Anyone can screw up. Anyone.
Kasparov’s most enormous blunder, caught on film ===>
The example below shows the ‘machine’ Capablanca – known for his effortless and flawless play – making a horrible blunder and losing. How could such a thing happen???
Sex, of course. Capa was apparently having an affair and the lady was in the audience for this game. Just before playing this move, Capa’s wife walked in… so … Ba6?? is the public record of Capablanca getting caught!
According to one story, love has even accounted for blunders in more than one game at a time! At the time Grandmaster Eduard Gufeld was playing in one of the Soviet Junior Team Championships, he was head over heels in love. His lady, Bellochka, was playing in the same event. Gufeld had made a brilliant rook sac that would win quickly in his game and went to her table excited to tell her. He couldn’t interrupt, of course, and just stood there, excited. She noticed! Something must have ‘clicked’ between them because, distracted by his excitement, she turned, made her move… and dropped her queen! She fled in tears…
And what did Gufeld do? Knowing he had caused her terrible blunder, he returned to his game and in a fit of compassion gave his opponent an instant draw!
Lest you think that the best in the world today don’t screw up, check this out: Carlsen versus Anand, 6th game 2014: the double blunder heard ’round the world! Carlsen has just played 26. Kd2. What should black play?
We can’t avoid blunders unless we know the threat patterns to look for. Here, moving his bishop away from danger on d3, White played Bc4 – a horrific blunder. Why was this a blunder?
Another kind of ‘blunder’ is failing to find the winning move. Black to move.
White to move and win the knight on g4. Note that simply taking the knight is an error. Why?
Blunders often happen in complex positions. Here, white to move can simply move his queen away from the attack. But then black can do the same. Remembering our discussions in previous lessons, how could you ‘simplify’ your thinking about this position?
Every week we should talk about attack! So now for our ‘pattern of the week’: two examples, both white to move: