Assorted amusements

The games presented below illustrate some of the zaniest aspects of chess and computers.

In the position below, it is White's move. What should happen? See how deeply you can envision the correct play for both sides.









In fact I had this position against the Fidelity Mach III in a casual tournament-speed game, and a quite astonishing thing happened. I think the reader will be amused by it as much as I was. It was from this game that I learned the awesome computational power of the computer (and this was only 1990!), but I also learned that at times this very strength could prove the computer's worst enemy.










Position after:

(1) Bengtson,M (1905) - Fidelity Mach III (2265) [B80]
Informal match Reading, PA, Feb 5, 1989

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6 6.g4 This was new territory for me. It's important to try out many different openings against the computers. They are not nearly as good at the open Sicilian as one would guess; human understanding in these positions (not necessarily mine!) is very impressive indeed and small inaccuracies are often costly. 6...a6 7.g5 Nfd7 8.Be3 Be7 This "development" approach (usually combined with ..Nc6) strikes me as rather odd, together with ..a6 (which prepares queenside counterplay). Probably the theoretical ..b5 is more logical. 9.h4 0-0 10.Qd2 Now I figure I'm only two more pawn pushes away from some action. 10...b5 11.0-0-0 Bb7 12.f3?! Now I dislike this move; 12.a3 is simpler and not as weakening as I thought. 12...b4 13.Nce2 d5 Now Black is opening up and White's pieces are all jumbled together. 14.exd5 Bxd5 15.Nf4!? Bxa2 The predictable "computer" reaction. Now all hell will definitely break loose; White has to sacrifice material but he will get a ferocious attack in return. The problem with this move is not that Black will necessarily lose the bishop (and ..Qa5 will even give play against the king) but that the bishop can't control squares anymore. 16.b3 e5 17.g6!? HELL-looo!! Now I definitely can dig into those light squares and get some open lines, but material considerations could be a problem too. 17...hxg6 18.Nxg6 fxg6?? A terrible mistake; this definitely was the wrong knight to take. 19.Bc4+ Kh8 20.h5 This pawn gets to have some fun as a battering ram; clearly something has gone badly wrong for Black. 20...g5 21.h6 g6 22.Ne6 Qa5 23.Qd3 Nc6 Cleverly using tactics to develop the queenside. 24.Qxg6 Now I figured this is pretty good, it will go Rg8, then I sack the queen on g7, I'll have a rook check, a knight discovery, I can pick up the Nd7, something good ought to happen. However, I had no idea that I might have a forced mate within the computer's horizon. [24.Qxd7?? Qa3+ 25.Kd2 Rad8 26.Nxd8 Rxd8] 24...Qa3+ 25.Kd2 Qc1+?? A little publicized weakness of computers: obviously nobody ever told them it's better to keep the queen and get mated a move sooner! 26.Kxc1 Rg8 27.Qg7+ Rxg7 28.hxg7+ Kg8 29.Rh8+?! [29.Nd4+! Kxg7 30.Nf5+ Kf6 31.Rh6+ Kxf5 32.Be6#] 29...Kf7 30.Rxa8? Missing yet another mate that the computer saw long ago! Nowadays, I am better tactically and I'd like to think I'd have found at least one of those mates! [30.Nf8+! Kxg7 31.Rg8+ Kf6 32.Rg6+ Kf5 33.Be6#] 30...Ndb8 It is interesting to contemplate this position with the black queen back on a5; even there White may stand quite well. 31.Rh1 a5 32.Rh8 Kf6 33.g8Q Nd7 34.Qxg5+ Kf7 35.Rh7# 1-0

How could I have contrived to lose this position with plenty of time left, on move with White?? Those experienced with the vagaries of chess on the internet might be able to propose a solution.









Here is the game from which it was taken:










Position after:

(2) scriabin (2070) - jos (2065) [A70]
FICS game 5 12 Feb. 13, 1998

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.e4 g6 7.Bd3 Bg7 8.h3 0-0 9.Nf3 Nbd7?! 10.0-0 Nb6? Apparently this computer wasn't too well up on theory, but this knight move is typical "computer." 11.Re1 Bd7 12.Bf4 Be8 Is the bishop more "developed" here than on c8? [12...Nc8 13.e5] 13.Qd2 c4 14.Bf1 White already has a winning positional advantage. 14...Nh5 15.Bh6 f6 A profoundly disgusting move, and I can't find any motivation for it, except that it underestimated the gravity of the e6 hole. 16.Nd4 Rf7 17.Rad1 Qe7 18.Be3 No reason to trade pieces now! 18...Bh8 19.g4 Ng7 20.f4 h5?! As usual, "activity" in such positions, unless it genuinely confuses the issue, only helps the opponent. 21.Bg2 hxg4 22.hxg4 Bd7 23.Bf3 Ne8 24.Qg2 Rh7 25.Kf2 Nc7 26.Rh1 The player with a space advantage will generally find better employment for his rooks. 26...Rxh1 27.Rxh1 Bg7 28.f5 Be8 29.Qh2 Kf8 30.Qh7 Bf7 Why not at least ..g5? 31.fxg6 Bg8 32.Qh2 Qe5 33.Nf5 Qxh2+ 34.Rxh2 Only something truly extraordinary could save the Black position now. 34...Ne8 35.Bf4 Rd8 36.Nb5 Nc8 37.Rh1 a6 38.Nbd4 Ne7 39.Nxe7 Kxe7 40.Rc1 White will open a file on the queenside with devastating effect. 40...Rc8 41.Be2 b5 42.a4 bxa4 43.Rxc4 Rxc4 44.Bxc4 Kf8 45.Nf5 a5 46.Bb5 Black is in zugzwang and will now begin to lose one piece after another. I've rarely dominated a game to such an extent. 46...a3 47.b3?? Mouseslip! Perhaps, in such situations one should type the moves just to protect against any fuzzballs in the mouse? Black went on to win most undeservedly. 0-1



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