Chocolates, CHESS and Carlsen.

How about this for self control.


I was sent these chocolate chess pieces...


...15 years ago and I’ve still not eaten them.

I can’t, it would ruin the set, I’d have to eat the lot in one sitting.



The latest CHESS, always good value for money and I always do the Puzzle Section.
24 positions ranging from ‘Easy’ to ‘Very Tough’ and from number 18 onward the
positions are hard work and I have to admit that a few times I’ve given up or guessed
(sometimes correctly) at the solution because it is what I would have played in the game.

However, now and then, and I find this slightly annoying....


I spend 20 odd minutes on a position still not sure if I have right and when I look
at the solution I discover the player whose turn it was never played the correct move.
Then I start shouting at the magazine. ‘How do you expect me to find the correct move
if the player concerned never saw it?’ That is unfair, we should be told it was missed.

No 23, usually one of the toughies, leapt out at me and I got it right away.


(I’ll give the solution at the bottom of this piece.)

It could be ‘one of them’ you either get it within 10 seconds or never get it after 10 minutes.

Number 13 was an easy one and it is from this position...


...that I build this weeks blog. (The picture of Carlsen on the of cover is also relevant.)
The answer is Black plays 1...0-0-0 hitting the Rook on b7 and threatening Rd1 mate.

RHP games with 0-0-0, usually with a check and picking up a Rook on b2 or b7 are
rare about 40 (approx 20 with each colour.) We have mentioned this tactic, (which
really needs an official name) a few times. I have some more recent RHP examples.

Luke Mcmath - Arhipov14 RHP 2022 (Black to play)

Black played 20....Rxb2 OOPS! 1-0 after 21. 0-0-0+

GastelEtswane - Adam Reith RHP 2021 (White to play)

White DID NOT play 13.0-0-0+ but 13.Bxa7 f5 and then 14.0-0-0+ 1-0

The pattern to look out for is Rooks on b2 or b7 and a still legal 0-0-0 in the position.

Sun of Nail - drb23 RHP 2021 (Black to play)

Black set it up neatly with 16...Bxd2+ 17 Qxd2 Qxd2+ 18.Kxd2 0-0-0+ and Kxb7.

I mentioned the relevance of Magnus Carlsen on the cover of CHESS and 0-0-0+
He too has one of these. The tripled Black pawns c7.c6 and c5 from this opening,
The Scotch , has appeared on RHP over 350 times with White winning the majority.

M. Carlsen - T. Kallesoe, Norway Blitz Championship 2004



The solution. to No 23 White to play and win




The thread accompanying this blog is Thread 196106