What's New

Experience 1 e4 e5 with Mr MO!
(Update no.39, December 2002)

Announcement

Dear Readers,
I have thoroughly enjoyed all our exciting e4-e5 adventures together, and so it is with some sadness that now, due to personal recurring health problems, I must stop my work at chesspublishing.com which began back in 1999. I wish you lots more great times with my successor.

Right now, though, on our Internet site there's a tasty new collection of fresh games with some sneaky embedded puzzles waiting to bring you endless hours of enjoyment in a juicy December update.

Download PGN of December '02 1 e4 e5 games

New Highlights

Tons of fresh mouth-watering goodies await us, including a tremendous trio of games (namely G13.136-G13.138) involving the Ruy Lopez and a super set of stars such as IMs Jonas Barkhagen - Florian Handke, GM Friso Nijboer, and Belgium's young Steven Geirnaert, who really rocked the opposition with 14...Nh2!! shown in the following diagram.

Even more stunned in game G6.21 was Romania's IM Iulian Sofronie, as his Philidor Defence got 'filled in' by GM Hristos Banikas in a mere 12 moves, see Banikas - Sofronie! However, Black strikes back with a blistering 19-move win in Mrdja - Scalcione (G6.20), where 15...Rad8! was the start of a red-hot sequence of moves.

Are you looking for even faster action!? Well, check out the piece-sacrifice 7 Nxf7!? in Ninov - Olcayoz (G7.32).

A somewhat quieter (but nonetheless instructive) affair in the Petroff Defence is the latest Kasparov - Karpov encounter (G7.33). The Italian game also has the reputation of being generally peaceful, but GM Hicham Hamdouchi quickly livens things up in G12.47.

Still not had enough yet?! Alright then. For a further king-size case of double trouble, see White's 17-move miniature victory with the King's Gambit in Holusova - Savic (G4.60), just a tad slower than IM Florian Jenni's 15-move scorching of the Scotch Game in G9.34, which concludes with the shocking 15...Bb7!!.

Now you know what to expect. So, full speed ahead, and enjoy the feast!

Nomenclature

A few subscribers have asked about the number system that I use for naming the games, as it appears, for example, within brackets at various places just above. Well, that system originally had greater significance linked to the different way in which our site was previously structured. However, even after some changes came, I maintained the numbering system mainly for myself, as it gives me an extra way of keeping track of exactly how many games I have published in each of the numerous opening groups that, in total, make up the entire 1 e4 e5 spectrum. That's basically what I now use it for, but subscribers can locate all desired games very simply via the given names of the players involved. After a while, one also gets quicker at recognising particular ECO codes that relate to certain openings, e.g. Smyslov's 3 g3 Vienna: C26; Philidor's Defence: C41; Ponziani Opening: C44; Scotch Game: C45; Berlin Defence in the Ruy Lopez: C67; Marshall Attack in the Ruy Lopez: C89; and so on. Check them out, and have fun!

Very Best Wishes,
Yours Sincerely,
Paul Motwani.