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ALBERTA WINS!!

1. e4; Nf6
2. Nc3; d5
3. d4; Bg4
4. f3; Qd7?
5 e5!; Bf5
6. e x Nf6; g7xf6
7 Bd3; Nc6
8 Nb5; Nb4
9. Nc7 check; QxN
10 BxB; Nxc2 check
11. Qxc2; Qc4
12. Q x Qc4; p x Q
13. Ne2; e6
14. Be4; Bb4 check
15 Nc3; f5
16 Bxb7; Rd8
17 Be3; f6
18 0-0-0; Rg8
19 d5; Rg7
20 d6xe6!!; Re7
21 Bc6 check; Rd d7
22 BxRd7 check; Kf8
23 Bh6 check; Rg7
24 B x Rg7 check; K x B
25 Nd5; Bd6
26 Rh-e1; Bf8
27 g4 ; fxg
28 fxg;

White wins - moderator enforces time limits and mercy rule.

commentary:

PimpDollaz drops all the pieces on the floor. Moderator replaces board, and pieces and Alberta is off to roaring start: E4 - taking a position in and contesting the centre, getting ready to develop the king side pieces and castle to safety.

will the Quebec response be a sicilian? Caro Kann? French maybe???
I am just breathless...
smoking does that apparently

WOW, Quebec replies with a move loved by that Russian chain smoking World Champion Alekhinne

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its Knight to f6.... very hypermodern... inviting that white pawn to advance and lose a tempo. Very aggressive but tricky.

Alberta opts for the development of its knight on the queenside with possible transpositions into the four knights or the vienna game. Slower and more cautious than the usual king pawn advance but very solid.

Now here comes the Quebec pawn push into the centre: d5. This "Scandanavian" variation of the Alekhine defence involves some sharp play. It was played in 1926 by Alekhinne himself but in a losing battle agains Nimzowitch (Semmering 1926) so white may prevail. Me thinks the black forces have something up their sleeve.

The Albertans think its a good idea to prevent that e pawn from coming forward and to battle it out for centre control while releasing their black squared bishop and so.... adopt the plan of D4 which appears to be gambiting the white e pawn.

There was some discussion about whether Alberta simply made a mistake in the notation of its move. The evidence points to them wishing to make the move d3. However, Quebec having already responded, the moderator determines the move must stand as d4.

Quebec's response is to develop its white squared bishop to g4: preferring to develop with attack rather than take the gambit pawn.

Alberta counters white's attack by advancing the f pawn gaining a tempo on the white squared bishop. Quaere will this result in a long term structural weakness on the kingside, or solidity in the centre with a possible pawn roller on the king side?

Quebec decides to leave the white square bishop en prise?? moving the queen to d7 - the plan here is either obscure, non-existent, misguided or deeply inspired.

Alberta responds by foregoing immediate capture of the bishop in favor of a pawn advance in the centre which attacks one of the bishop's defenders, forcing the black knight to a very poor square. Although the white king remains uncastled, Alberta is patiently pilling up the advantages.

Even with perfect play, White (Alberta) should have a decisive advantage.

Quebec retreats the white squared bishop to the middle of the board, losing the pin on black's queen. Quebec's knight remains en prise of course.

Alberta now happily eats up that hanging knight, taking out a big battle piece. Alberta, playing white, seems to have a significant advantage in all lines of play from this position. Quebec may be hoping for a mistake or have an inspired plan.

Quebec takes the pawn by capturing toward the centre. This opens up the g file for use by rooks and would tend to encourage castling queen side for both competitors. Black also has the possibility of pushing the e pawn down the centre though may not get time to do it if white can get castled quickly in order to take advantage of the material advantage.

The white forces now decide to develop and offer a bishop trade, which will just increase the material advantage by removing black's only active piece. With kings still in the centre the half open e file looks attractive for black but will require further delay in development: a very risky proposition when you are on the short end of the material equation. Look for white to quickly move the black squared bishop to apply pressure across the board and permit castling queen side.

Quebec now develops it knight to a queen side post, making room for the king to castle queen side. Its black squared bishop may soon develop on the long diagonal, especially after a pawn push down the e file.

White chooses to keep the light squared bishops on the board and moves its knight to an advanced but exposed post on the queenside, threatening pressure on the c pawn but also inviting some tactical fireworks since its black squared bishop and king side Knight remain undeveloped BUT Quebec's queen is overworked. Quebec has chances to open the d file with King still in the centre. With a significant material lead, it appears that Alberta is slowly attempting to trade off pieces and play for an endgame with queens off the board. Quebec appears to be trying a plan which leverages its lead in development by creating open lines to the uncastled king.

Quebec now advances its knight to b4, opening possibilities for error and tactics. The commentator will otherwise shut up.

Alberta's Knight captures the c7 pawn, giving check and forking the king/rook. Looks like Quebec's choices are to lose the rook or the white bishop. Either way it is down this exchange, well behind in material with no compensation.

Sure enought Quebec trades its bishop for the knight.

Quebec continues with an attack: the Knight takes a pawn on C3 with check.
Alberta captures the Knight with its Queen, adding to the material imbalance. Alberta now stands ahead by two minor pieces in exchange for a pawn.

Queens are exchanged on c4.

Alberta now develops its Knight to e2, protecting the d4 pawn and allowing king side castling. The Knight may soon be used to support the advance of the isolated d pawn. Black has a semi open file on the king's side for its rooks, but will have difficulty developing any of its battle pieces without further loss of material in face of the power of the two opposing bishops. With the Queens off the table White may bring his King into the centre of the board quickly.

Quebec, playing black, now pushes a pawn down the centre with attack on the white squared bishop, gaining tempo and releasing its own dark squared bishop.

Alberta, playing white, places its light squared bishop on the long middle diagonal, attacking the b7 pawn and "x-raying" the rook on a8. The power of the bishop pair is about to be exploited.

Quebec, playing black, develops the dark squared bishop to b4 with check. This doesn't really doesn't gain time, in fact it does the opposite: allows the white knight to go to c3 which is its natural post. Alternatively, Alberta may develop its bishop which would give up the bishop pair but allow castling on either side. With Queens off the board, Alberta may also choose to simply move the King closer to the centre and not castle at all given that there are two flank files that could be used by rooks.

Alberta chooses to defeat the check by blocking with the Knight on c3. Quebec then pushes a pawn forward, on the f file. Although this creates an attack on the white squared bishop it is no real threat since the bishop wants to go eat up the b pawn anyways. It looks like all offence from the Alberta side from here on in. With open lines everywhere and an enormous material imbalance, Armageddon approaches.

Alberta takes the pawn on b7, unconcerned about the coming rook attack because of the coming check on c6. That check will gain a tempo permitting king side castling or, altenatively development of white's Knight to its natural square on c3. Albeta's black squared bishop will then be developed with devastating effect. It's all over 'cept the crying.

Quebec chooses to move the a8 rook to d4, threatening to take the isolated d pawn.
Alberta defends the d pawn by developing the dark squared bishop to e3.

Quebec now starts a pawn push down the centre, moving its f pawn to the support the future advance but weakening the backward e pawn.

Alberta now castles long, on the queen side.

Quebec responds by activating its rook on the semi open g file. Its king is still in the middle and seems badly exposed. Although both of its rooks are now developed on useful files, they are not connected and its dark squared bishop is not yet well synchronized to fight in cooperation with the rooks.

White sees that its g2 pawn is under attack but ignores it. Instead, pushes the d pawn forward. In fact the g pawn isn't really at risk. Black can't ignore the enormous power of the criminal d pawn which is pressing forward, trying to become passed, and will soon become the guardian of important squares near the king if not captured. The plans for white, here, are many: take up space near the uncastled king , try to trade off pieces to take advantage of a huge material imbalance, try to keep the bishop pair which can attack and defend on both colours and above all: open lines to the king. Looks like all offence and I suspect a crushing mate to come with the two bishops, one pawn and a rook all taking part. But lets see what resources Quebec can bring to bear.

Quebec moves its king side rook to the next rank, possibly preparing to double rooks but also creating an attack on the white squared bishop. This seems to permit Alberta to, again, gain a tempo and move its bishop to a better square with check. However, it will protect Quebec's a pawn from future capture by the poised dark squared bishop.

WHAT? Alberta now utterly ignores the attack on its bishop in favour of capturing a central a central pawn. Disaster ??!! this will now permit Quebec to reduce the material advantage, connect its rooks, eliminate the bishop pair advantage, co-ordinate its pieces, and move to an endgame with bishops of same colour. Of course, even after the loss of white's bishop, Alberta is a piece up. Alberta may also decide to immediately trade rooks, bringing its second rook to the d file with check and move to an end game with a material advantage. There are other tactical possiblilites for Alberta as well, using the knight to fork king and bishop, gaining control of the seventh rank and ultimately queening that criminal passed pawn.

Quebec decides to swing the kingside rook toward the centre, without capturing the light squared bishop which is "en prise" at b7. True, capturing the bishop leads to devastating material loss and a quick defeat. But Quebec's present plan will bring defeat even more quickly. The moderator, referee is thinking it is time for Quebec to resign (or maybe we should have a mercy rule). There is no defence available to Quebec for the devastating and obvious check Bc6 and which leads to mate in all lines.

Sure enough Alberta plays the monster Bc6 check. The trap has been sprung. There is no way for Quebec to avoid mate. May be a few moves coming, but its inevitable barring Rylde drinking wayyyyyyy too much of his own product. If Quebec moves its king, there is a forced mate in two. If Quebec moves the rook instead, to block the check, there is immediate massive material loss which only postpones the inevitable. The moderator strongly recommends resignation. 🙂

Quebec blocks the check by moving the rook to d7. That rook is now pinned and can be taken by either the pawn, the bishop or the white rook. Best play is probably to capture with the pawn, since this moves it a square closer to promotion.

Alberta chooses to capture the rook with bishop: check. The devastation continues.
Quebec moves its king to f8, getting out of check. However Alberta's monster pawn on the e file is controlling crucial squares, is threatening to queen soon and mate seems inevitable.

Alberta delivers check with its dark square bishop moving to the king side. Quebec's king is in a mating net, which now only needs a rook on the back rank.

Quebec moves its rook to g7 to counter the check. That rook is now pinned against the king and may be captured at leisure. Alberta now has an enormous positional, tactical and material advantage. The end is nigh.

Alberta removes Quebec's rook, with check.
Quebec removes the Bishop.

Alberta now moves its knight to the centre of the board, supporting advance of the passed pawn, attacking the bishop which prevents the pawn from advancing, and indirectly supporting centralization of the rook on the e file.

Quebec retreats the bishop to d6, but it is doomed one way or another: it will probably give its life to prevent the passed e pawn from queening.

Alberta centralizes its rook to further support the pawn advance and threaten check on e7; Quebec places its dark squared bishop on the back rank.

Now, Alberta patiently advances the g pawn, which will open up the king side files and/or permit a mini pawn storm on the king side: building a mating net.

Quebec takes the g pawn and undoubles the f file pawns but the g file is now essentially open for the rook because of the possible pin on the king. There are many other tactics here for black as well, arising from a a massive material advantage with no counterplay available to white.

Alberta takes back the pawn and has two connected passed pawns on the king side, ready to steamroll ahead.

White wins - moderator enforces time limits and mercy rule.

Post your moves in the comments section below.