Chess and Tractors + A Halloween Gambit

This week we meet two Chess Players, a Highway Robber, an old pub
and an opening line in the French Defence (the Winawer Variation.).

But before I go any further I have to remind you of this book.

A few blogs ago I mentioned I was working my way through this
and enjoying it and recommending it. Then I found puzzle No.133.

Don’t bother trying to solve it, we do that later, The bit that concerns us this bit.

Joe Gallagher arrived here a piece down with a winning attack and it was all
done in the comfort of his own home (or in that case, as we shall - an old pub.)

It all begins, ‘One dark and stormy night....’ in a place called Passau

J. Gallagher - W. Hahn, Passau Open, 1993

Time passed and four years later in 1997 we see this...

J. Gallagher - T. Shaked, Cannes Open 1997

Pretty exciting so far...Don’t worry it soon picks up, Stay with me.

One year later and into the story I now introduce Julian Hodgson.

J. Hodgson - V. Kupreichik, German League, 1998.

Now apart from being good chess players Joe Gallagher and Julian Hodgson
are good friends who share an enthusiastic interest in pre WWII farm tractors.

One day in 1990 whilst.....

(the pictures greenpawn....you forgot the pictures..........Russ)

(pictures copied from their current respective Wiki pages.)

One day whilst out cycling around the countryside spotting tractors they happened
to stop at a quaint old English pub ‘The Old Hatchet’ for a rest and refreshment.


Keen historians will recall that this was the pub Dick Turpin rode
past on his way to robbing the 8:15 London to Bristol Stagecoach.


(Dick Turpin. Picture taken from his current Wiki page.)

Talk got onto chess and Julian showed his friend Joe the above game v Kupreichik.
Joe was impressed and asked his friend Julian what would happen in this position.


If Black instead of playing 15....Ng8 played 15....Nf5.

So the two good friends forgot all about their WWII tractors and went to work.
More time passed till the year 2000 when Joe put this pub preparation in action.

J. Gallagher - A. Lahiri, The Commonwealth Championship 2000

Thus ends of the story of an opening variation. It took 7 long years to complete.

But it’s not quite the end , because this story is still going on with a new twist.

V. Lillo Castan - M. Tscharotschkin, Benidorm 2007

The End?

That final mating position from the previous game played in 2007.


Has any RHP game finished with the same pattern? Not quite but this comes close.

Confuciano - PeoNegre RHP 2012
Instead of jumping to the key position first we see a neat trap tried by Black.

We now go towards the end of the game to see how the mating pattern came about.

And finally....I’m posting this the day after Halloween so we have a game featuring
a known piece sacrifice from the Four Knights opening called the Halloween Gambit.

SERGEANTPMAIN - rigidwithfear RHP 2014

Twice Black’s Queen is overloaded defending pieces and squares. Moves. 10 & 15.
But it could have ended differently because White misplayed the final move order.

The thread accompanying this blog is Thread 166178