8/20/2023 – This week’s column happens to be the two hundredth in a series stemming back to April 2016. This time, in honour of the round number, I thought we might span the centuries with some games from round about 1823. I’m no chess historian, so make no particular claim for the games I’ve chosen, but they do illustrate some aspects of how the game has developed! | Pictured: Alexander Alekhine with his wife and Efim Bogoljubow | Photo: Europe Echecs
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Two hundred columns and still going!
[Note that Jon Speelman also looks at the content of the article in video format, here embedded at the end of the article.]
This week’s column happens to be the two hundredth in a series stemming back to April 2016, when it originally started life as an Agony column (a vehicle for readers to send in their triumphs and disasters for possible publication).
Four years later, at the behest of ChessBase, it transmogrified into freestyle and that’s where we are today with free rein for any interesting topic that takes my fancy.
This time, in honour of the round number, I thought we might span the centuries with some games from round about 1823 — there were so few published games that I gave myself the whole decade to look at: 1922 where I found a couple of games I fancy or 1923. And this year.
Chess has changed utterly over the two centuries and indeed hugely over the last two decades, since chess engines rose to become not only our lords and masters but also ubiquitous. I’m no chess historian, so make no particular claim for the games I’ve chosen, but they do illustrate some aspects of how the game has developed.
I hope you enjoy them and will be back next in a fortnight on September 3rd.
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1.e4 In this interesting game, White is the Scot John Ccohrane,
(1798-1878) the (anti) hero of the Cochrane Gambit, 2.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6
4 Nxf7!?, and also a line in the King's Gambit. Black is Frenchman Alexandre
Deschapelles, one of the world's very strongest players who that same year
apparently won an odds match against Coachrane decisively.e52.Nf3Nc63.d4exd44.Bc4Bc55.Ng5
Two centuries later, chess theory has
returned to this with some instances by top-class players including two games
by Rauf Mamedov.5...Ne5?5...Nh6is much better6.Nxf7Nxf77.Bxf7+Kxf78.Qh5+g69.Qxc5d510.0-0dxe411.c3Qd611...Re812.cxd4Qxd413.Qg5Qf614.Qg3Nd415.Nc3c616.Bg5Qe517.Rad1Nf518.Qxe5Rxe519.Rfe1h620.Bf4Re821.Nxe4g522.Nd6+Nxd623.Bxd6Rxe1+24.Rxe1Be625.a3Rd826.Bb4Re827.Bc3Bd528.Rxe8Kxe829.f3Kf730.Kf2h51/2-1/2 (30)
Mamedov,R (2646)-Anand,V (2756) Mayrhofen AUT 202212.Qxd6cxd613.cxd4Nxd414.Nc3Bg415.Nxe4Nc216.Nxd6+Ke617.Bf4g518.Bg3Nxa119.Rxa1Rhd820.f3Bf521.Re1+Kf622.h4h623.Be5+Ke624.g4Bh725.Bg3+Kf626.Be5+Ke627.Bg3+Kf628.Be5+Ke61/2-1/2 (28) Mamedov,R (2646)-So,W (2766)
chess.com INT 20236.Bxf7+Nxf77.Nxf7Bb4+7...Kxf78.Qh5+and with
the knight on g8 rather than c6 Black is in trouble.8.c3dxc38...Kxf79.cxb49.bxc3
9...Bxc3+?I can't imagine a strong player choosing this
today. Black gains a pawn but loses crucial tempi.9...Kxf710.Qh5+Kf811.cxb4Nf6and White is certainly better but not winning outright.10.Nxc3Kxf711.Qd5+Kf812.Ba3+12.0-0Nf613.Qd312...d613.e5Qg514.exd6Qxd515.dxc7+Kf716.Nxd5Bd717.0-0Rc818.Bd6Ke619.Bg3Bc619...Kxd520.Rfd1+Ke621.Rd6+20.Rad1Bxd521.Rfe1+Kf622.Rxd5Nh6
23.Ra5?Still winning but very strange. Simply Bh4+ was devastating.23.Bh4+Kg624.Re6+Kf725.Re7+Kg626.Rg5+Kf627.Rgxg7+Kf528.h323...Nf524.Rc5Nxg325.hxg3Kf726.Rd1Rhe827.Rd6
27...Re7?A blunder allowing a
pretty finish.27...g627...Re1+28.Kh2Ke828.Rf5+Ke829.Rd8+!Rxd830.Rf8+!Kxf831.cxd8Q+1–0
Let us learn together how to find the best spot for the queen in the early middlegame, how to navigate this piece around the board, how to time the queen attack, how to decide whether to exchange it or not, and much more!
Jonathan SpeelmanJonathan Speelman, born in 1956, studied mathematics but became a professional chess player in 1977. He was a member of the English Olympic team from 1980–2006 and three times British Champion. He played twice in Candidates Tournaments, reaching the semi-final in 1989. He twice seconded a World Championship challenger: Nigel Short and then Viswanathan Anand against Garry Kasparov in London 1993 and New York 1995.
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This week’s column happens to be the two hundredth in a series stemming back to April 2016, when it originally started life as an Agony column (a vehicle for readers to send in their triumphs and disasters for possible publication).
