Une Conversation en Français

I played against the French again tonight. I’ve had a pretty good score against it lately. I’m not sure if its because I am taking up the morning commute to work time by listen to The Pimsleur French lesson series on tape ( trying to relearn stuff I once knew too long ago) or the fact that I’ve played the French in the past. But every time I am paired against this person at the club, we always seem to have this same conversation in French:


Blunderprone – Club Prez
August swiss 2007
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5 Nfd7 6.Bxe7 Qxe7 7.f4 a6 8.Nf3 c5 9.dxc5 Nc6 10.Qd2 Qxc5 11.0–0–0 b5



Its white to move ( that’d be me) Normally the book says 12 Bd3. I knew my opponent was in the same book and used his memory as a crutch. I also knew that in order for white to get an advantage, pairing down the pieces on the queenside was in order…especially the queens. So I continued:

12.Nd4 Nb6 13.Nxc6 Qxc6 14.Bd3 b4 15.Ne2 a5 16.Nd4 Qc5 17.Nb5 Bd7 18.Nd6+ Ke7 19.Kb1 f6 20.Rhf1 a4 21.Nb7



Where should the queen go? I am attacking the b4 pawn. ( 20…a4 was weak). He would have been better off dropping back to attack my knight on b7 and drop the pawn. nInstead he played into my trap:


21...Qd4 22.c3 bxc3 23.bxc3 Nc4 24.cxd4 Nxd2+ 25.Rxd2 Rab8 26.Rb2 a3 27.Rb4 Bc6 28.Ba6 fxe5 29.fxe5 Ra8 30.Nc5 Rhf8 31.Rxf8 Rxf8 32.Rb6 Be8 33.Rb7+ resigns 1–0

I missed an opportunity to mate even earlier. Instead of 30.Nc5 playing 30. Nd6 and allow him to take my bishop. Mate follows after 30...Rxa6 31. Rf7+ Kd8 32 Rb8#. Oh well, I still won.

My opponent then feared my blog. He said" You aren't going to post this on your blog are you?"

It's been a while since I had a good win against a higher rated opponent I told him... but that I'd go easy on him and leave him anonymous... to an extent. After all, it was the club president I played ;)

-BP