Great Swindles of the 21st Century

[Kevin Bonham]

To the disbelief of my eyes, this happened in a time scramble between two relatively strong juniors on board 1 of round 5 of a monster swiss (Chess Kids state teams finals) in Launceston today. Our guest swindler is Justin Hood who recently played at 1300 strength in his first rated event and ... well, I'm jealous.

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1...g3. White now had mate in three by 2.Qf4 Kh1 3.Qxg3 h2 4.Qg2# but instead tried 2.Qd2+??. Black responded ...g2+ 3.Ke1 Kh1 4.Qd5 Kh2 and gradually White realised there is no way to stop Black queening. 5.Qe5+ Kh1 6.Qe4 Kh2 and the spectators can barely believe it, yes Black has swindled a draw. But wait, there's more: 7.Qg4?? g1Q 8.Qxg1 Kxg1 and the h-pawn is a homer, mops up the white pawns, and wins.

Queen and three pawns 0 - two pawns 1.

[Garrett]

Ouch

not even Garvo's game against Solo is that sad

[eclectic]

I wouldn't call this a swindle for the winner rather a meltdown for the loser.

[MichaelBaron]

To the disbelief of my eyes, this happened in a time scramble between two relatively strong juniors on board 1 of round 5 of a monster swiss (Chess Kids state teams finals) in Launceston today. Our guest swindler is Justin Hood who recently played at 1300 strength in his first rated event and ... well, I'm jealous.

FEN Viewer

1...g3. White now had mate in three by 2.Qf4 Kh1 3.Qxg3 h2 4.Qg2# but instead tried 2.Qd2+??. Black responded ...g2+ 3.Ke1 Kh1 4.Qd5 Kh2 and gradually White realised there is no way to stop Black queening. 5.Qe5+ Kh1 6.Qe4 Kh2 and the spectators can barely believe it, yes Black has swindled a draw. But wait, there's more: 7.Qg4?? g1Q 8.Qxg1 Kxg1 and the h-pawn is a homer, mops up the white pawns, and wins.

Queen and three pawns 0 - two pawns 1.

All the juniors have to go through such disappointments due to lack of experience and difficulties to maintain concentration for a long time. I lost numerous games like this.

[eclectic]

All the juniors have to go through such disappointments due to lack of experience and difficulties to maintain concentration for a long time. I lost numerous games like this.

It shows how important endgame technique is for finishing an opponent off especially if you are much lower rated because much higher rated players don't graciously resign if they are being embarrassed. They instead say to themselves that their opponent must have a low rating for a reason and that they will self destruct in good time.

[Kevin Bonham]

I wouldn't call this a swindle for the winner rather a meltdown for the loser.

Probably correct actually, although if I had seen the lead-in play to get to this position in the first place I suspect it would qualify as a swindle.

[Trent Parker]

Round 4 Alan Tankel - T. Parker
A swindle -- almost....

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Now 34...Qb7+ is a draw. Instead i blundered and played Qd5+ then whites king finds safe haven on a3

I played alot more checks and the game ended on move 67. Mind you he was already down to a minute or two at the move 30 mark....

Round 6 Biggest ever get out of jail free card......
Mr M.B. v T. Parker

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And then white sends pieces skittling accross the board in resignation.

[Bereaved]

Hello, everyone,

This game was played on 26/05/92; it was in Round 5 of a thematic tournament with the Budapest Gambit; From memory, my opponent was on 4/4, and I was on 3.5/4. I bugger up the move order in the opening and end up losing about a million tempo on developing. The game was perhaps technically more of a meltdown for my opponent than a swindle for me, but it still gave me a bit of joy to see his face when I played 25...Qxd2, as he had forgotten that this was on.

I often wonder if the word Shadenfraude from German has every right to be added to terms such as Zugzwang and Zwischenzug, as an applicable chess term, because that seems to encapsulate the feeling much more succinctly than a large string of English words with the same purpose.

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Take care and God Bless, Macavity

PS Like Kevin, I probably have a large collection of games on this theme that I could find should I wish

[Kevin Bonham]

Gather ye round in disgust to curse and spit as our hero revolts the masses with another almighty swindle plucked from the deepest depths of very bad chess. I was Black. Time limit: rapid-rated G15/+10. Opponent's rating: c.1500. Opponent's name: suppressed.

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Alas black is still quite clearly lost. I managed to exchange b-pawns by pushing my b-pawn so that white's bishop took it, then taking white's b-pawn with my rook. White pushed the a-pawn up to a6, locking it down with a bishop at b7 and making nasty threats to capture it by putting a rook on a8. I just managed to get my king over to stop this, but it was at the cost of a pawn. Fortunately White had already swapped off one pawn, and I was just able to get White's remaining pawn off the board at the cost of my two surviving kingside pawns, leaving white with king, rook, bishop and pawn for my king rook and pawn.

I now felt I had some drawing chances, and I felt more confident of drawing when White's last pawn was blundered. White then cut my king off on the a-file, and tried very hard to win my a-pawn to get KRB vs KR (which given my bad king position may have been a win.) However these attempts only succeeded in driving my pawn up the board. We resume transmission with black now safe from losing, but surely he can't win this?

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and Black, down to about a minute plus the increment, floundered about for a bit but duly delivered mate 22 moves later on move 114 (the clock had a move counter).

(On move 5, Ka3, Rf1, Rg1 and Rh1 all draw easily. 5.Ra1 Kxd3 6.Ka3 Rb8 is a swindle attempt since if 7.Rxa2 Kc3 wins, likewise 7.Kxa2 Kc2)

[Basil]

Kevin, you are a criminal. I assume the name of your oppnent has been suppressed as the matter is currently before the courts.

[Kevin Bonham]

I think I'll be investigated by FIDE for breaching 12.2 by receiving outside assistance from Satan for that one.

[Kevin Bonham]

He's at it again folks. Tonight in the HICC rapid our anti-hero, having blundered a piece for two pawns in remarkably dumb fashion in the middlegame, eventually found himself with a king, a knight and four pawns for a king, knight, a bishop and four pawns. No problem, our Swindler simply exchanged off two sets of pawns then (and it was avoidable had the opponent twigged to the plan) sacrificed his knight for his opponent's remaining two pawns, leaving the poor opponent to try to win KNB vs K with not much time left on his clock and only 10 second increments. This the opponent quickly admitted he would not be able to do, and the Swindler escapes with a 2-point lead in the event, when it should have been cut to 1.

A Swindle well worth knowing about, but this is the first time I have pulled it off (and indeed the first time I have been in a game with the infamous KNB vs K on the board.)

[Capablanca-Fan]

Without further ado I bring you Bonham (1966)-Dowden (2167), Lton Weekender yesterday.

I never thought that a player of Dowden's class would let anyone in Australia off the hook like that (he's played for NZ in two Olympiads).

[Kevin Bonham]

I never thought that a player of Dowden's class would let anyone in Australia off the hook like that (he's played for NZ in two Olympiads).

That is the glory of the Swindle. Class is little barrier once the seeds begin to form. (Actually I don't think Tony likes fast time limits).

Stretching the thread concept a little to include the last month of the 20th century, here's another strong opponent self-swindling against me:

(This person is now an IM) - Bonham, G60, 2000

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[Capablanca-Fan]

Without further ado I bring you Bonham (1966)-Dowden (2167), Lton Weekender yesterday.

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 b6 3.Bg2 Bb7 4.c4 e6 5.0-0 Be7 6.d3 0-0 7.Nc3 c5 8.Bf4 d6 9.Re1 Nc6 10.e4 Nd7 11.d4?? cxd4 12.Nxd4? Nxd4 13.Qxd4 e5 14.Qd2 exf4

Compare J. Buciu - J. Sarfati, Logan City Chess Club:

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and won easily.