Queen has to be treated with care

The queen is the most powerful piece on the board and while a strong move with this piece can control and dominate the game, a casual, careless one can create havoc and the whole game can collapse like a pack of cards.

Utmost caution has to be exercised while swinging the queen to the sides or the centre of the chessboard.

In the game which follows, it is a rare sight to see the queen being posted on the corner of the board rather early.  Thereafter an erratic move when the queen wrongly goes from the corner to the centre of the board causes black’s game to collapse totally.

White: Sergei Tiviakov (2640) – Black: Anthony Miles (2595)
Linares, 1998
Petroff Defence
 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6. The Petroff defence which has gained the reputation of a drawing defence in current times.
3.d4 Nxe4 4.Bd3 d5 5.Nxe5 Nd7
Black can also try 5. ..Bd6
6.Nxd7  Bxd7 7.0–0 Be7. A bit timid! Here 7.Bd6 appears a better option
8.c4 Nf6 9.Nc3 Be6 10.c5 0–0 11.Bf4 c6 12.b4 Qd7
Black can consider 12...Bg4 or 12. ..g6
13.Qc2. White played a new move here. If 13. Rfe8 14.Qc2 g6 15.b5
13...g6 14.Rfe1
If 14.b5 Bd8
14...Nh5 15.Be5 f6 16.Bg3 Nxg3
Black wanted to exchange off the dark-squared bishop for his knight
17.hxg3 Bf7
If 17...Rfe8 18.b5 is better for White and if 17...f5 18.b5 Bf6 19.Qa4
18.b5 Rfe8 19.a4
White is advancing on the queenside
19. .. Bd8 20.Rxe8+ Qxe8
If 20...Bxe8  21.a5 a6 22.bxa6 bxa6 23.Qd2 and White appears better
21.a5 a6 22.bxa6
If 22.bxc6 bxc6  23.Qd2 f5
22...bxa6 23.Qd2
If 23.Na4 Bxa5 24.Nb6 Rb8 25.Rxa5 Qe1+ 26.Kh2 Qxa5
23...f5 24.Na4 Bf6 25.Re1 Qd8 26.Nb6 Ra7 27.Bf1
If 27.Qf4 Kg7
27...Kg7 28.Rb1 h5 29.Qc3
If 29.Na4 Re7
29...Qh8. Interesting move!
30.Rb4 Kh7
If 30...h4 31.gxh4 Bxh4
31.Qd2 Qe8 32.Na4.
A good move as the knight retreats to make way for the rook to infiltrate
32...Qd8
If 32...Re7 33.Nc3 (33.Bxa6 Ra7 34.Rb6 Qa8 And if 33.Rb6 Re4) 33...Re1 34.Rb6
33.Rb6
Black has weak pawns on the queenside on a6 and c6
33...Qh8. If 33...Re7then 34.Nc3
34.Rxa6 Re7
If 34...Rxa6 35.Bxa6 Bxd4 36.Bf1 and if 34...Rc7 35.Qf4 is winning for White
35.Rxc6 Bxd4. If 35...Be8 36.Rc8
36.Nb6. White misses the best move in the position in time pressure. The correct continuation here is 36.a6 Qe8 (If 36...Be8 37.Rc8 Qe5 38.Nb6 and Black is losing) 37.Bb5 (37.Qxd4 Qxc6 38.Nb6) 37...Re1+ 38.Kh2
 36...Bc3 37.Qg5


 37. ..Qe5. A horrible blunder. Black fails to find the accurate defence. He should have played 37...Re1 38.Nxd5 (38.a6 Qe8 ) 38...Bxa5 39.Ne3 and made it difficult for White to win as his King does not look secure.
38.Nxd5. White is winning now and Black has no defence
38...Rb7.
If 38...Bxd5 39.Qxg6+ Kh8 40.Rc8+ And if 38...Qxd5 39.Qxe7 and Black loses.
39.Nxc3 Qxc3 40.Qf6
Not the most correct continuation but it does not matter now!
40. ..Qxa5 41.Rc8 Bg8 42.Bc4  and Black resigned as 42...Qe1+ 43.Kh2 Rb1 44.Rc7+ Kh6 45.Qg7+ Qg5 46.f4+ Qg4 47.Qxg6, mate.


White to play and checkmate in two moves (There are two ways to checkmate in two moves)
1.Re1 Kf8 2.Rh8 checkmate and 1.Rh8+ Kxh8 2.Rf8 checkmate.