We're used to doing puzzles which might be mate-in-one (Level I),
mate-in-two (Level II) and so on. Someone asked on Friday, what's
the highest level you can get? Well, I have heard of a 1220-move
monster by Babson, but that has some peculiar conditions.
The most moves in a forced-mate problem with no conditions is this
one, from Otto Blathy, who published a whole book of such
monsters.
This is how to play chess, not stodging around the edges, trying not to lose:
[Event "Model game 3.1: lightning deve"]
[Site "Model game 3.1: lightning dev"]
[Date "1858.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Morphy"]
[Black "duke/count"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C41"]
[PlyCount "33"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Bg4 4. dxe5 Bxf3 5. Qxf3 dxe5 {[#] Morphy had many
contemporaries who could attack as well as he, but more than anyone Morphy
My congratulations to my esteemed friend and occasional team-mate Mark
Abbott, who put on another ten points to his grade last year.nbsp;
When we played last year in the summer, I discovered he had played
about 70 match and
tournament games over the season, while I barely played 20.nbsp; It's
a harsh realisation, but I think I'm never going to improve while
playing so little.nbsp; But I did have a better tournament [this year
