Is This a Record?

    Back in 2010, I think I set some sort of record. While playing 10 minute games online line three opponents (one rated 1800+ and two rated 1900+) in a row with plenty of tome on their clocks and with decent positions blundered away their Queen. Had to be a record of some kind. 

A few years earlier I managed to make an even worse blunder in a correspondence game with a time limit of 7 days a move when I let a winning position slip into equality then fell into a mate all within two moves. 

    The game was played on an excellent English site, Chessworld, which is still around. This was my favorite site and I had a lot of fun playing there. There was plenty of chess activity and the forum discussions were friendly and lively. Unfortunately, I decided to quit playing there sometime around 2010 because a couple of days after renewing my membership my credit card got a fraudulent charge on it. While returning home from New Jersey we stopped at a hotel to get a room for the night and the card had been locked. A call to the credit card company revealed that it had been used in Germany the previous day to purchase some science fiction video games and some sex toys. 

    In one amusing incident on the site I had an opponent who was absolutely convinced that I was the well known US correspondence player J. Franklin Campbell. I am not sure I was able to convinve him that I am not.

    Here is that horrible game. The loss was even more painful because my opponent was rated much higher rated much lower.

[Event "Correspondence, Chessworld"] [Site "?"] [Date "2006.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Opponent"] [Black "Tartajubow"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B13"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17.1"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "2006.??.??"] {B13: Caro-Kann} 1. e4 c6 2. Nf3 {A somewhat rare and unexplored reply.} d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bb5+ (4. Ne5 {is an interesting oddity that contains a hidden danger to black.} Bf5 {Correct is 4...Nc6/ The. 3...Bf5 looks logical enough, but after} 5. Bb5+ Bd7 (5... Nd7 6. Qf3 f6 (6... Bg6 {loses outright to} 7. Bxd7+) 7. Bxd7+ Bxd7 8. Qh5+ g6 9. Nxg6 {and nobody would want to be playing b; ack.}) 6. Qh5 Nh6 7. Nxd7 Nxd7 8. Qxd5 {and white is much better.}) 4... Nc6 5. d4 Bd7 6. O-O (6. c3 Nf6 7. O-O g6 8. Re1 Bg7 9. Bf4 {is equal. Andreikin,D (2712)-Fontaine,R (2563) chess.com INT 2018}) 6... Qc7 7. c4 (7. Nc3 Nf6 8. Re1 e6 9. Bg5 Be7 10. Bxf6 {Now black shpuld have played 10...gzf6 with a slight advantage,, but in Ferreira,A-Karim,A Dubai 1986 he erred with} Bxf6 11. Nxd5 Qa5 12. Nc3 O-O-O 13. a3 Nxd4 14. Nxd4 Bxd4 15. Qxd4 Bxb5 16. Qc5+ {and won.}) 7... a6 8. cxd5 {Stockfish likes 8.Ba4, but this is more human-like because black gets an unfavorable Pawn formation.} axb5 9. dxc6 bxc6 10. Ne5 Nf6 11. Qf3 {It's pretty clear that the c-Pawn is going to be a problem for black.} e6 12. Nc3 {White had two better moves here.} (12. Bf4 Bd6 13. Rc1 O-O 14. Nxc6 Bxc6 15. Rxc6 {with a good game.}) (12. Bh6 {IOd course the B cannot be taken on account of 13.Qxf6} Bc8 13. Nc3 Bb7 14. a3 Rd8 15. Bf4 {with an active position.}) 12... b4 13. Bg5 {Unexpected!} (13. Ne4 {This is what I was expecting which fesukts in equality after} Nxe4 14. Qxe4 Bd6 {followed by ... O-O}) 13... bxc3 14. Bxf6 {Upon seeing this move it took me a second to realize the N cannot be taken.} Bc8 {Unpleasant, but it's the only way to defend f7} (14... gxf6 15. Qxf6 {and white wins no matter what black plays.} cxb2 16. Rab1 Rg8 (16... Rxa2 17. Qxf7+ Kd8 18. Qf6+) 17. Qxf7+ Kd8 18. Qxg8) ( 14... cxb2 15. Bxg7 Bxg7 16. Qxf7+ Kd8 17. Qxg7 bxa1=Q 18. Qxh8+ Be8 19. Rxa1 { wins}) 15. Bd8 {Pretty nifty...it hopes to divert the Q from defending f7.} Kxd8 16. Nxf7+ {Now my K is stuck in the center and white gains the exchange.} Ke8 17. Nxh8 {Strongly threatening Rac1.} cxb2 18. Rab1 Rb8 19. Rfe1 g6 20. Re4 {A rather unusual material siruation has arisen. At the moment white has a R+N vs, 2Bs, but the N is trapped and will be lost for a P levaing white with a R+2(s vs. 2Bs which is, materially about equal. Also, black's pieces gain some activity.} Bd6 21. Re2 {Now taking on h2 with check is very tempting.} Qg7 ( 21... Bxh2+ 22. Kh1 Bd6 23. Rbxb2 Rxb2 24. Rxb2 c5 25. Rc2 Bb7 26. Qg4 Bd5 27. dxc5 Be5 (27... Bxc5 {loses to} 28. Qa4+ Ke7 29. Qb5 {and white picks up the B. }) 28. Nxg6 hxg6 29. Qxg6+ {This position is equal according to Stockfish, but even if I did not (wasn;t able to!) reach this position in my analysis, after 23.Rxb2 it seemed that white would be getting way too much play and so 21... Bxh2+ was not worth it.}) 22. Qxc6+ {It doesn't take much analysis to realize the K has to move out of check.} Ke7 {At the same time this sets a littke trap that white falls for.} (22... Qd7 23. Qxd7+ Bxd7 24. Rexb2 Rd8 25. Rb6 Bc8 ( 25... Ke7 26. Rxd6 Kxd6 27. Nf7+) 26. Rc6 Ke7 27. Rbc1 Bd7 28. Rxd6 Kxd6 29. Nf7+) (22... Bd7 23. Qxd6 Rd8 24. Rexb2 {White is winning.}) 23. Qc3 (23. Rbxb2 {is safely met by} Qxd4 {with a complicated and unclear position.}) 23... Bd7 { Just a bit beyyer was 23...Qxh8} 24. Rexb2 $14 Rc8 25. Qe3 Qxh8 26. Rb7 Qf6 27. d5 {The idea is to expose the black K which will be forced to walk a tightrope! } Rc7 28. Rxc7 Bxc7 29. Qh6 {Following up with the idea behind 27.d5 was better. This move, while, hardly bad, takes the Q out of play.} (29. dxe6 Qxe6 30. Qd4 Bc6 31. a4 Be5 32. Qh4+ Kf8 33. Rd1 {Black is forced to watch his step with the K plus white's a-Pawn has to be watched. White may be considered to be better here, but I doubt the win is possible.}) 29... exd5 30. Qxh7+ Kd6 31. h3 d4 {[%mdl 1024] It was my belief that the passed P, two Bs and open lines directed at black's K plus the fact that white had only the Q immediately available for defense would yield an advantage. Actually the position offers equal chances.} 32. a3 {Pointless; there is no time for this.} (32. Qg8 { makes it impossible for black to make any progress.} Be6 33. Qe8 Bd5 34. Rc1 Qf5 35. Re1 Qg5 36. Qf8+ Kd7 37. Qe8+ Kd6 38. Qf8+ {is a draw.}) 32... d3 33. Rd1 Bf5 {Black has made tangible progress...his d-Pawn is a threat and the two Bs shield his K. Additionally, white's K is in some danger.} 34. Rc1 Bb6 35. Qb7 Bxf2+ {...and wins. At least it should.} 36. Kh1 {According ti the Fritz 19 program and Stockfish black has a decisive advantage.} Qh4 {Thinking only of attack. This throws away the advantage and the chances revert to being equal.} (36... Qd8 {a necessary defensive miove. The idea is to follow up with ...Qb6}) 37. Qc7+ {There is now only a single move that escapes the clutches of the white pieces.} Kd5 {...and I found it.} (37... Ke6 38. Rc6+ Kd5 39. Qd6+ Ke4 40. Rc4+ {wins the Q.}) 38. Qc6+ {Once again the K must flee to the e-file} Kd4 {[%mdl 8192] Loses instantly.} ({and Q checks are unavoidable.} 38... Ke5 39. Qc7+ Ke4 40. Qb7+ Ke3 41. Qf3+ Kd2 42. Qd1+ (42. Rd1+ {would require precise play in a position where whote always has but one move that doesn;t lose!} Kc2 43. Ra1 Kb2 44. Rf1 Be1 45. g4 d2 46. gxf5 Qc4 47. Qg2 Qc2 48. Qb7+ Qb3 49. Qg2 {draws}) 42... Ke3 43. Qf3+ {etc.}) 39. Qc5+ {Black resigned.} (39. Qc5+ Ke4 40. Rc4+ Bd4 41. Qxd4#) 1-0