How to be Lucky in Chess

[FEN "6BK/8/P2P3k/8/8/7b/1r6/8 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "67"]
1. a7 Bg2 2. d7 Rd2 {Now what? A Novotny is called for.} 3. Bd5 {The Novotny Square is d5 if 3...Bxd5 then it blocks the Rook. 3...Rxd5 blocks the Bishop.} 3... Rxd5 {The best try.} 4. a8=Q Rxd7 {White now skewers the Bishop.} 5. Qf8+ Kg5 {5...Kg6 or 5...Kh5 losses the Rook to 6.Qe8+} 6. Qg8+ Kf6 7. Qxg2 {And wins. It's not easy and now you have 50 moves to do it. I suggest you do get some practise in regarding this ending so you have a rough idea what to do. You will have to play it one day.}

[FEN "3K2k1/1r6/3n4/8/8/8/8/5R2 w - - 0 97"]
97. Rf8+ {White is using the stalemate defence.} 97... Kg7 98. Rg8+ Kf6 99. Rg6+ Ke5 100. Re6+ {At no time can the Rook be taken due to stalemate.} 100... Kd5 101. Re5+ Kc4 102. Rc5+ Kb4 {No more checks as Rb5+ allows Rxb5 and Rc4 allows Nxc4 both lifting the stalemate.} 103. Rc1 Ra7 104. Rb1+ Kc5 105. Rc1+ {This is the usual drawing technique. Keep Checking from the back rank.} 105... Nc4 {And if the check is blocked then check from the side.} 106. Rh1 Kc6 107. Ke8 Kd6 108. Rh6+ Kd5 109. Kd8 Ne5 {Rh1 and go for the rank checks again.} 110. Rf6 Nd7 {White has thought about this and looking for some kind of a morale victory, found a stalemate trap.} 111. Rf7 {Rh6 cutting off the Black was the way to go.} 111... Kd6 {White has no checks. The f7 Rook is in danger.} 112. Kc8 {Only move.} 112... Nb6+ 113. Kb8 Rxf7 {Stalemate. White's trick worked.......but see next game.}

[FEN "3K4/r2n4/5R2/3k4/8/8/8/8 w - - 0 111"]
111. Rf7 Kd6 112. Kc8 {Now instead of Nb6+ and Rxf7 Stalemate, the win is....} 112... Rc7+ 113. Kd8 Rb7 {The threat of Rb8+ wins. To stop mate White has to give up the Rook. Note if Ke8 the flight square f7 is blocked by the White Rook. Remember what I said about keeping the King and Rook away from each other.}

[FEN "8/8/8/2k2r2/8/3KR3/4N3/8 w - - 0 97"]
97. Ng3 Rd5+ 98. Kc3 {Now Rd1 is OK. Another rule of thumb, very handy for blitz chess is to always place the lone Rook on a different coloured square from the King. Then no surprise Knight forks which would happen if Rg5 or Rd6.} 98... Rd4 {But this is often bad in any ending. A piece protected by a King on an open board is asking for trouble and in this game trouble came.} 99. Ne4+ Kd5 100. Nf6+ Kc5 101. Re5+ Kd6 102. Kxd4

[FEN "8/8/8/4K3/6r1/7k/6N1/6R1 w - - 0 1"]
1. Nf4+ Kh4 2. Rh1+ {2...Kg3 and there is no forced win.} 2... Kg5 {OOPS! It is the curse of the lone Rook blocking a flight square again.} 3. Rh5 {Checkmate.} *

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 {If Black plays 3....Nf6 going for a Berlin then I chop on c6 - see next note.} 4. Ba4 Nf6 {Now Black has no pawn f6 of the e-pawn. I play this piece swap.} 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. d3 {The theory is Black has no d5 the traditional response to a flank attack by White in KP. Openings.} 6... Bd6 7. Nbd2 {This Knight is off to the f5 square.} 7... Be6 8. Nf1 O-O 9. Ng3 h6 {I think Black should wait till White plays Bg5 before playing this. 9...c5 intending c4 undermining d3 trying to create a backward on d3 is the counterplay.} 10. Qe2 {Prepares (from experience) Nh4-f5.} 10... Qe7 11. Nh4 {If I had played this previously Black could have played Nxe5. Now of course on Nxe5 What takes back with the Queen.} 11... Rad8 12. Nhf5 Bxf5 13. Nxf5 Qe6 14. g4 {The pawn storm aimed at declaring h6 a weakness.} 14... Nh7 15. h4 Bb4+ 16. Kf1 {The King often goes to f1 in this line. c3 gains one tempo but weakens d3 for the whole game. Do not play c3 in this opening.} 16... Qg6 {Bg6 is trying to tempt h4-h5 but I will not push the g and h-pawn until I am ready.} 17. Bd2 {Gains a tempo to get the a1 Rook into the game. 17...Bxd2 18.Ne7+ wins the Black Queen.} 17... Bd6 {Now to get the a1 Rook in on the fun.} 18. Kg2 f6 {Black knows my shot will be g4-g5 and take steps against it.} 19. Rag1 Rd7 20. Kf1 Qe8 {There is no more preparation I can do. Time to play g5.} 21. g5 fxg5 22. hxg5 hxg5 23. Bxg5 Nf6 24. Nh6+ {A pseudo sac the open files are producing all kinds of mating patterns.} 24... gxh6 25. Bxf6+ {If 25....Kf7 27.Rxh6 holding the f6 Bishop and threatening Qh5+ wins in all variations.} 25... Kh7 {This allow a sac attack and mate.} 26. Rxh6+ Kxh6 27. Qe3+ Kh5 28. Qg5 {In theory, if Black has no counter-play then that is how that White attack goes.}

[FEN "5rk1/p4ppp/8/nP6/5N2/b4NK1/2B3PP/8 w - - 0 1"]
1. Ng5 {1...h6 and Black has nothing to fear.} 1... f6 2. Bxh7+ Kh8 3. Ng6 {Checkmate. Three pieces given the chance always mate.}

[FEN "N6r/1B3pp1/3b1nkp/B2N4/2pPn3/4P3/PP4PP/3R1RK1 w - - 0 29"]
29. Nab6 Ng4 {White suspects nothing. If he did then Nf4+ stops what happened next.} 30. Nxc4 Bxh2+ 31. Kh1 Ng3 {Checkmate.}

[FEN "r2q1rk1/2p2pp1/1b1p1n2/p2P2N1/3nPN1Q/1bKB4/1P4PP/5R2 w - - 0 25"]
25. e5 {Black, is a Rook up but the White attack seems worth it. All he do is hope White, in typical RHP fashion, screws it up.} 25... dxe5 26. Bh7+ Kh8 {White now played Ng6+ and the chance was gone. There is no forced mate after Ng6+. However...} 27. Nxf7+ Rxf7 28. Ng6 {...is checkmate.}

[FEN "r4rk1/1pp3bp/p5p1/4P1Bn/2qN2n1/2PR4/PP2QPPP/5RK1 w - - 0 21"]
21. b3 {Black now had a brain storm.} 21... Bxe5 22. bxc4 Bxh2+ 23. Kh1 Rxf2 24. Rxf2 Ng3+ {Checkmate!} 25. Rxg3 {OOPS!}

1. d4 f5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 e6 4. e3 Be7 5. Bd3 O-O 6. O-O Qe8 7. e4 fxe4 8. Nxe4 d6 9. Re1 {Good simple development from White. Black kicks it off. Always a risky policy when lagging behind in development.} 9... Qh5 10. Neg5 Nd5 {Not good but already Black is in trouble. White wraps it up neatly.} 11. Bxh7+ Kh8 12. Ne5 {Nice. Attacking the unprotected Black Queen.} 12... Qxd1 13. Ng6

[FEN "5k2/8/2p2p2/2P2r2/Np2q3/7p/1R1B1QPP/6RK w - - 0 39"]
39. Qg3 hxg2+ {White who is half a chess set up just plays 2.Qxg2 and wins.} 40. Rxg2 {OOPS} 40... Rf1 {Checkmate.}