In the previous chapter we discussed the most common tactical errors in bullet chess. Players who can avoid those errors – and exploit them when they are made by their opponents – will improve their play noticeably. But there are other types of errors which must be examined as well.
As the title of this chapter indicates, we now turn to the subject of “mental errors,” by which we mean mistakes which stem from flawed thought processes. These can be distinguished from the mistakes in the previous chapter, which can be thought of as “perceptual errors.” It’s one thing not to see a backwards move or a knight fork, but it’s something else not to even consider the opponent’s possibilities. Perception problems can be solved, at least to some extent, by being aware of them. Conceptual problems require more effort to solve, but the process also begins with awareness.
When it comes to mistakes, bullet chess is not that much different from normal chess, except that the consequences of errors are more quickly seen and are often more extreme. In all forms of chess, players may get into trouble because of wishful thinking, self-delusion, obsessive behavior and other counter-productive mental processes. What makes bullet different, though, is that the players have much less time available to control themselves – if a player’s first reaction is to greedily grab material, in bullet he or she is much more likely to do so than in normal chess.
Wishful thinking
While it is desirable to impose your will on your opponent, even in bullet there should usually be some objective basis for your play. Players can get in trouble when they play without sufficient concern for factors such as king safety, material and so on.
This type of thinking is not so much concentrating overly on your own plan, but rather involves pretending or convincing yourself that nothing can go wrong. Chess would be a very simple game were this really so!
In our first example, Black fearlessly keeps the queens on the board, forgetting that we evolved the emotion of fear for good reasons and that there are other things to worry about besides saber-toothed tigers and cave bears.
White (2159) – Black (2174) [A00]
White has a slightly more harmonious position because of his lead in development, but Black has a small time advantage, with 46 seconds left to White’s 41 seconds. The game is therefore about equal, and the position is quiet. Who would think that the game will end in four moves?
18.Qh5!
A good move, which brings White’s strongest piece closer to Black’s king. 18.Qh5! also forces Black to decide whether to exchange queens or not. Black does not choose wisely.
18...Qe3+?
After thinking for ten seconds, Black deliberately refuses to exchange queens, presumably convinced that if anything bad happens it will happen to White.
19.Kh1
19.Rf2 was slightly better, but Black is still in trouble, as now White threatens both 20.Q×c5 and Black’s king.
19...Qd2?
Completely focused on his own “attack” and oblivious to any danger, Black misses White’s main threat.
20.Bd5+ Kh8 21.Ng6 mate 1-0
In the next game, Black is intent on attacking White’s king and ignores the danger to his own.
White (2046) – Black (2291) [A00]
Black has played the opening well and has an easy attack on the kingside.
17.h×g5 f×g5?!
With both players having 42 seconds left, Black has no need to take chances and should play 17...B×f3! 18.B×f3 N×g5. Instead he sacrifices, hoping to just blow White off the board.
18.N×g5 h4?! 19.N×f7 K×f7 20.f4!
Now both sides are attacking and Black’s king is more exposed than White’s. This is another illustration of the common mistake of over-optimism, coupled with concentrating too much on your own plan while disregarding your opponent’s counterplay.
20...h×g3 21.f×e5+ Ke8 22.Nd6+ B×d6 23.e×d6 Ng6 24.Qg5
24.Qe1, followed by 25.Q×g3, was even stronger.
24...Qh7 25.Rf6 Qh2+ 26.Kf1
This is certainly not the position Black wanted ten moves ago! His natural kingside pressure has become a desperate race against White’s unstoppable attack.
26...Nh4 27.Re6+!?
27.Qe5+ mated, but the move played is trickier and wins as well.
27...B×e6?! 28.Qe7 mate 1-0
Each player had 22 seconds left.
In the next example Black’s indifference to danger is even more pronounced. It’s hard to imagine his plan working and his wishful thinking as to his king’s invulnerability results in harsh disillusionment.
White (2015) - Black (2000) [A00]
Black is in some difficulty, as he is a pawn down, although he has some compensation because he is slightly ahead on time (White has 44 seconds remaining and Black has 49 seconds). Rather than seeking normal counterplay with 17...Qb6, Black conceives of a startlingly original idea which he follows through to its logical conclusion.
17...h6?! 18.h4
White could play 18.B×b7, but instead he decides quite reasonably to support his g5-pawn, maintaining his grip on the position.
18...h×g5 19.h×g5 (D)
19...Kf7?!
Here is Black’s idea, which explains his previous two moves. He is going to attack down the h-file! This audacious plan is altogether admirable, even though objectively it not only has no chance of success (White’s king is well-protected) but also exposes Black’s king to a vicious assault. Despite these minor flaws, one has to applaud Black’s monarch for leading its troops into battle, even though it becomes the first casualty.
20.B×b7 Rb8
The first sign of trouble – Black takes three seconds to reply to 20.B×b7, and misses 20...Rc5, which at least stops 21.Bd5+. At this point, White has 40 seconds left, while Black has 44 seconds.
21.Bd5+ Ke7
22.Bb3?!
Missing 22.Qe2+! Kd7 23.Qe6+ Kc7 24.Ba5+.
22...Rh8
Black hasn’t gone to all this trouble for nothing. He continues to execute his plan. After all, what can go wrong?
23.Qf3
Once again, 23.Qe2+, followed by 24.Qe6(+), was faster.
23...Bc7 24.Rae1+ Kf8 25.Qc6
A powerful move which attacks Black’s g6-bishop.
25...Bh5
Black continues his “attack,” but the better 25...Qd6 runs into 26.Re6.
26.a3?!
White hesitates, overlooking 26.Qc5+, followed by 27.Q×f5+, which mates in nine moves (as does 26.Bb4+, curiously enough).
26...Rb6?! 27.Bb4+
By this point, Black has a 12-second lead in time but it doesn’t matter.
27...Bd6 28.B×d6+ Q×d6 29.Qc8+! 1-0
Obsessing
The most extreme form of wishful thinking is obsessing, which is the dark side of the “strategic focus” we commended in an earlier chapter. Your own child is always the best looking and smartest in the class, and it is only natural to fall in love with the plan you come up with in a bullet game. After all, it’s your plan!
As we have discussed, up to a point that’s a good thing. Even though you may miss unexpected opportunities, if your plan is a good one you will win if you carry it out. But the truth of the old saying that “a bad plan is better than none at all” is questionable, especially in bullet, as a bad plan can destroy your position while a good plan definitely helps.
Problems arise when players pursue their plans, even good ones, no matter what. Inflexibility is tolerable up to a point, and sometimes such determination will work as your opponent will trust you and go along with your plan. But in many cases this sort of tunnel vision can also cause you to drive straight off a cliff...
Our first example really is meant only to show just how surreal things can get when the players think only of their own idea and tune out everything else. The players not only are like ships passing in the night – they don’t even seem to be in the same ocean.
White (1835) – Black (1936) [A40] (D)
White has misplayed the opening and Black has just planted a knight on d4. White has various ways to try to minimize his positional disadvantage, but instead of a deep battle for the key squares, White makes a surprisingly generous offer, which Black refuses.
10.Qc2?
White took two seconds for this move, which Black failed to anticipate or exploit. White’s queen is hanging.
10...Ne7?
10...N×c2+ was better.
11.Qd1
White notices the problem and moves his queen back to d1. White may have been hoping for 11...Ng8, with a tacit agreement that neither player would ever speak of the last two moves, but instead Black castled, ending up with a gain of two tempos, as opposed to a free queen.
Five moves later, White managed to lose his queen anyway and eventually the players arrived at the following position: (D)
With 24 seconds remaining, Black has many ways to wn. His h-pawn is dangerous, his c-pawn can also advance, and of course he has the hugematerial advantage of a queen for a rook.
Any infiltration by Black’s queen into White’s position will cause White fits.
With this in mind, Black chooses the most direct approach.
33...Q×a3? 34.Bd1?
White pre-moved this response to 33...Qa4, but 34.R×a3 was a much better answer to 33...Q×a3?, especially since 34.Bd1? also hangs White’s rook.
Sometimes two players almost seem to combine their efforts to create a work of art. That can’t be said for this game.
34...Q×d3 0-1
The next examples illustrate the difference between wishful thinking and obsessing. Players indulge in wishful thinking when they appreciate that in the type of position they are in, in some other game, with some other players, there may be danger, but think “it can’t happen here.” Obsessing blanks this out and causes players to simply ignore what their opponents are doing.
White (1991) – Black (1956) [A04] (D)
White has an edge on the board but a slight deficit on the clock (36 seconds remaining vs. 41 seconds for Black).
After 24.f4, a fair amount of chess would remain to be played, for better or for worse. But White thinks only about Black’s king, forgetting about his own.
24.Rad1? B×g3
Suddenly White’s kingside is shattered, but White doesn’t hesitate and unleashes a sacrifice which leads to mate...
25.B×e6? Bh2 mate 0-1
White is checkmated, so it’s too late for any discovered checks.
The next game follows the same theme. Black, in a slightly inferior position, conceives of a plan and simply follows it, even though White has clearly prevented it. Black just thought of what he wanted to do and failed to appreciate that his opponent got to move as well.
White (2007) – Black (1872) [A00]
1.d3 Nf6 2.g3 g6 3.Bg2 Bg7 4.Nc3 d6 5.Bd2 0-0 6.Qc1 Re8 7.Bh6 Bh8 8.h4 Ng4 9.h5
Fair enough, although without his dark-squared bishop, White really can’t hope for much.
9...N×h6 10.Q×h6 Bg7 11.Qd2 Nd7 12.Nf3 Nf6 13.h×g6 h×g6 14.e4 c5
15.Ng5!?
White has actually developed some kingside pressure, although there is nothing definite. Black now begins a counterattack on the queenside, sharpening the play.
15...Qa5 16.Qf4 Qb4 17.Rb1
Now Black gets an idea. He decides to exploit the position of White’s b1-rook and c3-knight by unmasking the fearsome power of his g7-bishop. But he is a bit too focused on his own plan and forgets he has a king.
17...Nh5? 18.Q×f7+
Oops.
18...Kh8 19.R×h5+ 1-0
The next game clearly illustrates the danger of becoming entranced by an idea.
White (2033) – Black (1926) [A00]
1.g3 g6 2.Bg2 Bg7 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.0-0 Bd7 6.c4 Qc8 7.Re1 Bh3 8.Bh1 Bg4 9.Nc3 B×f3 10.B×f3 N×d4 11.Bg2 c6 12.Be3 Ne6 13.Qd2 Nf6 14.Rac1 0-0 15.Bh6 Nc7 16.B×g7 K×g7 17.h4 h5 18.Ne4 Qe6 19.Qd4 Qe5 20.Qd3 N×e4 21.B×e4 Ne6 22.e3 Nc5
After dropping a pawn in the opening, White blundered and allowed a knight fork which should cost him a bishop. There’s nothing remarkable in that. But there are two additional mistakes which are worth our attention.
23.Qd4
23...Q×d4?
With 34 seconds left, Black saw that his queen was pinned, so his intended 23...Q×e4 was illegal. What he failed to see was that his queen was defended, so that 23...N×e4 would still win a piece. A second hallucination compounded Black’s oversight, because he failed to notice that after 23...Q×d4?, exchanging queens. White’s e1-rook defends his e4-bishop.
But the best is yet to come, as the players head into an eventful and imprecisely played double-rook ending.
24.e×d4 N×e4 25.R×e4 e6 26.Rce1 d5 27.c×d5 c×d5 28.R4e3 Rac8 29.Rb3 Rc7 30.Re2 Rfc8 31.Kg2 b6 32.Ra3 Kf6 33.Ree3 Ke7 34.Rf3 Kd6 35.Rfc3 R×c3 36.b×c3 Rc7 37.Kf3 a5 38.Kf4 Kc6 39.Ke5 Kb5 40.Kd6 Rc6+ 41.Ke5 Kc4 42.Rb3 b5 43.Kf6 b4 44.c×b4 a×b4 45.K×f7 K×d4 46.K×g6 Rc4 47.Kg5 e5 48.g4 e4 49.g×h5 Kc5 50.h6 Rc3 (D)
By this point, White has 11 seconds left and Black has 12 seconds. 51.h7 is winning on the board, as White gets a new queen and Black doesn’t, but instead White becomes bewitched by a beautiful variation and makes an unsound combination.
51.R×c3+? b×c3 52.h7 c2 53.h8Q c1Q+
To his horror, White now discovers that his intended 54.Qc8+ and 55.Q×c1 is illegal, because by sheer chance Black has queened with check! The root cause of this oversight was the allure of White’s concept, which would have been impressive in a bullet game had it been sound.
Black was able to use his two-second time edge to win what was otherwise a complicated queen ending which slightly favored White.
54.Kg6 Qd2
54...Qg1+!
55.Qc8+ Kd4 56.Qh8+ Kd3 57.Qf6 Qc3 58.Kf7 Q×f6+ 59.K×f6 d4 60.h5 e3 61.h6 e×f2 62.h7 f1Q+ 63.Ke6 Qh1 64.h8Q Q×h8 65.Kd5 Qa8+ 66.Kc5 Q×a2 67.Kd6 Qc2 68.Ke5 Kc3 69.Kf6 d3 0-1
Inflexible thinking
As chess players gain more experience they discover and retain patterns, so that sequences of moves merge into a single concept rather than being a number of discrete events. These larger mental building blocks, which resemble molecules made from the atoms of single moves, are essential to chess strength and in top players can become surprisingly complex.
However, sometimes things go wrong and, under the time pressure of bullet, the wrong patterned response can emerge. It can be hard to shake such an automatic response, as the following examples show.
White (2024) – Black (2022) [A00]
1.g3 e6 2.Bg2 d5 3.d3 Nf6 4.Nc3 Be7 5.e4 0-0 6.e5 Nfd7 7.f4 c5 8.Nf3 Nc6
Here one would expect 9.0-0, with attacks on opposite sides of the board. Because he hasn’t yet castled, White has a dubious, but tricky, alternative.
9.h4!? Rb8 10.Ng5!? b5 11.Qh5
11...g6? 12.Q×h7 mate 1-0
It’s mate! Well, these things happen in bullet and we all short circuit from time to time. Black obviously saw some sort of threat on the kingside, but his mind tricked him and for a split second (which is all the time he took to play 11...g6?) he must have thought that White’s queen was threatening h7 along the b1–h7 diagonal, rather than down the h-file.
Apart from its possible amusement value, this game is hardly worth comment, one might think. Black’s programming went wrong, lesson learned, time for the next game.
But let’s look at another example...
White (1992) – Black (1923) [A00]
Here we go again. White plays the same move as in the previous game.
9.h4!? b5!?
A slight improvement over 9...Rb8, as White can’t take Black’s b5-pawn (10.N×b5? Qa5+ wins a piece). But bullet games are not always decided by such subtleties.
10.Ng5!? b4
11.N×d5?!
This is White’s idea, but this sacrifice is dubious for reasons which will become apparent.
11...e×d5 12.Qh5
12...g6? 13.Q×h7 mate 1-0
Who would have expected lightning to strike twice? Can we learn something about the psychology of chess mistakes from these parallel games? Maybe – since both games were played between the same opponents on the same day, about 15 minutes apart!
This is quite puzzling in some ways. In the second game, in which Black used only four seconds, he came up with a refinement in the opening (9...b5!?), proving that he realized he was playing the same opponent and remembered the previous game. Yet Black reacted to the same threat in the same way and fell for the same mate!
The only reasonable conclusion is that Black found it impossible to overcome his automatic response to the threat of Q×h7 mate, built up over years of play, even when a (very) recent experience in almost exactly the same position demonstrated that a different response was required. Black’s instinct was to defend against Qh5 with ...g6, and it was not at all easy for him to shift gears and play the correct ....h6. Black might take some consolation from the fact that this same attack claimed a different bullet victim just a few days earlier, but maybe not...
A final point is worth making. After the correct 12...h6 13.B×d5, White appears to have good compensation for his sacrificed piece, and a number of Black players have succumbed to White’s attack. Only occasionally have Black players found 13...Nd×e5!, which completely refutes White’s “attack.” Sudden counterattacks are difficult to see, especially in bullet.
Optical illusions
This heading could equally be “hallucinations.” Sometimes these hallucinations affect just one player, and sometimes both. We have seen examples of this previously, and will see them again.
In the next example, Black convinces himself that he has countered White’s transparent threat, only to discover that his eyes played a trick on him.
White (2159) – Black (2271) [A00]
The position is very tense. Both players are attacking, and White’s material advantage means little because of the awkward position of his a2-rook. White has 13 seconds left, while Black has only five seconds. Black has just played 38...Qb4.
39.Q×g6?!
White needed more than the three seconds he spent here to find 39.Qg5!, which threatens mate (40.Qd8+ Kf7 41.Qf8 mate; or 40...Kh7 41.Rh2 mate) and covers d2. 40...Qd2+ 41.Q×d2 N×d2 then loses for Black, both on the board and because Black would be hopelessly behind on time.
39.Qg5! was difficult to find, and it’s not surprising that White missed it. Instead he makes a plausible move, threatening the direct 40.Q×g7 mate. Black starts to check.
39...Qd2+ 40.Kh3 Rh1+
Black is now down to three seconds.
41.Kg4 Qe2+ 42.Kg5 Qd2+ 43.Kg4 Qe2+ 44.Kg5
Now White has only three seconds as well. There is no rational way for White to avoid the perpetual...
44...Qc2
Black took two seconds to make this move, which has an idea behind it. While Black had only a second left, White wasn’t much better off, and an unexpected move can fluster the opponent. Here White couldn’t afford to blank out for even a second, so Black gambled. After all, White’s awkward king position on the g-file has broken the communication between White’s g2-rook and g6-queen, defusing his attack on Black’s g7-pawn.
Since Black was in a gambling mood, 44...Rh5+!? would have been a better bet, as White would had to have replied 45.Q×h5, and if White’s mouse was hovering on his king, that might have made all the difference. The other plus to 44...Rh5+!? is that it doesn’t allow mate in one.
45.Q×g7 mate 1-0
The end of the optional illusion. White’s e6-knight also supports the attack on Black’s g7-pawn, and so White mates on the spot.
In the next game, both players miss all sorts of obvious moves, and only the benevolent intervention of a kibitzer saves White.
White (2190) – Black (2051) [A00]
In this position, where Black has just recaptured on d4, White decides to accept a kibitz and make a speculative sacrifice on d5. Both sides have over 45 seconds remaining.
16.N×d5?! B×d5 17.B×d5 e×d5 18.e6
This is White’s idea. He hopes to destroy Black’s pawn chain and pick up enough pawns to restore the material balance, while at the same time exposing Black’s king to attack.
Since the initiative is so important in bullet White’s sacrifice gives him good practical chances. Often the sudden opening of a position after a sacrifice throws the defender off balance and causes mistakes. Here White runs into this problem as well, because 16.N×d5?! was kibitzed and the resulting position surprised White as much as it did Black...
18...Nf6
18...Nf8!? was safer.
19.e×f7+ Kf8
20.f5?
After 20.Qe5!, the position would be completely unclear, which would likely have been to White’s advantage in a bullet game. The move played has a tactical flaw.
20...g5?
Sharing his opponent’s moment of blindness, Black overlooks the “obvious” 20...Q×g3+.
21.Kg2!
White sees that his g3-pawn was hanging and defends it.
21...h4
Alerted to White’s weak pawn on g3 because White defended it with his king, Black renews his attack.
22.B×g5?
And now White doesn’t see it! After 22.g×h4 g×h4 23.Bf4, the position is unclear.
22...Q×g3+ 23.Kh1
23...Q×g5?
Black, caught up in the excitement of breaking through to White’s king, forgets about his own.
24.Q×e7+
After five seconds thought – or rather argument. In fact, White was about to resign when the helpful kibitzer pointed out forcefully that he had mate. At first White was convinced that he was the one being mated. The psychic bonds between the two opponents were so strong that an intervention was required to break them...
24...Kg7 25.f8Q mate 1-0
Kibitzing
This raises the delicate subject of kibitzing. Playing bullet is fun, and playing with a friend is even more fun. We contrast kibitzing to the abhorrent use of computers in internet chess, which is cheating pure and simple.
Kibitzing is, in our view, socially acceptable, especially in bullet since it is difficult to kibitz properly. Often kibitzing results in worse, not better, results but it’s fun anyway!
For kibitizing in bullet to be useful, the communication has to be almost instant and clear. There is usually no time to argue or sort out confusion.
Here are a few examples of kibitizing gone wrong, although the games end happily.
White (1957) – Black (2077) [A04]
White has unsoundly sacrificed a piece for the threat of 16.Qf7+. In this game, Black had the dubious benefit of kibitzers, but before any suggestions could be made, Black played...
15...Qd7 16.Ne6 Nd8
White’s last move threatened nothing, so Black could have saved his b7-pawn with 16...Rb8. But 16...Nd8 threatens to exchange White’s knight, and rather than allow his only dangerous piece to be eliminated, White retreats.
17.Ng5 Nf7
This move, the product of three seconds thought, accomplishes little, as White’s knight just returns to e6.
18.Ne6
Black, despite his extra piece, is clearly going in circles, as the kibitzers rudely pointed out.
18...Nd8
At the demand of the kibitzers, Black returns his wayward knight to d8.
19.Ng5 Nc6?!
This move was the result of a communication problem, as the kibitzers called for 19...c6, allowing Black’s queen to defend his b7-pawn. But Black thought they were saying “...Nc6,” and so Black repeated the position again.
20.Ne6 Nd8?
Chagrined by the misunderstanding, Black hastens to correct his error by returning his knight to d8, overlooking a surprising resource.
21.Ng5?
White forgets the game is being played on a server where repeating the position three times isn’t enough – you have to claim the draw! By doing so, White would have secured a half-point, although perhaps he was playing to win...
21...c6!
After all the confusion and misadventures, Black has 37 seconds left to his opponent’s 44 seconds. He also still has his extra piece.
22.Bd2 Rf8 23.Be3 Rc8 24.B×a7 Nf7 25.Be3 N×g5 26.B×g5 Nh7 27.Be3 Bf6 28.d4 e×d4 29.c×d4 Qf7 30.Qc3
A piece down, White instinctively avoids the exchange of queens, but his eight-second lead in time would have left the issue seriously in doubt. Now Black begins a direct attack, and time does not become a significant factor.
30...d5 31.e5 B×h4?! 32.g×h4 Qf3+ 33.Kg1 g3
34.e6
Missing 34.Qc2!, when the position on the board is unclear and the position on the clock favors White (about 30 seconds to 22 seconds).
34...g×f2+ 35.B×f2 Q×f2+ 36.Kh1 Q×h4+ 37.Kg2 Rf2+ 38.Kg1 Qh2 mate 0-1
Here is another example of mis-communication.
White (2156) – Black (2180) [B06]
After a “standard” (although not quite sound) exchange sacrifice on c3, Black has obtained an advantage. He also has 28 seconds remaining, against White’s 23 seconds. This time advantage, combined with the fact that his position is easier to play, gives him good prospects of victory.
At this key point in the game, Black received a helpful kibitz: “...Bc3,” by which 25...B×c3 is intended. 25...B×c3 is indeed the strongest move, winning a third pawn for the exchange and simplifying the position.
However, Black heard the kibitz as “...Bc6” and trustingly played...
25...Bc6? 26.B×g7 K×g7 27.Rf4!
27.R×e7? loses to 27...Q×f1+.
27...Qc5 28.Rh4!?
28.R×e7! was simpler, after which White stands better on the board, and worse on the clock (by four seconds).
28...g5
29.Rh5?!
29.Rg4! was safer, as Black’s e7-pawn is still hanging. Surprisingly, though, 28.Rh5?! should work too.
29...Kg6 30.R×g5+?
Now White’s resurgence comes to a sad and premature end. White had a spectacular win with 30.Qd3+! f5 (30...K×h5 31.Qh7 mate) 31.R×g5+! K×g5 32.Qg3+ Kf6 33.Qh4+ Kg6 34.R×e7, and Black can only avoid mate by giving up his queen with 34...B×g2+ 35.Kh2! Qe5+.
This combination, which in part is based on the possibility of R×e7, was hard to see. It is easy to understand how White missed 30.Qd3+!, which forces 30...f5, cutting off Black’s c5-queen from the defence of his g5-pawn, and allows White to bring his queen to g3 after 31.R×g5+.
30...Q×g5
For the first time since 25...Bc6?, Black can breathe easily.
31.Qd3+ Kg7 32.Qe2 Rh8 33.Rg1? R×h3 mate 0-1
Greed
No catalogue of chess sins would be complete without a mention of greed. Sometimes it is just impossible not to grab material, and this can be just as dangerous in bullet as in any other form of chess.
White (2334) – Black (2141) [A00]
In this position, Black has a lead in time (43 seconds remaining to White’s 35 seconds) and a slight advantage on the board. Black should continue with 21...Rdg8!, preparing 22...g5. Instead Black makes a small slip, followed by a serious blunder.
21...Rhf8 22.Q×h5 Q×a2
Pawn hunting is a typical mistake, and is especially risky in bullet, because with his queen out of play Black must follow up precisely in order to avoid getting into trouble. White’s a-pawn just isn’t worth the time and trouble.
23.b3 Qa3?!
23...Qa5 was better, to bring Black’s queen back to d5.
24.Qg6! Kb8?! 25.Q×e6
White has not only greatly improved his position, but Black has lost his lead in time.
25...Qc5 26.Qg6 a6 27.Q×g7 Ka8 28.Bg5! B×g5? 29.R×f8 Be3+ 30.Kh2 Q×c2+ 31.Kh3 R×f8 32.Q×f8+ Ka7 33.e6 Qe2? 34.Qc5+ 1-0
With 16 seconds left, White has time to work out the mate, so Black resigned.
One can’t always count on the opponent’s greed to justify a combination, but the odds are pretty good that if material is offered, the offer will be accepted.
The next example illustrates this very well. Black sacrifices both rooks and White can’t help himself from taking them, even though he would have been better off refusing the second helping.
White (2415) – Black (2873) [A04]
In this tense position, Black has 48 seconds remaining, while White has 44 seconds. Time is therefore not yet an important factor.
Objectively 17...Qd7, followed by 18...0-0-0, was best, but Black, sensing that the time has come to strike, decides to confuse things with a sacrifice.
17...N×e4!? 18.Q×g7
Forced, as 18.N×e4? loses to 18...Q×f5.
18...Q×f5 19.Q×h8+ Kd7
20.Q×a8?
Chessplayers, like everyone else, usually can resist everything but temptation...
There are several reasons why White may have taken the second rook. He may have been fatalistic, thinking that whatever was going to happen was destined to happen. He may have thought Black was bluffing. Or, most likely, he may have taken Black’s other rook out of sheer greed.
After 20.Qg7! Rh8! 21.Q×h8 Qg4+ 22.Kh1 Qf3+ 23.Kg1 Q×e3+, Black has perpetual check, but nothing more. Both 20.Qg7! and 20...Rh8! are difficult moves to find in bullet, as they involve finding the delicate balance between attack and defense.
20...Qg4+ 21.Kh1 Qf3+ 22.Kg1 Q×e3+ 23.Kg2 Qf2+
24.Kh3
24.Kh1 fails to 24...Ng5! 25.Qh8 Qf3+ 26.Kg1 Nh3+, and White must surrender his queen.
The contrast with the variation given above (20.Qg7!) is striking – it makes a big difference whether White’s queen is on a8 or h8!, as on h8 White’s queen helps defend White’s king.
24...Qf3+ 25.Kh4
25...f5 26.Qg8 Qf4+ 27.Kh5 Nf6+ 0-1