Mini 686 - Chess Mafia (Done)

[Mr. Black]

White plays

Kd3

.

[Mr. Black]

Rd6

[SaintKerrigan]

Let's try to keep our pawns alive.

Move: Qf5+

Move Count

(1) Qf5+: SaintKerrigan

[Thok]

I'm pretty sure I want to play Qf5+, but I'm going to take a quick look at Qb7 anyway. No other move is worth our time.

Also, I'm going to be V/LA June 6-9. I likely won't be able to post at all for that period; if I do it will be at night June 7 or the afternoon/night of June 8.

[SaintKerrigan]

The problem I have with Qb7 is that it gives Black the g-pawn, and potentially allows Black to promote his h-pawn long before we can get one of our pawns promoted.

[Abstract Actuary]

Move: Qf5+

I'm going to be V/LA from 6/14-6/22

[veerus]

oi... we missed that one.. you mafiosos are good...

i suggest Qc7 but will vote

move: draw

[SaintKerrigan]

oi... we missed that one.. you mafiosos are good...

i suggest Qc7 but will vote

move: draw

I saw Rd6 coming from a mile away.

And Qc7 is an awful move. We just give black the d-pawn plus check for free. No, we're doing Qf5+.

[veerus]

err you're right.. Qc7 is stupid, never mind... i was thinking it would keep the pressure on the rook & bishop w/o realizing it could just take the pawn.

SK, if you saw Rd6 coming from a mile away, you should've said something....

[SaintKerrigan]

SK, if you saw Rd6 coming from a mile away, you should've said something....

Rd6 is ultimately not lethal to white. Believe me. I've looked.

[Thok]

SK, if you saw Rd6 coming from a mile away, you should've said something....

Everybody should have seen Rd6 coming from a mile away. But it's mostly a short term annoyance and doesn't really have much of an effect on our long range plans.

However since it wouldn't have changed our plans, there wasn't a reason to tell Black what his best move was.

move Qf5+

(still thinking about Qb7, but I don't want draw to be close to the leading bandwagon.)

Move Count
Qf5+ (3) (SaintKerrigan, Abstract Actuary, Thok)
draw (1) (veerus)

[veerus]

Everybody should have seen Rd6 coming from a mile away. But it's mostly a short term annoyance and doesn't really have much of an effect on our long range plans.

I guess... I should probably look at the board more carefully. I got a case a tunnel vision and was thinking the rook was more or less stuck for the short term in its corner on the other side.

I like Qf5 more than Qb7. The middle of the board is a better place for the queen if we must make a choice.

[Indigo Heron]

I'm liking the more aggressive Qf5, rather than Qb7.

move: Qf5

veerus, your thoughts of drawing are unfounded. We have the advantage. What part of you could possibly think that we should draw?

[Abstract Actuary]

A lot of us saw Rd6 coming. It was the unspoken move that Thok and I were discussing the last couple of moves. It disrupts our position and our prior plan and isn't ideal, but it isn't deadly.

[SaintKerrigan]

Veerus, if you're online and you're actually for the white side, you might as well switch to Qf5+ to avoid unnecessary drag.

[veerus]

veerus, your thoughts of drawing are unfounded. We have the advantage. What part of you could possibly think that we should draw?

The part of me that realizes that this game was designed for 9 players and not 4-5. And that out of those 4-5 players at least 1, or if not both, black players are still active and are obviously not acting in our best interest. Due to lack of participation and logistics of the position, only two outcomes are realistic - 1) white wins after several months of playing or, 2) black wins a hallow victory due to having a much larger % of the vote than the game was designed for. I would play this out to completion over the board every time but this game is not at all the same. So, for these reasons, a draw is the quick way out for both sides without abandoning this broken game.

[veerus]

Veerus, if you're online and you're actually for the white side, you might as well switch to Qf5+ to avoid unnecessary drag.

Or we could use the time to try and find replacements for the MIAs. I would like to ask that those who are active in games other than this one put something in their signature to that effect.

[SaintKerrigan]

@ Veerus: As long as black can't get a majority of the votes, black can't win. Which is, of course, what this draw motion is really all about, isn't it? A way out for the black players.

[veerus]

The move that I agree with is already getting the majority of votes. And no, the draw is not a way out for the black players. The draw is a way for all of us out of this never ending game. I have half a mind to abandon this game myself since it's currently my only active game on the site but I'd rather it end in a draw than further handicap the game.

[Thok]

Veerus, if you want to be replaced then we'll all start advertising for your replacement in our signatures.

We won't hold it against you if you ask to be replaced. We will hold it against you if you continue to be a participant in this game but refuse to play.

[Herodotus]

I agree with Qf5+, it looks safe.
@Thok: are you

still thinking about Qb7

?

[veerus]

I'm not refusing to play. I am giving my thoughts on the game. Which is a thousand times more than 4 other people in this game are doing. If you don't feel they need to be replaced then maybe you can ask them to hammer.

[Thok]

I agree with Qf5+, it looks safe.
@Thok: are you

still thinking about Qb7

?

Somewhat, but I've decided it allows Black's king a little too much freedom while limiting the mobility of our queen. It has certain advantages, but not enough to justify it over a Qf5+ move that has more support.

Which is a thousand times more than 4 other people in this game are doing.

Five really, as I'd put you ahead of Indigo Heron as well in terms of amount of participation.

EmpTyger probably needs a replacement, given how long he's gone without posting on the site. Everybody else has at least posted in the last couple of game days, although if Haylen volunteered to be replaced I wouldn't have a problem with that either.

[veerus]

Which is a thousand times more than 4 other people in this game are doing.

Five really, as I'd put you ahead of Indigo Heron as well in terms of amount of participation.

EmpTyger probably needs a replacement, given how long he's gone without posting on the site. Everybody else has at least posted in the last couple of game days, although if Haylen volunteered to be replaced I wouldn't have a problem with that either.

Thank you. As long as we're on the same page... I'll hammer this time but will continue voting draw until the game has more people.

unmove; move: Qf5+

And while we're at it, personally I would not have backed Kd3 if I saw Rd6. If this move causes our position to rapidly deteriorate, I'd bet a lot of marbles that the Kd3 idea was started by a black player.

[Mr. Black]

White plays

Qf5

.