Red Fox + Leonard Barden’s Chess Book.
By 01 Jul 24 on
694 views | 3 edits | Last edit on 05 Jul 24
Chess in the Movies
A new feature called Chess in the Movies where we look at
...er...Chess in the Movies. Movies with a bit of Chess in them.
The Red Fox (1991)
We pan around John Hurt’s sitting room, he has two chess sets with
a different position on each one. He opens his mail. It is a move in
a correspondence game. John looks at the letter. This is the position.
Here I think the move that was meant to be played was 1...Nxa5 when
White replies 2.Re8 checkmate. But perhaps the director did not like the
shot that would require a piece being taken, placed at the side of the board
and another move being made. (these directors can be very pernickety )
so John, reading the letter played 1...Rd1. John’s smiles and plays 2. Qd8+.
In the background we see a row of chess books.
The first book is Leonard Barden’s ‘Chess Puzzle Book.’
At a request or a new idea, I cannot recall which we now start proceedings
with three puzzles. They will be in order, easy, moderate and a tough one.
You are probably expecting that I will use puzzles from Leonard’s book.
A very good idea. Unfortunately I saw the film after I had set the puzzles
Easy
White play and mate in three moves.
Moderate
White to play. David Spanier in ‘Total Chess’ says if you can
find the mate in 30 seconds then you count yourself as an expert
Clue: A famous game. it is move 40. Your clock is ticking.
Tough
White to play and win.
White to play and mate in three moves.
Reshevsky - Savon, Petropolis 1973
Suffering in his traditional time trouble Sammy played 40.Qxg6+ Bxg6 and resigned.
Much better was 40.g5+ Kxg5 41.h4+ Kxh4 (41....Kh6 42.Rh8 mate) 42. Qf4 mate
I do not know who played the ‘tough’ one. I think it is a composed position.
Earlier today a spokesman for FIDE stated that the World Junior Chess Championship
has been cancelled. The reason being there is no longer any point because everyone
expects that soon the adult World Final will most likely be between two 14 years olds.
Back to the position from the film 'Red Fox.'
We can do a theme of the week. Rook e8 mates with a b1 Bishop covering a flight square.
platitudipus - Rakker RHP 2007 (White to play}
1.Qxf4 exf4 2.Rxe8+ mate next move.
Michael008 - coyote RHP 2018 (Black to play)
White has just played 33.Bb1 setting a Back rank trap. Black played 33....Rxd1. 1-0.
Tenacitiz - Mitchapolooza RHP 2022 (Black to play)
Black does not want to give up the a6 pawn so played 29....Rb8 to protect the
Bishop. 2...Bd5 was fine. White of course played 30.Nxb7 Rxb7 31.Re8 mate.
ojsimm - Sergey Kluzner RHP 2022 (White to play}
White can play 30.Re8+ Kh7 31.Be4 pinning and winning the Black Queen.
But White, in a very good and wining position went for more and cheekily
played 30.Be4. Now Black should have played 30...Qd7 but played 30...Qf6.
White’s idea paid off. 31.Bb1 31...Ra8 32.Re8 mate.
The thread accompanying this blog is Thread 200071[
