Knights Galore

By 08 Jul 23 on

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I was at Linlithgow Palace to watch a mock medieval jousting tournament.
Good day out. Here I am with one of the Knights who let me wear his hat.

(It’s a helmet not a hat...but this is good keep it going...Russ)

Me with a chess at a window seat in Linlithgow Palace.
Apparently Mary Queen of Scots liked sitting here.

Me and a chess set in the Great Hall of Linlithgow Palace

That is enough greenpawn.

This ‘White to play and win’ position...

...composed by Ofer Comay was used in CHESS magazine April 2008 offering
a £25.00 gift voucher to the first correct solvers name being drawn from a hat.
Sadly no £25.00 gift voucher today, just the warm glow of solvers satisfaction.
The really good move you are asked to find is White’s 4th move. Good Luck.

B. Hymer - H. Davis, CHESS magazine July 2023.

White to play. This one took me longer than what it should have done.
It is one of those puzzles. You either get in 5 seconds or it takes a minute.

The Ofer Comay Study.
FEN k7/4rr2/bP2PR2/8/2B5/8/K7/8 w - - 0 1

[FEN "k7/4rr2/bP2PR2/8/2B5/8/K7/8 w - - 0 1"]
1. Bd5+ {An easy first move, anything else then 1...Bxc4+} 1... Bb7 {1..Kb8 2. exf7 wins right away.} 2. Bxb7+ {3...Kxb7 and again 4.exf7 is a simple win. So Black plays....} 2... Kb8 {Setting up a stalemate or a tablebase draw trap.} 3. exf7 {3.Rxf7 Rxe6 and 4..Rxb6 is a book draw.} 3... Rxf7 {4.Rxf7 Stalemate mate and if the Rook moves off the f-file 4....Kxb7.} 4. Rf3 {The star move. 4...Rxb2 5.Rf8 mate and any other move is a simple win.} 4... Rh7 {We play a few moves to see how easy the win is.} 5. Bc6 {Threatening Rf8 mate,} 5... Rh2+ 6. Kb3 Rh8 7. Rf7 {Black Rook checks will only chase the King to a6 where there are no more checks.} 7... Kc8 8. Ra7 {Threatening Ra8 mate.} 8... Rh3+ 9. Kc2 Rh2+ 10. Kd1 {Due to the c6 Bishop there are no more Rook checks. White is threatening checkmate.} 10... Kd8 11. Rd7+ {11...Kc8 12. b7+ and 13. Rd8+} 11... Ke8 12. Rd2+ {It's over.}

B. Hymer - H. Davis.

1.Rc6 wins a piece. If 1...Rxc6 2.Ra8+ mates in two moves.

For the past few weeks the war cry has been ‘Pause Before Promoting’ this
week we look at Pausing Before Allowing a Promotion. Here is an example.

jonesy3156 - rydnine RHP 2012 (Black to play)

Play went 58...b1=Q 59.Bxb1 stalemate. 59 Bd4 Checkmate looks better.

Joe1949 - lstcyr RHP 2021 (White to play)

62.Re7 e1=Q 63 Rxe1 1-0. Instead it went 62. Kd2 e1=Q+ 63. Kxe1 Stalemate.

You now get the idea of what has been happening. Players becoming mesmerised
by an advanced pawn on the verge of promoting missing how to handle it correctly.

McKyla - KylasDad RHP 2021 (White to play)

White can allow the promotion with 51.Nf5 h1=Q 52 Ne7+ and then g8=Q+ 1-0. or a
simple win with 51.Nh1 Kh7 52.Kf7. Instead we saw 51.Kg6 h1=Q 52.Nxh1 stalemate.

drysteam - BrianYoo RHP 2014
FEN 8/8/5Q2/4P2k/5p1p/4P1pP/8/5K2 w - - 0 1

[FEN "8/8/5Q2/4P2k/5p1p/4P1pP/8/5K2 w - - 0 1"]
1. exf4 g2+ {White played 2. Kg1 Stalemate. The win is to allow a promotion.} 2. Ke2 {Now if 2...g1=Q 3;. Qh8+ then 4.Qg8+ skewering the new Black Queen.} 2... g1=N+ {The only way to stay in the in game is to promote with a check.} 3. Ke3 Nxh3 {This stops 4.Qg5 mate, 3....Nf3 White does take the Knight but plays 4. e6.} 4. Qg7 Nxf4 {Again only move to stop 4.Qg5 mate.} 5. Kxf4 h3 6. Qg5

We started with me looking at Knights fighting so how about looking at RHP games
where both sides have nothing but a pair Knights and one of the delivers checkmate.

The Undertaker - shaarawy RHP 2013 (Black to play)

Black can play 36...Kd6 instead it went. 36...Nd1 37.Nc4 Checkmate.

alive 69 - joaocaico RHP 2011
FEN 8/1p4p1/p5p1/3nk3/1P4P1/P1N3KP/2Nn4/8 w - - 0 37

[FEN "8/1p4p1/p5p1/3nk3/1P4P1/P1N3KP/2Nn4/8 w - - 0 37"]
37. Na4 Ne4+ {White should now play Kf3.} 38. Kh4 {Now White cannot avoid being checkmated.} 38... g5+ 39. Kh5 Nf4 {Checkmate.}

Penguin303 - DMusicman RHP 2012. (I’ve saved the best till last.)
FEN 8/2p2k1p/3n1p2/p2p2n1/3P2pN/2P3P1/4KP1P/1N6 w - - 0 36

[FEN "8/2p2k1p/3n1p2/p2p2n1/3P2pN/2P3P1/4KP1P/1N6 w - - 0 36"]
36. Ke3 Nc4+ {Kd3 and White fights on.} 37. Kf4 {But now there is nothing White can do as Black weaves a mating net.} 37... h5 {That move protects the g-pawn.} 38. f3 {White cannot prevent Black's next two moves.} 38... Ne6+ {Nh3+ would have checkmated White on the next move as well.} 39. Kf5 {Only move} 39... Nd6 {}Checkmate.

The thread accompanying this blog is Thread 197365

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Knights Galore

The Planet Greenpawn

Knights Galore

Posted to The Planet Greenpawn

The Planet Greenpawn