by greenpawn34 on Nov 18 2012 17:42 | 7349 views | 1 edit | Last edit on Nov 19 2012 12:43
A great man once wrote:
“One thing leads to another.”
I’ve no idea who it was. I used to know but one thing led to another
and I’ve forgotten, But who ever he was he was right.
I’ve been thumbing through;
Saidy mentioned a Reshevsky’s part in the 1948 World Championship.
My mind recalled Reshevsky missed a win v Botvinnik.
So, find the missed win, look for examples of similar missed wins in RHP
and there is a blog theme.
So I find Reshevsky’s best games, open up the book and the word ‘trap’
leaps out at me. ‘An ingenious trap’ writes Reshevsky.
Who is this who sets ‘ingenious traps’ I ask myself and I discover it is none
other than Capablanca!
Well, well, well. How charming is that?
I set traps and get called a caveman, Capablanca does it and is called a genius.
Humph!
I like showing Capa traps because a lot of previous writers babble on
on that Capa never stooped to such low levels of play.
Of course he did, except his had that touch of class, though I have to admit
as a top trap setter this one is rather transparent.
Here is the trap. Reshevsky - Capablanca, Margate 1935
Capa had been under the cosh for most of the middle game defending a backward
b-pawn. He missed a good chance to complicate things but let that moment slip by
and was left with a really awkward position to hold. (if indeed he can be held.)
Capa must have known he would be seeking a trap or two to get him
out of trouble, because first he offered a draw which was politely declined.
If I was writing this in the 1930’s I could add another Capa myth.
Capablanca Myth No.112
“Before lowering the tone of a game by setting traps Capablanca would first
offer a draw. Only if it was declined would he then set ingenious traps.”
FEN
8/1R2brkp/6p1/r2p4/P1pP1P2/q1N1PQ2/3K4/1R6 b - - 0 48
[FEN "8/1R2brkp/6p1/r2p4/P1pP1P2/q1N1PQ2/3K4/1R6 b - - 0 48"]
48... Rxa4 {Reshevsky ignored the Rook, took on d5 with the Queen and went onto win. If White takes the Rook.} 49. Nxa4 Qd3+ {If now Ke1 then Bh4+ wins the White Queen.} 50. Kc1 Ba3+ 51. R7b2 {If White does not block with this Rook than Black plays Rxb7.} 51... c3 {Not only tickling the pinned piece but threatening mate in one with Qd2.} 52. Qf2 cxb2+ 53. Rxb2 {Best. If Nxb2 then Rc7+} 53... Rc7+ 54. Nc5 Bxc5 55. dxc5 Rxc5+ 56. Rc2 Rxc2+ 57. Qxc2 Qxc2+ 58. Kxc2 Kf6 {That I'm guessing is how Capa would have played it. Not bad.}
Anyway one thing was leading to another so I found the Botvinnik game.
It was Reshevsky - Botvinnik AVRO 1938.
My mind was playing traps on me! It not 1948, but 1938.
Botvinnik, according to Reshevsky’s notes, was coasting to a win but allowed
him to complicate matters by giving up his Queen for two Rooks.
This appeared on the board.
FEN
3Rbq2/5kpB/p1p2p2/1pP1n3/1P3P2/P5P1/7P/4R1K1 w - - 0 36
[FEN "3Rbq2/5kpB/p1p2p2/1pP1n3/1P3P2/P5P1/7P/4R1K1 w - - 0 36"]
36. fxe5 Qh8 {White now played Bc2 and the game was drawn. The simple win is...} 37. exf6 Qxh7 38. fxg7 Qxg7 39. Rdxe8 {There is no danger of Botvinnik getting a perpetual. The White King and passed pawns will advance and either mate the cut off Black King or force Black to give up his Queen.}
So where is this leading?
RHP games where two Rooks beat a Queen?
Nah GP. That's a naff idea.
So I log onto RHP and see someone has sent me a game.
‘One Queen beats Two Queens’ is the title.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 4. c3 {Playable. I prefer d4 and if 4...exd4 5.Qxd4 and we have a variation of the Philidor Defence which scores very well for White OTB and on RHP. Well over 60% White wins in both cases.} 4... Bd7 5. O-O a6 6. Ba4 Nf6 7. Re1 Be7 8. h3 {I don't think there is any need for this just yet.} 8... h6 {I don't think there is any need for this just yet.} 9. d4 exd4 {Giving up the centre leads to a difficult position for Black.} 10. cxd4 b5 11. Bb3 O-O 12. Nc3 b4 13. Nd5 Nxd5 14. Bxd5 a5 15. Be3 Ra7 {Whoops! That's wrong. White can now net a piece with 16.Bxc6 Bxc6 17 d5 hitting the c6 Bishop and the a7 Rook.} 16. Rc1 {White missed it.} 16... Nb8 17. Qd2 c6 18. Bb3 d5 {This offer of a pawn is a hazardous attempt by Black to get into the game.} 19. e5 {White should have seen what ever it was Black had after 19.exd5 and taken the pawn.} 19... Bf5 20. Bc2 Bxc2 21. Rxc2 {White's turn to blunder and Black spots the trick.} 21... b3 22. Rc3 {If 22.axb3 (best) 22...Bb4 which is coming anyway.} 22... bxa2 23. b3 Bb4 {White has succeeded in getting himself into a right tangle. So he sacs a Bishop.} 24. Bxh6 gxh6 25. Qxh6 f5 {An understandable reaction using the a7 Rook to cover the 7th rank but 25...Bxc3 leaves White with a totally lost game.} 26. Rcc1 Bxe1 27. Rxe1 Qb6 {Black becomes spellbind by his a2 pawn. His King is ignored as all hands rush to promote the a-2 pawn.} 28. e6 Qxb3 {No. Even if the QNP is not on b2 never take it with the Queen. 28...Re7 preventing the next move was mandatory.} 29. e7 {Suddenly White has a won game.} 29... Rxe7 30. Rxe7 a1=Q+ {Black has his two Queens.} 31. Kh2 Rf7 {There was no defence.} 32. Re8+ Rf8 33. Rxf8 {Checkmate. A nice entertaining game. White handed Black a simple win, Black handed it back. If White had taken that b-pawn (22.axb3) then Black would not have been transfixed with promoting it and perhaps have spent a move or two defending his King.}
So thanks to HikaruShindo we have a theme for this weeks blog.
Players becoming mesmerized by the prospect of having two Queens.
43. c7 {You would now expect Black to start checking the White King to death with Qh1+ etc etc and etc...Instead he sets an outrageous trap. Of course if Capablanca had been Black then it would be ‘an ingenious trap’.} 43... f5 {Now 44.Qb2+ and c8=Q is 1-0. But...} 44. c8=Q Qh1 {Checkmate.}
darksideofthemoonie - 2advent RHP 2010
What a game Look at this position after Black’s 43rd move.
And 50 gruelling moves later we reach here.
Black has fought off White’s attempts at perpetual check and
is now on the brink of winning.
This is where you will chuck most won games. When you are on the brink of
winning you are also on the brink of blunderland. Never forget that.
[FEN "8/3Q4/8/8/4q1p1/2p3P1/1p4PK/2k5 w - - 0 94"]
94. Qc7 b1=Q 95. Qxc3+ {Now Qb8-c7 and the White checks will dry up. But Black, who has been battling for the past 50+ moves to get two Queens on the board relaxes.} 95... Kd1 96. Qd2+ {And the fact Black has a promoted Queen on the board allows White to draw.} 96... Kxd2 {Stalemate.} *
mikenay - Wiabj RHP 2007
Another example of the promoting player slipping into relaxed mode.
62. Qc2 {The win is Qe8+ and Qa8+ then the b-pawn promotes with a check.} 62... b1=Q {White now uses the fact that the two Black Queens are hovering around the White King to set up a stalemate.} 63. Qc3+ {Qxc3 is stalemate.} 63... Qb2 64. Qe1+ {Qxe1 is stalemate.} 64... Ka2 65. Qb1+ {Black now has no choice, either Kxb1 or Qxb1 is stale dog. Black chose...} 65... Qxb1 {We see this position, smile and scroll down onto the next game. Not poor Wiabj. This final position haunts his every dream.}
And finally for a complete change…
I came across this in 'Kings, Commoners and Knaves' by Edward Winter.
It's a position from a game by two unknown players in the British Chess
Magazine March 1907.
1. c6 Rxh6 {Ho Ho thinks Black 2.Rxh6 and that is stalemate.} 2. c7 Rc6 {Only move to save the Rook and stop the pawn from Queening.} 3. Rh6 {The pin that wins. 3...Kb7 4.Rxc6 and the pawn promotes. The cute wrap up is.} 3... Rxh6 4. c8=B {Checkmate.}
Great blog as usual GP! Your blogs are getting better over time unlike my game 🙂 After a marathon game I relaxed a bit, made an absolute end game blunder and handed over the game (Game # 9542356)....read this blog and the advice was just that.....not to drop guard in won position 🙂
Game 9282424
there who will help.