Email provides variety
• Chess By Tony Dowden
Email chess is an interesting alternative
to traditional correspondence play, where moves are relayed by mail.
Games last days rather than years and “postage” is
free.
It also tends to be more casual and chatty.
Email chess is a great way to find new opponents
and try unfamiliar openings.
In today’s game I play White against one of my favourite
email opponents, Phillippe Matagne, a Belgian who lives in Oregon, US.
1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Bc4 — The swashbuckling Danish Gambit.
Matagne thrives on the initiative so this is a violent attempt to force him
on the defensive. 4. — cxb2 5. Bxb2 Nf6 6. e5 Bb4+ 7. Kf1 d5 8. Bb5+ c6 9.
exf6 O-O? An ill-advised attempt to wrest the initiative. 10. Bd3 Re8 Problem: White to play and mate in three moves.
11. Nd2 g6 12. h4 Nd7 13. h5 Nxf6 14. hxg6 fxg6 15. Qc2 — White threatens
to win via a sacrifice on g6. 15. — Ne4 16. Nxe4 dxe4 17. Bc4+ Be6 18. Qb3
Qd6 19. Rd1 Qxd1+!? True to form, Black manages to plunge the game into complications.
20. Qxd1 Bxc4+ 21. Ne2 Rad8 22.
Qc2 b5 23. Bc1 Rd3 24. Kg1 Red8 25. Ng3 Ba5 26. Nxe4!? — A cheeky pawn grab
but White must give his queen more elbow room. 26. — R8d4 27. Rh4 Rd1+ 28.
Kh2 Bd8 29. Rg4 Be6 30. Qxc6! — Once White’s queen is freed, the tactics start
to flow. 30. — Bd7 31. Nf6+! Bxf6 32. Rxd4 Be5+ 33. f4 Bxd4 34. Qd5+ — The
point of White’s play. Black must lose material. 34. — Kf8 35. Ba3+ After 35 — Kg7 White vacuums
up the rest of Black’s pieces with 36. Qxd7+ Kf6, 37 Qxe5+! Rxd4, 38. Bb2.
1-0
Solution: 1. Qh4+ Bh5, 2. Qf4+ Kg6, 3 Qf6#.
