Thought I kick off another blog with another moving cover.
Staying on book covers what about this one which was discovered
by and duly posted on Kenneth Spraggett’s site. It’s a great find.
White has been skewered whilst a masked controller looks on.
*** The Candidates Playing Card Game ***
The candidates are here again. Eight players play each other twice and
the winner of the tournament gets to meet Magnus Carlsen in November.
So print out the following set of cards, glue then to a piece of cardboard,
get an adult to cut them out for you and you now own a super-duper set of
Candidate Playing Cards. You make up the rules as you go along. Good Luck.
*** The Swedish Immortal***
Arvid Sundin - Erik Andersson, Correspondence game 1964
FEN
1rr3k1/2n2p1p/1pq1pPpB/p1ppP3/2nP2PP/1QP2N2/P1P2K2/1R5R w - - 0 23
[FEN "1rr3k1/2n2p1p/1pq1pPpB/p1ppP3/2nP2PP/1QP2N2/P1P2K2/1R5R w - - 0 23"] 23. h5 a4 {Now the fun starts. Imaging seeing this at home as White and watching it all come to fruition.} 24. hxg6 fxg6 25. Ng5 axb3 26. f7+ Kh8 27. Nxh7 bxc2 28. Nf6 cxb1=Q {Black is two Queens up. Any Bishop discovered check meets Qxh1 So first...} 29. f8=Q+ {...Two Queens down so White sacs another. This move, as we shall see, actually blocks f8 as a flight square for the Black King.} 29... Rxf8 30. Bg7+ {Double check! The King must move on a Double Check. It is the only legal response.} 30... Kxg7 31. Rh7 {Checkmate! Bravo!} 1-0
This game quickly became titled as The Swedish Immortal and it was so
highly regarded that Sweden actually commissioned a stamp in it’s honour.
The final position of the Swedish Immortal on a Swedish stamp.
RHP has it’s own....er....em....Immortals. How about?
the7tidlys - flyingcod RHP 2016
FEN
2kr4/p7/1qPP3p/6p1/4Np2/5P2/2R3PP/3Q2K1 w - - 0 1
[FEN "2kr4/p7/1qPP3p/6p1/4Np2/5P2/2R3PP/3Q2K1 w - - 0 1"] 1. Kh1 Qe3 2. d7+ Kc7 3. Qd6+ Kb6 4. c7+ Kb7 {White now has 5.Qc6 Checkmate.} 5. cxd8=Q {5.cxd8=N+ mated in two. White broke two of our golden rules here. Check all Checks and Pause before Promotion.} 5... Qe1 {White has been checkmated.}
If ever there was Pause before Promoting lesson then this is it.
platoic - themban RHP 2011
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 g5 {Not the best move I've seen on RHP. White's reply is the perfect answer.} 4. d4 Qf6 {Bringing your Queen out before should only be done if it absolutely necessary. The threat to the White d-pawn is an illusion, the Queen is just a target.} 5. Bxg5 Qg6 6. O-O Qxe4 {Asking for trouble.} 7. Nxe5 Nxe5 8. Re1 Qf5 {Well that is the Black Queen gone. All part of Plan Nine. The plan being to fill White so full of over confidence they will/might make a mistake.} 9. Rxe5+ Qxe5 10. dxe5 d6 11. Qf3 {White's Queen joins in with an immediate threat. Mate on f7.} 11... Be6 12. Bxe6 fxe6 13. Bf6 Nxf6 14. Qxf6 Rg8 15. Qxe6+ Kd8 16. Qxg8 {Black is taking Plan Nine a bit too far. I wonder how much more material they are willing to give up.} 16... Kd7 17. e6+ Kc6 18. e7 Re8 {19.Qc4+ and 20.exf8. on c4 the Queen can drop back to f1.} 19. exf8=Q {Plan Nine. It never fails.} 19... Re1 {That's checkmate.}
This game gets the Red Hot Pawn stamp.
It’s valid. Print it, get the same adult who helped you with the Candidate Playing Cards
to cut it out for you, then glue it to an envelope and send it .Let me know if this works.
We end with another classic RHP moment from last year where one player
in a clear winning position has an idea and falls foul to a back rank trick.
Blanca - apsol RHP 2015
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e6 3. e4 c5 4. e5 {Black should now go for 4...cxd4 5.exf6 dxc3 the ensuing position is OK for them.} 4... Ng8 {Always look for a reason never to play an undeveloping move like this, see the previous note. This sad Knight does not make another move.} 5. d5 d6 6. Bb5+ Bd7 7. dxe6 {Here 7...fxe6 is the best looking choice in a bad position.} 7... Bxb5 8. exf7+ Kxf7 9. Qd5+ Ke8 10. Nxb5 Qa5+ 11. Nc3 {Recap. White is a pawn up and has a Black King stuck in the middle of an open board} 11... Nc6 12. Nf3 {White now prepares to tuck the King out of the way so the h1 Rook can join the game.} 12... h6 {Played to stop Ng5 but instead of wasting a move 12...Nge7 hitting the Queen and getting a piece out was better.} 13. O-O Rd8 {Nge7 was still playable. We are reaching the juicy part of the game where it's time to STOP and start working things out.} 14. Re1 dxe5 {White can now play a piece winning sham Queen sacrifice. 14.Nxe5 Rxd5 15.Nxc6+ Kf7 16.Nxa5 winning back the Queen and a safe piece up.} 15. Rxe5+ Be7 {15...Nxe5 was better. White is making difficult for themselves. Now 16. Qe4 Nxe5 17.Nxe5 and the hole created by that wasted tempo 12...h6 returns to haunt Black.} 16. Qe6 {But White has a better idea....} 16... Nxe5 17. Nxe5 {With the Queen on e6 White threatens mate on f7 and also has Qg6+ at his disposal. Looks good but....} 17... Rd1+ {...add another name in the book of those who have fallen for a back rank mate.} 18. Nxd1 Qe1
If you have anything to say or add then please use Thread 167855
