What's New
Bumper-size update no.19, April 2001
May I say
Thanks to all who have voted for more on the line 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 f5 in Philidor's Defence, especially subscriber Janus Theron who has contributed some material. This topic will feature next month in the May update, as well as ideas in the Closed Ruy Lopez to please people such as the mysterious "cma". I can only guess that those letters in his or her recent e-mail message might stand for "Chess Message Anonymous"!!
Introducing "Y.E.S. P.L.E.A.S.E."
Dear Readers,
To specially reward those of you who really value my e4-e5 site by subscribing to it, I have introduced another new feature. Subscribers are hereby invited to send me at any time their own particular requests regarding opening lines (stemming from 1 e4 e5) which they would like to see analysed in extra detail on this site. From the subscribers' requests which come in by e-mail to MrMo@ChessPublishing.com, I'll choose (at least) one every month and do a special feature on it. That's what Y.E.S. P.L.E.A.S.E. is all about: Your Extra-Special Pet Lines Extensively Analysed. Super-Effective!!
For example, game G13.71 is dedicated to John Coghill, who is currently writing a book about the Romanishin System within the Closed Ruy Lopez
Clearly, I may not be able to answer all requests immediately, but I can promise you that none of them will be ignored. All subscriber requests will be answered as quickly as possible to the very best of my ability.
I look forward to receiving your topics by e-mail, and I thank you for your continued interest in this site.
With Very Best Wishes,
Paul Motwani.
Announcement
The e-pawn emperor's next e4-e5 'monthly update' will be posted on this Internet site towards the end of May, and in the meantime he will, as always, reply personally to as many e-mail messages as possible which come to MrMo@ChessPublishing.com.
Right now, though, there's a tasty new collection of fresh games, puzzles, and other treats to bring you endless hours of enjoyment in a mega bumper-size March update. So let's swiftly move up a gear or two to tackle the first challenge coming rapidly towards us...
Mr Mo's April 2001 Bonus Brainteaser
The opening of a 1987 encounter V.Ivanchuk-G.Timoshchenko in the then USSR was a Scotch Game with 4...Bc5 which led to the following position after Black's 16th move:
         |
Super-GM of the future, Vassily Ivanchuk, continued with 17 Nxd6? uncovering an attack from White's e1-rook towards Black's knight, but GM Gennadi Timoshchenko played a winning reply which you too are invited to find.
A solution will appear on this site around the end of May
Solution to Mr Mo's March 2001 Bonus Brainteaser
The brainteaser was as follows:
The opening of the encounter P.Delekta-E.Geller in the 1992 Cappelle-la-Grande Open tournament was a Vienna Game with 3 Bc4 which led to the following position after White's 17th move:
   |
Can you find the winning move which GM Efim Geller now played as Black?
Solution:-
The finish was 17...g6! 18 Ng3 (what else, really?) 18...Qxg3!! 0-1, with White resigning in view of 19 hxg3 g5 because there is then no decent answer to the threat of 20...Rh6#.
The Birthday Game
This regular feature puts the spotlight on a player of the past or present whose birthday was or still is a day in the current month. For example, the world's top-rated player, Garry Kasparov (born in Baku on 13.4.1963) is a truly fantastic 'April birthday' celebrity, and for our game G13.71 I've chosen his very emphatic victory from the recent Cannes Rapid Chess World Cup as White in the Ruy Lopez against a young fast-rising Russian star, GM Alexander Grischuk.
Would YOU like to star in The Birthday Game? If so, please send an e-mail to MrMo@ChessPublishing.com sometime between the 1st and 15th day of the month preceding your birthday month, and include the following information to be considered by Mr Mo: your name, date & place of birth, and one of your own games starting with 1 e4 e5 (or another acceptable move-order such as 1 e4 Nc6 2 Nf3 e5 or 1 e4 d6 2 d4 Nf6 3 Nc3 e5). Although annotations are not strictly necessary (since Mr Mo will always analyse the game too), your own personal notes would certainly be most welcomed. Please do mention where and when the game was played, and also state the players' names (together with ratings, if applicable).
Don't be shy-let us celebrate YOUR birthday too!
By the way, since James Bond is about the same age as myself- we both 'arrived on the scene' in 1962, as my delivery doctor knows like 007's Dr No!- I'll conclude this section with 'Happy Birthday' in 007 different languages that I've had at least some exposure to:
Happy Birthday (English)
Shengri kuai le (Mandarin)
Heureux Anniversaire (French)
Gelukkig Verjaardag (Dutch)
Herzliche Wünsche zum Geburtstag (German)
Buon Compleanno (Italian)
Felicidades (Spanish)
Thanks
Special thanks this month to subscriber Mark Peach who recently sent me very useful information which certainly enhances the quality of this e4-e5 Internet site.
Dedication
This nineteenth update (since the initial launch material in September 1999) is dedicated to the late great Walter Munn, who passed away on March 31st at the age of 69. Walter was President of the Scottish Chess Association for a 16-year period beginning in 1969, and he was also an extremely good organiser of numerous very popular events. This meant that Walter was not known so much as an over-the-board chess player, but his clear skill in that department too is confirmed by the crushing victory in game G13.73!
New Highlights
Tons of fresh mouth-watering goodies await us, including a triple dose of Ruy Lopez games in the tremendous trio G13.71, G13.72, and G13.73, where you'll also find other handy supplementary bonuses.
Another strong contribution to this month's menu is made by a double dose of Vienna Game encounters in G3.15-G3.16. Looking for other dynamic duos too? OK, check out games G10.5-G10.6!
Turning now to the King's Gambit, it always provides lots of excitement, and that reputation is enhanced by game G4.34. No less eventful is the scorching of the Scotch Game in G9.18.
Understandably, if you can't sleep after so much drama...then the Four Knights Game of G11.12 will keep you busy all (k)night!!
In general, the action-packed battles are made even more irresistible by the presence of related challenging puzzles, which can also be seen in the section called "Puzzle Paradise".
And the feast is still far from over yet...! Further courses include the very select stimulating material that appears in the Reflection Zone, but only subscribers can access that section and all the juicy annotated games too.
M.O. Moves
It's a personal choice, but for me three of the Most Outstanding Moves from the games within this month's update material are the sizzling queen sacrifice 22...Qxh2+!! in game G11.12, and the equally stunning 11...Nxd4!! in the correspondence clash G4.34.
Rewind Reward
The key idea here is that (although in general we focus on recent happenings) it still pays off to study some memorable older material. For instance, the late great Rashid Gibyatovich Nezhmetdinov (1912-1972) stars in game G11.12, a battle which clearly happened many years ago, but that game being selected again now is still highly instructive (and entertaining too!).
April 2001 Hero Puzzle
The challenge is to do at least as well as Mr Mo by quickly finding how White plays and forces mate in five moves from the following position thought up in 1932 by composer Dr Erich Zepler:-
|
|
The solution will appear in next month's 'update', but meanwhile enjoy all the goodies awaiting you now on this site...
Solution to March 2001 Hero Puzzle
The puzzle was as follows:
The challenge is to do as well as Nico Verheyen by finding how White plays and draws from the following position thought up by composer A.Kasantjev:-
|
|
Solution:
1 Ne3 (planning 2 d4, after which Black's king and rook would definitely remain boxed-in) 1...d4 2 Nf5 h4 (preventing 3 Ng3...right?) 3 Ng3!! (Wrong!!) 3...hxg3 4 Ke2! and then either 4...Kg2 or 4...g2 (Black's only two legal moves) both produce stalemate!!
Motto of the Month
The previous launch and update material laid the foundations for further enjoyable adventures with 1 e4 e5 as our chosen starting point. This month, the fresh games feature a feast of inspiring attacking play, the likes of which many people dream of recreating...and I believe YOU can! So, my chosen motto this time comes from Eleanor Roosevelt, who gave us these wonderful words: "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams".
Codename Olivetto
The title sounds like a James Bond assignment, but it's actually much less dangerous! At the special request of subscriber Livio Olivetto, from July 2000 onwards all new main or complete games on this e4-e5 site have been labelled with an ECO code from the range C20-C99, to match the particular opening variations featured. The codes provide an extra means of identifying games containing one's own favourite opening lines, and so the codes are being given in the Index of New Games. Some people may like to construct, for their own personal use, a complete index of games according to ECO codes, but since I know that many readers would find its appearance to be rather abstract, I shall leave it as a project to be done at home only by people who are really big fans of ECO codes!
Reflection Zone
Index of New Games & Part-games
Main games have ECO code labels associated with their particular opening lines.
G3.15 Motwani, P - Westerinen, H, code C26
G3.16 Szczepkowska, K - Matras, A, code C29
G4.34 Michalek, J - Millican, P, code C38
April 2001 Bonus Brainteaser Ivanchuk, V - Timoshchenko, G
G9.18 Prueger, K - Dyckhoff, E, code C45
G10.5 Christensen, T - Jacobsen, B, code C46
G10.6 Afek, Y - Kotliar, M, code C46
G11.12 Kosolapov, N - Nezhmetdinov, R, code C47
April 2001 Reflection Zone Berlinsky, V - Motwani, P, code C54
G13.71 Kasparov, G - Grischuk, A, code C96
G13.71.1 Shirov, A - Piket, Je
G13.72 Chereches, M - Karolyi, T, code C84
G13.73 Munn, W - Jeffrey, A, code C90
New Alphabetical Index of Players
(bold indicates that the player had White)
Afek,Y G10.6
Berlinsky,V April 2001 Reflection Zone
Chereches,M G13.72
Christensen,T G10.5
Dyckhoff,E G9.18
Grischuk,A G13.71
Ivanchuk,V April 2001 Bonus Brainteaser
Jacobsen,B G10.5
Jeffrey,A G13.73
Karolyi,T G13.72
Kasparov,G G13.71
Kosolapov,N G11.12
Kotliar,M G10.6
Matras,A G3.16
Michalek,J G4.34
Millican,P G4.34
Motwani,P G3.15
Motwani,P April 2001 Reflection Zone
Munn,W G13.73
Nezhmetdinov,R G11.12
Piket,Je G13.71.1
Prueger,K G9.18
Shirov,A G13.71.1
Szczepkowska,K G3.16
Timoshchenko,G April 2001 Bonus Brainteaser
Westerinen,H G3.15
New Alphabetical Index of Openings
Four Knights Game with 4 d3 G11.12
Italian Game via the Scotch Gambit April 2001 Reflection Zone
King's Gambit with 2...exf4 3 Nf3 g5 G4.34
Ruy Lopez, 11...Bb7 Romanishin Var n G13.71
Ruy Lopez, Closed Variation & early d4 G13.72
Ruy Lopez, 3...a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 d3 G13.73
Scotch Game with 4...Bc5 5 Nxc6 April 2001 Bonus Brainteaser
Scotch Game with 4...Qh4 G9.18
Three Knights Game with 3...d6 G10.5
Three Knights Game with 3...Bb4 G10.6
Vienna Game with 3 g3 Bb4 G3.15
Vienna Game with 2...Nf6 3 f4 G3.16