Instead of taking his rook, I should of course have played 1…Nf8+ Kh8 2.Qh7! Nxh7 3.Ng6#
I was thinking there must be a mate somewhere but somehow I couldn’t see it clearly in my mind, always thinking that his knight was covering the h7 square. Of course I missed the fact that I could sac my queen, because by taking on h7, he would allow the smothered mate. I guess the lesson here is, forget about material, always look at forcing moves when mate is in the air.
I won the game anyways so it’s not a huge deal, but I might not have another chance anytime soon to sac my Queen for a pretty smothered mate. Now I can’t even show off at my club. Crap.
8 comments:
Very pretty indeed.
No sense kicking yourself! You won, everybody misses stuff.
Thanks Derek. I'm done kicking myself :)
I saw it immediatly but then again i knew there was mate and hadn't played x-time to reach that position.
You’re so right that is beautiful. If it’s any constellation, I am not sure there are many of us who would have seen the lady sack.
That was sweet. I have seen smothered mates in puzzle books for years, but I have never seen one in any of my own games. Don't worry about missing it...I think it is a rare find.
anonymous: same here... always liked those puzzles but this was the first time I had one in an OTB game.
chess?: thanks! I'm sure 90% of the 3 readers of this blog would've seen it. hmm wait that math doesn't work out...
Most of the prettiest variations never get played. That is why we have chess blogs, so that we can appreciate the beautiful things that would othewise have never come to light!
Been enjoying your blog for a while as I've come to realise that chess blogging is a sort of "group therapy" for the addicted.
Therefore I decided it was time for me to "stand up" confess to my own addiction and start my own chess blog...
chessticles.blogspot.com
I hope you'll find time to come visit as I've managed to find someone who knows the moves from the Lenin vs. Hitler game! :)
You'll spot the mate next time!
Post a Comment