Annotated chess game

Elephant Gambit. Considered unsound.

I dislike the appellation 'Elephant Gambit' I prefer the old nomenclature: 'Queen's Pawn Counter-gambit'. Chess writers like to inveigh against it, but I have played it with success occasionally. Black does have to play vigorously and imaginatively to get anything from it though. You don't often see it at Master level.

Much better was exd5. Now ...dxd4, dxe4 Qxd1+! and black is winning after white moves his king to recapture.

I wouldn't go as far as "Black is winning", but she certainly gets the initiative after that exchange.

The line 3...dxe4 4.dxe4 Qxd1ch 5.Kxd1 ... is fairly OK for White. The loss of castling rights is inconvenient, but not fatal, now that the queens have gone. Not a line I would choose to play, but it is reasonable to experiment with it.

I agree with ION. Castling is not what you'd want to do.

Materialwise, yes, but it's not really even, as black can get an advantage with his next move. It's small but can make a big difference, as I'll explain below.

Were I playing Black - and notwithstanding my earlier comment, I would have given 4...Qxd1ch serious consideration. But, now that Black has played this unfortunate move, White should give 5.Qxd8ch a look in her turn.

I'm on the same page as ION. But, consideration would be an understatement, as I wouldn't consider anythingelse besides 4...Qxd1+ to take away white's castling rights. But, this is very unfortunate. I agree with ION that 5.Qxd8+ is strong, but there's a move that I like even better.

Better 5. Qxd8+ Kxd8 6. exf5; you still get the pawn and now it's Black who can't castle.

Now, nuntar is correct - or at least, half-correct. The best method is 5.Qxd8ch Kxd8 6.Nxe5! ... the reason being that Black has then to figure out how to avert the knight fork on f7. One of my earliest Gameknot games featured exactly the same motif, though the opening moves were different. The game is no longer extant, but from memory went something like this: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 (Philidor's Defence) 3.d4 Bg4 4.dxe5 dxe5? 5.Qxd8ch Kxd8 6.Nxe5 ... Black was able to defend by 6...Be6 and I was left a clear pawn ahead.

That was better, but I would've taken with the N. In other words, I would've treated this like a Domiano's Defense and played 5.Nxe5 This gets more then just a pawn, as now, white's also threatening 5.Qh5+, and it's a similar setup because if black tries to get out of check with 5...g6?? 6.Nxg6 hxg6 7.Qxh8 winning a Rook for Knight, as well as, a couple of pawns. Edit: I made a mistake here as black can stop 5.Qh5+ with 5...Qxd1! However, this is still what I would've played, anyhow. Yes, I don't like to lose the right to castle, but I would be worth it to me if it meant winning a pawn. And, upon losing the right, you can still do the equivalent to castling which is getting the King to safety. It would just take two moves, as opposed to, one.

He's messing about. This is wood shifting, not real chess at all.

As usual, I agree with ION. It's not real, so what is it? I'd think Flip Coin Chess, as I believe that black played this move real fast without giving it enough thought. He might have been in a hurry to make a move which just doesn't work. And, the reason I think that is because that's how I once thought. At the time, I played way too quickly and even had an average time control of only 18.1 or 18.2 minutes per move which is very similar to blitz, to which, you're not concentration or absorbing information which is critical.

Better 6. Qe2. Black can't stop you taking e5 as you have two attackers, and now that Black has given up castling rights anyway, White does better to keep queens on to preserve an attacking force.

White had a wide variety of good moves to choose from. This capture is OK. Also good would have been 6.Qxd8ch.

I disagree with Mike as I see a move that's even stronger. ION is correct, but as much as, I hate to say it, I think that there was something overlooked. archduke_piccolo said that he's missed a move or two which I haven't seen before. And, with that being said, I almost overlooked it myself. Take note that the King is on the same diagonal as the Queen. And, with that being said, best was 6.Bg5+! If it weren't check, archduke_piccolo would be spot on. But, 6.Bg5ch skewers King and Queen. As we'd have this position. Note that a skewer is the opposite of a pin. If the Queen were in front, it would be a pin, Erika. Having said, after checking on g5 with the Bishop, the King is forced to move, and consequently, you'd actually win his Queen without anything in return. For example 6...Ke8 thinking that he might get the Bishop in return, but after 7.Bxd8, or 7.Qxd8+ he can't recapture with the other guarding it. So, this would be the result. Given that the Bishop or Queen, for that matter, covers the same diagonal, it would not be possible for him to take back. And, you'd have a winning advantage. Let's do more, as after this, 8.Qxc8 wins another piece, forcing 8...Nc6 or 8...Na6 to protect the Rook, with which, 9.Qxb7 wins a pawn, as well as, the Knight. It would look something like this with a major advantage for white.

If 6.Bg5+ Nf6

?? Now white can win the black queen for free!

Black is simply not playing chess. Erika, there is no value in this type of ... erm ... opposition. Not only should White win the undefended queen here, but also a bishop and probably the a8-rook as well. That is how bad this King move is - 17 'pawns' worth' of material straight into your lap.

Lake-bay is not completely correct here. It's true that he can get a Queen. But, that option was there a move earlier. Please see comment above.

The black queen is unguarded!!!

A different check would have worked wonders here: 7. Bg5+ Kxg5 8. Nf7+ winning the queen.

That small combination mentioned by nuntar would have been a reasonable alternative to taking the queen at once. This knight check is a long, long way from taking the most from the opportunities Black has presented.

Also strong was 7.Qxd8+, at once. And, that's what I would've played.

Still letting you get the Queen.

One feels there should be a quick mate here somewhere: 8. Qf3+ Ke6 9. Bc4+ and Black is in danger wherever he goes. White could just take the queen, but that's boring.

Once again, nuntar is on the money. Just whipping off the queen is obvious and winning, but one feels there ought to be a King Hunt in here. My first thought was also 8.Qf3ch ... with the ideas [A] 8...Kg6 9.Ne5#! (Well that was easy!) and [B] 8...Ke6 9.Bc4ch Kd6. It turns out White does indeed have a forced checkmate in this line: 10.Qe4ch Kd6 (...Be6; Qxe6#) 11.Qe5ch Kc6 (...Kd7; Qe6#) 12.Qb5ch Kd6 13.Bf4ch ... Brings up a reserve piece with check) 13...Ke7 14.Qe5ch Be6 (Instead, ...Kd7; Qe6#) 15.Qxe5#. This took a little while for me to work out. So taking the queen instead is a perfectly reasonable alternative.

True, but I don't agree that taking the Queen is boring, as that's what I would've done. And, I'd be happy with that. As usual, though, ION put it better.

As it turns out, it seems that your bishop check was also very strong! Once again White has a terminal King hunt available. This King move is forced. ++++++ Your question, Erika, is a very pertinent one. Unusual situations often do call for unusual measures. All I can say is: go with what seems right. Gradually your feel for the 'rightness' of things will become finer with time and practice.

Yes. But, Erika's question is also very important. So, let's take the Domaino's Defense, for example since we've seen it in Erika's annotations, as well as, the fact that I missed the right move before. So, it starts off with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f6? Erika has played 3.Nc3 which is also what I did in when I was a novice until I studied TA's blitz Q sacs, as that develops. Afterall, general opening guidelines say that you shouldn't move a piece twice in the opening. But, this is an exception as 3.Nxe5! is best, and of course, black usually answers with 3...fxe5?? So, then it's about what to do. Similarly, the general guidelines say that you shouldn't bring the Queen out before developing your pieces. Once again, that's an exception, as 4.Qh5+ is winning with variations that follow like 4...g6 5.Qxe5+, forking and winning the Rook. So, yes developing and castling are usually, but there are exceptions to that guideline, and it's sometimes better to deviate.

This is a very good idea. But 9.Bc4ch!! would have been immediately decisive: [A] 9...Kf5 10.Qf3ch Kg6 11.Bf7# (11.Qf7 as also #); [B] 9...Ke7 10.Qe2ch Kd6 (after ...Kd7 or ...Be6, the queen checkmates at once on e6) 11.Qe5ch ... and you will have seen this line before in a previous comment: 11...Kc6 12.Qb5ch Kd6 13.Bf4ch ... etc.

I would've castled myself here, but ION is right. These variations are more then black can handle.

More then that. He should do something about his exposed King.

A very strong check: the hunt begins!

! I would've played 10.Re1+, with a more nasty looking check. But, this, as ION points out is also very good.

Hard to believe the game lasts another five pages from here.

I agree with nuntar. In fact from here White can checkmate in 2 moves. A little harder would have been 10...Ke7, but after 11.Re1ch Be6 (forced) 12.Rxe6ch Kf7 13.Ne5#! ends the game.

I also have a heard time believing it. In fact, you won't believe it, but it's mate in 2, Erika. How should white proceed?