A new chess friend (that makes two!) and me have been swapping our chess book doublers. I traded a book on well know opening traps for...
...a book on Endgames? Do not fret reader, I have not gone over to the dark side. Look carefully. It is all about the late Jan Timman and his love for the Endgame Study. A love we share though he was more passionate.
I was surprised to learn that Jan rarely tried to solve them, he played them out to see and marvel at the composers main idea. The punchline if you will.
I of course tried to solve some of them and although I had a fair amount of eventual success (and frustration) I can understand Jan’s method and have likened this way to a comedian telling a joke and with a humorous point.
Here is Jan telling one of his own jokes from 2010.
White to play and win. (solution is next)
Header
FEN
3R4/B7/8/8/p7/n7/pp5K/k7 w - - 0 1
PGN
[FEN "3R4/B7/8/8/p7/n7/pp5K/k7 w - - 0 1"] 1. Rd1+ Nb1 2. Rh1 {The Rook hides on h1, Timman uses the term, 'waiting in ambush.'} 2... a3 {Only move. White has be careful not to allow a stalemate.} 3. Bg1 {The Bishop block the Rook and lifts the stalemate.} 3... Nc3 {Only move. It does not matter for now if the Knight goes to c3 or d2.} 4. Bd4+ {Note if the b-pawn promotes. 5.Bxc3 is mate.} 4... Nb1 5. Kg1 {The King takes over blocking the Rook} 5... Nc3 6. Kf2+ {The White King creeps closer to the Black King.} 6... Nb1 7. Ke1 {Now 7...Nd2 8.Kxd2 is checkmate.} 7... Nc3 8. Bxc3 Kb1 {Only move.} 9. Kd2# {Checkmate. Beautiful.}
Do you want another, of course you do. Here is a short one, a one liner. This time Timman has White with two pawns n the 7th trying to promote
White to play and draw, Timman 2011.
1.Nf4+ (best) Rxf4 2.h1=B and Black cannot avoid stalemating White
...or going into a drawn ending. 2....Bf8 3.gxf8=Q Rxf8+ 4.Kxf8.
Today, the 2nd of April is a Rest Day so nothing to report this time.
This weeks opening trap is in the French Winawer and like all traps, well worth knowing.
It has appeared a few times OTB and on a few occasions the trap was not sprung. Twice, so far, it has appeared on RHP and in knez miskin - Cerbrus RHP 2009 White missed it and went onto lose. We look at the successful Red Hot Pawn game.
LexRex - halterner RHP 2008
Header
PGN
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 {The Winawer, seen over 20,000 times on RHP so look out for this trick shot, there is chance you may get to use or avoid it.} 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Qc7 {Inviting White into the well analysed quagmire of 7.Qg4.} 7. Nf3 {Which White politely declines.} 7... Nc6 {7...Ne7 is the popular choice here. The text is OK provided Black does not big get ideas.} 8. Bd3 {8...c5 is playable though 8...Nge7 keeping the tension is the fashionable choice.} 8... cxd4 {Releases the tension, very common at the lower levels where players want any centre tension cleared up right away because they think if they don't do it now something nasty will happen.} 9. cxd4 {Now Black spots their trick.} 9... Nxd4 {It was not too late for 9...Nge7. Black has missed White's sneaky 11th move.} 10. Nxd4 Qc3+ {The point. 11.Bd2 Qxd4 but....} 11. Qd2 {Now if 11...Qxd4 Bb5+ wins the Black Queen, a common pattern in the French but that is not main trap. This is....} 11... Qxa1 {Black had only considered 11.Bd2 the move that was played in the games where White failed to spring the trap.} 12. c3 {The other point. The Black Queen is trapped and 13 Nb3 cannot be prevented.} 12... Bd7 {Given another move Black could play Rc8 and the Black Queen gets out with Qxc3 but...} 13. Nb3 {Black resigned.} 1-0
