Friday, June 12, 2009

Two Funny Positions with GM* Orlando Gonzalez

Orlando Gonzalez is one of my all time favorite kids. He hardly talks, but he plays beautiful, beautiful games. He's moving back to Puerto Rico this summer and I will really miss him. I played a funny game with him two days ago. We got to this position:

and he played maybe the worst move on the board.... can you guess? Have you seen the hilarious section in John Nunn's Chess Puzzle Book, "Find the Wrong Move" where you have to guess the plausible-looking but disasterous move that was played in the high level game? Here's an example:

M. Gurevich - San Segundo, New York Open 1998 black to move and lose





picture of Orlando to cover the answers



ANSWERS
Gurevich San Segundo

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Be7 4.Bf4 Nf6 5.e3 0–0 6.Nf3 c5 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.a3 Nc6 9.Rc1 Re8 10.cxd5 exd5 11.Be2 Be6 12.0–0 Be7 13.Nd4 Rc8?? 14.Nxc6 bxc6 15.Ba6 Ra8 16.Bb7 Line
 

Orlando-me
he played 33. Rg3? after which 33... Bb4 threatens 34... Bd6# and forces 34. Kf4, which gives me the exchange!!


much later we get here:

and my pawn is attacked, so I innocently played ... c2, which he immediately answers with Nc5 and we both break out laughing because I can't stop Nb7#. The thing which makes me luckiest in my job is that the kids I teach often find chess both beautiful and hysterically funny.





** GM = guessing master. Orlando won the 2009 US Championship Fantasy Contest

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