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Eggs, Omelettes and Maurauding Queens

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Submitted by Dozy on Mon, 06/23/2008 at 3:55pm.

When Napoleon said that you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs he might have been talking about his style of playing chess as much as his ruthlessness in war.

In this game against General Bertrand, Napoleon—who had the white pieces—savagely exploited black's attempt to capture and hold a pawn in the opening. Bertrand was no sycophant—his play was imaginative and daring, but the Little Corporal gave him a lesson in attacking chess.

Is there a lesson for us in this? Absolutely! As a rule of thumb, don't pinch pawns while your king remains in the middle of the board whether you're playing Napoleon, Vishy Anand, or Coco the Clown. It just ain't worth the aggro.

 


» posted in Dozy's Inferno
| 527 reads | 7 comments
 

Comments:

by Dozy - 19 months ago
Blue Mountains Australia
Member Since: Aug 2007
Member Points: 2209
Orwell always had the gift for getting right to the nub of things, didn't he.
by qtsii - 19 months ago
Machiavelli United States
Member Since: Mar 2008
Member Points: 4608
I believe Lenin is attributed to saying something like that also, "you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs..." but I think it was Orwell who said I see the  broken eggs now show me the omelette...
by jumbojet - 19 months ago
Yorkshire United Kingdom
Member Since: Apr 2008
Member Points: 19

nice one Dozy.


by Dozy - 19 months ago
Blue Mountains Australia
Member Since: Aug 2007
Member Points: 2209

You have a good point, PeterK and I asked my little German friend (the one with the one big eye) what he thought about it.  I didn't give him a great deal of time but he came up with the following win for white.  (In fact, when I prompted him to make another move he said in a most unfriendly fashion, "Why don't you look at my pieces, fool!  I resign.")

Incidentally, Fritz came up with the very move you suggested.

 


by peterkirby - 19 months ago
Fullerton, CA United States
Member Since: May 2008
Member Points: 160
I don't understand some of the moves, especially 13. ...a5. I might have played 13. ...Qxe5. After that, I don't see a forced mate for white, who is down in material. Interesting game, though.
by Dozy - 19 months ago
Blue Mountains Australia
Member Since: Aug 2007
Member Points: 2209

LOL

There really was a Coco the Clown (quite a few, in fact, of whom Nikolai Poliakioff was the most famous) but when I use the term in a chess sense it just indicates that the player concerned is somebody laughable -- somebody we might not take seriously.

I often apply the term to myself when I make an outrageous blunder.  ("I play chess like Coco the Clown.")

But thanks for commenting.  Tomorrow I'll put up another of Napoleon's games which, I think, will be even more entertaining that the one with General Bertrand.


by Kinan - 19 months ago
Tartous Syria
Member Since: May 2008
Member Points: 128

Nice game..Napoleone isn't bad in chess as i see..but like you said he is ruthless in his playing..thanks for sharing..

btw, who is Coco the clown?

 


 
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