Jon Speelman's Agony Column #50

Many thanks, firstly, for your contributions following my request in the previous column, which elicited, if not a torrent, a good steady trickle of games from readers

I’m always delighted to receive games and correspondence. They are the lifeblood of this column, and please keep them coming. Episodes of Jon’s Adventures in Blunderland may be amusing periodically, but I certainly don’t want either to provide the ammunition for such soul searching, or indeed to foist my losses upon the public too often, when they do occur.

This week we reach our half century, with two splendidly chaotic and violent games from Mike Healey, who is a strong player (220 ECF equates to 2360 FIDE) but, judging from these two efforts a total hacker – a big compliment from me. Mike writes:

“I was taught chess at Richmond Juniors by Richard James and IM Gavin Wall, and still play for Richmond and Twickenham Chess Club alongside both. I also produce dubious evening efforts for a number of other London teams. Thanks to discovering chess books in the last few years (your own included) I have improved a fair amount, and currently enjoy a peak rating of 220 ECF. Despite this my favourite move, with either side, is still pawn to g5, and it turns up in both these games. I currently work as a chess trainer in schools, mainly teaching queen sacrifices to the next generation. Aside from playing chess to cause my teammates pain, I enjoy reading, watching football and listening to music.”

Both games he sent me involve a g-pawn lunge. The annotations are wholly my own, though Mike kindly provided introductions to each.

We start with his Agony of which he writes:

“Swansea '06 was my first British Championship and first proper tournament for many years. Up until this game it had been going very well (winning one weekday tournament and coming third in another). I remember almost nothing about the other games, but this one scarred me for life. The complete shock after losing was overwhelming. In thousands of chess games before and since I've (thankfully) never experienced anything quite like it. I couldn't see a thing at the board after Rc4+?? I was just about able to recognise what was happening after Bg5+!, managed to resign, and then just wandered off aimlessly, walking into things...”

Of the Ecstasy game Mike writes:

“Kidlington '17 was a great tournament (its 40th year as an important institution of Oxfordshire chess) with three strong FMs, one IM and one most venerable GM. This was my last round victory to take joint second with GM Nunn and FM Martins, Oxford University's top board, behind the homegrown conqueror FM Harvey. The final combination was so pretty I spent infinitely more time not trusting than calculating it!”

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