparing to castle queenside, and moving my queen onto the h3 diagonal, which will be ideal if I can induce my opponent into playing g4.

9. Qd2 g5 



A temporary sacrifice.  I am confident I can get my king to safety in time, but don't need to immediately.  Instead, I want to open lines against White's king and target the g- and h- pawns.  Most boring computer engines tell me I should play Na5, but I'm playing on the kingside, not putting pieces on the opposite edge of the board.

10. Nxg5 Rg8 
11. g4

This was a real surprise, and a definite bonus for me.  Having moved my rook onto the g-file, I did not expect my opponent to start pushing his kingside pawns and creating opportunities and space - and certainly not so soon.  My opponent had realised he couldn't retreat his knight, in the face of Qxh3 or Bxf3.

11.  ... Nxg4
12. hxg4 

At this point, Stockfish declares that checkmate by Black is unavoidable.  

12  ... Qxg4+
13. Kh2 Qh4+
14. Nh3 Bg4
15. Ne2

Covering g1 and g3, but there are multiple paths open now, all of them heading the same way.

15. ...  Qxh3+
16. Kg1 Bf3+
17. Ng3 Qg2# 0-1

The final position.

Some of my other Chess games:

My very earliest online Chess game
My most bizarre Chess game
My favourite Chess game

Reckless Chess, Part 2

My online Blitz Chess games seem to be developing a pattern, and it's a trend which is suiting me very nicely.

1. e4   e5
2. Nf3  Nc6
3. Bc4  d6
4.  0-0  Bg4
5. Re1 Nf6
6. h3  Bh5
7. g4  Nxg4

This is now the second time I've been able to pile in with this king-side sacrifice, and it's going fairly well.  Clearly it's wrong-footing my opponents, but it removes two of the three pawns in front of his king, and gives me a some entertaining games playing with my queen in front of his king:

8. hxg4 Bxg4 
9. Re3 Nd4 



Piling on the pressure, and developing my pieces while White's pieces stay in their starting positions.

10. c3 Nxf3+ 
11. Rxf3 Bxf3 
12. Bxf7+ Kxf7   

13. Qxf3+  Ke8 

Maybe my opponent thought a counter-sacrifice would work, but all he's done here is give me more material - I'm now ahead by the exchange and a pawn - and he's kindly opened the f-file.

14. d4 Qh4  - direct Chess at its most fun.
15. Kf1 Be7 
16. dxe5 Rf8 
17. Qe2 

Black (me) to play, played dxe5 and missed Qh1#

17.   ....   dxe5 (missing Qh1#)
18. Qb5+ c6 
0-1

The threats piling up around the white king include Qxf1# and if Qe1 then Qh1#.  There's also cxQ if White doesn't move his Queen.

As I said, I am enjoying the sacrifice on the g4 square, and so far it's reaping its benefit against people trying to play some form of Fried Liver Attack, with Nf3 and Bc4.

More to follow, I'm sure!

Some of my other Chess games:

My very earliest online Chess game
My most bizarre Chess game
My favourite Chess game