This book, quite rightly so, has been hailed as a mini classic.
Quite a few of the older members here will have the one of the left.
For some reason, possibly a business going into administration the one
on the right (algebraic) is popping up in Oxfam charity shops all over
the country with players reporting the price varying from £2.99 - £3.99.
In 2002 the 1978 original was transformed from descriptive to algebraic.
Although updating the notation from (1.P-K4 to 1.e3) is always welcome
sometimes the person, in this case Fred Wilson, doing it cannot help
themselves by chipping in with corrections and comments on the opening.
I’m happy to report that Fred played by the rules and left the original practically
untouched with very few minor corrections. One was needed due to an oversight
that must have exasperated Michael Stean when it was spotted after publication.
This is the culprit. White to play and win.
Michael is going through the Good Bishop v The Bad Bishop routine.
FEN
3b4/2p5/2Pp2k1/1P2p3/4P1K1/4B3/8/8 w - - 0 1
[FEN "3b4/2p5/2Pp2k1/1P2p3/4P1K1/4B3/8/8 w - - 0 1"] 1. Bf2 Kg7 {As Michael notes any Bishop move allows 2. b6 cxb6 3. c7 and the pawn promotes.} 2. Kf5 Kf7 3. Be3 Ke7 4. Bg5+ Ke8 5. Ke6 {More thematic and aesthetically pleasing adds Michael} 5... Bxg5 6. b6 {The Pawn promotes.}
What was missed? The very first move wins!
1.Bg5 wins right away. 1...Bxg5 2.b6 a manoeuvre mentioned only later.
A harmless slip highlighting the danger of making up a position to illustrate a point.
If possible use examples from games. Then all the wee tricks have usually been noted.
J. Nunn - S. Skembris Paris 1983
FEN
r3k3/pr1n2p1/1qp1p3/6Q1/1bP4P/2B5/PP3P2/1K1R3R w - - 0 25
[FEN "r3k3/pr1n2p1/1qp1p3/6Q1/1bP4P/2B5/PP3P2/1K1R3R w - - 0 25"] 25. Qh5+ {In the actual game Black played Ke7 we look at what at this unheard melody.} 25... Kd8 26. Qh8+ Kc7 27. Be5+ Nxe5 28. Qxg7+ Be7 29. Qxe7+ Kc8 {Time to pick up that e5 Knight with a check.} 30. Qf8+ Kc7 31. Qg7+ Kc8 32. Qh8+ Kc7 33. Qxe5+ Kc8 {The Queen zigzags towards the Black King.} 34. Qh8+ Kc7 35. Qg7+ Kc8 36. Qf8+ Kc7 37. Qe7+ Kc8 38. Qe8+ Kc7 39. Rd7
And now something slightly different. How many times have you seen this?
A Corridor Mate.
How about one like this in under 30 moves.
The closest I came was Kevin McGuirk - stevelettrich RHP2014 (Black to play)
Black, faced with three mates in one DID NOT play 30...Re1+ forcing 31.Bf1.Rexf1+
keeping the game going. Instead Black played 30....Rff2. Take your pick of the three mates.
But it is not just RHP players that miss Corridor Mates. Let us hold up a torch to
Berthold Englisch (1851 - 1897) Who missed a great chance v Isidor Gunsberg to
get a game of his into the combination books (and the funny pages - blogs like this)
with a wonderful idea . (If you want to you can call this Unheard Melody Part II)
The following position from the game does appears in ‘Blunders and Brilliancies’
But sadly it is under the section marked ‘Missed Opportunities.’ (it is No.59)
If you ever see B & B in a charity shop grab it and pay double it’s asking price.
B. Englisch - I. Gunsberg, Hamburg 1885.
FEN
2r4k/R7/p5R1/5p2/5P2/8/r5P1/6K1 w - - 0 58
[FEN "2r4k/R7/p5R1/5p2/5P2/8/r5P1/6K1 w - - 0 58"] 58. Rf6 Ra5 {Black is gummed up. White embarks on a King march.} 59. Kh2 Kg8 60. Kh3 Rd8 61. Kh4 Rc8 62. Kg5 Rc2 63. Rd6 {Allowing the g-pawn to go with a check.} 63... Rxg2+ 64. Kf6 {Now what? Black has to play Kh8 to answer Rd8+ with Rg8} 64... Kh8 {This is the position in Blunder and Brilliancies.} 65. Ra8+ {The move White missed. Rd1 also wins but this line is more instructive.} 65... Rg8 66. Kf7 {The King march and this move would have made this game unforgettable.} 66... Rxa8 {There is nothing else. Everything leads to mate.} 67. Rh6
I found the mid-board Corridor Mate I mentioned earlier in a beauty of an OTB game.
I. Nikolayev - D. A Weatherly, Rochester, USA 2003
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. c3 {The Goring Gambit.} 4... dxc3 {Taking the gambit pawn or 4...d5 are the most popular choices.} 5. Nxc3 Bb4 {We now follow well known theory for a number of moves.} 6. Bc4 d6 7. O-O Bxc3 8. bxc3 {8...Bg4 here is recommended as the best move in a few books.} 8... Nf6 {But this too is theoretically playable} 9. e5 Nxe5 10. Nxe5 dxe5 {The mainline now split into 11.Qb3 or what was played.} 11. Qxd8+ Kxd8 12. Bxf7 Ke7 13. Bb3 Be6 14. Re1 Bxb3 15. axb3 {The safe move appears to be 15...Rhe8 and has been played a few times.} 15... Ke6 {Black plays to hold onto the extra pawn.} 16. Bf4 e4 {Planning to answer 17.Bxc7 with 17...Rhc8.} 17. f3 {Black should now go active with Rhd8 and Rd3 or Rd2 ideas.} 17... Kf5 {Looks very natural. White dived into the think tank and came up with...} 18. Ra5+ Kxf4 {18...Kg6 would have avoided what happened but White is still on top.} 19. Kf2 {Threatening g3 mate.} 19... exf3 {Maybe Black got this far in his calculations and relied too much on this move.} 20. g3+ Kg4 21. h3+ {But Black missed that one and resigned due to.} 21... Kxh3 22. Rh1+ Kg4 23. Rh4 {Checkmate.}