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Joseph Henry Blackburne vs Jacques Schwarz
"Blackburne Singing in the Dead of Knight" (game of the day Oct-21-2016)
2nd DSB Congress, Berlin (1881), Berlin GER, rd 16, Sep-16
French Defense: Exchange Variation (C01)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Given 67 times; par: 41 [what's this?]

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sac: 26.Qxf4 PGN: download | view | print Help: general | java-troubleshooting

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 5 OF 5 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Oct-24-16  sfm: <morfishine: Another nonsensical play-on-word perverting a player's name...> "Blackburne Singing due to dead of Knight" would have been preferable.

But still - OK!

Nov-08-16  ASchultz: The French Exchange doesn't have to be drawish, I guess.
Dec-30-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  Chess4Him: Another fine combination after 26.Qxf4!!
The lesson is to "see" the mating net.
Sep-12-19  Sally Simpson: ***

This game is given in 'Game Changer' by Sadler and Regen to show the similarity between this and Alpha Zero saccing a pawn (moves 13-16) for an open file v a castled King.

Not for a short term sac-sac attack but to have latent pressure.

A human doing this expects/hopes he can eek out an error from the defender and crash through.


click for larger view

It looks like here Schwarz saw a ghost with Bh6 then Bxf8 and Rxh7 so played 22...h5 and as Sadler notes this is a blunder inviting White in. 23.Rxh5 gxh5 24.Bf6 is good.

Sadler also adds that here instead of 25...Nf4+ allowing the Queen sac.


click for larger view

25...Be7 26.Bf4 Bd6 26.Bf6 Be7 would have been a probable perpetual though I suspect J.H.B. would have played for more trickery with 27.Bxe6.

A.Z. has not discovered a new tactic. Humans have been setting up unclear attacks down a open file v a castled King since day one but A.Z. has practically turned it into a positional ploy.

Mathew links to this game Stockfish vs AlphaZero, 2018 'The Not SO Quiet Attack'. Blacks sac his pawn structure and two Queenside pawns to get at the White King.

***

May-08-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  fredthebear: This is Game 61 on pages 108-110 in "The Art of the Checkmate" by Georges Renaud and Victor Kahn (Dover edition, 1962).

When the bishop on the long diagonal supports the rook giving check on the outer file, it's known as Mayet's Mate. Here's an example: http://chesslessons4beginners.com/c...

As was previously stated, Blackburne's Mate is somewhat similar with three minor pieces (often preceded with a queen sacrifice).

Also, I would argue that when the bishop-supports-rook in the middle of the back rank, and the mated king's own pawn prevents his escape off the back rank, then it's likely an Opera Mate, or Reti Mate. See examples: http://chesslessons4beginners.com/c...

Here is a clear, fairly comprehensive list of diagrammed checkmates: https://www.chessonly.com/checkmate/ (Just one name change suggestion from the bland "10.Corner mate" should be "Mongredien's Knight Mate", IMHO.)

May-15-21  cehertan: A coffeehouse game, if white doesn’t mate he loses. I don’t computer check before I post but 19...f5 looks like an interesting idea. If there’s no tactical refutation it should win.
May-16-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  fredthebear: The game notes by Stockfish indicate a handful of inaccuracies by both sides. Black had a tiny edge throughout much of this middlegame, but was never in a position to win the game.

Joseph Henry Blackburne was tremendous at opening files for kingside attacks. Here JHB executes the gambit of the c-pawn with the positional planning of the raking bishops and rook battery at the opposing castle, and then the decisive combination.

Blackburne conquered (+13 -1 =2) a strong field of 17 other masters, winning the tournament. Berlin was a chess hotbed in the 19th century: https://www.chessmaniac.com/chess-i... Some may wish to have this historical book: http://britishchessnews.com/2021/04...

Aug-27-21  Whitehat1963: Good Thursdayish puzzle after black 25 Nf4+.
Oct-07-21  Brenin: The N on f4 defends against the R sac Rxh5, so 26 Qxf4 Bxf4 27 Rxh5 gxf5 28 Rxh5, and mate by Rh8 is inevitable.
Oct-07-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  An Englishman: Good Evening: Poor Schwarz--so close to a shock upset, yet so far away.
Oct-07-21  landshark: Well I must be a good chess player again -
Last week was a wipeout (started off 0/2 - a new PR for ineptitude), and here I am looking at a Thursday puzzle before going to bed on Wednesday (note to self: don't over do that!!) and getting it right in about 20 seconds. Maybe just a tad easy for Thursday - ?
Oct-07-21  mel gibson: I spent only 5 seconds on this puzzle
and mucked it up.

Stockfish 14 says:

26. Qxf4

(26. Qxf4 (♕c1xf4 ♗d6xf4 ♖h4xh5 g6xh5 ♖h1xh5 ♗f4-h6 ♖h5xh6 ♕c7-h2+ ♖h6xh2 ♔g8-f8 ♖h2-h8+) +M6/153 15)

mate in 6.

Oct-07-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  HeMateMe: Who was Mayet?
Oct-07-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  agb2002: White has the bishop pair for a bishop, a knight and a pawn.

The control of the dark squares around the black king suggests 26.Qxf4 Bxf4 27.Rxh5 gxh5 28.Rxh5 and mate in three.

Oct-07-21  goldfarbdj: I was wondering why 26. Rxh5 wouldn't work. I wasn't until I played through the game and then backed up to the problem position again that I realized 26. Rxh5 would be an illegal move.
Oct-07-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  FSR: Saw this a long time ago. Not about to forget it.
Oct-07-21  Cibator: <HeMateMe: Who was Mayet?>

One of the "Pleiades", alongside the better-known von Bilguer, von der Lasa and Horwitz. See Karl Mayet

Oct-07-21  AlastairMarston: That took me about 10 seconds! Based on the fact that White is in check and of course its a 19th Century game, QxN followed by Rxp just seemed the obvious 1st attempt.
Oct-07-21  Sally Simpson: One of Blackburne's many classics. Often repeated in tactical combo books.

Queen sac, Rook sac and Mate.

Oct-07-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  chrisowen: Tarquin i tvs Qxf4 gobble a blush latch acrid v it scythe in tarquin i tvs wicky it plead evict in relics cruel uvray fag carafes evict gab gob it z heavy hvt vis marquis vis jun its x irk land v it we z cops it sphynx its aorta its anvil jaja blush no aorta its jd findy fed its gaffed it suffered its gotcha vid anvil go highlight goofball vus ihasco black baulk icicle evict elbow ivory gives it back clock advance v ban ahead becky meek it duly cuffs v eulogise effaces gab jocks busked it o buffed it z too duffs it ex fag ji quick it rub hails bandjob evict he ha it sojourn caliph dr eye it on evicts vis hernia vis just queued it fengshui in sag z it bits dorky c1 up the duff in c at auger cc qf4 nuptial agreement dines jobber vis c1 flush its tower i ting chappy v it salamander it maze x its Qxf4 ear!
Oct-07-21  daladno: Blackburne vs J Schwarz, 1881 Just like <goldfarbj>, I was happy with 26.Rxh5, and was surprised that White is under check when I went for solution. [sigh]
Oct-07-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  chrisowen: It coin a term duffer knight queen v o c qf4 aloof bag no?
Oct-07-21  TheaN: This was a surprisingly easy mate in six. Chess can sometimes be straightforward; once you see the potential behind Rxh5 with Rh8, it's relatively easy.
Oct-07-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  chrisowen: No hit on h5 no?
Oct-07-21  olinart: Zooter I think you've given up too fast on your line:

Rxf4 Bxf4 27. Qc2

..Kf8 28. Rxh5 gxh5 29. Qh7
or
..Bh6 28. Qxg6+ Kf8 29. Qxh6+ Kg8 30. Qg7#
or ..Kh7 28. Rxh5+ Bh6 29. Qd2

so exploiting the pin and the B on f6 is enough without the Q sac.

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