Tactics Time Chess Newsletter: Shake it Off

Published: Tue, 02/03/15

Newsletter Issue Shake it Off

Tactics Time

Shake it Off

"Left Shark Nailed It!" ~ Katy Perry's Choreographer


T

his position comes from the game Ryan Swerdlin (2062) vs Chris Peterson (2190), 2014 Colorado Challenger. Ryan just recently passed 2200 to become a National Master! Congrats!

In the position on the right it is White to move.

Answer below.

Recently I got a song stuck in my head thanks to Colorado chess mom, organizer, TD, and political gadfly Shirley Herman.

This song is "Shake it off" by Taylor Swift.

Shirley even named her Wednesday night tournament for February "Shake it Off Wednesdays", http://www.coloradochess.com/newtourn.shtml#928, which I thought was a fun and clever name.

You can see the Shake it Off video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfWlot6h_JM

Now, I have always had a rather embarrassing taste in music.

I basically have the music tastes of an 11 year old girl. I like happy, popular, mindless, catchy music (think Spice Girls, Britney Spears, Katy Perry, etc). I loved the Super Bowl half time show for example - even (especially!) the dancing sharks!

So, Taylor Swift certainly falls into my immature music tastes :-)

But I do think there is a really good message in this song that you can apply to your chess game. When something goes wrong, you have to "shake it off".

Football players often talk about having a "short term memory" as a key to success. You have to forget anything bad that happened in the past, and focus on the present, because that is the only thing that matters.

For example:

"It kind of goes back to Pete's coaching philosophy, just in the sense it's never over, and we have a short-term memory," center Max Unger (after the Seahawks' unlikely comeback win over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC playoffs)

You made a blunder on move 10? OK, well that is over now, and there are no takebacks, (although I have actually had one person ask me for a takeback once in a rated game, when they hung their queen. I said "no". lol) so just focus on what you can do now, and don't dwell on the mistake.

I also like how people like Swift and Katy Perry don't take things too seriously and have fun. I think this is another key to success. The chess players who go nuclear when they lose don't tend to last very long in the chess world.

Here is the complete game:

[Event "2014 Colorado Challenger"]
[Site "Room 415, 417, University Mem"]
[Date "2014.04.27"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Swerdlin, Ryan"]
[Black "Peterson, Chris"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A46"]
[WhiteElo "2062"]
[BlackElo "2190"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 e6 3. e3 b6 4. Nd2 Bb7 5. Ngf3 c5 6. c3 h6 7. Bh4 Be7 8. h3 d6
9. Bd3 Nbd7 10. Bg3 O-O 11. O-O Re8 12. Re1 Nf8 13. Bb5 N8d7 14. Bd3 a6 15. a4
cxd4 16. exd4 Nd5 17. Ne4 N7f6 18. Qd2 Nh5 19. Bh2 f5 20. Ng3 Nhf4 21. Nxf5 Bg5
22. Ne3 Nxe3 23. Bxf4 Nxg2 24. Bxg5 Nxe1 25. Rxe1 hxg5 26. Nxg5 Qf6 27. Bc4 d5
28. Bd3 e5 29. Bh7+ Kf8 30. Bc2 Qf4 31. Ne6+ Rxe6 32. Qxf4+ exf4 33. Rxe6 Bc8
34. Rxb6 Bxh3 35. Bg6 Ke7 36. f3 Bd7 37. Bd3 a5 38. Bb5 Bxb5 39. Rxb5 Ke6 40.
Rb6+ Ke7 41. Rg6 Kf7 42. Rd6 Rb8 43. Rxd5 Rxb2 44. Rxa5 Rb3 45. Rc5 Ra3 46. a5
Ke6 47. Kg2 Ra1 48. Rb5 Ra3 49. c4 Ra4 50. Rc5 Kd6 51. Kh3 Ra3 52. Kg4 Rd3 53.
Rd5+ 1-0

You can play through this game here: http://www.viewchess.com/cbreader/2015/2/1/Game652897942.html

Answer: 31.Ne6+!! got a well deserved double exclam from Fritz 13. This move forks the King and Queen with check.

31...Rxe6 is the only reasonable way to get out of check, and avoid losing the Queen.

Then White plays 32.Qxf4+ exf4 33.Rxe6 winning back the exchange. (White had previously been down the exchange, thanks to a nice combo and in between move that Chris did on move 23)

Happy Tactics!

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