On The Trail Of The Lone Bishop Mate.

I drew that at work. My skill in all fields has no known boundaries.

I was on Edward Winter’s Chess Notes site looking for something else,
whilst there I stumbled across a section on single Bishop Checkmates.

Mr Winter gives some nice examples a few of which I will use to set us off.

Bobby Fischer - J. Witeczek, Simul, Detroit 1964


Fischer played 62. Nd5.1-0. Nothing can stop Bg5 and Bf6 mate.

Mackenzie - N.N. New York 1889

This next one is the Immortal Lone Bishop Mate.

N.N. - Pillsbury Simul America 1902 (there is some doubt about the place and date)

And that now gives me an excuse to show some R.H.P. lone Bishop Mates.

AntonLeonard - JCMartignoni RHP 2017


Black has just played 37...Bg1 hitting the h2 pawn White played 38. h3


Black smartly played 38....Bf2 Checkmate.

Next we see White attempting to reach a drawn endgame.

2advent - MMark RHP 2017


White played 52.Bd3 his plan is to give up the Bishop for the f-pawn
because Black has the wrong Bishop for a-pawn (a1 is a dark square.)


Black played 52...Bd1+ it is checkmate next move.

How about this. White shuns winning a pawn to set up a self mate.

matzdr - Patrick Zamora RHP 2017


43.Nc4+ K moves 44.Nxb6 Bxb3 draw. White played 43.Kc4


43...Be2 Checkmate.

Now a couple of Lone Bishop Mates from this year.

julien hartley - Pawn1339 RHP .2018


White is in check. 43.Ke3 and get onto c3 via d2 looks OK.


Instead White played 43.Kg4 Bd1 Checkmate.

Bassman57 - UNCLEBRO RHP 2018


White can stay in the game here with 34.c5+ which looks drawish.


White played 34.Ba7 Bg5 Checkmate.

Saved the best till last.

KenHorsley - cooldaddy RHP 2016


This weeks puzzle is from the 15th century and was in the Gottinggen Manuscript.

It’s a ‘Stipulation Problem.’ White to play and....


....mate in 6 moves with the c2 pawn.

Solution at the bottom of the page.

One thing we do not have to endure at RHP is Over The Board (OTB) Time Trouble.

The human brain turns to jelly when you have seconds left for a move.

If ever you are searching for examples just look for games that end on
the moves 38 - 40 that is the traditional time trouble blunder territory.

Witness these games from the recent Olympiad and some brain to jelly moments.

Jose Manuel Dominguez (2283) - William Alfaro (2163) Batumi Olympiad 2018


Black on move 38 and in total panic (been there alright) played 38...Bxh3
when 38...Ra8 and Black is OK. After 38...Bxh3 then 39. Qxf8 Checkmate.

Here the lower rate player has used his time well, time has no rating respect.

Rogelio L Orio (1793) - Rurik Capella (1979) Batumi Olympiad 2018


Black is rightly worried about the discovered check and should have played 39...Bg6

But Black played 39...Kf8 40.Bd6+ and Rg8+ follows with mate next move.

“Time trouble is not an excuse, your clock is your 17th piece.” to paraphrase Alekhine.

Habibullah Amini (1988) - Yasser Saber (2192) Batumi Olympiad 2018

This game reeks of time trouble White’s moves coming within a second of each other.


So far in 2018 there have been 480 checkmates in six or less moves.
and since 2001 there have been over 3,000 checkmates in six moves

This 2018 game (the names have been dropped to protect the innocent) is typical.


Players must watch their f2 and f7 squares because is where most of these mates occur.


At the start of the game these two squares are the weakest on the board because they
are the only two squares protected solely by the King. This eight game list is just a
few examples of the characteristic mates that happen due to players ignoring f2 or f7.

Game 12534000
Game 12790228
Game 12555049
Game 12871695
Game 12904737
Game 12623872
Game 12900833
Game 12817714
Game 12833490

Look out for the weak squares around your King. if not it could be a very short game.

The Stipulation Problem Solution.

The thread accompanying this blog is Thread 179011