The theme this week will be pawn promotions. Are they good or bad?
The play through study this week is by A. O. Herbstmann. It is an easy one to solve. An average player should have it cracked quite quickly. (in case you are new here, we do not solve studies. we play them out.)
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FEN
8/5p2/5p2/5p2/8/4K3/7P/7k w - - 0 1
PGN
[FEN "8/5p2/5p2/5p2/8/4K3/7P/7k w - - 0 1"] 1. h4 {The first move was pretty obvious.} 1... Kg2 {Now the first instructive bit. Do not continue on the obvious course with 2 h3 because 2...Kg3 draws as the f5 pawn will promote the move after the White h-pawn.} 2. Kf4 {Now it is a win and just one last hurdle to jump.} 2... Kh3 3. h5 Kh4 4. h6 Kh5 {The King is never going to catch the h-pawn but be careful....} 5. h7 Kg6 {...6 h8=Q is stalemate.} 6. h8=R {Now it is a simple win.}
Next we skip though a delightful piece of chess, but first a tip. (Tip No 211) If you are browsing in a 2nd hand shop do not look for chess books just in the ‘Hobbies and Games’ section. I picked up this gem in the autobiography section.
I have also picked up chess books in the computing and kids sections.
V. Anand - B. Spassky, France 1989.
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FEN
8/8/6p1/P1N4p/1nb2k2/2N5/1P4P1/6K1 w - - 0 1
PGN
[FEN "8/8/6p1/P1N4p/1nb2k2/2N5/1P4P1/6K1 w - - 0 1"] 1. b3 Bf7 {Anand spots a wonderful idea.} 2. Nd3+ {The Knight is sacrificed to deflect the Black Knight from the a-pawn.} 2... Nxd3 3. a6 Be8 {With Bc6 and the Queening square is covered. Most of us, even if we considered 2.Nd3+ would have stopped looking past here.} 4. Nd5+ {Spassky resigned. He saw....} 4... Ke5 5. Ne7 {The Bishop cannot get to c6 without being taken. A lovely piece of chess.}
There have been over one thousand RHP games ending in a stalemate due to a hasty pawn promotion. Here is a recent example from just a few months ago.
Barnie - martin w RHP 2026
85. Kf6 and checkmate next move. Instead 85. f8=Q stalemate.
The puzzles revolve around pawn promotions.
In all the puzzles it is White to play and win.
1. Qxe6 Qxe6 2. d7+ Kf7 3. d8=N+ A Knight Fork
A bit easy I thought, try this one.
1.Qxb5 Rxb5 2. e8=Q+ Kxe8 3. Ba4 A Pin and Win.
The first two were a bit easy. this one could easily be missed OTB.
I was looking for something else and found something else from 13 years ago.
Have you ever seen a player capture a Rook, a Knight, a Bishop and a Queen in four moves and giving checkmate on the 4th move. Sit back and enjoy.
CultLogic - leomccrea RHP 2011
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PGN
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. f3 {Quite a common reply on RHP though after 3...dxe4 Black is already looking god.} 3... Na6 {This is what we call in the trade a Drunken Knight.} 4. Nc3 Nh6 {And there is another one.} 5. Qe2 f5 6. exd5 b6 7. dxe6 Qxd4 8. Bg5 Bc5 9. Qb5+ c6 10. Qxc6+ Bd7 {OK here we go....} 11. Qxa8+ {One....} 11... Nb8 12. Qxb8+ {Two....} 12... Bc8 13. Qxc8+ {Three.....} 13... Qd8 14. Qxd8# {Four....and Checkmate.}
