A Comedy Of Errors

While I may have reached my highest official rating of 1628 on Lichess playing 10 + 5, it's not because of my good play. My latest game was a comedy of errors in which my opponent made the last error. However, my troubles began early on when I kept my Queen in the line of fire of the Black Rook. See Figure 1.

Figure 1: link to game

The computer analysis is prompting me to play d x c5 because this defuses the threat of the Black Rook on c8 that is bearing down on my Queen. I castled Kingside instead and then Black's best move was c x d4 which he didn't do immediately. I was aware of the threat that the Rook posed but thought that I'd have time to move my Queen to b1. Instead I was caught as Figure 2 shows.

Figure 2: link to game

As can be seen I did get to move my Queen to b1 but I was forced to and it came with the loss of my b pawn and my light-squared Bishop. This would never have happened if I'd simply taken Black's pawn on c5 but I didn't and I was lucky to go on and win the game. Black at this point had played well and took full advantage of my error.

Following my previous comments, I played another game that I promptly lost because I assumed my opponent had made a blunder. He hadn't. I had been sucked in big time and fell for the trap hook, line and sinker. It's too embarrassing to even post but the lesson to be learned from it is that if your opponent has been playing well and offers you a free piece then be very wary. I was not wary. This loss cost be 8 points so I've fallen back to 1620. Currently I am very annoyed with myself.

1616: Still Climbing

 At last I played a game with zero blunders but in which my opponent blundered in time pressure.

I now have a ranking of 1616 which I'm happy about.

Here is a link to the game with a screenshot showing my opponent's fatal mistake. Black with 1:31 left on his clock failed to see that my Knight could take his Queen and so promptly resigned.

1600 Target Reached

Today I finally surpassed 1600 points in the 10 + 5 rapid section of Lichess. I played two games, the first I won after my opponent left the game early on and in the second I should have lost except my opponent failed to take advantage of the position. Figure 1 shows the progress of the game in which I had the White pieces:

Figure 1

As can be seen for most of the game I was hopelessly lost. I knew I was in trouble. Black had mounted a massive attack with his two Rooks and Queen. Figure 2 shows the crucial moment.

Figure 2: link to game

I moved my King to g2 because I wanted to bring my Rook on f1 to h1 to oppose the Black Rook. At this point, I was relieved because, even though Black was about to double up Rooks on the h file, I knew I had time to bring my Rook across and defuse the situation. Black played his Rook on h8 to h7 as I anticipated and all was well. Little did I know that the game was lost. All Black needed to do was to sacrifice his Rook to h2. Even with the computer analysis, it took me a little while to see why this won the game for Black.

So while I may have surpassed 1600 with this badly played game and will continue to improve my rating, my opponents will soon not miss golden opportunities like this one that Black squandered. The moment Black played castled Queenside, I mishandled the position and allowed Black to mount his formidable attack.

Knights Can Move Backwards

 After a couple of wins, I managed to lose after blundering my Knight. Here was the position:

lichess link

All I needed to do was to retreat my Knight to e6. The evaluation bar showed that I was clearly ahead. After playing my Queen to g5 and checking the White King, I forgot about my Knight and ended up losing it. It was a game with errors on both sides but if I had retreated my Knight my position would have been fairly secure. It just didn't enter my head during the heat of battle.

I need to play more regularly and restrict myself to one game every one or two days. The only way to become battle hardened is play several games daily. I will lose some and win some but over the space of a few weeks I should see my rating slowly climb into the 1600s and maybe even beyond. The lesson to be learned from this game is that KNIGHTS CAN MOVE BACKWARDS.

Back in the Fray

After not playing a single online game against a human opponent since June 10th 2025, I played a 1- + 5 game today (July 29th) and won. This took my ranking from 1537 to 1555. See Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 1: ranking as of June 10th 2025

Figure 2: ranking as of July 29th 2025

It wasn't a great game and we both made blunders but eventually I emerged victorious. Here is a link to the game. I played the French Defense against White's d4 but I hadn't seen his second move before. See Figure 3.

Figure 3: White plays f4 instead of the more common d4

I asked Gemini the question:

What is the opening called in chess where White plays 1. e4, Black responds with 1. ... e6 but White follows this with 2. f4 instead of the more common 2. d4? Can you provide some information about the best continuation for Black after White's second move?

Here was the response:

Of course. The chess opening that begins with the moves 1.e4 e6 followed by 2.f4 is known as the King's Gambit, French Variation. It is sometimes also referred to as the La Bourdonnais Variation of the French Defence.

This is an aggressive but somewhat unusual and dubious attempt by White. By playing 2.f4, White signals an intention to play in the style of the King's Gambit, fighting for control of the e5 square and preparing a potential kingside attack. However, by delaying the standard d2−d4 push, White allows Black to strike back in the center immediately and exploit the fact that 2.f4 weakens White's own king position.

Best Continuation for Black

The overwhelming consensus among chess theorists and top players is that Black's best response is the most principled one:

2....d5

This move is strong for several reasons:

• It immediately challenges White's control of the center by attacking the e4 pawn.
• It opens lines for Black's pieces, particularly the light-squared bishop.
• It forces White to make a decision about the central tension, often leading to a position that is more comfortable for Black.

After Black's 2....d5, White has three main replies. In all cases, Black can achieve a very good position.

1. White Plays 3.e5 (The Main Line)

This is the most common response, where White advances the e-pawn, creating a structure similar to the Advance Variation of the French Defence.

The game continues: 3....c5

This is the standard and best reply. Black immediately begins to chip away at the base of White's pawn chain (the d4 square, even before a pawn is there). A typical continuation is:

4.Nf3 Nc6 5.c3 Qb6 6.d4 cxd4 7.cxd4

We have reached a key position for this line. Black has a very comfortable game. White's pawn on f4 supports the e5 point, but it also serves as a long-term weakness for the White king. Black will continue with moves like ...Nh6−f5 or ...Bd7 and has excellent counter-attacking chances. Black's position is considered at least equal, if not slightly preferable.

2. White Plays 3.exd5 (The Exchange)

White chooses to release the central tension by capturing on d5. The game continues: 3....exd5

Black simply recaptures. In this now-open position, White's 2.f4 move looks particularly out of place. It has weakened the king's position (especially the e1−h4 diagonal) without providing any real benefit. Black has easy and comfortable development.

For example: 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.d4 Bd6. Black has a solid pawn structure, active pieces, and can target the weaknesses around White's king. Black has already equalized and can start playing for an advantage.

3. White Plays 3.Nc3

White defends the e4 pawn with the knight. The game continues: 3....dxe4

Black can simply capture the pawn. After 4.Nxe4, Black can continue with standard developing moves like 4....Nd7 (preparing to challenge the e4 knight with ...Ngf6) or 4....Nf6. Again, the f4 pawn is more of a liability for White than a strength, and Black has no problems achieving a good position.

Summary

The King's Gambit, French Variation (1.e4 e6 2.f4) is an aggressive try by White that is not considered theoretically dangerous. By responding with the principled 2....d5!, Black can immediately seize the initiative and obtain a comfortable to slightly better position by exploiting the central and king-safety weaknesses created by White's second move.

Hiatus

Since arriving in Australia on June 19th 2025, I've not played a game on Lichess. My last game was on June 15th so it's now over four weeks. I need to get back into the swing of things. My current rating is 1537 in Rapid (10 + 5) after playing 80 games. Already I feel that I am quite out of practice.

Since writing the above, I received the following email:

Figure 1

I'm confused Maia seems to have been around for some years now. Agadmator makes mention of it four years ago. Anyway, I took advantage of the offer and signed up using my Lichess account. So far I've played three games in a 15 + 10 format and won all of them. My rating is currently 1909. Figure 2 shows a profile screenshot.

Figure 2

So far I've only played the Regular, starting with 1500 and rising meteorically to 1909. This rating is certainly inflated but I'll perservere with it for a while as it's quite relaxing and explore some of the other modules. 

UPDATE: I simply found the user interface incomprehensible and could make little sense of it. I'm abandoning it and returning to Lichess that at least makes sense. Just a waste of time really but at least it got me back into playing active chess on a more regular basis ... hopefully.

Another See-Sawing Game

This is a sad game in which fortunes fluctuated and at one point I was + 4.8 up. However, the turning point came on move 24 when I played 24. Nf4?? See Figure 1.

Figure 1: game

Even though the computer had been recommending that I play Ne7+ for some time, it was crucial to play it here because my Knight had to move after being threatened by the pawn. Once I played my Knight to f4, I lost my e pawn and that was that. My excuse is that I'd drifted into mild time trouble and played the Knight move instantly without regarding the consequences.

I think this loss came down to time management. I was down to 2:26 on the clock versus Black's 7:10. This was too wide a discrepancy. I'd been playing some untimed games against the computer on my phone the night before and perhaps this didn't help. I need to play with time controls even against the computer.