Saturday 18 May 2013

A kind of instructive game

Having just started another round of junior coaching, I'm always on the lookout for a set of 'stock' games I can show my students. The level of students requires a little bit of a balancing act, as they hover between being able to solve specific problems (mate in 2, material winning combinations), while not always finding them in actual games.
While I lean towards the Morphy/Blackburne style of game (rapid development, central control, tactical finish), such games often contain things you want to teach (mating attacks), and some things you want to avoid for now (giving up material).
Today I played the kind of game that falls into this category. I was quite pleased by the finish, which demonstrates some nice tactics, but it did depend on a little bit of generosity from my opponent. In initially declining to take on f7 in the Traxler, he gave me a couple of free moves. Eventually he decided that he should take on f7, but this only played into my hands. It turns out I also missed 12. ... Nxh2! but if I had played it, I may not have ended the game in the way I was looking for.


Not Me - Me
Street Chess Canberra, 18.05.2013


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