Sunday, October 25, 2015

The Worst Move On The Board XXIV

No fewer than three for you today!


Stetsko-Dolzhikova, Bossa Nova v Oslo Schakselskap, European Club Cup, 24 October 2015.
Position after 72. Qc3-c4+.

I don't think there's any way of winning this for Black, but there's at least one way of trying to win. Also one way of losing, which happens to be the same way...


Bartholomew-Huschenbeth, Chess24.com Banter Blitz, 24 October 2015, position after 34. Rc8-c5+.

With this one, there might be some ways to lose slowly, but there's definitely one way to lose quickly. Spectacularly quickly.


Anon-David Blower, 2015.

I don't have full details for this, which is from the English Chess Forum, but before you click, take the trouble to find the one, and only one, way White has of not winning this. It's not so hard to work out. Harder perhaps to work out that everything else keeps the win on the board. Or to work out how White missed this.

[Thanks to Matt Fletcher, Chess24.com and Jack Rudd]
[Worst move index]

4 comments:

Ulrich said...

Quite easy to find them all very quickly. Knowing that they are there... however, in real games, such errors happen from time to time ;-)

Anonymous said...

72... Kf3 73. Qg4#
34... Ke4 35. Re5#
1. c8=Q stalemate.

I once witnessed a tournament game where white, a queen and more up, decided to "play it safe" and took *every single piece and pawn* the opponent had, leaving him with a bare king against, if I recall correctly, a king, queen, rook (or two?), two or three minor pieces, and about five pawns.

He stalemated him.

ejh said...

Probably not that rare an occurrence in junior games.

Anonymous said...

I think it was the "badmaster" who noted his schooboy chess days had gamea start with 1. e4 e5, the "book" 2. Qh5 answered by the "thematic" g6, followed by Q:R, Q:N, Q:anything she can get her hands on...