N.B. I am offering a special bonus of 1 share of the eventual prize pool to the first five people who resteem this post. I estimate each share to be worth around $20. To qualify you must have 400+ followers and alert me to your resteem in the comments below.
Welcome to our cross platform chess match in which we explore and showcase the ability of the Steemit platform to transcend its own boundaries by playing a game of chess with the Russian speaking world via the Golos platform.
Here's the current position:
Evening up and returning back to 'book'...
MISSION
This will be a 'one off' game between Golos and Steemit. The main benefit is that if hundreds of people can use Steemit to interact with something outside of Steemit, more of the world will see what this technology is capable of.
You can play for fun, for pride or for money.
STANDINGS
TBC
How to Participate
Look at the board
Select the best move
Write a reply containing your move
Use full algebraic notation (e.g. e2-e4. e7-e5. g1-f3)
It is important to be unambiguous!
If someone else has already chosen your move, you can vote for them instead.
You can reply or vote until the post reaches payout
The move with the most votes wins.
The game then passes back to Golos
All votes for your move are counted and tallied up.
Each vote gives you one share of the winnings.
All GBG Steem SBD are distributed between the winning players according to shares accumulated.
Current Prize Pool
TBC
Rules
No computer analysis
No bots
I am the final judge in all matters.
I promise to act with complete honesty
In the last game I noted some dummy accounts and multiple accounts held by the same owner were used to manipulate the vote. I will not allow this. Also, votes from non active users may be ignored at my discretion.
It's your move Steemit
(black to move)
c7-c5
Generating our own play in the center is important. Not only does it attack d4, but it also protects our bishop on b4, as well as opening up a line for our queen to develop.
---Homa
b4-c3 (bishop captures knight, check), resteemed.
Our bishop is doing something valuable - pinning our opponents knight. No need to trade off an advantage like this without being forced...better to continue development.
---Homa
b7-b6.Here's the situation as I see it. White has a small advantage so far with better center control and the knight able to jump to e5 at will. We have a pin on the c3 knight but other than that, no real threats.However, we can castle at any time and white still has at least 3 moves before he can castle.Time to generate some threats!My first instinct is Nc6. But after looking at this, white can push their knight to e5 and it cannot be taken because after white retakes with pawn, he will have a pawn threatening our pinned knight on f6. Therefore if we moved the knight to c6 he could take it with the new e5 knight and give us doubled pawns.Right now white's kingside is very well protected, and we're doing half the protecting! Our pawn on e6 has become a liability since it's blocking our development of the light squared bishop. However, that light squared bishop can become a great asset if we fianchetto on b7. This would allow eventual d5xc4 with a revealed attack along the long light squared diagonal. I also suspect white is going to want to fianchetto their own light squared bishop on g2 so this sets up a perfect counter threat if they do.Responding to the other commenter's suggestion of bishop captures knight and check, I see no real reason to do it just yet. That bishop is fantastically placed so why trade it for the pinned knight? It's still possible that a pawn war may erupt in the center and then that knight is in big trouble (as is our own knight on f6). If we take the knight now the trouble is all on us.By the way I went ahead and resteemed, but since I'm new here I have nowhere near the 400 followers required for the prize. I just think this is a really cool idea.
Also, I'd love to play a game with anyone here. You can challenge me here: https://lichess.org/@/YippeKiYay
EDIT: Ignore all of this. I've been drinking and no one should listen to me!
This move loses a piece to Qa4 check. Any block other than Knight-c6 (or moving the King) drops the bishop. If Knight-c6, Queen takes c6 check. If queen d7, Queen takes, and white is up a knight. If bishop-d7, Queen-b7, and white escapes.
---Homa
edit : resteemed, but with only 220+ followers.
Ah, good eye! I can't believe I missed that. Yes, your move is much better! I was thinking c7-c5 afterward but you are correct that would be much too late for our poor bishop.
Actually white escapes with a draw in this line, but I doubt white wants that at this point.
---Homa
Is this game still going? Queen to A4 check is the obvious move, that way we get the black bishop . . If he covers check with his knight, then that leaves us free to jump forward with our knight to E5.
Cg