Hi, an anagram of ‘Magnus Hans’ is 'U.S. Hangs Man.' An anagram of
‘Carlsen Niemann’ is 'Man Sinner Clean.' And that is as far we go with
what has been happening in the ‘adult’ world of Grandmaster chess.
Chess Jigsaw No.29.
Place the missing jigsaw piece on the chessboard.
Well done.
White to play and win.
Whilst you are trying to figure it out I’ll give another couple of anagrams.
White to play and win = ‘won with penalty aid’ or ‘why inapt detail won.’
(as you can guess I’ve just got my hands on an anagram solver thingy.)
(an anagram of Russ Red Hot Pawn = Password Hunter.)
OK. Back to the White to play and win study. Here is it again.
First let us have a few attempts to win this.
FEN
k1N5/2R5/7K/8/7P/8/1p6/8 w - - 0 1
[FEN "k1N5/2R5/7K/8/7P/8/1p6/8 w - - 0 1"] 1. Rc6 {If now 1...Kb7 2.Rb6+ and Rxb2} 1... b1=Q {And now swap off the pieces and the h-pawn promotes and 1-0.} 2. Ra6+ Kb7 3. Rb6+ {3...Qxb6 4.Nxb6 how easy is this?} 3... Ka8 {OOPS! 4.Rxb1 is stalemate.} 4. Ra6+ Kb7 5. Rb6+ Ka8 {Drats - let's try again}
Try two
FEN
k1N5/2R5/7K/8/7P/8/1p6/8 w - - 0 1
[FEN "k1N5/2R5/7K/8/7P/8/1p6/8 w - - 0 1"] 1. Ra7+ {We have plan B. This works,} 1... Kb8 2. Nd6 {2...b1=Q 3.Rb7+ everything gets swapped off on b7 and the h-pawn wins.} 2... Kxa7 {And now you will see the point.} 3. Nb5+ Kb6 4. Na3 {Covering b1 and now the h-pawn wins.} 4... Kc5 {Not 4...Ka5 5.Nc4+ and Nxb2} 5. Kg6 Kb4 6. Nb1 Kb3 7. h5 Kc2 8. Na3+ Kb3 {...er....this one does not seem to work either.} 9. Nb1 Kc2 10. Na3+ Kb3 {This is a draw.}
So we try yet again.
FEN
k1N5/2R5/7K/8/7P/8/1p6/8 w - - 0 1
[FEN "k1N5/2R5/7K/8/7P/8/1p6/8 w - - 0 1"] 1. Nb6+ Kb8 {Now what?} 2. Rc3 {The only move that wins.} 2... b1=Q 3. Nd7+ {3...Kb7 4.Rb3+ Qxb3 5.Nc5+ the Black King must stay away from b7.} 3... Ka7 {But White can force the King onto b7} 4. Ra3+ Kb7 {Only legal move.} 5. Rb3+ Qxb3 6. Nc5+ {And Nxb2 and finally. 1-0.}
I found a rather instructive missed win with this set-up
ticoune - Gerald Gordon RHP 2020
FEN
8/1R3K2/8/2N5/8/8/p1k5/8 w - - 0 1
[FEN "8/1R3K2/8/2N5/8/8/p1k5/8 w - - 0 1"] 1. Nb3 Kb2 2. Nd2+ Ka3 {The game now went 3.Ke6 a1=Q 4.Ra7+ Kb7 5.Rxa1 Kxa1 draw,} 3. Nb1+ {This wins. Obviously Black cannot take the Knight.} 3... Ka4 {Only other legal move.} 4. Ke6 {Now Ke6 is a waiting move. But not 4.Kf6 a1=Q CHECK!} 4... Ka5 {Everything else loses might as well play this.} 5. Ra7+ {And Rxa2 1-0}
When I was looking for KRN v KP endings I found 30+ Stalemates. What is happening
is after capturing the pawn the player was then trying to mate with the King, Rook and
Knight. The Knight was just getting in way and helped in creating the stalemates. Forget
the Knight, stick it in a corner and deliver mate as you would with the King and Rook.
raeford - bignig RHP 2019
White played 76. Kc4. Stalemate.
raw - chessH RHP 2004
1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 {We are going to see the Cunningham Variation of the King's Gambit.} 3. Nf3 Be7 4. Bc4 Bh4+ 5. g3 fxg3 6. O-O gxh2+ 7. Kh1 {The point being Black can attack that h2 pawn all day long, but they will never be able to take it.} 7... Nh6 8. d4 d6 9. Bxh6 Bh3 10. Bxg7 Rg8 {White now sacrifices both Bishops.} 11. Bxf7+ Kxf7 {One Bishop gone.} 12. Ne5+ Kxg7 {The other Bishop is taken.} 13. Rf7+ Kh8 14. Rxh7+ {The Rook is sacrificed.} 14... Kxh7 15. Qh5+ Kg7 16. Qg6+ Kf8 17. Qf7# {Checkmate.}
I chanced upon this OTB game recently. Sit back and enjoy the fun that is;
N. Friedrich - J. A. Finnsson, 37th European Chess Club Cup 2022.
1. e4 d5 {I've recently been playing 2.d4 here and after 2...dxe4 3.Nc3 a Blackmar Diemar Gambit.} 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd8 {Playable but not as popular 3...Qa5 or 3...Qd6.} 4. d4 c6 {The game now has a Caro Kann flavour to it.} 5. Bc4 Bf5 6. Nf3 Nf6 7. Ne5 {Tickling f7 but this move is masking a typical Caro Kann idea.} 7... e6 8. g4 Bg6 9. h4 Bb4 {This move gives the square e4 to Bishop in case of h5.} 10. f3 {Taking away e4 and now Black spots an interesting shot.} 10... Bxc2 11. Qxc2 Qxd4 {Hitting the e5 Knight which is holding the c4 Bishop.} 12. Qe2 {I like this. Keeping the in play pieces alive in exchange for a dead a1 Rook.} 12... Bxc3+ 13. bxc3 Qxc3+ 14. Kf2 Qxa1 {Now it's White's turn to play the trick shots.} 15. Nxf7 {15...Kxf7 16.Qxe6+ and mate next move.} 15... O-O {Startling Castling. I wonder if White considered this. It's legal.} 16. Qxe6 {With a fearsome looking attack but steady defensive nerves should hold it back.} 16... Qd4+ 17. Kg2 {The is no smothered mate. after Nh6+ Qg8+ Black can play Nxg8.} 17... Qd7 {It appears Black thinks they have to cover f7. 17...Nbd7 holds the position together.} 18. Ne5+ Qxe6 {Black has missed what follows possibly due to relaxing after forcing the Queens off.} 19. Bxe6+ Kh8 20. h5 {The point, as Tartakower was so fond of saying.} 20... Na6 {I'll show the win against the best try 20...g6 next.} 21. Ng6+ hxg6 22. hxg6+ Nh5 23. Rxh5
And to tidy up the game, the win v 2...g6.
FEN
rn3r1k/pp4pp/2p1Bn2/4N3/6PP/5P2/P5K1/2B4R w - - 0 1
[FEN "rn3r1k/pp4pp/2p1Bn2/4N3/6PP/5P2/P5K1/2B4R w - - 0 1"] 1. h5 g6 {This is the best try if Black wants to avoid being checkmated.} 2. hxg6 Re8 {What else. Bh6 and g7+ were threatened.} 3. gxh7 {3....Rxe6 4.Nf7+ and h8=Q+} 3... Nbd7 4. Nf7+ {The cleanest way, amongst many others, to wrap this up.} 4... Kg7 5. h8=Q+ Rxh8 6. Rxh8 Rxh8 7. Nxh8 Kxh8 8. Bb2 {The two Bishop work together to pick up a Knight.} 8... Kh7 9. g5 {It's as easy as that.} 9... Nc5 10. Bf5+ {and gxf6. 1-0.}
And in case you are wondering, an anagram of greenpawns blog is Barn Owls Egg Pen.
