---
title: Lichess4545 GOTM - June '26: From Kingside Fire to Pawn Avalanche!
description: Welcome to the second official 4545 GOTM blog post!
image: https://image.lichess1.org/display?fmt=webp&h=550&op=thumbnail&path=GwQUIp6oIU9C.webp&w=880&sig=fafa0ef96b8197a533d0dfc5d2f3c6e8591b6104
---

Each month, we celebrate the most exciting, instructive, and creative games played across the different competitions of the Lichess4545 community with the **Game of the Month (GOTM)** award. Following our inaugural edition, we're back with another fascinating encounter, this time featuring **@Fischer\_and\_Chips88** and **@berndwind** in a thrilling battle from the **Series (90+30)**, proving that every league has its own stories waiting to be told.

If you're new to the Game of the Month concept or would like to learn more about the leagues, and the nomination process, be sure to check out [our very first GOTM blog](https://lichess.org/@/The4545LeagueGOTM/blog/lichess4545-gotm-may-26-take-my-queen-we-are-hunting-your-king/hXe8YEXF), where we introduced the project in more detail.

## **Community Spotlight: Three-Time GOTM Winner @fork2020**

As the Game of the Month tradition continues to grow, a few players have already written their names into its history. Among them is **fork2020**, who has reached the impressive milestone of winning the Game of the Month award three times, a record currently shared by only one other member of the league (We'll shine the spotlight on that player next month). Beyond his own games, the community will also recognize fork2020 for his contributions off the board, particularly through [the Ledger](https://lichess.org/@/Ledger4545) and his excellent player interviews that help showcase the people behind the games.

This time, we decided to turn the tables. We invited **@fork2020** to step into the interviewee's seat and share his thoughts on reaching this milestone.

> *Well, I think it'd be more accurate to say that I tend to lose the Game of the Month, since both @iiigtoiii and @koedem beat me in the game that would go on to win the award. However, I am proud of the one I did win against @WallaceStegner in the Blitz Battle side league: a 111-move marathon featuring an interesting queen versus rook, knight, and pawns endgame in a time scramble.*
> *But being awarded Game of the Month three times over the span of less than a year is something will probably never happen to me again, and out of all of the "accomplishments" I've had in the league, this is definitely one of my proudest! It takes two players to make a Game of the Month, so I'm honored that my playstyle has been seen as worthy these three times!*

Given his reputation for producing entertaining games, we were curious whether these memorable battles are intentional or simply arise naturally over the board:

> *I am capable of playing quiet chess games, and sometimes I do, particularly against higher-rated players. But what kind of universe is one of strict order? A boring one, that's what! As a result, I usually strive for chaos! Nothing is quite as exhilarating as a sharp position under time pressure. I'm more than fine with creating chaos while down 40 minutes in a team league game. It might sound like a bad idea, but I make it work, don't I? Still, to have a truly thrilling game, it takes an opponent who also wishes to set fire to the board; that's where the real anarchy begins, and those are the games that I live for!*

As someone who has been part of multiple GOTM-winning games, fork2020 has a clear idea of what makes a game worthy of recognition:

> *It's chaos! Nobody remembers the grandmaster draw or the blundered piece that decided a drawn-out game. We all remember the ones that stand out:*
>
> * *That beautiful attack, against which there was nothing.*
> * *That daring sacrifice, without much calculating.*
> * *The last-effort checkmate, with three pieces hanging.*
> * *The miraculous comeback, which nobody saw coming.*
> * *The lesser-known gambit, creating drama right from the opening.*
>
> *These types of games (and more) are the ones that draw interest, which is why you see them as the league's Game of the Month. That's why lower-rated players, such as myself, can be involved in so many Game of the Month-winning games, because sometimes, you just need to win for the team, no matter the cost. And sometimes, you need to do it for yourself.*

While the games are at the heart of the 4545 experience, the league has always been about much more than what happens on the board.

> *Forget the games, the community itself is the greatest part of the league! So many people volunteer their time in different ways, whether it's as a team league moderator, running a side league, creating interesting stats for everyone, streaming content for the community, helping edit the Ledger, running Game of the Month, agreeing to an interview (I say this in thanks to all the players who have agreed to my interview requests), helping a teammate with opening prep, or even just interacting with each other! Without the community, the 4545 umbrella would not be possible, so thank you to everyone!*

*>* *Our interviewee has told us a lot more than that, but for the purposes of the blog, we had to make it much shorter. Hopefully, you will find the full version of the interview posted by fork2020 himself in the comments section.*

***

## Meet This Month's Annotator: @alp\_arslan92

Every memorable game deserves an equally memorable annotation, and we're delighted that one of our best players **@alp\_arslan92** accepted the challenge of guiding us through this month's winner. A good analysis is much more than simply pointing out the engine's best moves. It tells the story of the game, explains the critical decisions, highlights hidden tactical ideas, and helps readers understand not only *what* happened, but *why* it happened. Before diving into this month's winning game, we asked alp\_arslan92 a few questions about his approach to game analysis to give our readers even more educational value.

**When you begin annotating a game, what is your usual process?**

> *First, I go over the game without an engine, not spending too much time but instead trying to get a feel for the flow of the game and possibly critical moments from a human point of view.*
> *Then (of course with an engine), I usually go through the opening phase very diligently, using all the databases Lichess has to offer and also figuring out how the positions should be played by a human. I occasionally see people following Stockfish's top moves and then butchering the position once they're on their own. Not a good approach, even if it earns you a low ACPL for that phase of the game - that on its own is worth nothing.*
> *Finally, my goal is to dissect the game with human eyes. Of course I don't ignore what the engine says, but I always try to lay out lines that feel like a human could potentially find them. And of course there's always a search for beauty, incredible moves or ideas, which are more often hidden in positions than one would usually think.*

**How do you balance engine recommendations with practical human thinking when writing annotations?**

> *Whenever I go through moves, I try to understand why the engine is suggesting a move. That usually involves relying on my positional understanding and digging deep into the lines. For example, occasionally you'll be hit with a +0.5 by Stockfish, which isn't at all obvious from the position. Only by playing out the lines and variations, would you come to the conclusion that with best play, Black is left with a damaged pawn structure in a static position, which is much easier for a human to grasp than a random engine evaluation.*

**What advice would you give to club players trying to improve through analyzing their own games?**

> *Never skip analyzing a classical game, is the most important rule. I sometimes spend more time analyzing my games post-mortem than actually playing them. As I said before, really try to get a good understanding of how the opening phase of your game could be improved. Use engine AND masters database. Don't ignore statistics. Sometimes, a line can be +0.3, but is basically unplayable for a human, resulting in a positive score for Black. For that, also use the Lichess database. I set the filter in that database to include only serious games (Rapid, Classical), set the rating filter to 2000\~2500, i.e. my level, and try to understand how people at my level score in various lines relevant to the game at hand. This really helps discard dubious variations from your opening repertoire and your muscle memory.*
> *Also, when analyzing, try to aim for objective correctness. Don't just brush off a sacrifice you find fancy as ok, when it's actually incorrect. Always try to refute your own ideas. This helps develop a sense for the kind of chess that is difficult to refute!*

***

## **Game Review & Players Interviews**

This month's winning game comes from the **Series**, a 90+30 round-robin tournament, giving players the opportunity to battle over long time controls where deep calculations often take center stage. The June Game of the Month features **@Fischer\_and\_Chips88** against **@berndwind**. Rich in strategic ideas, tactical possibilities, and memorable moments, it perfectly captures the spirit of what the Game of the Month award seeks to celebrate.

#### **From Kingside Fire to Pawn Avalanche!**

https://lichess.org/study/BVcvI0FC/AUwJrV1f#0

Every great game has two stories: one told on the board, and another experienced by the players themselves. To better understand how this remarkable encounter unfolded, we spoke with both competitors about their preparation, their thoughts during the critical moments, and what they took away from the game.

#### Preparation and the Opening

* **Fischer\_and\_Chips88 (White):** *“Before the game, I decided to play an Italian, when I stumbled upon the very interesting line called the 'Frankenstein-Dracula Attack', I couldn't resist looking into it and after seeing that it was as crazy as the name implied, I decided I would give it a go in my first Series game. So I switched up the Italian move order, playing Bc4 first, and sure enough my opponent went into the central fork trick with 4.Qh5, and I left my prep on move 7, playing d3 instead of regaining the pawn. I wanted to quickly develop the bishop toward the kingside, where it looked like Black was aiming to castle, and I also figured that I could take the e-pawn later. Additionally, I didn't want to trade in what I wanted to be an attacking game. In hindsight, I should have stuck to my prep with 7.Nxe5, since my opponent hadn't castled yet. So the lesson there is to wait for the opponent to commit to castling rather than guessing that they will.”*

* **berndwind (Black):** *“I prepped a LOT but prepped the wrong thing. I don’t know what on earth I was looking at, but was expecting some Italian fried liver craziness where I had some wild stuff prepped. When he threw the Frankenstein-Dracula invitation at me, thankfully I'd looked at this a few days earlier too, as I usually do main prep and then “just in case” prep for my big games, and knew the opening well enough, but he did deviate early from my known stuff, not taking the pawn back on move 7, and I had to start thinking very early on! I felt that beginning to push back his queen while holding onto the pawn if possible, would be logical, plus having my bishop on g7 seemed good too. Although the game went a different direction in the end! My thoughts during the opening were that I have to be very careful but actually I felt I was doing well! My opponent is a very sharp, tactical player, so I had to be very vigilant I wasn't hanging some sac or other.”*

#### The Queen Falls

* **Fischer\_and\_Chips88 (White):** *“I knew my king would be unsafe from the moment I played 10.g4. Castling kingside was a bad decision. I think it would have been better to play Bd2, castle long, and try to open the e and d files for the rooks. Looking back I honestly have no idea why I went kingside. After 21.Rxh2+, I was very close to resigning. The only thing that stopped me from doing so was the open g-file and the faint hope that something might happen there. When Qb6 was played, I saw a trick, with Rg1 and saying "Oh no my pawn!". I really didn't think my opponent would fall for it, but he did and I was back in the game from dead lost to having a fighting chance.”*

* **berndwind (Black):** *“Oh when I realized I could forcibly win the queen, I was elated! However it turned out to be a lot more complicated after that... I certainly misplayed it after the queen win. Still, I was thrilled at the outcome of the opening. My opponent is an extremely resourceful dude, so gaining such a huge advantage certainly doesn't mean it’s over. Plus, funnily enough, looking later at the engine evaluation, that capture wasn't even the best move! I could have applied more pressure to the king instead. Even thinking back in this game and that moment brings back the memory of the little Airbnb in Torino, Italy, where I was playing, the excitement of winning the queen and the sinking feeling of then realizing it wasn't so simple.”*

#### The Second Battle

* **Fischer\_and\_Chips88 (White):** *“When my opponent took on f2, I couldn't believe it. He had been playing really well till then. I felt extremely lucky the way the knight held the position together, controlling h5 for the check, defending the rook on f1, and later hopping to f5 to defend the bishop. I saw the repetition with Rg2-Rh2, and seriously considered it. But, the fact that I want to play an opening called 'the Frankenstein-Dracula' in 90+30 should tell you that I don't like settling for draws! I was quite scared of the pawns, I was even convinced it could be winning as long as I could keep them under control. Of course, that was easier said than done, and my opponent just marched them down the board and there was nothing left to do.”*

* **berndwind (Black):** *“Oh man I really thought I’d blown it, 24...Qxf2+ was a terrible move on my part. I did see his idea, but thought it wasn't an issue, hallucinating and mis visualizing the position. Of course it was an issue and let him back into the game! I honestly thought I'd blown it and it would end up a draw if not careful, so I really started to take my time and looked for ways to stabilize the position and get my pawns rolling. Which finally ended up happening after he drifted with his knight coming in. My favorite move of the game was 53...Qf2! I of course really made sure it was safe, saw he couldn't take the queen as he'd get a new one to deal with in a moment.”*

#### Looking Back

* **Fischer\_and\_Chips88 (White):** *“Overall, this was a great first game for me in Series. Even though I lost, I learnt a lot. I haven't played many 90+30 games, it is a mammoth time control and this game went for 3:30 hours! Thanks to Berndwind for the great game, and to the 4545 league for organising Series and other long time control games in the community, it is great fun and very useful to practice long games.”*

* **berndwind (Black):** *“My opponent is a great guy and player: a sharp, tactical competitor always searching for complex and interesting positions. As am I. He was also not grumpy in defeat, we had a good little debrief afterward. The game could have easily gone the other way, especially as in our two previous rapid encounters, he got the better of me. I played like an idiot with my queen-pawn grab that led to the loss of the piece, really was totally unnecessary, but I finally managed to finish it off in style. And I was happy with my opening play. Felt like I solved my issues and eventually even got a winning position. Overall, a success!”*

***

## Join the Celebration & Share Your Games!

And there you have it, our **4545 GOTM blog** for June 2026! We hope you enjoyed this deep dive into a thrilling clash between @Fischer\_and\_Chips88 and @berndwind. But remember, GOTM is not just about watching games, it's about **being part of the story**. Whether you play in the classical 45+45 league, try your luck in Chess960, challenge your visualization skills in Blindfold, or enjoy our other side tournaments, every game has the potential to be featured as a future GOTM.
Here's how you can get involved:

* **Play your best games** in any of our leagues.
* **Share your favorite games** in our Slack channel: *#game-of-the-month*.
* **Vote in the community polls** to help decide next month's GOTM.
* **Join the conversation** by discussing strategies, tactics, and ideas with other players.

We can't wait to see which games will capture the community’s imagination next. Until then, **keep playing, keep learning, and may your next move be your best one!**

Thanks to everyone mentioned here for their time, effort, and patience, and thank you, dear reader, for joining us as well. Before you go, be sure to check out our account, where you'll find a collection of previous Game of the Month winners in our studies. Until next month, see you all soon!

*The 4545 League GOTM: [2024](https://lichess.org/study/OZCQzaKX), [2025](https://lichess.org/study/WP7xIbiv), [2026](https://lichess.org/study/JLzUYAnA).*
*Lichess4545 is an online chess league for people who like playing long time control games online. Players are assigned to teams and play one game per week with a 45+45 time control. For more information visit our [league home page](https://www.lichess4545.com/team4545/).*
*LoneWolf is a side league of the Lichess4545 league. It is an 11-round Swiss tournament where players play one game per week with a 30+30 time control. For more information about the LoneWolf tournament visit the [LoneWolf homepage.](https://www.lichess4545.com/lonewolf/)*