DAY 30 Drawback

A move that checkmates is the only one without even a slight drawback.

Meesen White

Hans Mueller Black

Correspondence 1928

English Opening A28

1 c4 e5 2 c3 f6 3 f3 c6 4 d4

This was once the most popular way for White to play the English Opening.

4...exd4 5 xd4 b4!

The good news about 1 c4 is that it fights for control of d5. The slight drawback is that the c-pawn can become weak.

Black can exploit that after 6 g5 h6 7 h4 with 7...xc3+! 8 bxc3 d6 followed by ...e5.

A curiosity is Hans Mueller – Marcel Duchamp, The Hague 1928, 7...e4?? 8 xd8 xc3 9 xc6 xd1 10 xb4 resigns.

6 xc6? bxc6

White should play quietly and protectively (7 e3).

7 g3? e7! 8 g2 a6!

Amazingly, White has no good defense of the c4-pawn (8 b3 c5).

Or 8 d4 d5 9 cxd5?? xe2 mate.

Question 33: But what about 9 b3 ?

9 d3 d5 10 b3?

Illustration

10...d4!

Quite good is 10...d8 since White cannot get out of the pin on the d3-a6 line without losing the c-pawn. But now he loses a piece.

11 xd4

For example, 11 xc6+ f8 12 d2 (or 12 b2) dxc3.

11...d8 12 xc6+ f8 13 d5 xd5! White resigns.

Helmut Erhat White

Josef Lokvenc Black

Vienna 1950

1 c4 e5 2 f3 c6 3 c3 f6 4 d4 exd4 5 xd4 b4 6 g5 h6 7 h4 xc3+ 8 bxc3 d6 9 c2 e5 10 e3 g6 11 g3 d7!? 12 e6 fxe6 13 g6+ f8 17 xe6?? f6 White resigns. The queen is trapped. Black would be OK after 17 e2 f6.