The Wild, Wild West - Part 2

FEN: r1bqkbnr/pppp2p1/4p3/7p/2B5/3P1N2/PP3PPP/R3K2R
Position after 6. ... Nxc2

White put himself into a hole by allowing 4. ... Nd4 to occur - then dug himself in even deeper with a series of bad moves that didn't end even after 6. ... Nxc2.  White could have just resigned after this position as Black is so superior in every possible way.

FEN: rnbqkb1r/pp2pppp/2p2n2/1B1p4/8/4P3/PPPP1PPP/RNBQK1NR
Position after 3. ... c6

1.e3 Nf6 is a very modern opening, so we can definitely see that some opening theory can easily have come from the earlier games but 2.Bc4 (an influence of the times) made no sense as 2. ... d5 easily countered it and gave Black tempo as well.  Someone might have noticed that pattern from this game and then applied it to the modern Atomic opening to preempt the common Bc4 practice of this era.  3.Bb5+ is just inexcusable by White though and essentially handed Black the game. 

FEN: r1bqkb1r/pp4pp/n1p1pp2/3p4/4P3/1N1P4/PPP2PPP/RN1QKB1R
Position after 6. ... Na6

This game is actually almost rather modern in its opening - it begins out as the Exchange variation, but White plays 3.e4 rather than 3.Nf5.  Then the rather odd 4.d3 was played, but climbim was always known for his rather offbeat opening moves, so this may have been a particular eccentricity of his at the time.  We won't be able to know without finding more games or asking him ourselves.  The game did continue on with some modern pinning and counterpunching, eventually ending when apparently Pfiffigunde lost on time by either lag or disconnecting.  This was back in the old days where there was no timeseal and disconnection/lag could very easily cause a player to lose.  Dial-up connections via modems were the way to get onto the Internet then, and in most cases it wasn't even 56k.  Imagine that!  So we're robbed of a chance to see a high level endgame as it would have played out in 1996, although I would've put my money onto Black with this final position:

FEN: r3k2r/pp4pp/2p3b1/q3pp2/3P4/1QP5/PP3PPP/R3KB1R
Final position (Black to move - can simply play Qxc3, winning a pawn)

FEN: rn1qkbnr/ppp1pppp/4b3/3pQ3/8/4PN2/PPPP1PPP/RNB1KB1R
Final position

This is absolutely stunning - the final position (black lost, probably due to disconnection).  It's virtually an echo of a position from a very common modern atomic opening, complete with the brilliant Be6.  At least we can credit the pioneering innovation of Be6 to Atomix or to the writers of his book (as this was played in August 1996, this rules out Pfiffigunde).  So credit duly goes to Atomix, JoelH, or Nightrider.

FEN: r1bqkbnr/ppp1N1pp/2nppp2/8/8/5N2/PPPPPPPP/R1BQKB1R
Position after 4. ... f6

Sorry, tipau, but Scar was definitely the first to play 1.Nc3! and he actually does a pretty credible job with creating a nice position for himself in just four moves .  He's completely destroyed Black's position but I loved the rather modernized counterpunch attempt by Black with 3. ... Nc6!  White went on to hand Black the game in the end but this just gave us a taste of what tipau had in store for the rest of us with 1.Nc3!

FEN: r1b1kbnr/p3N1pp/3ppp2/qppP4/8/1B2PN2/PP3PPP/R3K2R
Final position (Black is won)

White helpmated himself in essence with Bb3??, allowing Black to pentrate.  White might have lost on time, but he was probably just hatewaiting out Black.  After Kf1, Qe1#.  After Ke2, Qd2, Kf1, Qxf2 explosion.  After Kd1, Qd2#.  After Nd2, Qxd2 explosion.

FEN: rnbqkb1r/ppp3p1/4pp2/3p3p/8/3PP2Q/PPP2PP1/RNB1KB1R
Position after 7.Qh3

Atomix played the rather questionable 7.Qh3, but it was the first atomic computer after all and they were still working on developing its logic.  7.Qg3! would have been far, far superior because it threatens Qg6+ and winning for White, or Qxc7, scooping up the Q,N,B, and pawn for White's Queen.  But that aside, apart from the odd 3.d3, this was a rather modern game that was played.

FEN: r2qk2r/p5p1/1pp1pp2/7p/3P1P2/P3P2Q/1PK3P1/RNBbb1R1
Position after 16.Bd1+

We've reached a beautiful middlegame being played by Black.  Black wants to mate using the two bishops but he reached a classic atomic error.  White promptly took advantage by playing 17.Rxe1! exploding both the Black Bishops and taking himself out of check.  Black simply played Qc8, a nice move to try to salvage some cheese and White then played the rather mysterious 18.Qg3, 11 moves far too late.  g6 was moved then another mysterious 19.Qh3?? was moved - essentially giving Black a free move.  Qa6 promptly gave Black the game (apparently, White's atomic plies wasn't especially impressive at this point in time).  A rather impressive game especially for its era - we're able to see a full game from opening, middlegame, to endgame.  And it's all rather modern, several years before most of us would have considered atomic chess to have developed to this point.

FEN: rnbqk2r/pppp1p1p/4pn2/6p1/8/4PQ1N/PP1P1PPP/RNB1K2R
Position after 5. ... g5

This is really a rather modern game using the appropriately named "Someone" opening, even though he's actually playing black in this game.  1.e3 Nf6 2.Qf3 is a very common modern opening but until further study is done, we don't know how common it was back then.  Apparently Someone played 1.e3 often enough to have the whole spectrum of 1.e3 openings named after him in the Atomix book, though.

FEN: 1r3k2/7p/3p4/ppp1pp2/8/P3P3/3PKP1P/R1B5
Position after 19. ... f5

Now we've finally reached a bona-fide endgame in atomic chess from one of the very early games!  Given what we know now, this would be a very easy win for Black - simply move the King onto the 7th rank and then move the rook over to the g file, penetrate, trade off the rooks and win with the pawn advantage that Black has.  However, this was way before anybody even studied endgame theory as far as I know.  So we're treated to an endgame where some curious moves take place.

FEN: 3k4/4R2p/8/3p1p2/p3pP1P/1r1PP1K1/2p5/2B5
Final position: Drawn by repetition

White absolutely stole a draw in this game, but Black had good intentions.  Black really should have traded off rooks and then could have won very easily.  But we have the advantage of more than a decade of analysis to find this out.

FEN: rn1qkb1r/pppBpppp/5n2/3p4/6b1/4PQ2/PPPP1PPP/RNB1K1NR
Final position - Black is checkmated

This game is just an illustration of how an atomic game can end without any material having been exploded off the board.  It's also a sterling example of how a lot of new players come to dislike Atomic chess because of their lack of opening knowledge or lack of opening principles.  Black simply got blown out of the water by misplaying the Someone opening (being handled by himself this time around).  I find this rather interesting since those same two players drew a game with the same opening just a few days previous to this one (see the game immediately above this one).

FEN: rn1qk1nr/pp3pp1/2p4p/1B1Np3/1b4b1/BP4P1/P1PP1P1P/R2Q1RK1
Final position - Black can play several moves that win here

And we're able to see a very different approach to the Someone opening from graukater, who absolutely smashed Someone in this game.  This game can also be used as an illustration for what happens when White doesn't have a plan and Black had one (specifically, the focus around the d4,e4,e3,f3 squares to threaten mate/capture of major pieces.

FEN: r2qkbnr/p1pp2pp/bp2pp2/8/8/2P1PN2/PP1P1PPP/RNBQKR2
Position after 5. ... Ba6

It looks like we have one of the very first "anti-computer" atomic games played.  Although that 2.c3 is a bit questionable but probably served as a way to try to get Someone out of book.  It's probably helpful to look over this game but I wouldn't put too much weight onto this one

FEN: rnbq3r/p1pkpp1p/5n1b/1p1p2N1/3P4/4PQ2/PPP2PPP/RN2KB1R
Position after 6.Kd7

This 1.d4 d5 2.Bh6 gxh6 opening was a bit interesting to see, especially since 3.e3 and Nf6 followed, then 4.Qf3 but it looks like Black has already lost due to a series of bad moves.  This bore out in short form with Black playing 6.Kd7 in a feeble attempt to avoid the inescapable mate.

FEN: rnbqk2r/pp1p2pp/2p1pp1n/6N1/3P4/2P1P3/PP3PPP/R1BQKB1R
Position after 6.Ng5

We have a relatively modern game that's been played here, but the problem is that Black misplayed a single move after 6.Ng5 by White and hindered himself in essence with his poor play.  A single move can unravel all the good work done earlier in the opening.  Black should've played 6. ... Ng4 as that immediately threatens Nxf2 explosion, forcing White to move his f-pawn.  Instead, Black played the awful 6. ... fxg5?? blowing up his Knight and f-pawn in the process.  White immediately took advantage with 7.Qh5+.  The final position is a bit curious though, with Black resigning after Qf6, since he could've played Qh4 then Qxh6 or even just waited to see if White would move his f-pawn and then give up more material to keep his king safe temporarily.

FEN: rnb1k2r/pp1p1ppp/2pNpq2/8/6n1/4PN2/PP1P1PPP/R1BQK2R
Position after 8.Nd6+

This is the germination of the modern 1.e3 e6 2.Nf3 Qf6 opening, but White needed to deal with the Nh6 threat by Black and ignored it.  Nd6+ couldn't save him as checks are ineffective against Nxf2 explosion.  Explosions always take precedence over checks.  This is an illustrative position for this concept.  Black may be in check, but Nxf2 explodes the White King first, thus, Black won here.

FEN: r1bqk1nr/1pp3pp/2nppp2/1B6/P2P4/N1P1PN2/5PPP/R2QK2R
Position after 9.Na3?

This has been nicely played up to 9.Na3 - where Black immediately seized a material advantage by playing Rxa4!, netting a Bishop and Knight for his Rook for pawn trade.  Black is now up two pieces on White, which is enough to win the game if all the other pieces are traded off.

FEN: R1b2rk1/1pp1n1pp/5p2/8/8/2P1PN2/5PPP/5RK1
Position after the 13. Double Castle

Black threw away his advantage by playing 11. ... exd5 rather than just playing e5 and letting White trade his pawn for Black's Knight.  Black then could have played d5 and prevented the Q+p swap for Q that ensued after 11. ... exd5.  Right now, White has 2R+N+5p versus Black's NBR+5p, which is actually quite equal in atomic, if everything is neutralized.

FEN: 6k1/1pp3pp/5p2/8/8/2P1P3/5PPP/6K1
Position after 18. ... Nxe7

For some odd reason, the players decided to trade off all their pieces and we're left with an imbalanced position.  This would be great for a study later on, especially since it's essentially a b+c pawn race against White's 4 on 3 pawn majority.  Opposition would come into great play in this study, but  from a first glance, White can simply move his king over to block the winner winner runner runner of the b/c pawn while advancing his 4 pawns, then Black would have to block the winner winner runner runner pawn of White's .  But these players decided to draw after linking kings, which wouldn't occur in today's modern game.  Just another example of how people really didn't study the endgame back then.

FEN: rnb1k2r/pp1p1ppp/2pQpq2/8/6n1/2N1PP2/PP1P2PP/R1B1K1NR
Final position

And here we come to the last atomic game from 1996 that I've got in my possession.  It actually starts out rather normally but then Qf4 and Qf6 were key moves that are very modern.  I'm not too sure about 6.Nc3 though, as Nh3 was probably better.  But White made up for it with the nice 7.f3! and Black helpmated himself with the questionable 7. ... Ng4?? where d6 or even swapping queens would have been far better.  Black can't escape the explosion from White's Queen.  Black cannot move his King except to d8 and White just plays Qxd7, exploding Black.