HI Guys,
I asked last Blog if any of you lot could build a chess piece
out of snow. I found these two on the net.
Godzilla solving a chess problem.
And a beautiful Staunton Knight
I'm sure all of you can do better this. (get a pile of snow, it's everywhere,
it's falling from the sky. Dye it green and make a giant greenpawn!)
This Christmas my daughter threatened me with a Kindle.
It’s one of those electrical things you see the Glums staring at on buses.
“It’s great Dad it can hold 3,000 books.”
I don’t want to read 3,000 books and I outlined 12 reasons (one for each day
of Christmas) why I wanted my traditional book token instead of this gimmick.
1. Swatting flies and moths with a Kindle will break it.
2. You cannot tear out a page and roll a fag with it.
3. A Book does not run out of batteries.
4. If I get shot a book will stop the bullet. If a bullet goes through a Kindle
it would shatter and end up doing more damage to you than the bullet would.
5. You cannot bend back the pages to keep your place.
6. You cannot deface the cover if you think it’s naff.
7. Giving your cat a friendly whack over the head with a Kindle may infact kill it.
8. You cannot scribble notes in the margin of a Kindle.
9. If you spill a drink on a book it dries out. A Kindle is now toast.
10. I’ve never been mugged for a book. These Kindle things cost £99.00.
Some of the skanks in my area would stab you in the eye for 50p. I would
suddenly become a target.
11. If you are caught short in the woods you cannot wipe your bum with a Kindle.
12. Most important of all. I simply don’t want one.
I mentioned in previous Blogs that there is an excellent chance that I will
find an example of a RHP player falling into any known opening blunder.
Andrew Martin in his column in the latest British Chess Magazine looks at
the French Winawer game between P Svidler - D Lima, Khanty-Mansiysk, 2011
After the opening moves.
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Qa5 7. Bd2 Qa4
Andrew writes:
“The queen is very well placed on a4, gumming up the White
queenside and preparing ...b7-b6 and ...Ba6, getting rid of the bad bishop. “
Before we look at the blunder, first the ‘Bad Bishop’ statement by Andrew.
If you look at the diagram you will see the c8 Bishop does not have much
of a future with the Black pawns on e6 and d5. Infact it is in the way and
often takes on the role of a big pawn in pawn formations like this.
If Black can swap this piece off then he has scored a positional victory.
(That is the instructive bit over with…Don’t tell anyone you never learn anything from this Blog.)
The game continued 8.Qb1 c4 with the note from Andrew Martin.
“Please do not allow 9.Bb5+.”
So of course I fired up RHP to see if anyone had indeed allowed 9.Bb5+
in this position, I was not disappointed.
Climacus - FourHorsemen RHP 2008
Danger signals should always be flashing when the King and Queen are
on the same open diagonal. We highlight this with some classic RHP games.
vatiquette - ouroboros RHP 2007
White is the exchange up and just needs to castle and re-organise his
position. The White King and Queen are on the same diagonal but Black has no
visible means of moving the f-pawn to capitalise on this.
He has no need to, it is White’s move.
17.f3 Bg3+ 0-1
The same blunder in a mirror.
Black to Play and Blunder. pujik - muppett RHP 2009
Black is lagging behind in development. The e-pawn is attacked, Black can hold
that with Nd7 which even sets a wee ‘natural move’ trap.
After 11…Nd7 12.Nf3 (a natural move) 12… f5 will win a piece.
(the Bishop drops back to d3 and Black plays a pawn fork with e4).
Instead Black held the e-pawn with 11…f6. 12 Bh6+ 1-0
Everyone wish a Merry Christmas to SkyDnsStar.
As Black SkyDnsStar nicks a pawn that White offered to use as developing bait.
The plan being to use the time lost by the Black Queen to whip up ‘something.’
Black stumbles at the first hurdle, he has the right idea but thinks about it too much.
CH83 - SkyDnsStar RHP 2010
Here is a White player falling for the same trick, again illustrating a very common
trait in 1400 games. Only looking at your own threats and missing the reply.
cwruzzz - epraslick RHP 2007
The festive fun continues with BillyKasparov - xicoamaral RHP 2007
Infact this game will wander into Black's dreams forever.
Not only did he miss the win of White’s Queen on move six, he blundered badly
when the win the within his grasp many move later. We rejoin the game near the end.
The Danforce Opening Trap
Recently in the forum the lads were discussing this position after 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5.
The standard move is now 2.Nc3 but in 2006 Danforce netted a couple of quickies with 2.d4.
DanForce - electricblade RHP 2006
DanForce - kazars RHP 2006
Santa comes down the chimney and sees this position on the chessboard
next to the wee boy’s bed.
He also notices a chess correspondence letter next to the board.
White has written on it 55.Kxh1.
Santa writes a note and sticks it in the wee lad’s stocking.
“Always remember the Knight cannot lose a tempo.”
The End. (I told you it was Naff.).
Santa is right though.
If Black had played 1…Kf8 instead of 1…Kf7 then White wins thus.
Got it. Good.
To draw this does Black now play 1…Kf8 or 1…Kf7.
I started with 12 reasons why I did not want a Kindle.
We finish with an instructive mate in 12 moves.
Maite - DigitGus RHP 2003
Finally, look at this.
A Robin flew in through the window and settled on a White King.
The thread that accompanies this blog is Thread 143952
Answer to the Naff Tale Question. 1…Kf8.
No matter where the Knight is the King moves to same colour square to draw.
I seem to get the PGN read out OK.
You have to copy and paste it to where ever you want.
Does anyone else have a problem or is it only me who see
the PGN thingy?
Anyway...great read, thanks.
However, as usual, I didn't understand something. In this case, Andrew's comment. "Do not allow 9. Bb5+"... but surely, with White's queen on c1 instead of b1, Black cannot allow 9. Bb5+, since it will be safe for him to take the bishop?
(This also means that 8... c4 (not c5!) was not (yet) necessary, but hey, it probably would have been soon enough.)
Richard
So build me a Chess Piece Sand Castle.
I too give my kids cash. Then I win it off them at Blitz Chess.
Best wishes for the New Year. SN
-m.