Lessons from the Good Guys RHP Players Ignore

Been chuckling at this for the past couple of days. It’s from Tim Krabbe in 2001.

Here he was Black playing on the ICC server with White to move.


White played 1.Rf8 there followed 1…Rxf8


And then there was no reply…

It suddenly dawned on Tim that White had as his options; “Always Promote to a Queen.”
Of course if White plays 2.gxf8=Q then it is stalemate. Tim waited and waited....Nothing.

He relates how he imagined his opponent was furiously trying to find a way NOT
to promote to a Queen (Or Rook). taking a Knight or Bishop is a very simple win.

“I took pleasure in picturing him frantically looking for a manual, or typing things
like "help under promotion". In the end, White offered a draw - and I accepted.”

“…frantically looking for a manual…” The guy would have been screaming at his computer.


Keyboards would have been hammered, chairs thrown through windows and crockery smashed.

Meanwhile, 10 years later, we wonder what calamity befell the White household after…

bigsi40 - clotildo1 RHP.2011 (White to play)


White played 102 f8-Q


Stalemate. If White had just looked for a second before moving….


Of course RHP throws up dozens of thoughtless ‘obvious’ promotions.

adalia bipunctata - suicidebishop RHP 2011 (Black to play)


Any sensible move by Black wins. 1…g8=Q stalemate was played.



Did I say: “Any sensible move by Black wins…” even taking a Knight?



Is that mate with the two Knights forced?..............................Russ

Shhhhhhhhhh!


Traps the Good Guys Set for Each Other that RHP Players Fall Into. No.1,239

Fischer - Spassky 1972 (Game 12)


This is probably a picture of Bobby Fischer or it could be Boris Spassky.

Fresh from Game 11 where Fischer took the b-pawn with the Queen and lost.
Fischer offers Spassky his own tainted b-pawn which Spassky kindly declined.

So we scan the RHP database looking for QxP and an sac of the exchange.

jpnazar - gbpub3850 RHP 2012

And whilst looking for the above example this one popped up on my screen.

Leaadas - jose sureda RHP 2008

And the more I looked the more buried treasure I found.

doxman - stephanopoulos RHP 2007

Zorro the Fox, the first player to make a million moves on Red Hot Pawn has
been in touch thanking me for last week’s piece. He drew attention to this game.

rlchapman - ZorroTheFox RHP 2007

And why not. It has a good instructive finish.

And finally we end with the usual RHP tragedy.

whythelongface - Richius RHP 2014.

White’s nik is ‘Why the Long Face’. After this game it just went longer.