Tuesday 19 January 2010

A Semi-Legal Mate

Legal's Mate (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 d6 4.Nc3 Bg4 5.h3 Bh5 6.Nxe5! Bxd1 7.Bxf7+ Ke7 8.Nd5#) is fairly well known, and the idea can be used in a number of similar, not just exact positions (eg I won a game at Olympiad with the tactical idea even though it began as a Sicilian). And while it is the mating pattern (Ne5,d5 Bf7) that correctly defines Legal's mate, the idea of breaking the pin with a surprise Nxe5! at least puts it in the same ballpark.
Here is from last month where White offers the queen a la Legal and after the offer is accepted, mates in a different, but just as pretty, way.

Mikrut,Dariusz (2404) - Gosciniak,Maria (2181) [A43] 9. Amplico Life Rapid Warsaw POL (4), 19.12.2009

1.d4 c5 2.d5 e6 3.Nc3 d6 4.e4 exd5 5.Nxd5 Nc6 6.Nf3 Be6 7.Bc4 Nge7 8.Bg5 Bg4 9.h3 Bh5 10.0-0 Ne5?? (D)
11.Nxe5! Bxd1 12.Nf6+! 1-0

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

another semi-Legal, this time from a Smith-Morra

White: Vallicella
Black: Oldtimer
Event: VA
Date: 1995
(B21 Sicilian, Smith-Morra G)

1. e4 c5
2. d4 cxd4
3. c3 dxc3
4. Nxc3 e5
5. Nf3 d6
6. Bc4 Bg4
7. Nxe5 Bxd1
8. Bxf7+ Ke7
9. Nd5# 1-0

Anonymous said...

shaun,

saw this on the tele the other night,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UiSg_DGtNI

brother benny

Anonymous said...

Keep posting stuff like this i really like it