There it is...
Stare at that unspoilt wonderland where roam wizards, witches, pixies and goblins,
fabulous unicorns, foul smelling creatures of the night, wise old snakes, oak trees,
golden meadows, sparking rivers, dark dank caves and treasure...lots of treasure.
The tools for the fairy story you are about to create are laid out before you.
Then a move is made, and another and after 10 moves it looks just like
any other game. But for that brief moment before the start of every game
you can dream of things to come, Hold that thought and chase that rainbow.
From the March 1977 British Chess Magazine
Also in the same magazine two puzzles to solve.
Pretty easy but I have a deflection theme in mind.
G. Stahlberg - A. Becker Buenos Aires, 1944 (White to play}
Reveal Hidden Content1.Qe1+ Rxe1 2.g3 mate.
A. Medina - J. Sanz, Olot, 1975 (White to play}
Reveal Hidden Content1.Qxh7+ Nxh7 2.g4 mate.
And now we switch to a couple of RHP games with the same theme.
shaptoni - chmrjg RHP 2017 (White to play)
Reveal Hidden Content1. Qe7+ Rf6 2. Qxf6+ Qxf6 3. g3 mate.
Aspasia - Arayn RHP 2017 (White to play)
Reveal Hidden Content1. Qg6+ Nxg6 2. hxg6 mate.
All too easy. Try this, Mickey Adams missed it when he won the 2023 British title.
M. Adams - J. Willow, British Championship 2023
White to play and wrap this up (force off the Queens)
Reveal Hidden ContentI will play out the solution at the bottom.
(Show a picture of Mickey Adams with the British Champions Trophy...Russ)
(are you sure that is Mickey Adams...Russ)
I’ve no idea. It’s a chess player with a chess trophy.
(Show a picture of the chess World Cup Trophy.....Russ)
(That is Mickey Adams with the British Championship Trophy in 2019!...Russ.)
Really! That’s a piece of luck. Which one is Mickey? (I’ll start this bit again.)
I’ve been look at some of the games from the Chess World Cup being held in Baku.
Here is a small selection of some of the games that have caught my weary beady eye.
Nepomniachtchi dodged a bullet in his Rd.2 game v Asadli.
If Nepo played 13.Bh4 to keep Black from castling then 13...Bg4 wins White’s Queen.
In nemo39 - Gord Vass RHP 2012 White caught the bullet.
White played 12. Bh4 and Black duly played 12...Bg4 winning the White Queen.
Sam Shankland - Ivan Schitco FIDE World Cup 2023
White expected 57...Rxa3 here but Instead it went 57... Rc8+ 58. Kd4 Rbc3
White has no way of avoiding 59...R8c4 Checkmate.
There are 100’s of games here with players getting mated by two Rooks
in the middle of the board.. I’ll just show one. kronic - tamed RHP 2020.
31 b2? a5? (31...Rb6) 32. Rd6+ checkmate next move.
Instead of showing a World Cup game and then the RHP game I’ll do it in reverse.
mcmahon - Andrew Bates RHP 2012 (White to play)
White can play 30.Bc5 but instead it went 30.Rg1 Nf2 checkmate.
Axel Bachmann - Sarin Nihal FIDE World Cup 2023
What would you play as Black here? Now play out the game.
M. Adams - J. Willow, British Championship 2023
The thread accompanying this blog is Thread 197556
The picture of Mickey Adams (left) being presented with the 2019
British Championship Trophy by Adrian Elwin (right) ..er...or visa versa,
is Copyright British Chess News / John Upham Photography.
