CHESS
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Your support makes all the difference.If you're going to lose, do it quickly. I once met a man who defended a rook and pawn ending in a postal chess tournament for 18 years before conceding defeat. No, if you're going to lose, get it over with, then down to the pub before last orders. In that spirit, here's a Polhill's Guide to Losing Quickly.
Lesson One: Play a sharp opening you don't know and leave your king in the centre.
White: K Bjerring
Black: J Hvenekilde
Copenhagen 1995
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.a3
It's good to know this is the right way to counter Black's odd third move. But what next?
5...d6 6.exd6 Bxd6 7.Nbd2 Bf5 8.Nxe4 Bxe4 9.Qb3?
This and the next move set White well on the way to an early pint. Either 9.g3 or 9.e3 was called for.
9...Qe7 10.Be3? 0-0 11.g3 Bxf3 12.exf3 Nd4 13.Qd1 Bb4+! White resigned.
14.axb4 Qxb4+ 15.Bd2 Rfe8+ was too ghastly to contemplate. Black emerges at least two healthy pawns ahead after 16.Be2 Nxf3+ 17.Kf1 Nxd2+ 18.Kg2 Qxb2.
Lesson Two: Tempt your opponent into playing decisively.
White: P Zarnicki
Black: A Rodriguez
Argentina 1995
1.e4 c5 2.c3 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.d4 Bb7 5.Bd3 Nf6 6.Qe2 Be7 7.0-0 d5 8.exd5 Qxd5 9.Bg5 Nc6
When White plays 2.c3 he avoids a fight with 2.Nf3 and 3.d4. By choosing to attack the d-pawn here, Black forces him on to the offensive.
10.c4 Qd8 11.d5 Nb4 12.Rd1 Nxd3 13.Rxd3 exd5
After forcing White's Rd1 and Rxd3, Black has nothing better than this.
14.Bxf6 gxf6 15.Nc3 d4 16.Re1 0-0 (see diagram)
Now 17.Qxe7 Qxe7 18.Rxe7 Bxf3 19.Rxf3 dxc3 is fine for Black.
17.Nxd4! cxd4 18.Qh5 dxc3 19.Rh3 resigns.
Lesson Three: Retreat to defeat.
White: I Rogers
Black: T Engqvist
Gausdal, Norway 1995
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 a6 5.Bg5 Ne4 6.h4 Nxc3 7.bxc3 dxc4 8.e4 b5 9.Ne5 Be6
Any retreat must be preceded by an advance. This is as far forwards as Black gets.
10.f4 g6 11.h5 Rg8 12.hxg6 hxg6 13.Rh7 f6 14.f5! Bc8 15.Nxg6 resigns.
Premature by normal standards, but it would be a pity to spoil such a perfect back-rank retreat. In any case, after 15...fxg5 16.Qh5 Kd7 17.Ne5+ Kc7 18.Qf7 Black would risk suffering for quite a while before losing.
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