Picked this book up on the 1986 Kasparov - Karpov World Championship
by Wade, Miles, Bronstein, Hartston....(phew!).... Blackstock, Martin....
Here is a picture of the cover listing all the names.
It’s OK, reasonable notes, nice bit of background chit chat and the book is built
to last (a lot of my books fall to pieces during study), but.....there is always a but.
The diagrams and figurine notation is playing havoc with my pattern vision.
They have the Knights facing right instead of left and it looks very strange.
Things look worse when they use another feature of the book. Each game is noted up
but they also show the same game with no notes, just a diagram after every two moves.
And that silly Knight makes it look like Egyptian hieroglyphics.
Giambattista Lolli (1698 – 1769)
An Italian chess player and author who one day, fed up waiting for television to
be invented, decided to mess about with King & Queen v a King & Rook ending.
He discovered that this position with White to move is a draw.
White to play and draw. Lolli 1763.
Here is the drawing procedure. I’d pay attention here because this idea may
save you a ½ point. More than 250 years later some RHP players missed it.
FEN
7k/8/8/8/8/4q3/R7/5K2 w - - 0 1
[FEN "7k/8/8/8/8/4q3/R7/5K2 w - - 0 1"] 1. Rh2+ Kg7 2. Rg2+ Kf6 3. Rf2+ {If the Black King strays onto the e-file then Re2 pins the Queen to the King.} 3... Kg5 4. Rg2+ Kh4 5. Rh2+ Kg3 6. Rh3+ Kxh3 {That is stalemate. Note if the King is on g3 White checks g2 and if King goes to f3 then Rg3+ is the same. Stalemate idea.}
I offer you Four RHP players all missing this stalemate in all four corner s of the board.
None of the lads played the stalemate move in brackets and all went onto to lose.
A = kuldeep Sharma - Nishi Kant Gupta RHP 2013 (76....Rb7+)
B = dartsman - Palimpsest RHP 2011 (65...Rg6+)
C = Kresten - sameeh RHP 2014 (83...Rb3+)
D = wiz444 - traut777 RHP 2012. (100....Rg3+)
We are having so much fun with Lolli let us look at the Lolli Mate.
And this gives us a chance to see some good RHP games in action.
First we see the Lolli in it’s basic form. A perfect example from an RHP game.
anom asil - Farzad Farsee RHP 2017
FEN
r4rk1/5ppp/pq2p3/3p1P2/2pP4/2P3R1/PP4PP/1Q3RK1 w - - 0 1
[FEN "r4rk1/5ppp/pq2p3/3p1P2/2pP4/2P3R1/PP4PP/1Q3RK1 w - - 0 1"] 1. f6 {The White pawn on f6 is an important part of the Lolli pattern.} 1... g6 {Black cannot allow Rxg7+ and Qxh7 mate.} 2. Qc1 {The Queen gets ready to land on h6 with mate on g7.} 2... Kh8 {Preparing to defend g7 with Rg8.} 3. Qh6 Rg8 {The Lolli Mate Pattern.} 4. Qxh7+ {It never matters how many time you soundly sac your Queen, it's always enjoyable.} 4... Kxh7 5. Rh3 {Checkmate.}
Now you have seen one we look at a game where Black did not know the Lolli Mate.
Biagio Bascetta 2 - Sc111 RHP 2017
FEN
r4r1k/1p1n1p1n/p1p3p1/q2ppPP1/2B1P2Q/1P1P3P/2P3R1/3N1RK1 w - - 0 25
[FEN "r4r1k/1p1n1p1n/p1p3p1/q2ppPP1/2B1P2Q/1P1P3P/2P3R1/3N1RK1 w - - 0 25"] 25. exd5 cxd5 26. f6 {White sees it. It is not quite sound but the important thing is that Black cannot see it.} 26... dxc4 27. Qh6 Rg8 28. Rg4 {White is threatening Qxh7+ and Rh4 mate.} 28... Qc5+ {OOPS! Black had a defence here with 5...Nf8 protecting the Knight on h7.} 29. d4 {Black has no time for Nf8 the Black Queen is attacked.} 29... Qf8 {Black still gets mated.} 30. Qxh7+ Kxh7 31. Rh4+ Qh6 32. Rxh6
Same theme but this one has an instructive twist well worth knowing.
Shelrock57 - gregory eyetech RHP 2017
FEN
r2q1rk1/5p1p/2pP1Pp1/pp2P3/2n2P2/6Q1/P1B4P/R5RK w - - 0 27
[FEN "r2q1rk1/5p1p/2pP1Pp1/pp2P3/2n2P2/6Q1/P1B4P/R5RK w - - 0 27"] 27. Qg5 {Black can see Qh6 and mate on g7 coming so acts...} 27... Kh8 28. Qh6 Rg8 {....the basic pattern of the Lolli Mate.} 29. Rg3 {Black can now kill the mating threat with 3...Qf8.} 29... Qd7 {This stops Rh3 but White is not finished with the Lolli idea.} 30. Rg5 Ne3 {Black seems blissfully unaware he is about to be Lollied.} 31. Qxh7+ Kxh7 32. Rh5 {The g6 pawn is pinned. Checkmate.}
We end this piece on Giambattista Lolli with a full game.
PAWN RIOT - jose sureda RHP 2010
1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 {The Vienna Opening.} 2... Nf6 3. f4 d5 {Acknowledged as the best move for Black in this position.} 4. fxe5 Nxe4 5. Qf3 {An idea of Steinitz. 5.Nf3 is the most popular choice but Pawn Riot has scored well with this on here.} 5... Nxc3 6. dxc3 {6.bxc3 is a good alternative planning on a strong centre with d4 but again Pawn Riot knows this set up well and prefers this capture.} 6... Be7 7. Bd3 Be6 8. Bf4 O-O {Black castles into a storm. Never castle because you can - castle because you must. I think the great Pillsbury said that. 8...Nc6 or 8...Nd7 were better moves.} 9. Qh5 g6 10. Qh6 Kh8 {No need for this How about 10...Re8 getting ready to kick that Queen off h8 with Bf8.} 11. Nf3 Rg8 {Practically forced due to the coming Ng5 and the mate on h7.} 12. Ng5 Bxg5 {A bad mistake. 12...Rg7 and Black is hanging on. Now it's all bad news.} 13. Bxg5 Qf8 14. Bf6+ Rg7 15. h4 {White with the Lolli idea in mind is waiting for Black to eventually develop the b8 Knight so it can take on f6.} 15... Nd7 16. h5 Nxf6 {See the previous note. Black had to try 16...Kg8 if he wants to avoid being mated. He is still losing but now he gets Lollied.} 17. exf6 Rg8 18. Qxh7+ Kxh7 19. hxg6 {Double Check and Mate.}
The thread accompanying this blog is...
penguinkeeper - AlekhineReborn RHP 2011
White missed 29. Qxh7+ mating Black and went onto lose.
Blicher - Dreamthief RHP 2012
White missed 23. Qxh7+ mating Black and went onto lose.
Pololo - willysan RHP 2011
White missed 28. Qxh7+ mating Black and went onto lose.
SirLurch - joaodelisboa RHP 2017
A wee bit trickier 25.Nxf7+ Bxf7 26.Qxh7+ mates. but 0-1 on move 42.
