[Event "Stanley Random Chess: Non-contrapuntal Thematic"]
[Site "SchemingMind.com"]
[Date "2009.02.07"]
[Round "-"]
[White "Clive Everill"]
[Black "sthorwall"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Variant "stanleyrandom"]
[WhiteCountry "CZE"]
[BlackCountry "USA"]
[WhiteElo "1654"]
[WhiteRD "163"]
[BlackElo "1551"]
[BlackRD "150"]
[GameID "190985"]

1. Nh3
{
Clive Everill: well, hello again Sean...this is my debut & I guess it is good that I break the ice for this variant with you! :-) All I know is to expect the unexpected...so, let's enjoy the ride!
}
{
Clive Everill: oh, I see...I played b3 & my knight takes a walk to h3 - cool!!
}
{
sthorwall: What a fortunate pairing! I love all our games together.  I think the b3 was disallowed because of Cavendish Rule of One (instituted in 1866 on the 100th anniversary of his discovery of hydrogen).  Under the rule, no piece worth one point is allowed to move only one square on the first move after the first month of the year.  As I understand it, the rule only applies to non-contrapuntal play as in our current match, so it may very well have worked just fine in other games.  As to why the knight specifically jumped to h3, I'm not quite sure.  It's a bit hard to keep track of all these rules, you know.
}
1... Nh6
{
sthorwall: Your knightly dominance of the semi-central dark squares g5 and f4 clearly requires a similar counter.
}
2. e3
{
Clive Everill: wow...I can see I'm in the presence of SRC genius...I am not worthy! Let's schwing!! :-)
}
{
Clive Everill: well, that d4 became e3...I sense the nearness of an SRC black hole affecting my randomness...
}
{
sthorwall: Quite likely.  I wonder if Stanley himself felt bad about not allowing your last b3 and wanted to make up for it with e3 here.
}
2... Nc6
{
sthorwall: Now if that's not non-contrapuntal, I don't know what is.
}
{
sthorwall: One more STAR move and we'll have a five-star game going.
}
3. Na3
{
Clive Everill: hurrah, hussah!!
}
{
sthorwall: Ah, a beautiful flanking system you've set up.  I have a partial flank and will try to counter your conservative center thrust by balancing my semi-central right flank with a Tepid Munchkin Maneuver.  I'm not too well-versed in the maneuver, but I think it should fall under the category of legal and appropriate contrapuntal play given your Watchful Knights opening.
}
3... b6
{
sthorwall: The Tepid Munchkin advances.
}
{
sthorwall: hurrah! The maneuver is a success.
}
4. d4
{
Clive Everill: do you think asking my wife (who knows zilch about chess) to make my next move is a form of cheating in SRC?? ;-)d4, or not d4, that is the question...
}
{
Clive Everill: yup - you can always trust a bit of Shakespeare when SRC gets tough ;-)
}
{
surfnsuds: There is precedent. In 1959, Dr. Scott "The Crusher" Lemongrass M.D., playing for the Canadian National SRC Congress felt the need for his wife's advice, even though she had never seen a chess board before. The problem became slightly more confusing when, since he had been mute since childhood, he wrote, "Darling please have a look at my chess board and tell me what you think." (Though not expressly forbidden, it was generally considered poor form to ask spousal help in those days.) - However, as Medical Doctors are wont to do, his writing was night on illegible. She read, "Darling please have a look at my cheese board and pour me a stiff drink." So she went and cut some nice old Gouda and made him a nice cold Gin and Tonic. While that wasn't what he'd asked for, he nevertheless won the game.
}
{
Squibber: As it happens I recently read an article in "The Lancet" by the renowned Dutch SRC researcher Dr. Oh Van Damage. He postulates that wives are of no use in SRC in any form, and to expect a wife to be able to advice on a non-contrapuntal position is simply asking too much. In summary: at the end of his 1442 page discussion his conclusion was that wives played no part in the result. Significant was that Dr. Lemongrass's opponent, a Dr. Max Euwe, had been eating Edam, which is always inferior to Gouda in SRC matches due to its mildness.
}
4... Bb7
{
sthorwall: It's so good to have an SRC community where we can compile relevant research.
}
5. g3
{
Clive Everill: Well, interestingly enough, I indulged in some Old Amsterdam for supper last night & rumour has it that during it's journey to Czech Republic, it was confiscated at the customs control by Gunter Von Schnitzel, who by curious coincidence is THE Growling Gunter of SRC fame - who was renowned for growling before making his moves. He tested the Old Amsterdam, found it of sound quality, growled, made a move on his SRCC...and perhaps left some of his undoubted talent on the morsel that arrived on my doorstep.
Having said all that - my wife is up for the challenge! :-)
}
{
Clive Everill: what the bum-jiggedy?!! My Bd2 has feinted to g3...referee!!!!
}
{
Archr: The game will seem random as long as the necessary study is neglected.  But do not be discouraged, it is still possible to win without even owning a single SRC book.
}
{
surfnsuds: Indeed. What seems to you now to be a terrible move will almost certainly be revealed later to have been a brilliant, and very subtle substitution.
}
5... Ng8
{
sthorwall: HA! I think Stanley misheard me. I had *thought* to play Nb8 -- the Replaced Knight technique. But I was trying to replace the wrong one, apparently.
}
{
sthorwall: Oh oh oh, now I remember.  If one can replace all his pieces after the Tepid Munchkin advances, the Munchkin is instantly promoted to a queen.  But it requires the pieces CLOSEST to the Munchkin to be replaced last. *whew* And I almost messed it up!
}
6. Bg2
{
Clive Everill: gee...you really do understand this game...just like Bush understood...no!!! Don't even go there! ;-) 
}
{
Clive Everill: yes - the Bg2 stays Bg2...I've got this baby under control ;-)
}
6... Qb8
{
sthorwall: Nothing for it but to war it.
}
7. c4
{
Clive Everill: the c4 thrust - open in case of emergencies...
}
7... h6
{
sthorwall: Qb8, a prime example of a Stanley's blessings in disguise.
}
{
sthorwall: Deactivating the knight and preparing Rh7.
}
8. O-O=
{
Clive Everill: crafty...but hold on a minute, I have a severe attack of Kramnikitis...don't push that button, Vlad!!! 
}
8... d6
{
sthorwall: Don't worry, it happens ever and anand.
}
{
sthorwall: Do you ever get the feeling we're playing on a diagonal board?  Like the gravitational axis is running from a8 to h1?
}
9. Be4
{
Clive Everill: and I thought my desk was tilting...or am I a pinball wizard?
}
{
Clive Everill: bishop's on the move - got a mind of it's own!!
}
{
sthorwall: There's gotta be a twist... maybe that bishop's deaf, dumb, and blind?
}
9... e6 10. Nb5
{
Clive Everill: I'll call him 'Tommy' just to be sure...
}
{
Clive Everill: now where is this random knight aiming for?!!
}
{
sthorwall: He could be attempting Tinker's Feint.  It looks similar to the recent 2003 expedition between Charles Bronson (bet you didn't know he played SRC) and Ralph Tinker, direct descendant of the infamous Immanuel Tinker.  The ploy was perpetrated, Ralph later said, in honor of his great great grand-father's 1898 victory that catapulted him to international STARdom. As the 19th century closed with the now-famous Tinker maneuver, so Ralph wanted to open the 21st in a similar way.  Incidentally, it was Bronson's last ever game of SRC.
}
10... Rh7=
{
sthorwall: I'm really not sure how to respond to the feint, so I think I'll close my eyes for this move...
}
{
sthorwall: Interesting. I have no idea how many buttons I hit before selecting a legal move, but I apparently offered a draw. And gave your bishop another target.  That should confuse him into non-action, I think.
}
11. Bxh7
{
Clive Everill: yes, I think I remember Bronson's last film...Death Tinker or something...? ;-) Well, I declined the draw based on the sound advice from the bishop, who feels like he's got the edge today ;-) Maybe tomorrow it will be different :-)
}
{
sthorwall: I never listen to sound advice. It's just noise to me.
}
11... g6
{
sthorwall: Not exactly what I had in mind...
}
12. Qf3
{
Clive Everill: no...it was just a noise ;-) 
}
{
Clive Everill: and mine is a silent scream, roughly translated it means " Stanley! What are you doing with my Queen!!??"
}
12... Nxd4
{
sthorwall: Giving it to me, hopefully.
}
{
sthorwall: I knew giving Stanley a banana was a good idea... in this I've learned from past games.
}
13. Qd1
{
Clive Everill: is there any point in moving my queen..?
}
{
Clive Everill: yes, there is!!! :-)
}
13... d5
{
sthorwall: If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
}
{
sthorwall: Or leave pieces hanging.
}
14. Kg2
{
Clive Everill: hanging everywhere - but which one is the one Stanley wants...? Let's try THAT knight on g8!!
}
{
Clive Everill: nope...let's just meander the king meaninglessly instead...thank you, Stanley!!
}
{
sthorwall: Meaninglessly?  Meaninglessly?!!  Why, there's oodles of meaning in a move like that! Unfortunately I can't remember what right now, so I'll have to look it up and get back to you.
}
14... Kd8
{
sthorwall: And a move like that, too!
}
15. Qxd4
{
Clive Everill: now THAT has meaning...you know what I mean?? ;-)
}
{
sthorwall: Out of town for the end of February. Sincere apologies to any endgame opponents concerned with the rating period.
}
15... c5
{
sthorwall: I suddenly feel like a trapped rat.
}
{
sthorwall: Though a single move could turn the tide.
}
16. Qf4
{
Clive Everill: and this could be that move...what plan does Stan have for my Queen...does she sleep with the fishes?
}
{
Clive Everill: not quite...
}
{
Clive Everill: Going to Germany for a week with some students for a conference in Oberwesel - back in a week.
}
16... Qxf4
{
sthorwall: Safe travels. Try not to make any STAR moves.
}
{
sthorwall: (You have three options for recapture. Which do you think is legal? [evil grin])
}
{
Squibber: If you're lucky, none of them.
}
17. Nxf4
{
Clive Everill: well......let's try this one ;-)
}
17... dxc4+
{
sthorwall: Bummer.
}
18. f3 Bd5
{
sthorwall: Whenever I'm very tired and probably not thinking straight, I always go to my SRC games.  I figured I'm safe with Stanley and his star moves.
}
{
sthorwall: oh boo, I had a great move in mind.
}
19. Nxd5
{
Clive Everill: not so tired, perhaps? ;-)
}
19... exd5
{
sthorwall: hehe
}
20. Nd4
{
Clive Everill: huh??? Come on, Stan...play the game!! What about that envelope I put your way?? Oooops ;-)
}
{
Squibber: It's a bad idea to give Stan your electricity bill.
}
20... cxd4
{
sthorwall: I stick to giving him bananas.
}
21. h3
{
Clive Everill: not as high as the price I'm paying here!!
}
21... Nf6
{
sthorwall: I FINALLY FREED THAT KNIGHT.  I'VE BEEN WAITING SO LONG TO FREE THAT KNIGHT.  Looks like my bananas are working.
}
22. Rg1
{
Clive Everill: so...playing with fruit...? Get me the referee...!! Or my name isn't Topalov!!
}
22... Ba3
{
sthorwall: And mine isn't Popovich.
}
23. e4 Nxh7 24. Bxh6 Rb8
{
sthorwall: (sigh) That would have been a really convenient move not to have been starred.  That's what I get for eating pizza, pasta, and potatoes all for the same meal.
}
{
sthorwall: (Such a thing is STAR-invoking in countries that speak languages using labial stops.)
}
25. exd5 Bxb2 26. Bc1
{
Clive Everill: huh!?? Sorry, but I haven't eaten pizza for a couple of days...but pasta did this way come...
}
{
Clive Everill: and Stan is getting pasta joke!!!
}
{
sthorwall: Better than getting pasta disease.
}
26... Bxa1 27. Bf4 Rc8
{
sthorwall: Nice catch. I completely forgot that the knocking down one wall of the Castled Clergy enables the double-thrust threat of Rook's Revenge combined with the Bishop's Bastion.
}
28. Rxa1
{
Clive Everill: and Stan being compliant makes it all the more sweeter!
}
28... d3 29. Kf1 b5 30. Bg5+ Nxg5
{
sthorwall: This looks to be an interesting endgame.
}
31. h4
{
Clive Everill: I believe we're still only in the middle game...I sens this could take a looong time ;-)
}
31... Nxf3
{
sthorwall: Come to think of it, that was a dangerous move.
}
32. Kf2
{
Clive Everill: might be?!
}
32... Ne5
{
sthorwall: *breathes a sigh of relief*
}
33. Ke3
{
Clive Everill: let's out a gasp of utter despair...and whimpers...
}
33... Kd7 34. Rb1 Rc5 35. Kd4
{
Clive Everill: King looks sung, especially if your King runs away!!
}
{
sthorwall: Truly. It reminds me of the CCCK.  The Curious Case of the Castaway King is a long and convoluted tale of intrigue and mishap.  There's not time to tell the whole story here (even the 582-volume 'Encyclopedia Collectica of Stanley Random History, Legend, and Myth' only gives it a skimmed sixteen-page reference in Volume CXCIII) but I can give a quick recap.
}
{
sthorwall: The story centers around Rupert Mikros Gallardo Rega Yashiv Ibrahim Patel Roman-nom McCulloughshevksy, 19th king of the underground Latverian realm of Adamah.  King Raul, as he was known, had a case of dwarfism (though some people mistakenly called him a "midget").  His case was unique, however, in that his anachondroplasia made his arms disproportionately long: he stood a lilliputian 4'2", but his wingspan was nearly five feet.  He was thus an excellent fencer and having never lost a duel easily upheld the honour of his kingdom.  He was loved and revered by all his subjects and established greater stability for the kingdom than had been seen since the 4th king of Adamah, Lord Andros Wilhelm, even renewing the Mole Treaty and the Alliance of Ants, Men, and Human Dwarfs (AAMAHD).
}
{
sthorwall: In his 33rd year of reign, Adamah had become a veritable empire, unparalleled in the underground realms in its efficiency and stability.  It even outdid its small above-ground counterpart, Latveria (which perturbed Latverian royalty to no end).  The king's decade-long efforts were paying enormous dividends, and Raul suddenly found himself with far too much time on his hands.  Thus, he picked up Stanley Random Chess (which at the time was just called "chess," being the ancestor of our present-day derivation) and began to study its rules and history.  He approached the game with all the dedication he had for years put into his kingdom, and learned at an extraordinary pace.  News of his new conquest spread, and moles and ants worldwide came to see him play.  He formed the sub-terrainian league of SRC Afficionados From Latverian Adamah (SRCAFLA) and held the first championship tournament two years later.  The tournament garnered much attention from avian communities and thus generated a fair amount of press within the international forum.  Above-ground Latveria grew more jealous than ever, and sent representatives to assess the tournament and any threats it might pose for their preening sense of prestige.  They rooted, of course, for the Moles, hoping that a victory would give the Moles enough confidence and self-importance to break their treaty with Adamah and AAMAHD.  But King Raul took the crown.
}
{
sthorwall: Latverian King Victor, a man of enormous height and girth, was furious.  He immediately issued King Raul a personal challenge.  When Raul happily accepted and invited King Victor underground, Victor wrote back haughtily saying that the game must be played in the Latverian court. (The real reason was that Victor hadn't moved from his throne in years due to his severe weight problems. His throne could barely support him; his legs would have had no chance.)  King Raul passed the scepter to his regent and reluctantly departed from his kingdom to play the match.  It was a strangely quiet affair considering the publicity Raul had recently garnered; only the avian community from their lofty vantage point could view the details.  The match started off well, King Victor opening with the patented Latverian Assault and King Raul defending well with his self-devised Defense of Adamah.  King Victor pushed for a game centered in the light squares while King Raul preferred to play in the dark.  Both Kings hid their kings and activated their knights, simultaneously turning them east-facing, a feat not seen since the avian kingdoms were still hatching.  But Victor was slowly losing control.  Whether it was lack of preparation, mental fatigue, or overconfidence in the quiet whispers of the bishops behind the thrown, he executed a dangerous ploy to capture Raul's queen. Raul, however, easily drew on the support of his pawns, and the resulting position was clearly in his favour.  With a cry of disgust, Victor upset the board and accused Raul of cheating by using an illegal pawn push to corner his champion knight.  Raul proclaimed his innocence and that the move was clearly allowed under the Stanley Random Code of Hammurabi, but Victor would have none of it.  His honour at stake, Raul promptly challenged King Victor to a duel, though Victor was several times his size.  Victor felt trapped, and his champion knight was on vacation in Bermuda with some servant girl from Adamah.  Even had Victor possessed the courage to fight this regal dwarfen figure, the prospects of his being able to stand long enough to do so were quite dubious.  Instead, he called for the guards and shouted to Raul that he would not lower himself to combatting a man who could not reach his chest, but that Raul's illegal actions in the game proved once and for all his moral and intellectual ineptitude as a king.  Hereafter, King Victor would take over governance of Adamah, and King Raul would be cast away into exile forever.  King Raul could not let such a thing happen; he knew that so long as he himself remained outside of Victor's control, his regent would rule in his stead and keep the kingdom from Victor's hands.  He ran from the court, dodging guards and guardesses, and was never heard from again.
}
{
sthorwall: The next day King Victor launched his surprise assault on Adamah in order to wrest control from the regent. But the avian spectators of the previous day's match had brought word to Adamah of the events in Victor's court.  Adamah was thus prepared for the assault, and succesfully repelled the first wave.  When word got out, AAMAHD came to Adamah's defense, and Victor was never able to defeat the underground kingdom. Nonetheless, he spent the remainder of his career in the effort, as did many Latverian kings after him. As a result, Adamah became more and more a defensive kingdom, gradually fading into deeper and deeper seclusion and all the while on guard for the next assault.
}
{
sthorwall: These events gave rise, of course, to the famous SRC positions known as "Victor's Court,"  "the Hidden Shell of Adamah," and the "Regent's Posture."  Scholars still debate whether King Raul was cast away or ran, but in any event it was a quite a curious case, and avian SRC scholars tell us that to this day the people of Adamah await Raul's return and restoration to the throne.
}
35... f5
{
sthorwall: For now, I will bid my king step forward to challenge yours in defense of knight and castle.
}
{
sthorwall: He hears not the call. Or maybe I didn't pay my taxes.
}
{
Squibber: Interesting anecdote.
}
36. Kxc5
{
Clive Everill: I think this king is dead meat! Squibber, I don't know where he gets them from...but he should write a book ;-) A fantastic tale of...fantastic stuff :-) Let's see if I can bury this king...come on Stanley!!
}
{
Clive Everill: my king has guts!
}
{
sthorwall: while my king just putts. :(
}
36... a6 37. a4 c3 38. axb5 c2 39. Rf1 a5
{
sthorwall: gah, if I lose one more tempo I'm going to be in serious trouble.
}
40. Kd4 d2 41. Kc3 d1=Q 42. Rxd1
{
Clive Everill: no Stan, don't do it!!!
}
42... cxd1=Q 43. b6
{
Clive Everill: he did it...!! :-(
}
43... Qxd5
{
sthorwall: Where do you think you're going...
}
44. b7
{
Clive Everill: to queen, to queen!!
}
44... Qxb7
{
sthorwall: Freddie Mercury would be proud.
}
45. h5
{
Clive Everill: stalemate is my only hope...has Stanley ever assisted in such a feat before? ;-)
}
45... gxh5
{
sthorwall: Good question. I'm not sure.  I have noticed in a couple games, though, that the longer a game goes on the more Stanley seems to get bored and ignore it.  Under the old rules, Vollenhauser Conditions (which began at move 30) could prompt an immediate end to a game under extremely complex rules having to do with sequence of moves and elements of a position.  But the rules were abolished... There's an official explanation of why somewhere in the forums.  Anyway, now instead of VH conditions I think Stanley just begins to ignore the game.
}
46. Kd4
{
Clive Everill: he probably does, much to my chagrin...pity he couldn't have ignored some things earlier!
}
46... Qe4+
{
sthorwall: You know what they say... ignorance is futile. :P (Resistance, on the other hand, is bliss.)
}
47. Kc5
{
Clive Everill: I will be assimilated...I know...
}
47... Kc7 48. Kb5 Qb4+
{
sthorwall: The black queen looks a bit like the Prim Borg herself...
}
49. Ka6
{
Clive Everill: sure does, but where is Data when I need him...hey, Queenie...GET OFF MY BRIDGE!!!
}
49... Qb6#
{
sthorwall: Sounds like time for more sing-along-Stanley... "Hey, you, get offa my bridge!"
}
{
sthorwall: And stay out! :) Glad to have earned a point for my team and played a fine, fine opponent in this, our most excellent premier matchup.
}
{
Clive Everill: true, Sean, it was a good battle, you drew first blood, but I'm sure to get the other, so all square...and I'll be back ;-)
}
0-1

