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So I am ploughing my way through this (again)
When I hit this page.
Combination No.768. (White to play and win - clue. Look for a Skewer.)
I’ll give you a couple of minutes to figure it out.
Hard? Yes. There are no obvious signposts to guide you other than the fact Black’s b4 Bishop is a wee bit short of squares. Infact this harmless looking position has appeared on RHP and in OTB games. Quite a few players have missed the trick.
On RHP and the solution has been played.
caissad4 - Fnugbatter RHP 2006
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PGN
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Qe7 7. O-O O-O 8. Bf4 d5 {The diagramed position. Did you see it?} 9. c5 {I gave a clue about the b4 Bishop being short of squares.} 9... bxc5 10. a3 {The in-betweener (the official name is Zwischenzug) some of you may have missed.} 10... Ba5 11. dxc5 {The threat is b4 trapping the Bishop. 11...Qxc5 bumps into the pawn fork 12.b4 so....} 11... c6 12. Bd6 {And there is the Skewer. Black resigned. 1-0. This is the solution given in the 1001 combo's book. Resigns? OK if you want to, but it’s just the mere loss of an exchange. Fight on till all hope is gone. Nobody won by resigning.}
Twice ItsYouThatIAdore User 129166 as Black has had this position before 9.c5. And on both occasions White has missed the chance to win a piece or the exchange. Game 12345 and Game 12457 and in both cases ItsYouThatIAdore went on to win.
Regular Planet Greenpawn readers will know what comes next. Yes. An RHP player springing this trap and screwing it up
cptnunicum - Climacus RHP 2008
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PGN
1. c4 Nf6 2. d4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Qe7 7. O-O O-O 8. Bf4 d5 {Here we are at the position in question.} 9. c5 bxc5 10. a3 Ba5 11. dxc5 {Black elects to give up a piece for three pawns. } 11... Qxc5 12. b4 Bxb4 13. axb4 Qxb4 {White can win back a safe pawn with 14.Bxc7 but elects to boot the Queen instead.} 14. Ra4 Qe7 15. Nc3 c5 {Those c and d-pawns cover a lot central squares. White is piece up, Black has the pawns, this game is far from over.} 16. Ne5 Nc6 17. e3 Rfd8 {No idea what happened next. Too many games on the go at once?} 18. Bg5 {OOPS!} 18... Nxe5 {I see a Knight I pick it up and for the rest of the game I'll have good luck.} 19. Bh4 Ng6 20. Bxf6 Qxf6 21. Nb5 {One bad move after another. White sets himself up for a pin.} 21... Bc6 {White should break it with 22.Ra5.} 22. Qb3 a6 23. Nc7 Bxa4 24. Qxa4 Rac8 {That Knight is in trouble now.} 25. Qa5 Qe5 26. Nxa6 Ra8 {Another pin.} 27. Rb1 h6 {Calmly stopping mid -calculation to give his King a fire escape.} 28. h4 Rd6 {Pilling on the pinned piece. White breaks it with a check.} 29. Rb8+ Rxb8 30. Nxb8 c4 {White called it day here. He is the exchange down, the b8 Knight is in trouble and that c-pawn is a clear runner.}
This Skewer pattern.
Popped up in satyaprakash - LordOfTheChessboard, RHP 2005. A few moves in and I'll you stop and find the trick .
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FEN
rn1q1rk1/pb3ppp/1p1ppn2/2p5/2PP1B2/P1PBPN2/5PPP/R2QK2R w KQ - 0 10
PGN
[FEN "rn1q1rk1/pb3ppp/1p1ppn2/2p5/2PP1B2/P1PBPN2/5PPP/R2QK2R w KQ - 0 10"] 10. O-O h6 11. h3 Qe7 {OK the Queen and Rook are lined up. Go for it.} 12. dxc5 dxc5 {And now a nice piece of alert play. The two Submarine Bishops combine to hunt down the Battleship Queen to sink a Frigate Rook. I have slipped into nautical mode because today maybe Nelson's birthday.} 13. Bd6 {That wins the exchange. Black resigned. Of course if....} 13... Qxd6 14. Bh7+ {...wins the Black Queen.}
Next up featuring the same pattern is this game.
janwitje - Tukumnieks RHP.2007 Where we see White set up Black for a lovely trap.
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PGN
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 {The Steinitz Defence to the Ruy Lopez.} 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Bd7 6. Bxc6 bxc6 7. O-O c5 {Tempting but leaving a hole on d5 which can exploited by a Knight. Yes this can be covered by a later c6 but then the d6 pawn on an open file is weak. Pawn moves can create a lot of self trouble.} 8. Nf3 Be7 9. Nc3 Nf6 10. e5 {A correct pawn move that throws Black into turmoil.} 10... Ng4 11. exd6 cxd6 12. Bf4 {Having a poke at the d6 pawn.} 12... Bc6 13. Nd5 {Black should chop this strong Knight.} 13... O-O {OOPS!} 14. Nxe7+ Qxe7 15. Bxd6 {Our theme of the week.} 15... Qf6 16. Bxf8 Rxf8 17. Re1 Qxb2 18. Qd6 {Can you see what White is up to?} 18... Bxf3 19. Rab1 Qxc2 {Black must have thought he was on easy street here. White cannot take the f3 Bishop due to Qxf2+. 20.Rf1 holding f2 and 20...Nxf2 overloads the f1 Rook. We can only imagine his face when he logged on and saw.......} 20. Qxf8+ Kxf8 21. Rb8 {Checkmate!}
And finally we close the theme of week in traditional manner. A totally cock-up.
Kavkaz - shaffs007 RHP 2008
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FEN
r2q1rk1/2p1bppp/p1Q5/3NB3/3P4/8/PPP3PP/3n1RK1 w - - 0 1
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[FEN "r2q1rk1/2p1bppp/p1Q5/3NB3/3P4/8/PPP3PP/3n1RK1 w - - 0 1"] 1. Bxc7 Qe8 {White should take d1 the Knight. The c6 Queen is being held tactically. 2.Rxd1 Qxc6 3.Nxe7+ and Nxc6. Black can then harpoon a piece with Rc8 but the passed c and d-pawns are strong and with a Rook and Knight to back them up White should win that.} 2. Nxe7+ {Alas White forgets his Philidor and goes for a win of the exchange,} 2... Qxe7 3. Bd6 {This is the exact spot where White stopped looking, sent his move and merrily moved onto the next game.} 3... Qe3+ {White suddenly remembered his Philidor and resigned. The Legacy is....} 4. Kh1 Nf2+ 5. Kg1 Nh3+ 6. Kh1 Qg1+ 7. Rxg1 Nf2
In Thread 158889 a chess quiz was started up. I have taken a selection of the posted question plus a couple of new ones. See how you do. (click on the hidden tag to reveal the answer).
Question 1: Who ended Capablanca's 10 year reign without a defeat? 1.
1.Richard Reti.
Question 2: Name the World's Champions (future and past) who took part in the 1936 Nottingham Tourney? 2.
Alekhine, Capablanca, Botvinnik, Euwe and Lasker.
Question 3: Which two players played The Immortal Zugzwang Game? 3.
Saemisch and Nimzovitch, Copenhagen 1923.
Question 4: Which two players played The Evergreen Game? 4.
Anderssen and Dufrense, Berlin 1852.
Question 5. What do Bobby Fischer, Mae West and Mickey Spillane all have in common. 5.
They all went to Erasmus Hall High School.
Question 6. Who said that a young Karpov would never make a chess player? 6.
Botvinnik.
Question 7: captain cheese - Mr0EviL RHP 2006 White to move 1.Kh1, 1.Kg1, 1.Kf2, 1.Kf1 (only one draws - the rest lose - what move draws?) 7.
1.Kg1 see below
Question 8. In what year was World Champion Emanuel Lasker born. 8.
1868.
Question 9: What is Paul McCartney’s middle name? 9.
Paul, his first name is John.
Question 10: What was the final score of the 1961 Fischer - Reshevsky match? 10.
[FEN "8/8/8/7p/6pk/8/6KP/8 w - - 0 1"] 1. Kg1 {This is the only move that draws - with best play.} 1...Kh3 2. Kh1 h4 3. Kg1 g3 4. hxg3 hxg3 5. Kh1 {A book draw and this is what was played in the game.}
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FEN
8/8/8/7p/6pk/8/6KP/8 w - - 0 1
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[FEN "8/8/8/7p/6pk/8/6KP/8 w - - 0 1"] 1. Kh1 {This losses as does everything else other than 1.Kg1.} 1... Kh3 2. Kg1 h4 3. Kh1 g3 4. hxg3 hxg3 {And with White to move he is lost.} 5. Kg1 g2 6. Kf2 Kh2
Other famous people who attended Erasmus Hall High School. Neil Dimaond, Barbra Streisand (same class as Bobby) and Joseph Barbera who created Tom and Jerry.
Well that quiz was fun and now we trawl the dark vaults of RHP and find cowering in the corner.
the Jade - Humain RHP 2012
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FEN
rnb2b2/ppkp1Npp/2p5/3n4/1q1N4/3PB1PP/P3PP2/R3KB1R w KQ - 0 22
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[FEN "rnb2b2/ppkp1Npp/2p5/3n4/1q1N4/3PB1PP/P3PP2/R3KB1R w KQ - 0 22"] 22. Kd1 Qa3 23. Bg5 Qb2 {White can now play Bd8 Checkmate.} 24. Rc1 Bb4 {White can now play Bd8 Checkmate.} 25. a3 Nc3+ 26. Ke1 Na2+ 27. Kd1 Qxd4 {White can now play Bd8 Checkmate.} 28. Rc2 h6 {Incredible. White has missed Bd8 Checkmate three times. Black now plays a move that reminds White his Bishop can move.} 29. Bd8 {White has played Bd8 Checkmate}
