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Tim Krabbe's Chess curiosities
Tim Krabbe is a dutch writer and is famous for his unique books concerning chess
curiosities.
A few years ago Tim discovered the Internet and started to build his site full of the most tender moments in chess history and most remarkable chess games.
Tim's chess page is the favorite chess site on the Internet according to REBEL company.
Click on the cartoon to visit Tim's Page.
A short contribution by Tim Krabbe
My favorite computer move.
Every chess player has at times been impressed by 'typical computer moves'; moves that seem crazy at first sight and that a human would never think of, but that are tactically brilliant.
A while ago however, analyzing with Rebel for my Website story 'Alekhine's 5-queen game', something so strange happened that I thought my computer had gone berserk, or that I had discovered a very nasty bug in Rebel.
Black to move
Even when Black is in check, and therefore had a limited choice, the move that Rebel immediately plays here, 28...Bd6, would never occur to a human. It seems totally improbable: a selfpin that also allows a fork of the own Queen. But when you look closer, you begin to see its merits.
After 29.Rxd6+ Kc7, the Rd6 is simply en prise, and Black remains a pawn up in all variations, e.g.: 30.Rxd1+ Nxf4+
29.Bxe2 doesn't help either: 29...Qd5+ 30.Bf3 Kc7! (another typical computer move) 31.Rh7+ Kb8 and Black is better.
And also after 29.Qxd6+ Qxd6 30.Rxd6+ Kc5, Black remains a pawn up. It's really a pity that after a minute or two, Rebel refutes its own fantastic move with 29.Qb4+ Kc7 30.Qc4+ Kb6 (Kb8 31.Bxe2 and White wins) 31.Nxe2 and White has a very strong attack.
Seeing that, it plays the simple 28...Ka5! 29.Bxe2 Qd4, after which Black is also a pawn up, and has nothing to fear.
If only that Black pawn were at a5 instead of at a7...