Printable View
T'Var checks the board positions carefully. Depending upon the next few moves, things could get rather complicated. The doctor smiles at the thought. Chess is such a logical game, and yet, it is also a game of chance. Which move will Johnson make in reply to her own?
16...Rac8
Seventeen moves and only one capture and response, but that just meant that any mistake would act like a trail of dominoes. Johnson just wished he could be as foresighted as T'Var had shown herself to be.
17. Nd2
17...Ng4
Johnson looks at the board, over and over. He knows there are probably better moves, he knows there are probably safer moves, but, but...he also knows he just can't resist it.
At least he is almost certain to last his 25 moves against T'Var he thinks. Johnson reaches forward to start the domino trail.
18. Nb5
18...Bxb5
19. Qxb5
19...f5
Twenty moves in, and still fairly balanced and then T'Var still managed to surprise him.
20. Bg5
T'Var scans the board. She is unsure as to which move would be the most logical. Why has she been so tentative in this game? Johnson's skill is increasing much faster than T'Var anticipated. She must tread carefully.
20...h6
21. Bxe7
21...Qxe7
22. h3
22...Nf6
It was all getting cluttered.
23. f3
T'Var checks the board positions carefully. Now is not the time to lose focus. She must find a way to gain the upper hand.
23...Nh5
It was too good to be true. He had looked over and over the board again and again and once more he had been out-manoeuvred.
24. exf5
24...Nxg3
25. Rfe1
25...Nxf5
Thirty moves was the next target, thirty five if he was really lucky.
26. a4
26...Nd4
T'Var is impressed with Johnson's ability to escape whatever traps she has set for him -- so far. The doctor allows herself a brief smile.
Johnson could count only two moves he could realistically make and only one of them made sense.
27. Qa6
T'Var answers with 27...Rc5
Actually, looking at the board now, neither of those made sense and he was well and truly being out through the wringer. Dominoes indeed.
28. Rb5
28...Nxb5
29. axb5
29...Rc7
Thirty moves, and effectively a bishop down, Johnson smiles ruefully at the board. Yeah, this probably wouldn't take T'Var too much longer.
30. Qa3
30...Rf4
Johnson looks over his rapidly diminishing possibilities. He shrugs, its probably not the best move, but it will do.
31. Ne4
"You continue to escape the traps I set for you," T'Var tells Johnson with a smile. "Well done."
The doctor then moves:
31...Rxc4
"At the moment, I don't thinks traps are necessary, you pretty much have me where you want me." replies Johnson.
32. Qxd6
"Not quite yet," T'Var answers, then moves:
32...Qxd6
33. Nxd6
33...Rc5
34. Rd1
34...Rd4
35. Rxd4
35...exd4
36. f4
36...d3
The race was on...
37. Kf1
"One of the many things I like about chess is the fact that a seemingly weak and insignificant piece has the potential to become something so powerful," T'Var says as she makes her latest move.
37...Rc1+
Johnson look across at the board and sees the inevitable sequence which will leave him further behind in terms of pieces and once again completely out-maneuvered by his far more skilled opponent.
He shakes his head ruefully before reaching across and toppling the White King over.
"Once again you have the better of me. Well played ma'am." he admits freely as he reaches across the board to shake T'Var's hand.
T'Var smiles at Johnson as she shakes his hand. "And you as well," she says. "Your skills are improving quite a bit with each game. I have no doubt you will defeat me in the near future."
"True, but working out where I went wrong is also a good idea."
Johnson starts looking back over the moves trying to work out what went wrong and where he could have done better.
"You made no glaring errors," T'Var says. "You played quite well."
The doctor also looks over the moves made. "Where do you think you went wrong?"
"I may have made no glaring errors, but overall, it still wasn't up to scratch. If I had to say, it was likely started by that failed attack down the queenside, which went kind of nowhere and left me stuck for support kingside."
Johnson rewinds the game to after Black's move 11. "I wonder if there was a better move than Qb3, perhaps just shifting the pawn forward to b5 would have been better. What do you think ma'am, am I in the right area?"
"It is always a good idea to protect your king," T'Var says. "Also, keeping your game focused on the center of the board -- whether you are making an offensive or defensive move, is a key element."
"Agreed, and having been caught up on that side left me open to attack against the king. I need some more practice." Johnson checks the time and sighs sadly realising his time off duty had come to an end. He looks across at his opponent and nods, "Sorry, duties call. But yes, I'll work out what to do, foodwise, with the Chess evening. I'm sure it'll be a great idea. Really looking forward to it."
He stands up and shakes T'Var's hand once again, "Thanks for all the practice. I'm sure we can continue at some point."
"I look forward to our next encounter," T'Var says with a smile.
T'Var sits in front of the white pieces. She ponders her first move. Her normal playing style needs to change. Her opening moves must be different. If she ever hopes to defeat Cmdr. Vargas, that is.
The doctor makes her first move -- one she would never make.
1. d4
Johnson smiles at the opener. Maybe he was having an effect on T'Var, that was his usual move to stop the Sicilian.
1. ...Nf6
2. c4
2. ...e6
3. Nf3
3. ...b6
T'Var rarely -- if ever -- plays the Queen's Indian as an opening. However, a new opening sequence might just be what the doctor ordered when playing Vargas in future.
"I hope you do not mind if I use you as a guinea pig, Andy," T'Var says as she makes her next move.
4. Nc3
"Course not, T'Var. The whole point is to get you to change you strategy."
4. ...Bb7
5. a3
5. ...d5
T'Var looks over the board carefully. What move would be logical, yet still quite unlike her style of play? The doctor allows herself a brief smile as she makes her next move.
6. Qc2
Johnson looks over the board. T'Var was certainly playing differently although still logically. Perhaps he should do the same.
6. ...Nbd7
The standard rule of opening play is to castle kingside by move ten. T'Var is a bit reluctant to ignore this common chess rule, but if she wishes to defeat Vargas....
7. c x d5
7. ...exd5
8. g3
8. ...Be7
9. Bg2
9. ...0-0
10. 0-0
Johnson looks over the board, both sides well placed, and for once he's fairly happy with it. Of course, this being T'Var, there are always surprised in store, especially with her new way of playing.
There are a couple of options and he wonders if being more forceful might be better, it was the only way he had held her to a draw.
10. ...c5
T'Var sees two options open at this point. Does she play for a draw or a win?
11. Rd1
Johnson looks over the board at the pieces. The opening ten moves gone with both positions stable and he doesn't really want to move anything, then again looking across at T'Var, maybe she had the answer.
11. ...Rc8
12. Qf5
12. ...g6
T'Var must retreat for now. She normally does not bring her Queen into play this early. Will her aggressive stand work against Mr. Johnson? Against Vargas when next they meet across the chessboard?
13. Qh3
Johnson looks carefully at the board and smiles. He'd have to be careful, T'var was quite capable of turning defence into attack. Perhaps he should go first instead.
13. ...cxd4
14. Nxd4
14. ...Bc5
15. Bg5
Hmm, and already Johnson was beginning to get the inevitable sinking feeling in just a few moves. He didn't really want to move anything, but he still had to. Hmmm.
15. ...a6
16. Bxd5
and there we go, straight through the centre...and Johnson once again gets that sinking feeling.
16. ...Rb8
17. Nc6
17. Bxc6
T'Var returns the favor.
18. Bxc6
Johnson wonders if he is going to last 25 moves, let alone 40 this time around.
18. ...Qc7
19. Bxd7
19. ...Nxd7
20. Rxd7
Johnson looks over the board at rapidly decreasing numbers of moves he can actually make. What plans he had had for Black's defence smashed through by T'Var's aggression. The game is all but over, and a loss of pieces or even checkmate were not only likely now, but a foregone conclusion. Johnson didn't think that T'Var would be any less aggressive at this point in the game.
20. ...Qc6
21. Nd5
A shake of the head but still Johnson keeps playing on.
21. ...h5
22. Nf6+
22. ...Kg7
T'Var ponders her move for a brief moment. Best to keep pressure on her opponent's king.
23. g4
23. ...Qb5
24. Qc3
24. ...Bxf2+
25. Kxf2
25. ...Qc5+
26. Qe3
26. ...hxg4
T'Var quickly decides to make a more aggressive move:
27. Qxc5
27. ...bxc5
28. Nxg4
28. ...Kh7
29. Bh6
29. ...Rfe8
30. Rxf7+
Johnson looks across the board at the situation, scratches the side of his head and then shakes it ruefully. With a sigh he reaches over and topples the black King in defeat before offering a hand for the victor to shake.
"Oh well, maybe next time," Johnson says.
T'Var shakes Johnson's hand. "You played well," she tells him. "Most of my opponents last ten moves or so."
Lt. Guillaume Vaudreuil walks in at just that moment. He notices Johnson's expression, smiles and asks, "Another win for the doctor...?"
Johnson nods sadly at the Lt. "Yes, sir. Another one for the good doctor."
"Congratulations, Doctor," the Frenchman says. "Sorry I missed it. What were the highlights of this game, would you say?"
"Mr. Johnson has been helping me prepare for my next match with Cmdr. Vargas," T'Var replies. "I am attempting to play in a more aggressive way than usual."
The doctor allows herself a brief smile. "Obviously, I was successful -- this time."
"Not as aggressive as it could be me, but more so than usual," Johnson chips in, "Not that she needs it to beat me, sir. One day, I may get lucky."
Vaudreuil nods and repeats, "And what were the highlights of this game, would you say?"
"Well sir, I think the highlight was the way that T'Var carved her way forcefully through my defences in midgame, leaving me completely open to anything she wanted to do with me. All I could do was just react to her every move." Johnson replies with an amused grin. "She is also excellent at taking advantage of having me pinned down."
"What would you say to that, Doctor?" Vaudreuil asks.
"I would have to agree," T'Var replies. "It is always advantageous to keep your opponent on defense rather than dictating the game with an offensive strategy."
"Any particular moves or situations that set this game apart from others you've played?" he asks.
"Yup, trying to see what happens if I use the Queen's knight to provide support to the King's Knight and shield the Queen at the same time, sir Made a complete pig's ear of it as well. Useful in theory, daft in practice when you don't know how to proceed. Of course, T'Var is very skillful when it comes to forcing me to shed pieces and it was only a matter of time before mating took place."
[ Are Ajay and CIAS the same person? They have different registered dates. ]
Sorry. It's my old test account. Now refurbished.
"The willingness to sacrifice pieces -- even your Queen -- to gain position on the board and force your opponent into a defensive stance, is the key to victory," T'Var says with confidence. "Position is everything."
Vaudreuil smiles. "Were you a realtor before you joined Starfleet, Doctor? 'Location, location, location'?"
"Another game?" Johnson politely enquires across the board
T'Var returns Vaudreuil's smile.
"Yes, indeed," the doctor says. "I believe you have the first move this time?"
The French officer gets himself a cup of tea from the replicator, raises it in salute to you both, and leaves the Rec Room.
Johnson sets up the pieces, acknowledges the salute and then looks over the board, once again to do battle.
1. e4
T'Var decides to play much differently than she has in the past. Perhaps a change of tactics will help her defeat Vargas.
1...g6
2. d4
2...Bg7
3. Nc3
T'Var decides to mount what she hopes is a strong defense in this game. She has been studying ancient chess games to create a logical battle plan against Andrew Johnson. His skills are increasing rapidly. At some point, he will defeat T'Var for the first time.
3...a6
Johnson looks over the board at the slightly unusual opening from T'Var. He'd remembered reading about it, but could he remember the best way to play against it?
4. f4
Despite her Vulcan heritage, T'Var feels a certain excitement as she continues with this very different line of play.
4...d5
It's a trap, an early trap at that, must be...
5. Nf3
5...Nf6
This was going to be one of those games...
6. Qd3
6...dxe4
7. Nxe4
T'Var responds in kind.
7...Nxe4
8. Qxe4
T'Var continues to build a strong defensive position.
8...0-0
Johnson looks across the board at T'Var being sensible. The same thought had occurred to him as well.
9. Be2
T'Var looks to increase her attack potential now that she has set up a decent defensive position.
9...Qd6
10 . 0-0
10...Bf5
Johnson looks at T'Var's move. There is no way that taking the pawn on b7 is anything over than a trap, it's just waaay too tempting and he is beginning to already get this sinking feeling.
11. Qe3
11...Bxc2
12. Qc3
12...Be4
13. Ne5
13...Nc6
14. Be3
14...Rfd8
More pressure applied to the centre. Oh well...
15. Bc4
15...e6
16. Rfd1
16...b5
17. Bb3
17...b4
Johnson was getting that chased around the board feeling again.
18. Qe1
18...a5
19. Bf2
19...Bd5
20. Rac1