The title is a reference to another annotation I made a long time ago, where I displayed a 12-move mate that I was able to pull off in another chess website [http://gameknot.com/annotation.pl/my-quickest-check-mate?gm=26670]. I was able to break my record here on Gameknot by four moves after my opponent played an unusual variation of the Sicilian, to me at least... |
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1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6
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!? Something that I have never seen before, and I have no idea of its playability at the time. Checking the database now, I find this variation to be the Marshall variation (after White's next move) |
  5 comments
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3. d4
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As it was, I simply played what was natural to me, as if Black had played d6 instead of e6. I expect the usual pawn trade... |
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3... Nc6
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!? But am surprised once again! Obviously my opponent likes to deviate from the norm, but that's not to say that this move is ruinous... it does, however, allow White to take advantage of the fact that d4 pawn hasn't been snapped off yet... |
1 comment
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4. d5
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..with this move! White advances his pawns to force the Black knight to move once again |
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4... Nce7
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Perhaps Black might have been better with the pawn exchange at this point, but the knight would have had to move anyway. This move does not lose the game, but the black knight on e7 assist's in Black's loss later on |
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5. Nc3
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Checking after the game, I find that this game leaves the database with this move, the three other alternatives being d6, c4 and dxe6. Perhaps d6 might have been best here to put the cramp in Black's position, but that would have been a completely different game from this one. |
1 comment
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5... g6
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Ignoring the tension in the centre, Black prepares a kingside fianchetto, with good reason too - the black bishop will have a good scope on the a1-h8 diagonal |
1 comment
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6. Be3
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Development with an additional attack on the undefended c5 pawn... |
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6... b6
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? but Black chose the wrong pawn to defend it with! 6...d6 would have saved Black a lot of heartache for sure! With this move, I saw that b5 would be a pretty place for my knight. I also note, however, that it's not an outpost as Black can kick away the knight with a6. However, when looking through this line, I realise... |
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7. Nb5
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! That this move packs a lot more punch than it first looks! White now has a very powerful threat here... |
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7... a6
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?? But Black misses it! |
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8. Nd6#
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Smothered mate, and notice that it is Black's one developed piece that helps contribute to this! I'm pretty sure that most of you reading this have seen this kind of thing before, but it was the first time I was able to pull it off! The beauty of it is that there was no way to stop a knight jump to d6 [other than to sac the knight], so even if Black had seen this move, the best he could do was 7...Bg7, and even then 8.Nd6! is a powerful move. [and White would have ideas to further ramp up the pressure with a move like Ng5] There is also another beauty in this last position - all the material is still on the board! :) good game! |
6 comments
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