Moves I could never play 17

July 25, 2025 by mccreadyandchess

In the position below I would be more inclined to lament over being under the kosh than what I should play next. A sort of ‘Blast it! Just play anything and expect to sac back at some point‘, said under one’s breathe to oneself whilst lurching over the board, psychologically defeated. Which moves are better than others, that I don’t know. Defeat for white looks inevitable to me despite him being a piece up -I stand to be corrected of course.

Topalov plays 20. Qb3+ here.

Somehow connected to saccing back presumably. The link to this long forgotten game is below.

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1010744

Analysis (suggested) can be found in the forgotten publication ‘The Mammoth Book of The World’s Greatest Chess Games’ by Burgess, Nunn, and Emms.

M J M

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Moves I could never play 16

July 25, 2025 by mccreadyandchess

Since I used to admire Spassky’s old trainer Tolusch, who has a game in Cafferty’s book on the Soviet Championships, where he drops almost everything on the queenside and has to walk his king up the board in the opening before resigning, I try to avoid doing it myself. Without extensive opening preparation, something club and county players like myself are rather shy of, I could not play the move below, and would assume Kd1 is the safer bet. The alternative is so committal, you would have to be very sure it works to play it.

Here, Atilak plays 13. Ke2

As mentioned, without extensive opening preparation, how could you play that? Personally, I prefer the king to stay on the back rank if possible. The game is rather interesting though, showing capitalising on an out of play queen can be decisive. ‘Sax and violence’ they call that in the link below -good title.

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1270312&kpage=6

For concrete analysis, it can be found in one of the many publications I have purchased over the years and also forgotten all about, that being ‘The Mammoth Book of The World’s Greatest Chess Games’ by Burgess, Nunn, and Emms.

M J M

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Moves I could never play 15

July 24, 2025 by mccreadyandchess

All games played by those above ELO 2700 with three rooks offered up in nine moves are easy enough to follow, right! But the first instance, a full on rook sac by Karpov, is far too above your average club player like me.

Karpov plays 20. Rxe6 here.

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1069169

This game is described as Karpov’s immortal game in several places, and the tournament victory is considered one of his best, if not the best. Unsurprisingly, the move above and the game itself constitutes entertainment only for most of us.

MJM

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St. Albans as runners up

July 24, 2025 by mccreadyandchess

I managed to find a picture of the St. Albans team that came runners up of British Schools Chess Championships of 1978.

I was only 6 then, and so I don’t know any of the team personally. The less than flattering team result can be found in the S.C.C.U Bulletin of that year too.

An account of the route to the final can be found in the school yearbook below.

MJM, Colombia

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Moves I could never play 14

July 24, 2025 by mccreadyandchess

GM Reshevsky is the subject of my most treasured trivia question, that being ‘who is the only player to have played both Lasker and Karpov in classical chess?’ (factor in simuls and Botvinnink can be counted also), as no one ever knows the answer.

Anyway, here GM Reshevsky plays a move that I interpret as being provocative, having had an Austrian FM play something very similar against me once during a blitz tournament, in hope I would burn up time in trying to refute it (which I did). Blitz permits such risky moves to some degree but classical chess?

Here, GM Reshevsky plays 12. Kg3.

Unsurprisingly, he doesn’t last very long given the strength of his opponent. The game can be found here: https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1145474

A detailed analysis can be found in ‘The Mammoth Book of The World’s Greatest Chess Games’.

MJM

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Moves I could never play 14

July 24, 2025 by mccreadyandchess

J. M. Craddock was British Boys (U-18) champion 1929-1931. I take particular interest in his games because for a while in the 50’s he lived in Dunstable and played for Bedfordshire. Here he dismantles British champion Mir Sultan Khan, who brought it on all himself in my opinion. The move below played by him is either extremely brave or downright foolhardy, one of the two -not a move I would dare play. Castling long, looks natural on one level as black has king safety issues, but that said, Khan is subject to an attack which he has no answer for, making castling long look premature perhaps?

Mir Sultan Khan plays 15. 0-0-0.

Given white has prised open black’s king almost, it seems like a good move in principle but is either premature or just unprepared I think. Why? White never gets an attack going himself and struggles to hold on before capitulating in a horrendous position.

Position after 33. …e4. Does it look like castling long got him into a spot of bother or was it mishandled thereafter?

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1956229

It’s often been said that amateur players have a tendency to castle mechanically but Mir Sultan Khan was hardly that, having beaten Capablanca in fine style a few years previously. Perhaps he took Craddock all too easily, switched off for a moment then paid the price for doing so? Understandable if so but not quite what you would expect from the reigning British champion.

MJM

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Moves I could never play 13

July 23, 2025 by mccreadyandchess

The first player whose games I studied was Morphy, how long after that I am unsure of, but second was Nimzowitsch. He’s known for his system and the unusual moves he made in adherence with them, mysterious rook moves being among them. In the diagram below we see one of his dumbfounding moves, which is far to deep for me to play. I could not jusitfy such a queen manœuvre unless it was decidedly beneficial to a detailed plan. It looks so passive, almost a waste of a move, I couldn’t play it. The plan implemented is far too deep for me.

Nimzowitsch plays 16. …Qh7 here.

Very deep and rather obscure but helped win him the game. Why is another question. In his book Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy: Advances since Nimzowitsch, IM John Watson makes a strong argument that Nimzowitch won so many games not because of his ideas and system but rather he was simply much better than his opponents. There I am inclined to agree.

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1007465

MJM

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Moves I could never play 12

July 23, 2025 by mccreadyandchess

Some positions are so complex tactically, I can’t get very far with them -and here’s an obvious example. Like all those destined to remain so massively under 2700 ELO, I can only guess what black should play in the position below. The move chosen doesn’t look the best but what would I know?

Adams plays 33. …Nf3+ here.

The game can be found here: https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1009910&comp=1. Far too above my level to follow. I do recall Adams was just about the best there was with the Marshall Gambit at his peak.

Once more, and perhaps for the last time, this position comes from a game in a publication I bought over a decade ago, and have only recently re-read.

Mark

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Moves I could not play 11

July 23, 2025 by mccreadyandchess

Karpov was one of the all time best at bamboozling opponents with quiet moves that seemed relatively harmless, only to prove that they weren’t. The move below is one of my favourites of his. Most opponent’s would think something like ‘he thinks Nf4 is coming maybe he’ll play g3, he can’t move another piece backwards, surely?.’

Karpov plays 36. Bf1 here.

I have studied this game at great depth many times over the years. You can find it here: https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1022951

It’s in Karpov’s first publication of his games, although I have to say his analysis of it could have been more extensive. However, the depth of positional understanding in play by Karpov is so great, his opponent never stood a chance. Have a good look at 19. a3 if you don’t believe me. Play through it and ask yourself how an attack with a lone knight and a couple of pawns against 2 knights, 2 rooks, and a queen, as is the case after 37. Nc7 can succeed and why. That’s Karpov there or thereabouts at his best in my opinion. Poor old Bagairov.

MJM

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Moves I could not play 10

July 23, 2025 by mccreadyandchess

I prefer not to allow my opponent’s pawns to queen, so the move below I could not play. Black wants a rook on e8, that I get. Control over key diagonals too but does white have to be so accomodating? Looks good for white in terms of initiative but defendable for black after going a rook up. Appears to require a transfer of advantage by white of sorts.

Shirov stuns Kramnik with 21. …Qb6!

As if anyone could see that coming. The chances of that are much lower than the next world champion being told he’s got a bun in the oven before being crowned in the closing ceremony. Here’s the game anyway: https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1266208

Regarding this game, again refer to a favoured publication of mine.

Mark. J. McCready

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