I’ve been pondering this problem since I was set it by a work colleague.
No it’s not a chess problem. It’s a riddle type of problem with a chess theme,
the kind you get from annoying people whose face you just want to smash in.
This guy (let’s call him Albert Smith) hates chess books on endings.
He rushes into a shop that sells nothing but chess books on endings and destroys about
a quarter of the stock. (Hey! we should call this Albert Smith fellow Geoff Chandler.).
The owner of the shop thanks Albert……………Why?
No the answer is not the shop owner could finally see the error of his miserable ways.
Nor has the shop owner been converted by this blog. It’s apparently deeper than that.
So over you to you. Why did the owner thank Albert Smith for ruining 25% of his junk stock?
Answer at the bottom where I usually add the thread link
Continuing with the theme of tricks mentioned in chess books that RHP players fall for.
I looked for that old chestnut in the Exchange Variation of the Lopez where White
castles, Black pins the f3 Knight. White kicks the Bishop with h3 and Black replies h5.
Fischer looks at all kinds of lines in his 60 Memorable Games. None of them consider
7.hxg4 which leads to a forced loss. Fischer guessed his readers would know this blunder.
I don’t think this is Bobby Fischer but I need a picture here and I don’t want to infringe copyright.
50 players on RHP have played 7.hxg4 and most got mated thus.
older but wiser - Blanca RHP 2012
It’s only fair that I use one of Blanca’s games - between 2006 and 2012 he has caught eight players with this.
I said ‘most’ have got mated this way. One odd exception is the player clarencecuasay.
This is clarencecuasay
By day Clarencecuasay drives the No.248 Dallas to San Diego bus. Give him a wave.
At night he pours over his chessboard trying to bust old traps found in his chess books.
In November 2011 clarencecuasay became one of Blanca’s 8 victims.
In December 2011 clarencecuasay fell into the same trap but this time …
clarencecuasay - Kegge RHP December 2011
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. O-O Bg4 6. h3 h5 7. hxg4 hxg4 8. Nxe5 Qh4 9. f3 {9....g3 and mate cannot be prevented.} 9... Bc5+ 10. d4 {Again 10.g3 and the Black Queen mates on h1.} 10... Qh2+ {But this is wrong. The King runs away.} 11. Kf2 g3+ {Two moves too late.} 12. Ke1 Qxg2 {Black has an idea....he throws another Bishop on the fire...will it work?} 13. dxc5 Rh1 {The threat is Qf2+ Checkmate. Unfortunately whilst it is White's move this is just a threat.} 14. Qd7+ Kf8 15. Qxf7 {Instead of mating on f2 Black is mated on f7.}
So now we know that you cannot take the g4 Bishop in the Ruy Lopez Exchange..
Well you can if you are a Grandmaster looking for a quick draw in an OTB game.
I found over 100 examples on my OTB database of this distressed effort.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. O-O Bg4 6. h3 h5 7. c3 Qd3 8. hxg4 hxg4 9. Nxe5 Bd6 10. Nxd3 Bh2+ 11. Kh1 Bg3+ 12. Kg1 Bh2+ 13. Kh1 Bg3+ 14. Kg1 Bh2+ 15. Kh1 Bg3+ {Drawn. Only one game has gone this way on RHP. Here we might make more blunders than a salad hater has hot dinners - but we fight to the bitter end. }
Half of the Round Two of the 2014 RHP Championship are over…
…there are …
….300 games still ongoing…
I won some, drew some and lost some
Played 16, won 3, drew 5 lost 8.
Here is a round two game where the higher rated player throws caution,
in the shape of three pawns, out of the window for a twist or bust attack
What struck me about this game was it reminded me so much of an OTB game
where a player forces his will on his opponent. The stronger player (and all I
have to go on is the grade.) can either sit and wait for a blunder or try to blast
his so called weaker opponent off the board with gambit play and complications.
1. d4 d5 2. e4 {Giving Black a choice. A Caro Khan (2...c6) a French (2...e6) or as here a Blackmar - Diemar Gambit.} 2... dxe4 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. f3 exf3 5. Nxf3 g6 6. Bc4 Bg7 7. O-O O-O {For the pawn White has a nice lead in development. OTB under 2000 this gambit scores well for White. At the top level it does make a sneaky appearance and has recently also being doing fairly well. The teeth of the Blackmar-Diemar are still 'theoretically' in place.} 8. Qe1 {Plan A. Go for the King. (there is only one plan in the Blackmar which makes it so appealing.) The Queen is heading for the h-file.} 8... Bf5 9. Qh4 {Offering another pawn for more time.} 9... c6 {Black declines the c2 pawn. This nervous looking move thwarts the idea of Ng5 - Nd5 -Nxf6+ and Qxh7 mate. A caveman attack which is carved into the wall on my cave. Not painted on the wall…carved.} 10. Bh6 {Swapping off a dark squared defender, weakening the Black King's position - connecting Rooks,} 10... Nbd7 11. h3 {This wee h3 move is often seen in brutal King-side attacks. It preps g2-g4, opens up Nh2-g4 ideas, stops any Bxh6 Qxh6 Ng4 tricks and give the King a flight square for when the counter-attack comes.} 11... Bxh6 {Now there is no Bxh6 and Ng4 tricks I'd prefer to let White chop on g7, this often gives you Rf8-h8 defences. Let's see how it pans out.} 12. Qxh6 Bxc2 {Now he takes the pawn. It's a Pawn for Pace game.} 13. Rac1 Bf5 14. g4 Nb6 {Black starts fighting back offering a pawn with Bxf7+ and gxf5. White is not interested and infact is ready to throw another pawn into the pot with a check!} 15. gxf5 Nxc4 16. Ng5 Qxd4+ {A third pawn is sacced.} 17. Kh1 {Now it's a very awkward position for Black. White has a handful of attacking ideas up his sleeve, starting with taking on g6 then f6 and mating with Qxh7.} 17... Nd6 {Getting some wood over to the Kingside were it is desperately needed. This d6 Knight, holding f7, becomes the focus of White's attention.} 18. fxg6 Rfd8 {Giving the King the square f8 as running room. But now we see a gxh7+ Kh8 and Nxf7 mate idea popping up. The d6 Knight is stopping that one.} 19. Rce1 {19.Rcd1 with the idea of chopping the d6 Knight (see previous note.) is another idea. 19.Rce1 has the same idea, it allows the c3 Knight to enter the fray and eyeball the d6 Knight.} 19... Rd7 20. Nce4 {So if 20...Ndxe4 21.gxh7+ mates with either a Queen or a Knight landing on f7.} 20... fxg6 {gxh7+ was a severe threat, now it's time for White to start putting the one move mating threats on the board.} 21. Ne6 {That's a good one. The threat is Qg7 mate. And if the heroic d6 Knight drops back to e8 to defend g7 then Qf8 is mate.} 21... Ng4 {Nothing saves Black. 21...Nf5 22.Rxf5. 21...Nh5 meets what was played in the game. White wraps it up with a wee bit of panache.} 22. Qf8+ {22.Rf8+ would have done but no complaints from me .A Queen sac still thrills.} 22... Rxf8 23. Rxf8
After years of doing this blog I have noticed the worse thing a typical
RHP player (And I’m including myself here) can have…..is the move!
We are doing OK until it is our turn to move. The move is like a tennis
ball being lobbed into our half of the court. All we have to do is hit it back.
But this is beyond most of us. We try a to put a fancy spin on it or attempt a lob.
All we succeed in doing is setting ourselves up for a cross court forearm smash.
jb70 (1565) - WaydeS (1798) RHP Ch (Round 2) 2014
FEN
2r4r/p4pk1/1p1b1qp1/3p1n2/2pP4/P3PN2/1P1BQPPP/1R2R1K1 w - - 0 24
[FEN "2r4r/p4pk1/1p1b1qp1/3p1n2/2pP4/P3PN2/1P1BQPPP/1R2R1K1 w - - 0 24"]
24. e4 Nxd4 25. Nxd4 Bxh2+ 26. Kf1 {Black now sets himself up for his Queen being pinned to the King.} 26... Qxd4 27. Bc3 Be5 {Very cleverly breaking the pin. White should now play g3 and the game is alive and the blunder ball is still bouncing about.} 28. Bxd4 {The Blunder Ball has just been hit into the net.} 28... Rh1
White sacrificed an opening pawn, his opponent doggedly hung on to it and it has
turned into a passed a-pawn. Instead of facing a dour defence White has an idea….
FEN
3qr1k1/r4ppp/4p3/pp1nP3/2pPB3/R1P5/3Q1PPP/4R1K1 w - - 0 22
[FEN "3qr1k1/r4ppp/4p3/pp1nP3/2pPB3/R1P5/3Q1PPP/4R1K1 w - - 0 22"]
22. Qe2 Qe7 {Re-a1 and bring the heavy bits to the a-file. Black will have to work for his win. Instead White sets a prat.} 23. Qh5 {Not a typo, a prat is a trap that is not a trap. White thinks if Black takes the a3 Rook he mates with Qxh7. No. Because after Qxa3 the square e7 is vacated and the Black King can run away.} 23... g6 {The other hole in the idea. The mate is stopped. The Queen is attacked and the a3 Rook falls. White soon resigned.}
And even the good guys slip up. We end with a plausible move meeting a neat response.
Usually this slot is saved up for some horrendous blunder - here it is a good alert move.
5rk1/p5b1/1p2p3/1BnN3p/5Pp1/8/PP4PP/5RK1 w - - 0 1
[FEN "5rk1/p5b1/1p2p3/1BnN3p/5Pp1/8/PP4PP/5RK1 w - - 0 1"]
1. Nc7 Bxb2 {Black has won a pawn but White is set up to win it back.} 2. Bc4 Bd4+ {Not a needless check. It is a crafty and sly move. It leaves the f1 Rook unprotected as the King is nudged into the corner.} 3. Kh1 Kg7 {Black moves his King so the e6 pawn does not drop with a check and now waits..... How is White going to take back his pawn?} 4. Bxe6 {4.Nxe6 was the move. The text looks OK but Black has.....} 4... Be5 {White resigned! The Knight protecting the Bishop is attacked, the pawn cannot take the Bishop due to Rxf1+ (remember that needless check?) - White is losing a piece.}
The solution to the opening puzzle.
The shop caught fire, Albert Smith is a fireman, his water hose did destroy 25% of
the books when putting out the fire but it saved the rest. The owner was very pleased.
