The 0% Trap + Snooker

[FEN "8/6p1/4k3/7p/4KP2/8/5P1P/8 w - - 0 38"]

38. h4 {Here you can make a small bet with yourself. Who Stalemates who?} 38... Kf6 39. f5 Kf7 40. Ke5 Ke7 41. Kf4 Kd6 42. Kg5 Ke5 {Now all White need do is play 43.f3! the Black King must move to the d-file and White can play Kxh5 1-0.} 43. f4+ Ke4 {Now it's almost like a composed study, White to play and win. See next game fragment. } 44. Kxh5 Kxf5 {Well did you win your bet with yourself about who Stalemates who?}

[FEN "8/6p1/8/5PKp/4kP1P/8/8/8 w - - 0 1"]

1. f6 {The only move that wins from here. See what I mean when I said ‘When doing such things (giving up a piece to simplify into a won ending) it’s best to make the win as clear cut as you can giving yourself no technical difficulties’ This was the technical difficulties I was talking about. } 1... gxf6+ 2. Kxh5 Kxf4 3. Kg6 f5 4. h5 Kg4 5. h6 f4 6. h7 f3 7. h8=Q f2 {This is so close to being a draw due to the pawn being an f-pawn but the White Queen arrives in plenty of time.} 8. Qh1 Kg3 9. Qf1 {0-1}

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a5 {This to the lad you are playing will appear as a mouse slip and will not suspect anything.} 4. O-O {Natural enough.} 4... Nf6 5. d3 {defends the pawn, lets the c1 Bishop out.} 5... Na7 6. Bc4 {Here or 6.Ba4 it does not matter.} 6... b5 {The Bishop is lost. 7.Bd5 c6 8.Bb3 a4. However.....} 7. Bxf7+ Kxf7 8. Nxe5+ {Hmmm.... some will prefer the attack, some will prefer the extra piece. It's up to you if you want to try it. Don’t blame me.}

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a5 4. O-O Nf6 5. Bxc6 {As a good a bust of this idea as anything else.} 5... dxc6 6. Nxe5 Bc5 7. Nc3 Be6 8. d3 Qd6 9. Nf3 O-O-O 10. a3 g5 {This is the caveman and his club attack. Open the g-file, put a Rook on g8 and sac it on g2.} 11. e5 {And White is a piece up.} 11... Qd7 12. Bxg5 {A Fancy-Dan move. Black can now play 12...Nd5 turning the loss of the piece into just the loss of the exchange. There was nothing wrong with 12.exf6.} 12... Rhg8 {Rakker does care about losing pieces, all he wants is the open g-file.} 13. Bxf6 Rxg2+ {See note after Black's 10th move.} 14. Kxg2 Rg8+ 15. Kh1 Bg4 16. Ne4 Qf5 {The Black attack hangs by a thread. White just has to negotiate the next few moves and the thread breaks.} 17. Nh4 {17.Ned2 is OK but that would not pick up the c5 Bishop. I wonder if White intended this, or was there a wee piece of luck involved. See the next note.} 17... Bxd1 {Maybe, I don't know, but it does look plausible that now only did White realise he cannot take the Black Queen. 18.Nxf5 Bf3 checkmate.} 18. Raxd1 {But no harm done, White has.....} 18... Qf4 19. Nxc5 {.....four pieces for the Queen.} 19... Rg4 {The traditional last throw of the dice. White can answer this with 20.Rg1 Black cannot play 21...Rxh4 due to 22.Rg8 which looks like checkmate to me.} 20. Ng2 {White just refused to give back any material, he could have gone into a two Rooks and Knight v a Queen game with every expectation of winning. Instead.....} 20... Qf3 21. Rg1 {Only move.} 21... Rxg2 22. Rxg2 Qxd1+ 23. Rg1 Qf3+ 24. Rg2 Qd1+ 25. Rg1 Qf3+ {Perpetual check.}

[FEN "2Q1n1k1/p4ppp/8/8/8/7P/PP3PPK/3r1r2 b - - 0 1"]

1... Kf8 {1....Rde1 holds the Knight and keeps the King free from checks.} 2. b4 {White waits....} 2... Rxf2 {An unprotected piece with a check in the position. The recipe for disaster.} 3. Qc5+ {White picks up the f2 Rook, Black resigned.}

[FEN "8/5r1k/4Q2n/1P1p4/8/P6P/6P1/3r2K1 w - - 0 1"]

1. Kh2 Rb7 {That is the type of move you must avoid, two unprotected Rooks. You hit one to take up position on the other just like as you do in snooker.} 2. Qc6 {The b7 Rook has to move. But this Rook is not the one in danger. So let us make a Black move, it does matter where this Rook goes the next move is the same.} 2... Rf7 3. Qc2+ {And the d1 Rook drops off the board.}

[FEN "7k/ppp2r2/2n3Q1/8/3P1P2/2P5/P4KPP/4r3 b - - 0 1"]

1... Ree7 {Interesting position, All the Black are pieces protected, the three passed pawns may cause some trouble but Black can double on the e-file and harass the White King.} 2. Qh6+ {2...Kg8 looks OK.} 2... Rh7 {OOPS!} 3. Qf8 {Black has just been Checkmated.}

[FEN "r2k3r/1b1nb1pp/2qNQ3/3nP1B1/8/8/PPP3PP/2KR3R w - - 0 1"]
1. Bxe7+ Nxe7 2. Nxb7+ Qxb7 3. Rxd7+ Qxd7 4. Rd1 Ra7 5. Rxd7+ Rxd7 6. Qb6+ {So far so good, now 6...Kc8 and White will have to rely heavily on those passed Queenside pawns to win this. Instead it's the e-pawn that becomes the Queen's partner.} 6... Ke8 7. e6 Rd8 8. Qb5+ Kf8 9. Qf1+ {Black resigned.}

[FEN "3r3k/p6p/1pQ3p1/3rpp2/1P4PP/P7/4KP2/n7 w - - 0 1"]

1. Qf6+ Kg8 2. Qe6+ Kf8 3. Qf6+ Ke8 4. Qe6+ Kf8 5. Qf6+ Kg8 6. Qe6+ Kg7 7. Qe7+ Kh6 8. Qg5+ Kg7 9. Qe7+ Kh8 10. Qf6+ Kg8 11. Qe6+ {etc...etc...etc...}

[FEN "8/4pkn1/Q2p2p1/1ppP4/4r3/1P6/PKP5/7r b - - 0 1"]

1... b4 {Restricts the White King.} 2. a3 {An attempt to break free.} 2... Ree1 {Threatens mate.} 3. axb4 cxb4 {A wretched position for White. If the Rooks pair up like this against the King then it often curtains. 4.c3 then 4...Rh2+ and mate next move.} 4. Qa2 {White is forced to give up the Queen for the 2 Rooks to stop the mate. Usually never enough to save the game as the Rooks player will end up with a spare piece.} 4... Nh5 {Brilliant. Black does nothing and if the Queen moves than it's mate on b1 and c3 the only other move again is mated with Rh2 or Re2.}

[FEN "7k/pQp3pp/2n5/8/3p4/P7/2PK2PP/r4r2 b - - 0 1"]

1... Rf2+ 2. Kd3 Rxa3+ 3. Ke4 Re3+ 4. Kd5 Rf5+ 5. Kxc6 Re6+ 6. Kd7 Rd6+ {If now 7.Ke8 we have the wonderful mate where the h8 King plays it's part. 7. Ke8 Re5+ 8.Kf8 Rd8 mate.} 7. Kxc7 Rf7+ 8. Kxd6 Rxb7 {0-1}

[FEN "2r3k1/1p3pp1/1pr2n1p/8/1PPQ2PP/P4P2/5PK1/8 w - - 0 1"]

1. g5 Rxc4 {It's these wee in-between moves that the Queen player is sensitive too.} 2. Qxb6 Nh5 3. gxh6 {Although White tries to complicate things the 3 piece player can ignore such attempts if he can get the three pieces hitting the King.} 3... Nf4+ 4. Kg3 R8c6 {Using the Queen to re-position the pieces.} 5. Qd8+ Kh7 6. hxg7 {White threatens mate but he never gets a chance to play it.} 6... Rg6+ 7. Kh2 Rg2+ {White resigned, it's mate next move.}