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 Many players have a myriad of excuses for losing and none of them point to the real cause ... themselves. ~ Larry Wutt
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his position caused quite a stir in Colorado ten years ago - from the game Brian Wall vs Larry Wutt, 2004 Colorado Open.
In the position on the right it is Black to move.
Answer below.
Today I would like to share a nice email that I got from Larry Wutt of Colorado Springs, after my "Wardrobe Malfunction" email that I sent out the other day (reprinted here with Larry's permission). Thanks Larry!
Larry writes:
Hi Tim,
I loved your comments in today's tactics
time. Many players have a myriad of excuses for losing and none of them
point to the real cause ... themselves. Every chess game that I've
ever played contains mistakes, usually by both players. Class players
can make huge blunders. I played a game last month where I went from
being down more than 5 pawns to winning by a forced mate in two. This
blunder was played by another A player with plenty of time. I've made
plenty of huge blunders myself. Missing a mate in three against Brian
Wall is one of my more infamous blunders. Note from Tim: even more infamous now! :-)
One of the best
exercises that a class player can do is have another player analyze
their games. I do this with Shaun MacMillan. It is quite humbling (and
instructive) to have another player point out missed opportunities and
downright blunders. Another player can give you insights into your play
and point out your blind spots. It is very hard to always be objective
about your own play.
On a final thought, many players are way
too pleased with their play when they win on a simple blunder. They go
from a totally lost game to a won game in a single move and think that
they played well. I was really disappointed with my play last month,
even though I won. I was lucky and should have lost.
Thanks again for the great comments.
Here is the complete game
[Event "Colorado Open"]
[Site "Glendale Community Center, Co"]
[Date "2004.09.04"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Wall, Brian"]
[Black "Wutt, Larry"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A03"]
[WhiteElo "2207"]
[BlackElo "1800"]
[PlyCount "101"]
1. f4 d5 2. Nf3 e6 3. e3 Nf6 4. b3 c5 5. Ne5 Nc6 6. Bb5 Bd7 7. Bxc6 Bxc6 8.
Nxc6 bxc6 9. c4 Be7 10. Nc3 d4 11. Na4 Ne4 12. Qf3 f5 13. d3 Qa5+ 14. Kf1 Nd2+
15. Bxd2 Qxd2 16. exd4 Rd8 17. Rd1 Qc2 18. dxc5 Rd4 19. Qe2 Rxf4+ 20. Ke1 Qxe2+
21. Kxe2 Rd4 22. b4 Kf7 23. Nc3 Rhd8 24. Nb1 e5 25. Na3 g5 26. Nc2 R4d7 27. a3
h5 28. d4 e4 29. b5 f4 30. bxc6 Rc7 31. Nb4 a5 32. d5 axb4 33. axb4 Bf8 34. Ra1
g4 35. Ra6 Re7 36. d6 f3+ 37. gxf3 exf3+ 38. Kf2 Re2+ 39. Kg3 Bh6 40. c7 Bg5
41. cxd8=N+ Bxd8 42. c6 Rg2+ 43. Kf4 Kg6 44. c7 Bg5+ 45. Ke4 Re2+ 46. Kd5 Rd2+
47. Kc6 Bf4 48. c5 Bxh2 49. c8=Q g3 50. Qe6+ Kg5 51. Ra8 1-0
Answer: Larry's email reminded me of this game, which caused a TON of comments ten years ago. It was even in the Rocky Mountain News (former morning newspaper of Denver).
I would have suggested this as a tactics time puzzle for Tim Brennan's Colorado
Informant but I knew it was too easy. I did suggest it for Todd Bardwick's Rocky
Mountain News column.
Larry stared at this position for one minute and 12 seconds with his Loser-Vision-Stroke-goggles but we see what we want to see. The same way we cannot see our lovers cheating on us, the same way we forgive our celebrities anything, the same way our children and spouses can do no wrong, that is why Larry cannot imagine mating me. Love. Love of losing, Love of Brian. Love of the Natural Order of the universe.
Larry may not subscribe to this theory consciously but that is what makes it so
powerful. Josh Bloomer is an eye-witness to what happened the next morning when I told Wutt the great news.
Brian to Larry Wutt next day -
Brian - Hey, Larry, guess what, you missed an easy mate in 3.
Larry, all upset, shouting in pain like a speared baboon. -
F####$$$###$$$$$##@#$$$$## !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brian - I was going to submit it as a tactics time puzzle but it was too easy.
Larry, turning red with outrage and frustration, hardly able to talk - Urrrrggggghhhhh!!!!!!
Brian - Hey, Larry, do you know the funny thing about the mate?
Larry - Wutttttttttttttttttttt!!!!!?????
Brian - You did not even have to be precise, you just had to move
IN THE GENERAL DIRECTION OF MY KING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Larry, gurgling and stumbling his way to the bathroom to splash cold water on
himself and recover - Urrrrgggghhhhhh, Uhhhhhhhhhh, grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, crash,
stumble, grrrrrrrrrrrrr, urgggghhhhhh, uhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Brian - Hey, Larry, guess what else?
Larry , glaring psychotically and dribbling down his shirt now - Urrrgotttuuuhhhkilllwuttkilllwalllkilllurrrrrgggh ( that is the closest to what
it sounded like to me )
Brian - Well, I know you considered it because I was watching your eyes and you
thought hard for 1 minute 12 seconds.
Larry, looking like he jumped through a sprinkler because of so much body fluids
on his clothes, fumbling for nonexistent paper towels - ( I put up a sign by the
shaky elevator - Use bathroom at your own risk.) I .... I ... I ...
Brian - supremely cheerful and watching Bloomer out of the corner of my eye -
Mmmmmmm, Yes, Larry?
Larry, looking more soaked, disoriented, defeated and confused than I have ever
seen him, speaking very softly like a child found in the woods - I ... had ... a
... mate? I ... could ... have ... won?
Brian, speaking clearly and distinctly as if in an Immigration office - Oh, Yes, Larry, it was verrrrrrry simple and you had plenty of time to see it and you spent 10 moves building my cage and you looked right at it hard, Larry, don't you remember? You claim you want to beat me but you don't really want to, do you? ( I shake my head slowly from side to side ).
Larry, head hanging down low, barely coherent, involuntarily aping my head
movements, choking back a sniffle -
I GUESS I DON'T. I GUESS THAT'S WHAT MAKES ME AN 1800, BRIAN.
Brian - Good luck in your next round, Larry.
Larry - Thanks, Brian. ( toilet paper to eye )
To scientifically prove Larry's blind spot I defy any Chessplayer of any religion, rank, sex, age or color with more than one day's experience to set up the position after 41 cxd8=N+ and MISS the mate. I triple dog dare you - I am willing to wager it CANNOT be done. I can dress the mate up all pretty with bells, whistles and red, lacy bows but I cannot make Larry recognize my bare, naked, abandoned King.
As Brian mentioned, Black has to move the King to either 41...Kf6 or 41...Kg6
White cannot stop the mating net. Some sample lines:
42.Ra2 Rxa2 43.Rg1 Kf5 44.d7 h4#
42.d7+ Kf5 43.Rf6+ Bxf6 44.Rg1 h4#
42.Rg1 Kf5 43.c6 h4#
42.c6 Rg2#
etc
Happy Tactics!
Your Friend,
P.S. Thanks Larry and Brian for the fun memories!
Here is a picture of Brian with his son Devon, taken last weekend at the Colorado State Scholastic tournament helping to sell some Tactics Time paperback books :) Thanks Brian!
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