Diagrams of the week - My Worst Blunder Yet As Black

This is what can happen if you don't concentrate very hard in a chess match (from my own depressing experiences.. :( )


(Click the image below to view the animation)

So, a few points:

I played 5...Bd6 because I NEEDED TO DEFEND MY E5 PAWN, now that white had played 5.Nc3 to defend his e4 pawn. It was NOT the blundering move.

The REAL blunder was of course, 7...Nf6?? because white now has the killing move 8.e5. I should have played 7...f6, which also stops 8.Qxg7, but also stops that pesky pawn fork!

Well, I've certainly learnt MY lesson...

The Ruy Lopez Exchange Variation

(The big pictures in this blog post are ANIMATED pictures. Click on them to view the animation. The small pictures are NON-ANIMATED)


The Ruy Lopez is named after a Spanish priest called Ruy Lopez. It is one of the most studied and popular openings ever, and is commonly played at Grandmaster Level. The Ruy Lopez begins with these moves:

(1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5)

Ruy Lopez Opening

What white is trying to do here is WIN A PAWN - his white bishop on b5 attacks black's knight that defends the pawn on e5.


Today we are going to look at one variation of the Ruy Lopez:

Ruy Lopez Exchange Variation:

(3...a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6)

It now SEEMS that white can take the pawn on e5 for FREE... but NO!

So black gets the pawn back by a QUEEN FORK. After black and white exchange queens, BLACK HAS A BETTER POSITION BECAUSE WHITE CANNOT CASTLE ANYMORE.  So DON'T take the pawn on e5 - YET anyway...

What white should do after his knight and black's bishop exchange, is to CASTLE. Then, if black is not careful, something terrible will happen to him!

Here is the position after white CASTLES. (5. O-O) What black should do now is DEFEND the pawn on e5 with something like 5...f6, 5...Qd6 or 5...Bd6. BUT... what happens if black does the obvious developing move 5...Nf6???

THIS is what happens... 

AND BAM! Black's queen is PINNED and it is officially dead! If you are black you must be extremely careful.

Now, let's see what happens if black DOESN'T try to fork white's knight and pawn again, but takes white's pawn on e4 instantly. 

This time, if black's knight on e4 moves, white will play 8. Nxc6+ - It's CHECK from the rook on e1 and the knight attacks black's queen.


Again, black's queen is dead. If however, black DEFENDS his knight on e4, white just plays 8. d3 and again, if black moves his knight, 9. Nxc6+ will win black's queen, so black will have to sacrifice his knight.

TOMORROW, we are going to look at a trap black can set in the Ruy Lopez Exchange Variation, and how he can checkmate white early in the game if white falls for it!

DON'T DO THIS SACRIFICE!! I did it just for fun against someone.

Scholar's Mate from Philidor's Defence, from a game I played ages ago (I was white by the way ;))





Play these moves on the chessboard above:
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 d6
Philidor's Defence opening
3. Bc4 Bg4
PINNING the knight
4. h3 Bh5
5. g4 Bg6
6. h4 Bxe4
7. d3
I sacrificed a pawn to try and get my opponent to exchange...
7...Bxf3
He did!
8. Qxf3 Nf6??
He blocked mate, but that knight is now dead.
9. g5!
If the knight moves I will deliver mate!
9...Ng8??
His worst blunder that will cost him the game.
10. Qxf7#


Yeah... I know that it was risky sacrificing the pawn to try to entice my opponent to start exchanging... and there so many ways he could have prevented mate, so... not a very good example... but it just shows what you get for being a bit greedy. I would not recommend doing something like this against a careful player, and as in a chess match you should almost always assume best play... DON'T do this!