...or this piece could be called how to write a chess blog (Part I)
First of all grab an old copy of one of these...
....BCM July 1979. (that is J. J. Löwenthal on the cover.)
Look in the ‘Quotes & Queries’ edited by D.J. Morgan.
Go to E-Bay and buy a copy of the book...
...and read the story
Now a brief synopsis. Whilst a guest in a rich man’s house a man called
Gornay has stolen a large sum of money and by chance he looks at the
final position on a chessboard and can see a good alibi to cover his crime.
Same diagram the ‘correct’ way up.
Black resigned but the villain Gornay points out how Black can win from here.
When being questioned about his whereabouts when the money was stolen
Gornay says he was watching this game being played but neither of the two
players can recall him being there. Gornay says they were too engrossed in
the game and said he came in just as White lost his Queen playing it to b6.
The two players confirmed White had lost his Queen this way earlier in the
game so Gornay must have been there and was no longer considered a suspect.
Enter the hero, a Mr. Kenneth Dale, who too studied the final position
declaring Gornay could have worked out by looking at the board that
White had earlier played Qb6 and need not of been present at the game.
Dale also confirmed, as Gornay had done, that White played with Rooks odds.
So we look at the final position again.
White gave Rooks Odds. (there was no Rook a1 at the start of the game)
There has been a capture on b6 by the black a7 pawn. What was it?
Only two Black pieces are missing, the Knights, and due to the doubled
pawns both Knights must have been captured by pawns on the squares c3
and e5. So the a-pawn could not have been taken on b6 after taking a Knight.
It was not the h1 Rook that was taken on b6 because it could not have
reached that square and must have been taken on the square h1 or g1.
That only leaves the dark squared Bishop and the Queen both of which are still
on the board. The a-pawn must have been promoted after one of these two was
captured on b6. However, remembering that White has only made two accounted
for captures the only square the a-pawn could promote on was a8. A light square.
Therefore sometime during the course of the game White played Qb6
(capturing nothing) Black took it with the a7 pawn. White’s a-pawn
then ran up the board and promoted to a Queen on a8 (the a8 Rook
had moved off that square and back onto it again.) . Case solved!
Whilst Kenneth Dale was explaining all of this to his audience in the dining
hall the villain Gornay and had done a runner and the police are in hot pursuit.
The mystery cracked we continue on how to write a blog adding historical interest.
Back to the cover of the July 1979 BCM
Johan Jacob Löwenthal (1810 - 1876)
In a way we can blame Löwenthal for Staunton not playing Morphy in a match.
Staunton entered the 1858 Birmingham Congress to get in some practice before
his match v Morphy. Löwenthal who a few months before lost a match to Morphy
by 9-3 knocked Staunton out the tournament 2-0. Staunton realised a match v Morphy
was bound to end in embarrassment so he made a few excuses and reneged on the deal.
Lowenthal has a 5 wins, 5 losses (no draws) record v Adolf Anderssen.
This game shows the two of them at each other’s throat. A battle of wits
J. Löwenthal - A. Anderssen. London 1851.
Wrap up blog with a couple of disasters from Red Hot Pawn.
Those familiar with the term ‘from the frying pan into the fire’ will
have no trouble at all understanding my note to White’s 9th move.
misterrigel - Dalradian RHP 2010
Try and add in a wee tit-bit of knowledge to show you have read at least one chess book.
I mentioned that Kasparov has played 5.Ng5. He also faced it v Deep Blue and
incredibly in Game 6 of the 2nd match Kasparov played a delayed h6 and lost.
Kasparov played 7...h6 8.Nxe6. and lost in 19 moves. It was an OTB finger slip.
Ruprecht - paul1 RHP 2017
White spurns a standard draw, Black spurns a one move mate.
Add a chess cartoon. The cornier the joke the better.
Now close and add link so people can go there and give you a thumbs down.
The thread accompanying this blog is Thread 172906
