In the blink of an eye
Once again it is time to prove the maxim that correspondence chess can be whirlwind fast. Despite computers, books, and plenty of time to contemplate, miniature games can be found at all levels of play, from grandmaster to beginner. These games are the candy snacks of chess: Light, fun - but not fattening. Be prepared for some surprises!
FROM GAMBIT [A02]
W: Joe Nash (2169)
B: J. Brooks (1595)
APCT, 2001
1. f4 e5 2. fxe5 d6 3. exd6 Bxd6 4. Nf3 g5 5. g3 g4 6. Nh4 Ne7 7. Bg2 Ng6 8. Nxg6 hxg6 9. 0-0 Rxh2 10. Kxh2 Qh4+ 11. Kg1 Bxg3 12. Rxf7 Qh2+ 13. Kf1 Kxf7 14. e4 Be6 15. Nc3 Nc6 16. Ne2 Rf8 17. Nxg3 Qxg3 18. Kg1 Kg8 19. Kh1 and White resigns.
POLISH OPENING [A00]
W: G. Sochor
B: L. van Da Scholz
ICCF World Cup, 1974
1. b4 Nf6 2. Bb2 d5 3. e3 e6 4. c4 Bxb4 5. Qa4+ Nc6 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Bxg7 Rg8 8. Bb2 Qh4 9. Qd1 Nxe3, White resigns.
In thematic tournaments everyone plays the same opening. Some play them better than others. Here is a win by the king of thematics, John Elburg.
Up until White's 18th this game followed Rosanes-Anderssen (Breslau, 1863).
KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED [C39]
W: John Jensen (1885)
B: John Elburg (2235)
E-mail Thematic, 2000
1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. h4 g4 5. Ne5 Nf6 6. Bc4 d5 7. exd5 Bd6 8. d4 Nh5 9. Bb5+ c6 10. dxc6 bxc6 11. Nxc6 Nxc6 12. Bxc6+ Kf8 13. Bxa8 Ng3 14. Rh2 Bf5 15. Bd5 Kg7 16. Nc3 Re8+ 17. Kf2 Qb6 18. Bc4 Be5 19. Nb5 a6 20. c3 axb5, White resigns.
Black's play is as impressive today as it was when it was first played in Fried-Schlechter (Vienna 1894)!
FROM GAMBIT [A02]
W: Thomas
B: F. Mounts
Correspondence, 1999
1. f4 e5 2. fxe5 Nc6 3. Nf3 d6 4. exd6 Bxd6 5. d4 Nf6 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bh4 g5 8. Bf2 Ne4 9. e3 g4 10. Bh4 gxf3 11. Bxd8 f2+ 12. Ke2 Bg4+ 13. Kd3 Nb4+ 14. Kxe4 f5 mate.
Black is losing a bishop on e7 (19. ... Qc7 20. Qe4) before his blunder on Move 19.
SICILIAN DEFENSE [B40]
W: Joop Simmelink (2241)
B: Wolfgang Labahn (2207)
ICCF, 2001
1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. Nf3 e6 4. Nxd4 Qb6 5. Nb3 Qc7 6. Bd3 Nf6 7. f4 d6 8. Be3 a6 9. 0-0 Be7 10. c4 Nc6 11. Nc3 Nd7 12. Rc1 Nc5 13. Bxc5 dxc5 14. e5 b6 15. Nd5 exd5 16. cxd5 Nxe5 17. fxe5 Qxe5 18. Qf3 0-0 19. Rce1 Bd6 20. Rxe5, Black resigns.
ENGLISH OPENING [A36]
W: John Moriarty (1941)
B: Donald Reithel (2087)
CCLA, 2002
1. c4 c5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 Nc6 4. Nc3 g6 5. a3 e6 6. Rb1 d5 7. Nh3 d4 8. Ne4 Nxe4 9. Bxe4 a5 10. Nf4 Qc7 11. 0-0 Bd7 12. b3 Ra6 13. e3 Bg7 14. Bb2 0-0 15. Qc2 Ne7 16. Kg2 f5 17. Bf3 Rd6 18. h4 Bc6 19. e4 fxe4 20. Bxe4 d3, White resigns.
TWO KNIGHTS' DEFENSE [C59]
W: Noemi Wells
B: John Toothill (2401)
4NCL, 1999
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Be2 h6 9. Nf3 e4 10. Ne5 Bd6 11. d4 Qc7 12. f4 exf3 e.p. 13. Bxf3 Ba6 14. Kf2 0-0-0 15. Qe1 Rhe8 16. Qc3 Rxe5 17. dxe5 Bxe5 18. Qa3 Bd4+ 19. Be3 Qf4 20. Qxa5 Ng4+, White resigns.
RUY LOPEZ [C65]
W: H. Sarink (2365)
B: Dick van Geet (2650)
NBC Volmac, 1986
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 Bb6 6. Nxe5 Nxe5 7. dxe5 Nxe4 8. Qg4 Bxf2+ 9. Kd1 c6 10. Qxg7 Rf8 11. Bd3 d5 12. Bh6 Bc5 13. Kc2 Bf5 14. g4 Bg6 15. e6 Qh4 16. Nd2 0-0-0 17. Bxe4 dxe4 18. Nc4 e3+ 19. Kb3 b5 20. Ne5 Qe7, White resigns.
Does anyone know a faster back-rank mate?
KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED [C37]
W: Ansel Zwaneveld (2000)
B: Stephen Dunne (1100)
King's Gambit thematic, 2001
1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4 g4 5. 0-0 gxf3 6. Qxf3 Qf6 7. e5 Qxe5 8. d3 Bc5+ 9. Kh1 Ne7 10. Bxf4 Qg7 11. Be5 Qxe5 12. Qxf7+ Kd8 13. Qf8+, Black resigns.
The Oops! Award for 2002 has to go to this game. Black's error is one of those that can only happen in a correspondence game.
GRUENFELD DEFENSE [D70]
W: Matthias Kluwe (800)
B: Domenico Notarangelo (800)
Correspondence, 2001
1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. d4 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nc3 6. Nxc3, Black resigns.
PIRC DEFENSE [B07]
W: Nigel Norman (1735)
B: Louis Sanchez (1806)
Correspondence, 2001
1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Bg5 c6 5. f4 Bg7 6. Nf3 b5 7. Bd3 Bg4 8. h3 b4 9. hxg4 bxc3 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. bxc3 Qa5 12. Qd2 Nd7 13. e5 dxe5 14. fxe5 Bg7 15. e6 fxe6 16. Rxh7, Black resigns.
This seems to be an original opening trap.
SICILIAN DEFENSE [B21]
W: Martin Zednik (1208)
B: Dave Hulse (1220)
E-mail, 2001
1. e4 c5 2. f4 b6 3. Nc3 Bb7 4. Nf3 e6 5. d4 cxd4 6. Nxd4 Bb4 7. Bd2 Bxc3 8. Bxc3 Bxe4 9. Nb5 f6 10. Nd6+ Kf8 11. Nxe4, Black resigns.
From Tim Harding's Startling Correspondence Chess Miniatures comes this amazing game (one of many!) from a world championship final.
BUSINESSMAN'S OPENING [A48]
W: Manuel Pereyra Puebla (2315)
B: Oystein Sande (2490)
11th World Championship Final, 1981
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Bf4 Bg7 4. Nc3 d5 5. Qd2 0-0 6. Ne5 c5 7. dxc5 d4
8. 0-0-0 Nh5 9. e3 g5 10. Bxg5 Bxe5 11. g4 Ng7 12. exd4 Bxg4 13. dxe5 Bxd1 14. Nd5 f6 15. Rg1 Bf3 16. Bxf6 exf6 17. Qh6 Rf7 18. e6 Qxd5 19. exf7+ Kxf7 20. Qxg7+, Black resigns.
POLISH OPENING [A00]
W: Mario Frank (2362)
B: Dieter Gutsche (2398)
ICCF, 2001
1. b4 d5 2. Bb2 Qd6 3. a3 e5 4. e3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. Bxd4 Nc6 7. Bb2 Be7 8. Nf3 0-0 9. Be2 Ne4 10. Nc3 Nxb4 11. axb4 Qxb4, White resigns.
BENKO GAMBIT [A57]
W: Jean Luc Duiriez (2266)
B: Mike Nedveski (1822)
ICCF, 2001
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. Nf3 bxc4 5. Nc3 d6 6. e4 g6 7. e5 Ng4 8. e6 fxe6 9. Ng5 Nf6 10. dxe6 Qc7 11. Nf7 Rg8 12. Bxc4 Bg7 13. Bg5 Bb7 14. Nb5 Qa5+ 15. b4 Qb6 16. Nfxd6+ exd6 17. Qxd6, Black resigns.
TWO KNIGHTS' TANGO [A50]
W: Slava Krutov (2000)
B: Dave Lloyd (2016)
Correspondence, 2001
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 Nc6 3. Nf3 e6 4. d5 exd5 5. cxd5 Bb4+ 6. Nc3 Ne7 7. e4 Nxe4 8. Qd4 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 Nf6 10. Bg5 Nexd5 11. 0-0-0 h6 12. Re1+ Kf8 13. Bh4 g5 14. Nxg5 hxg5 15. Bxg5 c6 16. Bc4 Kg7 17. Bxd5, Black resigns.