Obliged to give the White Queen a minute's peace, Onsott plays 17. ... Bc6.
Obliged to give the White Queen a minute's peace, Onsott plays 17. ... Bc6.
Librarians rule, Oook
Johnson mulls it over for a little while and plays 18. Rab1
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
With an appreciative nod for his opponent's logical play, Onsott continues with 18. ... Reb8.
Librarians rule, Oook
Johnson's hand moves quickly to hover over the rook, and is then slowly withdrawn.
Pursing his lips, he considers the options as his eyes are drawn between queen and rook, before smiling a wry grin and trying something different.
19. Be3
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
T'Var observes the latest moves with great interest. Both men have attacking positions on the board. Who will strike first?
Lt. Vaudreuil looks over the board and smiles a little.
Onsott nods, acknowledging his worthy opponent's acumen in avoiding the trap. 19. ... Qxe5 appears thematic, so he plays it.
Librarians rule, Oook
Johnson responds in kind 20. Qxc5
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
20. ... Qd6. Onsott is still studying the position patiently for any opportunity to improve it further.
Librarians rule, Oook
Johnson considers a little further and moves 21. Qa5
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
Onsott nods respectfully. His opponent's early shedding of a pawn might have led onlookers to expect a quick collapse, and it has been anything but. After due consideration, Onsott continues with 21. ... a6.
Librarians rule, Oook
Even with so few pieces there are still multiple options and Johnson wonders which one to take. Looking up he realises he has lasted at least 20 moves and he wonders if he can make another ten or so. He hopes that those watching are at least enjoying themselves as much as he is playing.
Noticing Onsott's move, he smiles, there is probably a trap in there somewhere, but why not indeed. 22. Rxb8+
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
22. ... Rxb8, naturally.
Librarians rule, Oook
Followed by 23: Qxa6.
Time to see what Mr Onsott's trap is.
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
23. ... Ra8
Librarians rule, Oook
24. Ba7
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
T'Var observes this latest flurry of moves with rapt attention.
24. ... Qd7
Librarians rule, Oook
Vaudreuil watches with great interest, as well. He wonders how much longer they can keep the game going. He knows he would probably already have had to surrender.
Johnson nods noticing Onsott's setup and hopes to avoid it...
25. Rb1
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
Onsott studies the board for a few moments more, then looks at Johnson with a smile. "Is a draw acceptable to you, sir?"
Librarians rule, Oook
Johnson smiles back in return. "I was wondering the same thing given the current position and it certainly appeared to be heading in that direction. I believe a draw would be acceptable."
He stands up and offers a hand to Mr Onsott.
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
T'Var takes a last sip of her tea. She stands and says to both men, "Well played. Well played, indeed."
"Thank you, Doctor. I am left with a certain sense of having mishandled this position, for in addition to losing a pawn early my opponent seemed to let a couple of valuable tempi slip by moving his pawn to d4 in single steps, and his Bishop to b5 by way of an earlier visit to c4, and yet I could find no winning line. Perhaps, also, I should not have traded Bishop for Knight on e5, which I expected to give my opponent trouble holding on to his weakened pawn; I should have made more of the two Bishops I had. Finally, there appeared to be some play in 21. ... Re8 and trying for a King's side attack if White continues with his plan against the a-pawn. But there is both justice and joy in chess; justice, for you lose only by making mistakes, and then only if your opponent's play can prove it; joy, because every game affords opportunity for further study and improvement.
"Thank you for the game, Mr Johnson," says Onsott, taking his hand politely.
Librarians rule, Oook
"Thank you Mr Onsott and thank you as well, Doctor. An interesting game indeed. I will admit to my surprise to the exchange of bishop for knight on e5. As for 21. ...Re8, I believe my next move would have been 22. Rb3. My goal was not the a-pawn, but a rook on Rank 8. I'm just glad I didn't go with 10. dxe5, as everything beyond that just got more complicated. All I can say was that I am glad you spent time chasing my Queen around and forming a wall to prevent further direct action from your own."
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
"Perhaps one of you would like to play the good Doctor now, if she's willing?" the French officer asks. He smiles. "I would, but I know when I'm well out of my league."
"I am willing," T'Var replies. "I am quite fond of this game. It is most logical." The doctor smiles slightly.
"Well if no-one else is interested, I would not mind playing another game." Johnson looks around to check on everyone else.
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
"It would be an honor, Mr. Johnson," T'Var replies. "You may choose white or black. I have no preference."
While the preliminaries are underway, Vaudreuil ducks down the corridor to use the head.
Onsott offers his apologies - he needs to do a little research and have a hard think about transferring to Security.
In meatspace, I have just begun teacher training...!
Last edited by Malacandra; 26 Sep 2012 at 01:50 PM.
Librarians rule, Oook
Johnson fetches a strong coffee from the replicator hoping to see himself through the game. He resets the board and looks up at his opponent.
"Ready?", he enquires politely as he moves the white pawn forward.
1. e4
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
T'Var feels quite comfortable playing as black. She does not hesitate when making her first move.
1...c5
Lt. Vaudreuil returns and looks over the board.
Johnson casually moves 2. KNf3
Last edited by CatInASuit; 01 Oct 2012 at 12:52 PM. Reason: Knight = N, not K. D'oh!
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
Dr. T'Var ponders all possible variations to this opening line, then makes the move she thinks best.
2...a6
Johnson looks across the board
3. d4
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
T'Var mulls over several possible options, then makes her third move.
3...cxd4
Johnson nods and recaptures 4. Nxd4
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
T'Var responds to Johnson's move with 4...Nf6
Johnson moves the other Knight 4. Nc3
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
T'Var moves 5...e5
Vaudreuil smiles a little to himself as he sees the battle unfold.
Johnson moves again. 6. Nf3
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
T'Var makes what she considers to be the next logical move 6...Bb4
Johnson considers for a while. then moves again. 7. Bd2
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
T'Var answers with 7...Nc6
8. Nd5
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
Dr. T'Var scans the board for a moment, then moves 8...Bxd2+
Johnson responds with 9. Nxd2
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
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