1/22/2012 – It might come as a surprise, but chess can be genuinely funny. In a video FM Steve Giddins presents a highly amusing little game from the Bad Wiessee Open in 2011. White tries to surprise his opponent with 1.b4, but runs into an even more outlandish response and ends up getting demolished inside 20 moves! For the rest day at Wijk aan Zee here's some light relief.
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Is your spoon long enough?
By Steve Giddins
Ever think chess is a bit too serious? All those hours, with two players grinding
away trying to prove half a pawn's advantage in the Queen's Gambit Declined?
If you think chess is a humourless game, take a look at the following game and
the judge for yourself.
FM Steve Giddins, a regular contributor to our news page
In this game a promising young German player, Christophe Ramme, faces the experienced
Dutch IM, Gerard Welling. Welling is a great connoisseur of unusual and offbeat
openings, who has even won rated games with the move 1.h4. It was therefore
rather unwise of Ramme to try to surprise his opponent with the Sokolsky Opening,
1.b4. He certainly got the shock of his life, when he saw his opponent's reply.
But far from being originality for its own sake, Welling was following some
ideas that he was familiar with, and which had been explored by like-minded
chess originals, as far back as the 1960s.
Completely fazed by his opponent's original play, White commits a serious tactical
oversight and is horribly crushed. It is a highly amusing game, but also a great
illustration of how effective such original and unconventional chess can be.
Fun and instruction at the same time – what more can you ask for on a
cold and wintry Wijk aan Zee rest day?
Very amusing. This game is an illustration of the old English saying: if you
sup with the devil you need a long spoon. I guess in this game, unfortunately
for Christophe Ramme, the spoon just wasn't quite long enough.
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The Nimzo-Indian has stood the test of time for over a century: Still a top choice for elite players today, from Magnus Carlsen to Praggnanandhaa, it remains one of Black's most reliable ways to fight for real chances against 1.d4 2.c4 3.Nc3.
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Bb4!? is an opening idea well worth considering. Black immediately threatens to double the pawns on c3 in the style of the Trompowski or Sicilian Grand Prix attack.
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