Red Hot Ants
By on 06 May 14 22:13
4589 views | 3 edits | Last edit on 11 May 16 13:34
This is the Big Blue or Common Blue butterfly.
It is now extinct because it laid it’s single egg next to a red ants nest.
A scent from the egg fooled the red ants into thinking this was one of it’s own eggs
and they would carry it into their nest. The egg would hatch into a grub.
The grub would feed off the genuine red ants eggs till it turned
into a butterfly and the whole thing started all over again.
In Britain in the 60’s they wiped out huge numbers of the rabbit population by poison.
Red ants needed rabbits to survive. (something to do with their droppings).
The red ants died out and so did the Blue Butterfly. That is it’s demise in a nutshell.
Rabbits, red ants and butterflies, all linked together in a chain of mutual need.
Anyway I’m sitting in my garden playing out an Alekhine game.
When suddenly I saw a Big Blue Butterfly fluttering by.
I’m no poet else I might have sprung into verse…..Instead….
I swatted it right between Alekhine v Euwe 1937
But where you see the Blue Butterfly you will also find….RED ANTS!.
LOADS OF REDS ANTS!
My Tale from Vienna .
rmaki1 - greenpawn34, RHP April 2014
It is now extinct because it laid it’s single egg next to a red ants nest.
A scent from the egg fooled the red ants into thinking this was one of it’s own eggs
and they would carry it into their nest. The egg would hatch into a grub.
The grub would feed off the genuine red ants eggs till it turned
into a butterfly and the whole thing started all over again.
In Britain in the 60’s they wiped out huge numbers of the rabbit population by poison.
Red ants needed rabbits to survive. (something to do with their droppings).
The red ants died out and so did the Blue Butterfly. That is it’s demise in a nutshell.
Rabbits, red ants and butterflies, all linked together in a chain of mutual need.
Anyway I’m sitting in my garden playing out an Alekhine game.
When suddenly I saw a Big Blue Butterfly fluttering by.
I’m no poet else I might have sprung into verse…..Instead….
I swatted it right between Alekhine v Euwe 1937
But where you see the Blue Butterfly you will also find….RED ANTS!.
LOADS OF REDS ANTS!
My Tale from Vienna .
rmaki1 - greenpawn34, RHP April 2014
This PGN could not be parsed.
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. Nc3 {By a slight transposition we have reached a Vienna.} 3….Nxe4 {This usually sets off a sharp struggle. Game on already. If White now plays 4.Qh4 we enter the deadly Frankenstein-Dracula Variation (more about that later).} 4. Bxf7+ {A seductive sham sacrifice. 4.Nxe4 is answered with d5 winning back the piece. The text leads to a good game for Black after he sidesteps a couple of traps. } 4... Kxf7 5. Nxe4 d5 {And Black gets a good grip on the centre with a gain of tempo.} 6. Ng3 {See next games for the traps with 6.Qf3+ and 6.Qh5+.} 6... Nc6 {Holding the e-pawn against Qh5 ideas.} 7. h3 {This is far too timid, time consuming and weakening. 7.d3 or 7.Neg2.} 7... Bd6 {Already eyeing g3 as a potential weakness} 8. N1e2 Rf8 {I am castling by hand. Any time the sham sac Bxf7+ gained has been lost.} 9. O-O Kg8 10. d3 Qh4 {Looking at sacs on h3 and another poke at g3. I actually do sac on h3 but I appear to have missed an earlier chance.} 11. b3 {Without any central squares developing thus is required - however I missed the idea, I was too busy....} 11... Be6 {...developing my pieces.} 12. a4 {Ahh....now I see it. Ba3 and free the cramp with an exchange or two. Time to do something.} 12... Nd4 {I can answer Ba3 with c5 and I’m not too bothered if he plays Nxd4. It loosens g3 and the open file will favour the better developed side. Me.} 13. a5 {No. It's not a pawn push for the sake of pushing a pawn. White is looking at playing Ra4 pinning the d4 Knight. OK it’s time to put my developed pieces to work. I’ll get rid of one.} 13... Nf3+ {First soften up the King. This looks OK.} 14. gxf3 Rxf3 {Now I just had to wait and see what he would play. Surely if things go wrong I can sac and sac for a perpetual.} 15. Kg2 {I spent a while looking at the screen here. 15..Bxh3 sacs the f3 Rook and although I get the White King on the run I could not see a killer. So I played a move I always like playing.} 15... Raf8 {Every man is now working. It's another wait and see what he does position.} 16. Ng1 {Holds h3 which was now a clear winning threat but the g3 Knight is just that bit more insecure.} 16... e4 {Intending big hits on g3. I wondered what to do if he played 17.Qe1 adding more cover to g3. But I intended to cross that bridge if he played it.} 17. dxe4 {Good. He never found the awkward looking Qe1. Now Rxf2+ or Rxg3+ all seem to work but I chose.} 17... Bxh3+ {I knew I'd be saccing a piece on that h3 pawn.} 18. Nxh3 Rxg3+ {Throwing in the exchange and my opponent allowed me to mate.....} 19. fxg3 Qxg3+ 20. Kh1 Qh2 {Which was very sporting of him.}
- line 2: Unrecognised token '3….Nxe4'
- move 6 could not be played: Invalid PGN : Error converting move Bxf7
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. Nc3 {By a slight transposition we have reached a Vienna.} 3….Nxe4 {This usually sets off a sharp struggle. Game on already. If White now plays 4.Qh4 we enter the deadly Frankenstein-Dracula Variation (more about that later).} 4. Bxf7+ {A seductive sham sacrifice. 4.Nxe4 is answered with d5 winning back the piece. The text leads to a good game for Black after he sidesteps a couple of traps. } 4... Kxf7 5. Nxe4 d5 {And Black gets a good grip on the centre with a gain of tempo.} 6. Ng3 {See next games for the traps with 6.Qf3+ and 6.Qh5+.} 6... Nc6 {Holding the e-pawn against Qh5 ideas.} 7. h3 {This is far too timid, time consuming and weakening. 7.d3 or 7.Neg2.} 7... Bd6 {Already eyeing g3 as a potential weakness} 8. N1e2 Rf8 {I am castling by hand. Any time the sham sac Bxf7+ gained has been lost.} 9. O-O Kg8 10. d3 Qh4 {Looking at sacs on h3 and another poke at g3. I actually do sac on h3 but I appear to have missed an earlier chance.} 11. b3 {Without any central squares developing thus is required - however I missed the idea, I was too busy....} 11... Be6 {...developing my pieces.} 12. a4 {Ahh....now I see it. Ba3 and free the cramp with an exchange or two. Time to do something.} 12... Nd4 {I can answer Ba3 with c5 and I’m not too bothered if he plays Nxd4. It loosens g3 and the open file will favour the better developed side. Me.} 13. a5 {No. It's not a pawn push for the sake of pushing a pawn. White is looking at playing Ra4 pinning the d4 Knight. OK it’s time to put my developed pieces to work. I’ll get rid of one.} 13... Nf3+ {First soften up the King. This looks OK.} 14. gxf3 Rxf3 {Now I just had to wait and see what he would play. Surely if things go wrong I can sac and sac for a perpetual.} 15. Kg2 {I spent a while looking at the screen here. 15..Bxh3 sacs the f3 Rook and although I get the White King on the run I could not see a killer. So I played a move I always like playing.} 15... Raf8 {Every man is now working. It's another wait and see what he does position.} 16. Ng1 {Holds h3 which was now a clear winning threat but the g3 Knight is just that bit more insecure.} 16... e4 {Intending big hits on g3. I wondered what to do if he played 17.Qe1 adding more cover to g3. But I intended to cross that bridge if he played it.} 17. dxe4 {Good. He never found the awkward looking Qe1. Now Rxf2+ or Rxg3+ all seem to work but I chose.} 17... Bxh3+ {I knew I'd be saccing a piece on that h3 pawn.} 18. Nxh3 Rxg3+ {Throwing in the exchange and my opponent allowed me to mate.....} 19. fxg3 Qxg3+ 20. Kh1 Qh2 {Which was very sporting of him.}
Now one of the Vienna Trap I mentioned in my notes.
mattycharlie - BlueEyedRooK, RHP 2009
mattycharlie - BlueEyedRooK, RHP 2009
And another trick to catch the unwary. This idea is worth knowing.
odoodsdudes - Phillidor284 RHP.2009
odoodsdudes - Phillidor284 RHP.2009
A look at the Frankenstein - Dracula Variation which I mentioned in the notes.
I am just going to show the variation, a deep analysis would take up Blogs and Blogs.
I once lost on the Black side of this in a tournament, the very next round I lost on the White side!
I am just going to show the variation, a deep analysis would take up Blogs and Blogs.
I once lost on the Black side of this in a tournament, the very next round I lost on the White side!
Lesson from the OTB Good Guys No. 239.
Fabiano Caruana - Viktor Erdos, Italian Team Championship (2014)
There is a wee sleekit move I want you all to see. (sleekit - Scots slang for sly and crafty)
White plays a ‘Stop - Look I’m sitting on my hands ‘ Check. Read on.
10 out of 10 if you guess what is coming next. Correct. (I am nothing if not predictable).
Some RHP examples of players grabbing Rooks and getting mated on the next move.
stevefshaw - Piperman RHP 2012 (Black to play)
Black has a very easy perpetual check here with Qe2+ and Qe1 +.
Instead he took the Rook and was mated. 1…Qxd6 2. Qg5 mate.
Another material grab ignoring a check.
WIZ - gregory eyetech RHP 2010 (Black to play)
Black should play Rxb7 and have all the winning chances.
Instead he forgot all about the Knight and took on b7 with the Queen 1…Qxb7
And got mated with 2. Ne6.
rjmanzuk - lorelei9 RHP 2011
We join this tragedy just in time to watch White misses his win.
Some RHP examples of players grabbing Rooks and getting mated on the next move.
stevefshaw - Piperman RHP 2012 (Black to play)
Black has a very easy perpetual check here with Qe2+ and Qe1 +.
Instead he took the Rook and was mated. 1…Qxd6 2. Qg5 mate.
Another material grab ignoring a check.
WIZ - gregory eyetech RHP 2010 (Black to play)
Black should play Rxb7 and have all the winning chances.
Instead he forgot all about the Knight and took on b7 with the Queen 1…Qxb7
And got mated with 2. Ne6.
rjmanzuk - lorelei9 RHP 2011
We join this tragedy just in time to watch White misses his win.
This last one is a very instructive. Some of you…most of you…all of you
are not reading the board and are not identifying the key feature of a position.
theque - rembrandt RHP 2012 (White to play)
Tell me what you see. What is the key feature of this position?
If you say it’s the pawn on g7 I’ll find out where you live and glue your face to g7.
Yes Black has a mate in one threat, but it is your move. Don't panic.
Look at the Black King. Always look at the King. It’s the object of the game.
That Black King is awfully short of squares and the White pieces are all over it.
White took the h7 Rook and got mated with Qb4. He wanted to promote that g7 pawn.
That is all he saw, a pawn promotion He of course missed a forced, at the longest, a mate in 4.
are not reading the board and are not identifying the key feature of a position.
theque - rembrandt RHP 2012 (White to play)
Tell me what you see. What is the key feature of this position?
If you say it’s the pawn on g7 I’ll find out where you live and glue your face to g7.
Yes Black has a mate in one threat, but it is your move. Don't panic.
Look at the Black King. Always look at the King. It’s the object of the game.
That Black King is awfully short of squares and the White pieces are all over it.
White took the h7 Rook and got mated with Qb4. He wanted to promote that g7 pawn.
That is all he saw, a pawn promotion He of course missed a forced, at the longest, a mate in 4.
The thread accompanying this blog is Thread 159146
