As we won't be able to play chess for many months, it is important to do something useful with the freed time. So one of the very first things I did when the lockdown started, was selecting an interesting book to read. I didn't need much time for it as I already follow for several years the blog of the Australian grandmaster David Smerdon so I knew in advance that his new book The Complete Chess Swindler could never be a wrong choice.
Originally the author had the intention to give an anthology of the most beautiful and fantastic swindles in the history of chess. However while writing his book David discovered that it was possible to create a manual to teach people finding swindles in their games. I think the book is an admirable effort but I don't expect that having read the book, has made of myself a much better swindler. Anyway for me this book is in the first place a very nice collection of swindles and some good stories which makes the book very enjoyable to read.
Besides this doesn't mean that no other players can learn something from this book. I fully agree with the author that endgame-technique/knowledge is on the top of the list of skills a swindler must have. On my blog I gave a dozen examples in several articles about endgames in which I was able to steal half or even full points. Playable endgames are achieved in only a small number of games but in those few games I see many players could make a lot of improvement in that domain.
The last in the list of skills is sportsmanship or rather the lack of it. It is clear to me that the author was having doubts about to include it or not to the book. He also mentions in the book that he only inserted the swindles which are still legally allowed. Maybe 1 of the most funny ones is the toilet-swindle. You notice that your opponent is wiggling on his chair and most likely needs to go to the toilet. However your opponent has also very little time left on his clock while on the other hand you still have loads of it. Therefore to maximize his discomfort you start to play very slowly or even not all anymore for a longtime. This leaves your opponent with a very difficult choice between wet pants, losing on time or keep on suffering and trying to survive till the end of the game. Well you wan't believe me but such choice I had to make in the last Open Cappelle La Grande in round 5 against the Bulgarian grandmaster Radoslav Dimitrov. I don't know why I deserved such treatment but in a position which is a dead-draw my opponent let his clock run down on purpose for 38 minutes (readers wanting to check this, can still read today the clock at whites 67th and 68th move on chessbomb).
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67...Kb7(Only now white realized that a win became impossible. By taking the
black a-pawn, black can now get much quicker to the white a-pawn. Instead of
accepting the draw, white let his clock run down for 38 minutes likely with the
intention to use the toilet-swindle.)68.Kb5Ka769.Kc4Ka670.Kb4Kb671.Ne1Ka672.Nc2Kb673.Kc3Ka574.Kb3Ka675.Nb4+Ka576.Nd3Ka677.Kb4Kb678.a5+Ka679.Ka4Ka780.Kb5Kb781.a6+Ka782.Ka5Ka883.Kb6Kb884.a7+Ka885.Ne1(With a knight on d4 white could allow the promotion as then he
would be on time for delivering mate at c7. Stalemate is a nice conclusion of
this game. )½–½
Everybody in the playing-hall saw it was a draw, even my daughter Evelien rated 1400 elo had seen it and almost felt asleep at a board a bit further. Anyhow I didn't want to give him a half point so I squeezed my balls and tried to manage the pressure. Finally Radoslav ended the game with stalemate having a big grin on his face. I had suffered enough. Some grandmasters are really weird people. Besides that evening we still had to play a second game so I didn't understand what there is to gain by wasting a full hour this way.
However except skills which we should or shouldn't have, psychology probably plays even a bigger part in swindles. The domain of the swindles starts when normal moves won't help you anymore to save a game. The author categorized the swindles into 4 types depending on which weakness was exploited: rush, hubris, fear and control. Most of the examples shown are prepared by the author as exercises as they consist of one concrete idea. Beside also a remarkable collection of biggest swindles are annotated in the book of which one side has a clearly lost position for many moves but in the end can still surprisingly reverse the result. To emphasize the size of the miracles, the author added to each of those games an evaluation-profile of the game generated by the engine.
Only 2 years ago I wrote in my article Swindles part 1 that such swindles are very rare in my games but last year it seemed like the gods of chess had a special interest taken in my games. Not in 1 but in a several games many incredible things happened. I guess the game I discuss below is maybe the most insane one of them all and for sure got a lot of spectators thrilled till the end. I start when we just passed move 40 and get an extra 30 minutes each. I am totally lost. The defeat was unavoidable but how was this possible against a player rated 500 points lower? How did I manage to get into such troubles? Ok, the opening didn't go smoothly but it was in the middle-game that my opponent ripped my position apart. Other players drummed around as it is not everyday you can enjoy such upsets.
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43.Bxf5(White is 2 pawns up and has also the attack. In other words I am
completely lost. I seriously considered to resign but how was this uberhaupt
possible against somebody rated 500 points lower.)a544.Nd8Kg745.Nxb7Rxb746.Rc6Be747.Bc8Ra748.Rxb6(It is too late to bother about the
pawns which are dropping.)axb449.axb4Ra2+50.Kf1Nh551.g4Ng3+52.Ke1Bh453.Rb7+Kf854.Rxh7(This is number 4 but now I finally get some
counterchances.)Nf5+55.Rxh4(My opponent started to get very nervous
here. The exchange-sacrifice is still winning but it complicates things. In the
playing-hall there was also noise as somebodies mobile ringed and other people
started to talk loudly about their game which had just ended. It was very
disturbing.)Nxh456.e4??(Only now white throws away the win but with
only 5 minutes on the clock it is not simple anymore.)56.b5(First Kf1 is
also possible and likely just transposes.)Rc257.b6Ng2+58.Kf1Nxe3+59.Kg1Rxc860.b7Re861.b8QRxb862.Nd7+Ke763.Nxb8Kd664.Na6Nc265.Kf2Nxd4+-(A tablebase-win but in practice things could go differently.)56...Ng2+57.Kf1Ne3+58.Kg1Rb2??(However with this natural move I also
commit a mistake. Dxe4 and Rg2+ were correct.)59.exd5??(White misses a
brilliant win with b5. The b-pawn is sacrificed to activate the king. After that
white can with accurate play slowly push the mass of pawns.)Nxd560.Nc6Kf761.Bd7Kf662.b5Kg563.Ne5Ne364.Nd3Rd265.Nf2Rxd466.Bc6Rc467.Ne4+Kf468.Kf2Rc2+69.Ke1Kxf370.g5??(The final minute, you want to push
back black without losing a pawn and then disaster strucks.)Re2#0–1
In the game I more or less execute what David advises in his book. When you are lost then it is important to complicate the game at all costs and often king-safety can hereby play a crucial role. I noticed white's king was standing alone so I made sure some open lines were created at all costs. Suddenly I was able to create some threats and white panicked. The exchange-sacrifice wasn't necessary. It is still winning after it but it gets much harder to find the right moves. In the end white even collapsed as he was running out of time. White thought by pushing his pawn that he could divert my pieces but missed a surprising mate. In the game I already sensed this would happen after I took his pawn on f3.
Less outspoken but with much more at stake happened in the most recent round of the Belgian interclubs so just before the federation decided to stop the championship and later even to nullify all the results. Again we are at move 40 and I have a completely lost position. Many players already resigned better positions see e.g. resigning. Also my opponent the Belgian FM Hendrik Ponnet was confident about the outcome and had a stroll after the hectic moves just before the time-control. However I guess he relaxed too much at that moment as he allowed completely unnecessary counter-play in the next moves. Hubris is maybe not the right term here but for sure he lost focus.
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(Black not only has an extra pawn but also his pair of bishops is working
fantastically. On top white's king is stranded in the center where the
hostilities will start any moment. The decision is just a matter of a few more
moves. Kibitzers were sure the game was finished including my opponent Hendrik
as I have no counterplay at all.)41.b4(However even the most ugly positions
possess often something good which is here a pawn-majority on the queen-side. So
logically I try to use this last asset but normally this shouldn't cause any
real problems for black.)Bb642.b5axb543.Bxb5e444.Ba3Rf745.c4f3??(Black built up with some strong play a clearly winning position but in
his last moves Hendrik relaxed a bit too much and now white has created
counterplay. Black is still winning but the path has become narrower. F3 is the
wrong pawn-push.)46.c5e347.gxf3Rxd148.Rxd1Bxf349.Be2Bxe2+50.Kxe2Bc751.Kxe3Bxh252.Kf3??(I missed a few times an instant draw but now I
have to make a difficult decision. Is the c-pawn strong or should I try to
defend with my king on the weak wing as the standard rule says? I make the wrong
choice so c6 was mandatory.)g4+53.Kg2Be554.Bb4Ke6?!(Both players
were again playing on increment but this time we both knew that this game would
decide the match. Not surprisingly mistakes were unavoidable. Here Rb7 wins for
black.)55.Be1Ra756.Rd2Ra357.Bf2?!(I immediately regretted this move
as of course I had to use the c-pawn to create counter-play which can only with
Rc2.)Rc358.Re2Kf559.Ra2h560.Re2Bf461.Ra2g362.Be1(I
realized that Bg1 would be very easy to answer. Suddenly I noticed Be1 so I
thought why not try it as a last trap.)Rxc5??(Black's rook is attacked
but also the c-pawn isn't defended anymore. That pawn annoyed black for many
moves already and then you miss that by taking the pawn you don't protect the
g-pawn anymore sufficiently.)63.Bxg3(Almost everybody looked at each other
as what happened here. I escaped miraculously.)Bxg3(This draw gave us
a very valuable match-point in our relegation-battle which later was nullified
due to the corona-crisis.)½–½
Hendrik had to win the game twice. At the end of the game the tension rose as it became clear our game would not only decide the match but probably even play a crucial role in the very nerve-wracking relegation-battle which was ongoing this year in second division. If I would make a draw then we would win the match and have good odds to assure our spot in 2nd division in the last 2 matches of the season. However I once more got into problems in the game and the crowd around our board started to grow as the climax was getting nearby. With literally a few moves away from the defeat, I decided to gamble. My opponent had very little time left on his clock so I tried a last trick by giving up my last pawn and it worked. The c-pawn annoyed Hendrik for so many moves that he took it when he thought I just was chasing his rook. However by doing that he dropped his important g-pawn after which a dead-draw rook-endgame occurred. It was an incredible swindle which allows us today to look forward with some satisfaction to battle next year again in second division.
As I was in the last 2 exciting swindle-games each time the hero, it is therefore fair to also be once the anti-hero. Such game I experienced in the last round of Cappelle La Grande against the French grandmaster Adrien Demuth. Some players told me that I missed a IM-norm due to it but what value do IM-norms have when your own rating dropped below 2250 fide. In the game I had during many moves a clearly won position. Also in this game we see how black with a direct attack on my king tries to brake my control of the game and finally manages to do this as I panic when having little time on my clock. In the endgame I got close a second time to the win but then it is already technically difficult. Finally the grandmaster had little effort to find the draw by liquidating to an endgame with an exchange less but which is rather easy to defend.
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(Black's opening was a fiasco and he has now a strategically completely lost
position. Black has two useless bishops. White has a dangerous protected passed
pawn and will on the long term swipe the queen-side. Black has zero
counter-play.)25.d6(This already wins material but after the game my
opponent told me that probably it would've been more practical to play it more
quietly. The engine doesn't consider this a mistake at all but we humans play of
course a different kind of chess.)Qxd626.Bc4Nh8(A grandmaster is
allowed to play such moves. The idea is after white takes the rook that the
knight covers the critical square d6. Also it frees g6 for the queen to start a
direct attack on the white king via the g-file.)27.Rd1Qg628.Nb3h529.Nxc5(The exchange doesn't run away and meanwhile I destroy the queen-side. I
did however notice that I couldn't avoid some heavy tactics anymore which isn't
exactly fun when you are slowly running out of time.)g430.hxg4hxg431.Nxb7Rxc431...gxf332.Bxf7+Kxf733.Rd7+Ke634.Rd6++-(This I had
calculated in the game but it costed me some precious minutes.)32.Qxc4gxf333.Qf1(However this is pure panic after which the win gets technically much
more difficult. If I had more time then I likely had discovered the maneuver
Qc4-c8-h3 which is much stronger.)Rxb734.Rd8+?!(My last moves
weren't the best but only now the win gets jeopardized. Bc5 and Be1 are stronger
so the queen gets the possibility to take back at f3.)Kh735.Rd3Nf736.Bh4Qxe437.Qxf3?!(Leela chooses for the stronger Rxf3.)37.Rxf3!Rb638.Re1Qf539.Rh3Rh640.Qf3b341.Kf1a542.Qd5Rh537...Qxf338.gxf3e439.fxe4Bxb240.Rb1Bg741.Be1a542.Rd5?!(Kf1 is
considered as critical but even then black has good chances to draw.)42.Kf1!Rb843.Rd7Kg644.Ra7!?b345.Ra6+Kh746.Ke2!?Ng547.Rxa5Nxe442...Re7??(During the game I wondered if b3 doesn't work. Black
wasn't playing his best tournament obviously.)42...b3!43.Bxa5b244.Kf2Rb345.Bc7Ra346.Bxf443.Rxa5Rxe444.Bxb4Bd4+(Just like earlier in
the game black again uses his pieces to attack my king and also this time he
manages to confuse me.)45.Kf1f346.Be1?(Of course I want to avoid f2 but
this isn't winning anymore which I could still do but only via some accurate
moves starting with Rb3.)f247.Bxf2?!(The engines choose Bd2 but I
don't think white has still realistic winning-chances with it.)Rf448.Rh5+Nh6(This self-pin is necessary and I had detected it a bit too late.)48...Kg6??49.Rh2Bxf250.Rxf2Rxa451.Rb6+Kg752.Rb7+-(I had set up
this trap but a grandmaster won't miss this.)49.Rh2Bxf250.Rb7+Kg651.Rxf2Rxa4(Black escaped to a tablebase-draw. )52.Rb6+Kg553.Rb5+Kg654.Rg2+Rg455.Rb6+Kg756.Ra2Rg657.Ra7+Nf758.Rb3Rf6+59.Ke2Re6+60.Kd3Rd6+61.Ke4Re6+62.Kd5Rd6+63.Kc5Rf664.Rg3+Rg665.Rf3Rf666.Rxf6(I
wanted my king closer before I exchanged rooks but I didn't manage. If the
knight is stranded in a corner then sometimes it is won. Here black has little
problems to avoid such scenario.)Kxf667.Kd5Ng568.Ra1Kf569.Rf1+Kg470.Rf8Kg371.Ke5Nf3+72.Ke4Ng5+73.Ke3Kg474.Rf4+Kh575.Ra4Kg676.Kf4(This was the last time that black thought for several minutes. He had
still sufficient time to find a good setup.)Kf677.Ra6+Ne6+78.Ke4Ke779.Ke5Nc780.Rd6Ne881.Rh6Kd782.Ra6Nc783.Rd6+Ke784.Rh6Kd785.Rg6Ne886.Rg1Nc787.Rd1+Ke788.Rd2Ne889.Rh2Kd790.Rh7+Kc691.Re7Nc792.Rg7Ne893.Rg6+Kd794.Re6Nc795.Rb6Ne896.Rb7+Nc797.Rxc7+Kxc7(Like this I avoided to propose a draw as I wasn't in the mood for that
anymore.)½–½
Such swindles demand creativity (26... Nh8!!??) but also perseverance of defending inferior endgames. I personally think this is much more interesting than just 1 idea. One last tip of the book I think is still useful to share. When you want to create a swindle then first try to figure out if there is a move which your opponent really likes to play. Then look to what your position still can offer. Try to find a move which uses this last trump card and at the same time doesn't seem at first sight to prevent the move your opponent wants to play. The book but also our own practice proofs such approach often let you swindle successfully.
Brabo
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