If I want to play the three-check variant at a time control that permits thinking, it has to be against a computer. My chess teacher said that you’re aiming for both sides to win about half the games, but the 2000-level Stockfish isn’t good enough, while the 2300-level Stockfish won 14 of the first 15 games.
Then the thing lost two games so readily that I wonder if a lichess dot org algorithm directs Stockfish to throw games if the tally gets as lopsided as 14-1.
[Event "Casual Three-check game"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/5jykcA4c"]
[Date "2020.12.01"]
[White "lichess AI level 6"]
[Black "cherryland_cafe"]
[Result "0-1"]
[FEN "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1"]{ <sub><em>Click or tap on a move in the game text for a popout display board.</em></sub></br>[#]}
1. e4 e5 2. Qh5 Qe7 3. Qe2 Nc6 4. Nf3 Nd4 5. Qd3 $2 Nxf3+ 6. Qxf3 Qf6
7. Qxf6 $2 Nxf6 8. Bd3 Bc5 9. f3 $4 Bf2+ 10. Ke2 O-O 11. Bc4 Kh8 12. a4 c6 13.
d3 d5 14. exd5 cxd5 15. Ba2 Bb6 16. Re1 Bf5 17. Kd1 e4 18. Bf4 exd3 19. c4 d2
20. b3 Bc2+ 0-1 *
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[Event "Casual Three-check game"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/mgxDjWaa"]
[Date "2020.12.02"]
[White "cherryland_cafe"]
[Black "lichess AI level 6"]
[Result "1-0"]
{[#]}
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d5 $4 {</br> The kind of move you expect from a first-timer, or the occasional accidental opponent.</br> } 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 5. Nxe5 Nf6 $4 6. Nxd7 $2
({</br> }6. Nxf7 Qxf7 7. Qe2 Kd8 8. Qb5 $18{.</br> }) 6... Nbxd7 7. exd5 O-O-O 8. O-O Bd6 9. g3
a6 10. d4 a5 11. c4 b6 12. Qd3 {</br> Threatening 13. c5.</br>} 12... Bc5 13. dxc5 Rde8
14. cxb6 cxb6 15. Qf5 g6 16. Qxd7+ 1-0 *
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What’s the point in playing against a computer if it doesn’t challenge you wire to wire?
[Event "Casual Three-check game"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/8OpIarxz"]
[Date "2020.11.29"]
[White "lichess AI level 6"]
[Black "cherryland_cafe"]
[Result "1-0"]
{[#]}
1. Nc3 {</br> At three-check, I think this is the standout first move. No pawn
weaknesses, and threatening check in two. Before AlphaZero demonstrated that 1.
e4 and 1. d4 are best at standard chess (by playing millions of games with
itself), slightly older computers working without an opening book opted for 1.
Nc3 for the roughly the same reasons: direct center control, no pawn
weaknesses. Though oughtn’t one prefer 1. Nf3 then, for a faster path toward
castling?</br>}
1... Nf6
{</br> So the c3-knight’s safest route to a check is Nc3-b5.</br>}
2. e4
{</br> Average human players play 1. e4 almost exclusively, because the Scholar’s
Mate pattern is especially useful at three-check.</br>}
2... Nc6 (
{</br> Black didn’t like
the smell of } 2... e6 3. e5 Nd5 4. Ne4{.</br>}
) 3. Nf3 e6 4. Be2 Bc5 {</br> At
three-check, it’s probably OK to lose the tempo to 5. d4 Bb4, threatening check
and to remove the guard of e4. </br> }
5. O-O Nd4
{</br> After White castled, 6. d4 became
a more serious positional nuisance. 5…Nd4 fills up that space while
threatening check, and the likely reply 6. Nxd4 swaps off a kingside defender
(…Qd8-h4 is more doable, for instance). Many would leap on 5…Bxf2+, but
that check isn’t worth a bishop.</br>}
6.
Nxd4 Bxd4 7. d3 O-O 8. Nb5 Bb6 9. Bg5 d6 10. a4 a6 11. Na3 Bd7 12. e5
{</br> With or
without the variant rules, White should play Na3-c4 ahead of e4-e5.</br>}
12... dxe5
13. Be3 Nd5
{</br> At normal chess, Black would avoid 14. Bxb6 because …Nd5xb6
takes the knight out of play, while …c7xb6 captures away from the center,
makes holes at d6 and b6, and immobilizes the b7-pawn. At three-check, Black
has to consider …b7xc6 lengthens the diagonal toward h2 and opens the
c-file.</br>}
14. Nc4 $2
{ </br> White agreed that 14. Bxb6 wasn’t so favorable, but 14.
Nc4 loses a pawn and weakens the king position.</br>}
14... Nxe3 15. fxe3 Qg5 16.
Rf2 Bxe3 17. Nxe3 Qxe3 18. Bf3 Bc6
{</br> Black doesn’t mind 19. Bxc6 bxc6 because
…Rab8 comes with a threat, ahead of …Rb8-b4-g4.</br>}
19. Qe2 Qxe2 20. Rxe2 Bxf3
21. gxf3 f6 22. h4 Rad8 23. Rg2 Rd4 24. Kf2 Rxh4 $4
{</br> Just like chess, where a
mistake in the opening won’t kill you, but mistakes in the endgame are much
more costly. 24…Kh8 isn’t a blunder that costs the game.[#]}
25. Rxg7+ Kh8 26.
Rag1 Rh2+ 27. Kf1 1-0 *
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