A Ghost Story and Endgame Ernie

on 13 Sep 23

3273 views

1.	Kd5	Rd6
2.	Ke5	Re6
3.	Kf4	Rf6
4.	Kg4	Rg6
5.	Kh5	Rg5
6.	Kh6	Rg6
7.	Kh5	Rg5

1.	Kd5	Rc7
2.	Rh8	Kxa7
3.	Rf8	Rh7
4.	Rf4	Kb6
5.	Ke6	Kc6
6.	Kf6	Kd6
7.	Kg6	Rh8
8.	h5	Rg8
9.	Kf7	Rh8
10.	Rf6	Ke5
11.	Ra6	Rb8
12.	h6	Rb1
13.	h7	Rh1
14.	Kg7	Rg1
15.	Rg6

1.	Ra6	Kf5
2.	h6	Kg5
3.	Kg7	Rb8
4.	Ra7	Rb6
5.	h7	Rg6
6.	Kf8	Rf6
7.	Kg8	Rg6
8.	Rg7

1.	c6	Ne2
2.	c7	Ng1
3.	Kc6	h3
4.	Ne4	h2
5.	Nd6

1.	Ka1	Nd4
2.	Nc5	Ka3
3.	Nd3	Nc2

And this is me on lounging on the beach reading a CHESS magazine.

Inside the magazine on the puzzle page was this one.

Le Tuan Minh - D. Paravyan, Internet Blitz 2023 (White to play)
8
a
7
b
6
c
5
d
4
e
3
f
2
g
1
h

1.Bf1 but White played 1. Kh2 Rh1+ and Bishop or King takes on h1 is stalemate.

Some RHP games from this year ending in a needless Stalemate.
Tinashe Mutsungi Shoko - TonyLey RHP 2023 (Black to play)
8
a
7
b
6
c
5
d
4
e
3
f
2
g
1
h

56....h1=Q Stalemate. A Rook also stalemated but another Bishop or Knight wins.

kingbaz2 - S h a n e RHP 2023 (White to play)
8
a
7
b
6
c
5
d
4
e
3
f
2
g
1
h

63.cxb5 stalemate. 63. axb5 and it is checkmate in three moves.

TheTyranny - ssaulius RHP 2023 (Black to play)
8
a
7
b
6
c
5
d
4
e
3
f
2
g
1
h

Black played 71...Rc7 and White should not have played 72. Rxc7 stalemate
First we look at the forced drawing line, then how White could have won..
FEN k7/P6R/2r5/8/3K3P/8/8/8 w - - 0 1
8
a
7
b
6
c
5
d
4
e
3
f
2
g
1
h
1. Kd5 Rd6
2. Ke5 Re6
3. Kf4 Rf6
4. Kg4 Rg6
5. Kh5 Rg5
6. Kh6 Rg6
7. Kh5 Rg5
+2

[FEN "k7/P6R/2r5/8/3K3P/8/8/8 w - - 0 1"]
1. Kd5 Rd6+ {This move instead of Rc7 guarantees the draw. 2.Kxd6 is stalemate,} 2. Ke5 {Going to the Queenside is no good. Can White break the stalemate on the Kingside?} 2... Re6+ 3. Kf4 Rf6+ 4. Kg4 Rg6+ {If 5.Kh3 then 5...Rg3+ then Rg2+ and Rg1+ etc} 5. Kh5 {Black does not play 5...Rh5+ 6.Rxh5 is 1-0.} 5... Rg5+ {6.hxg5 or 6.Kxg5 is stalemate.} 6. Kh6 Rg6+ 7. Kh5 Rg5+ {That is how Black could have forced the draw.}

But White can win this and to show you I’ll need to bring in Endgame Ernie.
Hi Wood Shifters, Mr. greenpawn has brought my back to show you some endgames.
20 years ago I threw away all my chess pieces except for the Kings, Rooks and Pawns.
What fun I have been having studying these endings. I love endings. I married a woman
called Matilda Endsworth and when me and ‘Matty’ had a daughter we named her Lucena.

Get on with it you nerd, else I’ll put you back in the box.

FEN k7/P6R/2r5/8/3K3P/8/8/8 w - - 0 1
8
a
7
b
6
c
5
d
4
e
3
f
2
g
1
h
1. Kd5 Rc7
2. Rh8 Kxa7
3. Rf8 Rh7
4. Rf4 Kb6
5. Ke6 Kc6
6. Kf6 Kd6
7. Kg6 Rh8
8. h5 Rg8
9. Kf7 Rh8
10. Rf6 Ke5
11. Ra6 Rb8
12. h6 Rb1
13. h7 Rh1
14. Kg7 Rg1
15. Rg6
+2

[FEN "k7/P6R/2r5/8/3K3P/8/8/8 w - - 0 1"]
1. Kd5 Rc7 {Now instead of 2.Rxc7 stalemate one way to win is.} 2. Rh8+ Kxa7 3. Rf8 {Get the King to g7 push the h-pawn, the Rook ends up on f6 to block checks.} 3... Rh7 4. Rf4 {White has to hold the h-pawn till they can push it.} 4... Kb6 5. Ke6 Kc6 6. Kf6 Kd6 7. Kg6 Rh8 8. h5 Rg8+ {It important to keep the King off the h-file.} 9. Kf7 {9. Kh7 would allow Black to draw.} 9... Rh8 10. Rf6+ Ke5 {Now 11.h6 Rh7+ 12. Kg8 Kxf6 13.Kxh7 Kf7. is a draw} 11. Ra6 {A cute trick worth remembering. Defending the pawn tactically.} 11... Rb8 {Trying to get the Rook behind the pawn. We will look at 11...Kf5 on the next game.} 12. h6 Rb1 {Too late and with the Black King cut off this is a White win.} 13. h7 Rh1 14. Kg7 Rg1+ 15. Rg6 {1-0}

FEN 7r/5K2/5R2/4k2P/8/8/8/8 w - - 0 11
8
a
7
b
6
c
5
d
4
e
3
f
2
g
1
h
1. Ra6 Kf5
2. h6 Kg5
3. Kg7 Rb8
4. Ra7 Rb6
5. h7 Rg6
6. Kf8 Rf6
7. Kg8 Rg6
8. Rg7
+1

[FEN "7r/5K2/5R2/4k2P/8/8/8/8 w - - 0 11"]
11. Ra6 {In the last game we looked at 11...Rb8.} 11... Kf5 12. h6 Kg5 13. Kg7 Rb8 14. Ra7 {preventing checks along the 7th rank.} 14... Rb6 15. h7 Rg6+ {White must avoid 15. Kh8. Kh6 that is a draw,} 16. Kf8 Rf6+ 17. Kg8 Rg6+ 18. Rg7 {that is 1-0.}

Thank you Ernie and finally we play a guessing game.

How many games played so far in 2023 do you think ended with a Knight checkmate?
148 under 10 moves. In total there are 3,662 Knight checkmates.

A lot of the games under 10 moves are Legall’s Mate for both colours.

prgin - Lamor RHP 2023
8
a
7
b
6
c
5
d
4
e
3
f
2
g
1
h

6.Nxe5 Bxd1. 7.Bxf7+ Ke7 8.Nd5 mate.

jrpapa - jebedo6391 RHP 2023
8
a
7
b
6
c
5
d
4
e
3
f
2
g
1
h

6...Nxe4 7.Bxd8 Bxf2+ 8.Ke2 Nd4 mate.
Here are two more Knight Mates, one with each colour.

Gavin Hughes - Steeve1 RHP 2023
FEN 2k5/8/3K4/2P3N1/7p/6n1/8/8 w - - 0 60
8
a
7
b
6
c
5
d
4
e
3
f
2
g
1
h
1. c6 Ne2
2. c7 Ng1
3. Kc6 h3
4. Ne4 h2
5. Nd6
0

[FEN "2k5/8/3K4/2P3N1/7p/6n1/8/8 w - - 0 60"]
60. c6 Ne2 61. c7 Ng1 62. Kc6 {That pattern should have been a warning sign to Black.} 62... h3 {Now checkmate cannot be avoided. Black had to play Ne2 intending Nd4+} 63. Ne4 h2 64. Nd6#

Andrew Lovett - Kmt RHP 2023
FEN 8/8/4n3/3P2P1/4N3/1k6/p7/1K6 w - - 0 52
8
a
7
b
6
c
5
d
4
e
3
f
2
g
1
h
1. Ka1 Nd4
2. Nc5 Ka3
3. Nd3 Nc2
+1

[FEN "8/8/4n3/3P2P1/4N3/1k6/p7/1K6 w - - 0 52"]
52. Ka1 Nd4 {White must now play Nd2+ Ka6 and Nc4+ etc.} 53. Nc5+ {After this checkmate cannot be avoided.} 53... Ka3 54. Nd3 Nc2#

The thread accompanying this blog is Thread 197860

A Ghost Story and Endgame Ernie

The Planet Greenpawn

A Ghost Story and Endgame Ernie

Posted to The Planet Greenpawn

The Planet Greenpawn