Tal and the Caro Kann + Double Deception

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Bd3 {This the move Tal was considering. White sacs a central pawn for a load of opening tempi.} 5... Qxd4 6. Nf3 Qd8 7. Qe2 Nf6 {Wait a minute. Does this not just lose a piece.} 8. Nxf6+ gxf6 9. Bxf5 {Yes it does...Wait another minute, Black is not finished yet.} 9... Qa5+ 10. Bd2 Qxf5 {So that is the idea. We see an RHP game with the same line coming up next.} 11. O-O-O Qe6 {Queens off or drop the a2 pawn, the choice is yours.} 12. Qd3 {White decides to give up the a2 pawn.} 12... Qxa2 {Black is threatening Mate in one.} 13. Qd8+ {The proverbial 'Bolt from the Blue'.} 13... Kxd8 14. Ba5+ {Double Check. The strongest check you can give. The attacked King must move.} 14...Kc8 15. Rd8 {The proverbial Checkmate.}

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Bd3 Qxd4 6. Nf3 Qd8 7. Qe2 Nf6 {The piece swapping trick.} 8. Nxf6+ gxf6 9. Bxf5 Qa5+ {This check winning back the piece was missed by Black in quetzl - boycott RHP 2011} 10. Bd2 Qxf5 11. O-O-O {Now will Black step into the Koltanowski game and play 11...Qe6.} 11... e6 {No. OK now White tries to make the opening tempi count.} 12. Be3 Be7 13. Nd4 Qd5 {Hitting the a2 pawn. White has no good Knight moves discovering an attack on the Black Queen.} 14. Kb1 Na6 {Again no good Knight moves discovering an attack on the Black Queen.} 15. Rhe1 {White's development has peaked. Though this gambit is worth a try it does, like all gambits, require at least one slack move by Black to justify it.} 15... e5 {And there it is. 15....0-0-0 and Black is OK.} 16. Nf5 {Now the discovered attack is good. White's patience has paid off. Note 16...Qe6 17.Ng7+ wins the Queen. Black builds a trap with the Queen as bait. A less alert White player would have fallen into it.} 16... Qe4 17. Nxe7 Kxe7 {This is it. White can win the Black Queen with 18.Bc5+ and 19.Qxe4. Yes...No. That is the trick. 18.Bc5+ Nxc5 and the Black Queen is defended. However there is slight flaw.} 18. Qxa6 {Well spotted. Black resigned, a piece is lost.} 18... bxa6 19. Bc5+ {Now it works. The King moves out of check} 19... Ke6 20. Rxe4 {As I said, Black discovering they are now a piece down resigned. But I love messing about with these things to see if I can squeeze anything enlightening and entertaining out of them.} 20... f5 {Why not? Looks plausible.} 21. Rd6+ Ke7 22. Rxe5+ Kf8 23. Rg6 {Checkmate.} 1-0

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Bd3 Qxd4 6. Nf3 Qd8 7. Qe2 Bxe4 8. Bxe4 Nf6 9. O-O {Now 10...Nxe4 with Nd7 and Nf6 in mind. Black's position is very solid.} 9... e6 10. Rd1 Nbd7 {A ray of hope for White. No need for this encouraging self-pin. 10...Qc7 preventing White’s next move was OK.} 11. Bf4 Be7 {Black's position is looking tight. White's developing tempi is counting. 11...Nxe4 12.Qxe4 Qb6 untangling with exchanges was an option.} 12. Ne5 {It goes without saying that White must play actively after saccing the d-pawn. (an obvious note that one but it has to be said...trust me.)} 12... O-O {A blunder in a difficult position. White can win the pawn back with 13.Nxd7 Nxd7 14.Bxh7+ Kxh7 15 Qd3+ and Qxd7. White sees a better move.} 13. Rxd7 Nxd7 14. Rd1 {Pinning and winning two pieces for a Rook.} 14... Qb6 {Not a good square to get out of the pin. 14...Qa5 was better.} 15. Nxd7 {Winning the exchange.} 15... Qxb2 16. Nxf8 Rxf8 {White could have now tried some Double Deception with 17.Be5! of course if 17...Qxe5 18.Bxh7+ wins the Queen. If Black should spot that one and relax it could go 17.Be5! Qxa2? 18.Ra1 again winning the Black Queen. Double Deception.} 17. g3 {White creates luft before sending a Rook off an adventure.} 17... Qxa2 18. Rd7 Qb1+ 19. Kg2 Bf6 20. Bd6 Re8 21. Bxh7+ {Good play by White. Black played 21...Kh8 and resigned after 22.Qh5. If Black takes the Bishop we can have some wonderful fun.} 21... Kxh7 22. Qh5+ Kg8 23. Qxf7+ Kh7 {White can mop up thus....} 24. Qh5+ Kg8 25. Qxe8+ Kh7 26. Qh5+ Kg8 27. Qf7+ {Note it's all with check.} 27... Kh7 28. Qxf6 {With mate on g7. I told you I love messing about with these positions.}

[FEN "5rk1/pp2bppp/2p1p3/8/4BB2/8/PqP1QPPP/3R2K1 w - - 0 17"]

17. Be5 {Instead of as in the game 17.g3. Black can see the idea. If Qxe5 when Bxh7+ wins the Black Queen.} 17... Qxa2 {So Black side steps the trick pocketing a loose pawn.} 18. Ra1 {And the Queen is trapped.}

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Bd3 Nd7 {Some players refuse to get embroiled in gambit play. But this is wrong. One should take a loan of the bait with the full intention of giving it back at the right moment.} 6. Qe2 {Another version of Double Deception. Black is alert enough to see that White intends to play 7.Nd6+ and 8.Nxf5 so....} 6... Bg6 {With this move Black ensures White does not win a piece.} 7. Nd6 {There is of course this move ensuring the end of the game. Drats. you have left me nothing to mess about with. The game is over.}

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 {The Advanced Variation of the Caro Kann.} 3... Bf5 4. h4 {There it is. Not a blatant attempt to trap the f5 Bishop. This is theory, should Black play 4…h6 or 4…h5.} 4... e6 {OOPS! that is the piece dropping blunder (or is it.....see later.)} 5. g4 Be4 6. f3 {The Bishop is trapped.} 6... Bg6 7. h5

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. h4 e6 5. g4 {Black is losing this Bishop so tries to cloud the water.} 5... Be4 6. f3 Be7 {This, trying to get something from the position looks best. A whole host of RHP players as Black have resigned here.} 7. fxe4 Bxh4+ 8. Ke2 dxe4 {Two pawns and an open King for the Bishop.} 9. Bg2 f5 10. exf6 Qxf6 {11.Qf1 should see the point home. Instead White allows....} 11. Bxe4 Qf2+ 12. Kd3 Nd7 {Now the threats are looming. Nc5+ or Ne5+ with 0-0-0+ are on the board.} 13. Nh3 {This hit on the Black Queen buys some time.} 13... Nc5+ {White should go for 14.dxc5 0-0-0+ Black has no time to pick up the White Queen because the Black Queen is still under attack. But it is understandable why White rejected this line.} 14. Kc4 {14.Kc3 Nxe4 Check. Black wins back their piece and still has a King on the run.} 14... b5+ {With the Black Queen under attack Black must keep checking.} 15. Kxc5 {White has wandered into a mating net. Giving the piece back with 15.Kc3 was the only way to continue.} 15... Qf8+ {The Black Queen is off the hook with a check, Black can now slip in a quiet move to construct the mating net.} 16. Kxc6 Rb8 {And there it is. The coming Rb6+ is the end. When King Hunting seal off the flight squares first. Then any check is usually checkmate.} 17. c4 {There is nothing to be done. 17.Kc7 Rb6.} 17... Rb6+ 18. Kc7 Qd6+ 19. Kc8 Ne7 {Checkmate. Never relax after pulling off an opening trap. }