Even a Pawn Must Hold a Grudge.
By on 17 Oct 26 23:16
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Yes, you are correct in thinking that I am now at the stage where I buy
any book from a charity or junk shop that has a chess reference in the title.
Of course I have not read it, the back of the book blurb put me right off
Though six weeks from now when I’m trying to persuade my pieces to get
off the back rank, I will suddenly be struck by a strong desire to know just
what Queen Bee Kimberly from a parochial Scottish town has been up too.
The title reminded me of a Bob Dylan lyric ‘Even a pawn must hold a grudge’
from the song. ‘Love Minus Zero/No Limit.’ A track on his classic ‘Bringing It
All Back Home’ 1965 album which I’ve never seen in a charity or junk shop.
So what pawn holds a grudge? I’m thinking it is any pawn that has been captured
in the first six moves. The game is still in an opening and now it is back in the box.
I ran a quick search through over six million RHP games looking to see what
pawn has been captured the most times in the first six moves reasoning that
the capture must take place on one of the four central squares, e4, e5, d4 or d5.
This is the routine I used for a Black pawn captured on e5 on Chessbase.
Key = Any piece from any square takes a Black Pawn on e5 within the first 6 moves.
A White pawn on e4 captured within the first 6 moves = 306,407 times
A White pawn on d4 captured within the first 6 moves = 762,949 times
A Black pawn on e5 captured within the first 6 moves = 411963 times
A Black pawn on d5 captured within the first 6 moves = 614,405 times
A Black pawn on d4 captured within the first 6 moves = 659,002 times
I suspected the White d-pawn before I started, it is a very good guess.
Every Open Sicilian 3...cxd4 and all the c3’s and d4’s in Giuoco Pianos
That last Black figure 659,002 a Black pawn d4 is mainly from Sicilians.
From this we see that most captures in the first six moves take place on d4.
Can you spot the white d-pawn with a grudge from amongst this lot.
Two RHP games with the d-pawn getting captured on d4 within the first
six moves. Both games ending a mate. One for Black and one for White.
Woltato - dalen RHP 2009
cristobal - Antonio Alma RHP 2012
No.1 This one I composed myself. White to play and mate in three
That rather clumsy effort was ‘inspired’ by the finish of a Morphy game.
Paul Morphy - Charles Maurian. New Orleans 1858
The game ends with 25...b4+ 26.Bc4+
I was looking at White playing 26.c4 and 26...bxc3+ and thinking that I cannot
recall ever seeing a c2 pawn move to free a b1 Bishop that then gives checkmate.
No.2 Eduardo Nixa Santos - Seanychelm RHP 2022 (White to play)
No. 3duncangarfield - rjwc22 RHP 2008
White to play and force checkmate in three moves.
Liang Awonder - Levon Aronian U.S.A Championship 2026
Aronian (to play) in a grim position set a cunning trap 1....b3
offering White two ways to go wrong. White played 2...Kh4!
It was important to leave f4 free for the Bishop because there
are there are two crafty Knight sacs on squares c5 or b4 in there.
2.Kh4 wins for White because if now 2...Nc5 3.dxc5 a5 4.Bf4 a4
5. Bc1 and Black cannot get a pawn through.
If Black tries the Knight sac on b4. 1...b3 2.Kh4 Nb4 3.cxb4 c4 4.d5! a5 5.Bf4
Again White has Bc1 and Black cannot get a pawn through.
After 1...b3 if 2.Bg6 a natural move to hold the g6 pawn. 2...Nc5! 3.bxc5
(If not then 3...Nd3 then into the mainline below ) 3...a5 and Black wins.
The King and Bishop are spectators. The a-pawn promotes on a1
or when it reaches a3 if it is captured, then the b-pawn promotes.
We now look at the other plausible looking move. 2.Kf4.
The thread accompanying this blog is Thread 206333
