Only the White piece moves the Black pieces stay rooted on the
spot unless your piece goes to a square where it can be taken.
All you have to do is put the Black King in Check.
However at no time can your lone piece move onto a
square from where it can be taken. If so then you have
not found your way out of the maze and you have lost.
I’ll give the solutions below, if you do not solve the maze
in the shortest number of moves possible then you also lose.
.
Try to do them without moving the piece and if you can use
a full sized board. The benefit of getting your eyeballs rolling
over a full sized board will show dividends in your OTB game,
First the Bishop. I’ll give a clue for this one. You have to get
the Bishop to e1 to give the check but remember you are not
allowed to move onto a square where the Bishop can be taken.
Yes the Knight on e4 can interpose on the check but remember
Black cannot move unless you place your piece on a guarded square.
Now the Rook. All you have to do is check the Black King.
Finally the Knight. Give a Knight check without being taken.
Have fun and good luck. (solutions down at the bottom)
Very different from today. There was no computer to check your
analysis which in the olden golden days was thoroughly examined
by alert readers ready and willing with pen in hand to correct it.
An example from March 1961 CHESS (page 223)
D. J. Mabbs - I. Alexander, Eastman Cup 1961 (Notes by Arthur Hall)
1. d4 Nf6 2. f3 {I won't give all the notes by Arthur Hall just a few comments. White is angling to get a Blackmar Gambit. } 2... d5 3. e4 dxe4 {The Blackmar Gambit.} 4. Nc3 exf3 5. Qxf3 c6 6. Bd3 Qxd4 7. Be3 Qg4 8. Qf2 {I've had this as White a few times and won. (cannot recall a lose but would not be surprised if there is one somewhere.)} 8... e5 9. h3 Qh5 10. Nge2 Bd6 11. O-O-O e4 12. Bxe4 Nxe4 13. Nxe4 Be7 14. Nf4 Qa5 15. Qg3 {'Already envisaging the brilliant combination which follows' (A. Hall)} 15... O-O 16. Rd5 {Given '!!' by Arthur.} 16... cxd5 17. Nh5 g6 18. Nhf6+ Bxf6 19. Nxf6+ Kg7 20. Qe5 Kh8 {'Black must avoid a double check.' A. Hall.} 21. Bh6 Nc6 22. Bg7+ {'This second sacrifice had to be visualised on move 16' (A. Hall) - remember this note.} 22... Kxg7 23. Ne8+ Kh6 24. Qf4+ g5 25. Qf6+ Kh5 26. Ng7+ {Black reigned here in view of....} 26... Kh4 27. Qf2 {'A brilliant finish' A. Hall and I'll agree.}
Now if this had been put on a chess forum then within minutes punters and
I mean punters, not alert analysts, would have covered the thread with posts
of computer vomit with the posters posturing and claiming how clever am I?
Some punters do add that it was their computer that found the bust or a
quicker mate. This is a 'you are not arguing with me but with a computer’
stance. They are sheltering, their head never peeks over the barricades.
In the old days the refutations or quicker wins came a month later.
This example was fairly easy, some refutations and counter refutations
went on for years with the weary editor headlining it ‘That Game Again’.
Here are copies of two letters that appeared in April 1961 CHESS.
(don’t fret, I will decipher the 16.R-Q5!! notation for you)
All done obviously without a computer and note the two approaches.
One quite polite (Littlewood’s ) the other, in my opinion, a bit harsh.
One wonders if Arthur (Pity the Annotator) had spotted these quicker
wins between March and April and sat in silent dread waiting for the
April issue of CHESS to arrive. Had he gotten away with it? Would
his analysis slip through the net and be forever buried? Not a chance.
The John Littlewood quicker win.
FEN
rnb2rk1/pp2bp1p/6p1/q2p3N/4N3/4B1QP/PPP3P1/2K4R w - - 0 1
[FEN "rnb2rk1/pp2bp1p/6p1/q2p3N/4N3/4B1QP/PPP3P1/2K4R w - - 0 1"] 1. Qe5 gxh5 {1....f6 2.Qxe7 mates similar to this game.} 2. Bh6 f6 3. Qxe7 Rf7 4. Qe8+ Rf8 5. Qxf8
The win spotted by Mr.Wright.
FEN
rnb2rk1/pp2bp1p/6p1/q2p3N/4N3/4B1QP/PPP3P1/2K4R w - - 0 1
[FEN "rnb2rk1/pp2bp1p/6p1/q2p3N/4N3/4B1QP/PPP3P1/2K4R w - - 0 1"] 1. Nhf6+ Bxf6 2. Nxf6+ Kg7 3. Qe5 Kh8 {Now instead of Bh6 and the remark this makes nonsense of the comments on move 22.} 4. Nh5+ f6 5. Qe7 {Threatening Qxf8 mate and Qg7 mate.} 5... Rg8 6. Qxf6+ Rg7 7. Qxg7
[center]
I’ll defend the ‘poor annotator’ by saying maybe Mabbs had seen 21.Bh6
way back on move 16. and had simply continued with his original analysis
Ply is the term given to how far a computer ‘sees’ ahead.
It is measured in half moves. 4 ply = two moves ahead.
Some of the older basic machines/programs used ply as
their playing levels. Level 1 was ply 1 seeing only a half
half move head. The computers were quickly checkmated.
As you raised the level to say 8 play (4 moves) it started
looking in advance at 4 moves for it and 4 replies. Then
it would look at every possible position evaluating each
position and playing the move that gave it the highest
evaluation This was known as the Brute Force Method.
Today the computers are more refined and use pruning which
basically means they don’t look at every possible position.
(don’t ask me any questions on ‘pruning’ and how it works
I’m very close to limit of my computer knowledge now.)
Back to safer ground and ‘ply’. This would sometimes get
a computer into a lot of trouble because it would evaluate
a position on say 6 ply only to discover when it got there.
or to be more precise when it saw the position appearing
over the horizon it discovered that it was now infact losing.
In short they had no pattern recognition or sense of danger.
They could not see any further than the ply set by the user.
Best explained by a game. I’m Black White is Mephisto,
not a program but an old fashioned dedicated machine.
1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Bd3 {Not one of the main lines but playable.} 5... Nc6 {Developing with a hit on the d-pawn. One must be careful doing this. Usually Black has to play c6 in this opening to give the Black Queen some running room.} 6. Ne2 e5 {A bid for equalisation. It looks playable.} 7. Bb5 Bd7 8. dxe5 Nxe5 9. Bxd7+ Nexd7 10. O-O O-O-O {This is a level game. If anything Black is better.} 11. Bf4 Nc5 {Using the discovered attack on the Queen to place the Knight on a better square.} 12. Qe1 Ne6 13. Bg3 {Inviting my next move. 13.Be3 centralisation was better.} 13... h5 14. Nf4 {This is where the horizon effects kicks in. A human would see the h4 threat at a glance, it thinks it can be ignored because it cannot see the mate.....yet.} 14... h4 15. Nxe6 {Thinking because this Knight hits the Rook 15...fxe6 is forced.} 15... hxg3 16. Nxd8 {It probably think it is winning because it cannot yet see the mate.} 16... Rxh2 {A move a human would not miss. The computer has not missed it. It was simply not allowed to look for it.} 17. Qd1 {It still thinks it is winning. It sees the threat of Rh1+ followed by Qh5+ and mate on h2. This move stops the Qh5 and holds the d8 Knight.} 17... Qf5 {Putting the Rh1+ threat back on the board. White is mated in all variations. the longest is 18.fxg3 Bc5+ 6 moves. (12 ply. The computer now sees it is lost.} 18. Qd7+ {This shows the computer was only looking 8 ply ahead (4 moves) as this allows mate in 4. 18.fxg3 Bc5+ was the longer mate 6 moves.} 18... Nxd7 19. Nxf7 Rh1+ 20. Kxh1 Qh5+ 21. Kg1 Qh2 {Mate. The game was going along OK till White saw 14.Nf4 not realising the danger it was in till it was far too late. The Horizon effect.}
Before we tread fearfully into the Hall of Doom we treat ourselves to this.
lemondrop - Bobski RHP 2017
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Qf6 {Breaks just about opening rule of thumb that I know of. Not bad for one move. Defending a pawn with a Queen when 2...Nc6 was there on the board is the chief sin.} 3. Nc3 {Threatening 3.Nd5} 3... c6 {Now both the b8 and g8 Knights have been robbed of their natural developing squares. This is what happens when you slip in a bad opening move. it often leads to more bad moves.} 4. d4 {White correctly opens up the game as you should v a poorly developed opponent.} 4... exd4 5. Bg5 {Three pieces developed to Black's none. (In such situations the Queen is never counted as a developed piece - here she is a liability.)} 5... Qe6 6. Qxd4 h6 7. Bh4 c5 {Apparently freeing c6 for the b8 Knight with a gain of tempo but it should be too surprising that White can start taking full advantage of his superior development.} 8. Nd5 {Well played. Black had to try 8....Bd6. They think they will be a Knight up after Nc7+ and Nxe6. here but they have missed the real threat.} 8... cxd4 9. Nc7 {That is a Family Fork Checkmate.}
White is currently as 1200+ player. Games like this fill me with hope.
Someone is listening. There is a bright rosy future to look forward too.
Then my nightmares, where I stand on a wobbly chair with a noose tied
around my neck are revisited. Sometimes I wake up screaming for mercy.
HEPKAT - zsleep RHP 2017
FEN
2k5/ppp2p2/3r3r/4p3/1PPpPn1p/3P1R2/P1KN2B1/R7 w - - 0 32
[FEN "2k5/ppp2p2/3r3r/4p3/1PPpPn1p/3P1R2/P1KN2B1/R7 w - - 0 32"] 32. Rg1 Nxg2 {White should now play Rxg2 but he has an idea....it works!!} 33. Rxf7 Rdg6 34. Kb3 {To get away from the treat of Ne3+ winning the g1 Rook.} 34... h3 35. Nf3 h2 36. Nxe5 {Black can only see the g1 Rook being replaced by a mighty Black Queen.} 36... hxg1=Q {If someone lets you play moves like this. STOP! LOOK! LEARN!} 37. Rf8 {Checkmate.}
Black allows mate in one. It is missed the first time around.
lstcyr - tangerinefish RHP 2017
FEN
2kr2r1/pbpp3p/p3qp2/3N1N1p/P3P3/1P1Q1P2/2P3PP/R3b1K1 w - - 0 16
[FEN "2kr2r1/pbpp3p/p3qp2/3N1N1p/P3P3/1P1Q1P2/2P3PP/R3b1K1 w - - 0 16"] 16. Rxe1 h4 {White can pick up the exchange with Knight (either one) to e7+} 17. Nxh4 {One of them missed chances that turns out, thanks to some bad play, very well. The undefended Rook and h4 Knight lure Black into a blunder.} 17... Bxd5 18. Qxd5 {Qxd5 would pull the e-pawn to d5 and rob White of the f5 Knight outpost. A Knight there and being the exchange up counts little for Black.} 18... Qb6+ 19. Kh1 {Now Black sees the loose pieces on f1 and h4.} 19... Qf2 {How about 20. Qa8 checkmate.} 20. Rg1 {White has missed it. Often you do not get a second chance.} 20... Qxh4 21. Qa8 {Checkmate.}
This next one is a typical RHP game displaying all of the traits of playing
too many games at once with days in-between moves. We forget what we
were up to. I too am guilty of this when I have a load of games on the go.
ThomasAy - jcspessanha RHP 2017
“ It’s what you were playing for...How could you miss it “
FEN
5rk1/1q4p1/b1p1pnBp/4N3/1Q1P4/8/4nPPP/R6K w - - 0 37
[FEN "5rk1/1q4p1/b1p1pnBp/4N3/1Q1P4/8/4nPPP/R6K w - - 0 37"]
37. Qd6 Ne4 {Threatening Nxf2 mate. Better was playing Nf5 hold the e6 pawn and attacking the g6 Knight. But it’s a gamble and these games are basically skittle games...so go for it.} 38. Qxe6+ Kh8 39. Nf7+ {Oh Yes! Now play Qxf7 Bxf7 and Nxf2 checkmate. A lovely mating pattern that one.} 39... Rxf7 {OH. No. It’s what you were playing for...How could you miss it.? 39...Qxf7 wins. } 40. Qe8+ {No second chance in this game.} 40... Rf8 41. Qxf8 {Checkmate.}
