---

🔥 Chessnut Store (Affiliate Link): https://www.chessnutech.com?sca_ref=4294516.IoYAy1V8Gt
🔥 Or use my coupon code for a discount on checkout: CHESSNOOB64

The Old Pacific Highway (B83) runs parallel to the major northward freeway leaving Sydney and is wonderful to ride on a motorcycle. One of the iconic places to stop along the way is the Pie in the Sky Cafe at the northern end of Cowan. There are almost always motorcyclists there who have stopped for a coffee and a pie. I brought along my Chessnut GO board and played a quick game after my steak and kidney pie! 🤤

Note: watch the motorcycling focussed video (at the bottom of the article) of today’s outing to chillax! 😌

Today, I played Maxim, another intermediate bot on chess.com. I had the white pieces, Maxim played the the French Defense, to which I responded with the Steiner Variation! I often find that Steiner Variation games often result in weird open positions, but that’s just fine! 🤩

Maxim must have been programmed to play aggressively, and did so with (6… Ng4). This attack was unbalanced and unsupported, and three moves later, the knight is blundered and lost! Tactically, it’s rather simple from this point – simplify and trade down to an endgame. Black offered a queen trade; I thought for a bit but there was no reason not to accept!

Making use of the open centre and an advantage in development and material, I make an attack and opt not to castle. This works and I steamroll Black; Maxim is left with no pieces and four isolated pawns on move 32!

Finding a beautiful checkmate should always be a goal and I was proud of this game – a double-check checkmate, DOUBLE-CHECKMATE with knight and bishop! Delightful! 😁

Motorcycling | Old Pacific Highway (Berowa to Cowan):

Game: https://www.chess.com/game/computer/132698145

[Event "vs Computer"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2024.06.24"]
[Round "?"]
[White "vitualis"]
[Black "Maxim-BOT"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C00"]
[WhiteElo "1296"]
[BlackElo "1000"]
[TimeControl "1/0"]
[EndDate "2024.06.24"]
[Termination "vitualis won by checkmate"]

1. e4 e6 2. c4 d5 3. cxd5 exd5 4. Qa4+ Nd7 5. Qb3 Ngf6 6. exd5 Ng4 7. h3 Qe7+ 8.
Be2 Nde5 9. hxg4 Nxg4 10. Qg3 Qe5 11. Qxe5+ Nxe5 12. Rh5 Nd7 13. Nc3 c5 14. dxc6
bxc6 15. d4 h6 16. Nf3 g6 17. Rh4 c5 18. Re4+ Be7 19. d5 Nf6 20. Re3 Rb8 21. d6
Bd7 22. Rxe7+ Kf8 23. Ne5 Rb6 24. Rxf7+ Ke8 25. Rxf6 Rxb2 26. Bxb2 Bf5 27. Rxf5
gxf5 28. Bb5+ Kf8 29. Nd5 Rg8 30. d7 Kg7 31. Ne7 a5 32. Nxg8 Kxg8 33. d8=Q+ Kg7
34. Qe7+ Kg8 35. Qf7+ Kh8 36. Ng6# {[%c_effect
e1;square;e1;type;Winner;animated;true;keyPressed;undefined;persistent;true,h8;square;h8;type;CheckmateBlack;animated;true;keyPressed;undefined;persistent;true]}
1-0