I’d lost my g1 Knight, but it had been on holiday and has just come back.
In the recent World Cup one of the rapid tie-break games between Teimour Radjabov
and Ding Liren, the Chinese player set a wee trap before resigning. In GM parlance this
is known as a joke move, but it would have been no joke if Radjabov had fallen for it.
Here Ding (Black) had just played 45...Bc3-g7 (it was either this or Rc8 or resigns)
The suicide snare is ‘the obvious’ winning move 46 Kg6. threatening mate in two.
Radjabov side-stepped this trick with a deft 46. Kg5 and then Ding Liren resigned.
The trap, if you have not seen it, if Black plays 46.Kg6 Bf8 and the d6 Bishop is lost.
So even within seconds the good guys can set and spot tricks, traps and pitfalls.
Here at RHP with literally days to move we seem to miss the most basic threats.
A selection of bleepers with the same pieces as the above game. Rook and Bishop.
Flemming NDP - MicDrud RHP 2019
FEN
2k5/p1p4R/1p3p2/1P6/4KP2/r7/b7/5B2 w - - 0 32
[FEN "2k5/p1p4R/1p3p2/1P6/4KP2/r7/b7/5B2 w - - 0 32"] 32. Rh6 {Avoiding Bb1+ skewering the Rook whilst it was on h7.} 32... Bb1+ 33. Kd5 Rf3 {Now a Rook fork. Black can play Bh3+ but instead leaves the Bishop as please take me bait.} 34. Kc6 {Threatening Rh8 mate...alas...} 34... Be4 {...Black gets in first with the checkmate. (note here the Black Rook is a mere spectator.)}
Next Black spots a discovered check but not the one leading to checkmate.
ZorroTheFox - mlctulsa RHP 2019
FEN
8/2r2ppk/p6p/5P2/8/1B1R2P1/1b2KP1P/8 w - - 0 33
[FEN "8/2r2ppk/p6p/5P2/8/1B1R2P1/1b2KP1P/8 w - - 0 33"] 33. g4 f6 34. Rd8 {Black should now play h5 but he thinks he can ride out the discovered check.} 34... a5 {Putting the a-pawn square on a dark square so the Bishop cannot pick it up.} 35. Bg8+ Kh8 36. Bf7+ {But White was not after the Black a-pawn....} 36... Kh7 37. Bg6 {It's the King he was after. Always go for the King.}
No need to get sloppy when winning. White wrapped this one up well.
Globalgal - ILYN RHP 2012
White to play and checkmate in 4 moves.
FEN
4k2B/pb1p1p2/3Qp1p1/1p2P1bp/8/3R1P2/P3K1PP/7r w - - 0 30
[FEN "4k2B/pb1p1p2/3Qp1p1/1p2P1bp/8/3R1P2/P3K1PP/7r w - - 0 30"] 30. Qxd7+ Kf8 31. Qd8+ Bxd8 32. Rxd8+ Ke7 {All that was forced moves from Black.} 33. Bf6 {Checkmate.}
Saved the funniest till last. White puts too much faith in his passed g-pawn.
Azuceno - Demosthenes C Varona RHP 2010
FEN
8/3KB1k1/2p3P1/1p1b4/1P5R/8/5r2/8 w - - 0 53
[FEN "8/3KB1k1/2p3P1/1p1b4/1P5R/8/5r2/8 w - - 0 53"] 53. Rg4 Rd2 54. Ke8 Be6 55. Bf8+ Kf6 {Now Rg3 to hold the g-pawn.} 56. g7 {Here the rule of thumb about pushing passed pawns is wrong.} 56... Bf7 {The pawn on g6 was stopping this move. It is checkmate.}
This position has appeared 10 times on RHP
The most popular move is White playing 6.g3 but there is a better move.
Orlando Cena - paularnab RHP 2007
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Qh4 {The Steinitz variation of the Scotch Game.} 5. Nc3 {Black's best now appears to be 5...Bb4 but we do sometimes see...} 5... Nf6 {Now not 6.g3 which has had mixed results but...} 6. Nf5 {It's not a pointless attack on the Black Queen, it has a point.} 6... Qh5 {6...Qg4 was the best but 7.Qxg4 and 8.Nd5 is good for White.} 7. Be2 Qg6 {Only move, now possibly the reason why players have stopped looking here is because....} 8. Nh4 {...that is the 4th Knight move in 8 moves, usually bad play...but the Black Queen is trapped.}
Last week we saw a couple of White wins, this week Black is the Double Rook Sac Champ.
Look out for a one the most devilish traps ever set on Red Hot Pawn.
Pontus Lundbladh - Erik Skarberg RHP 2011
FEN
r2qkb1r/pppb1ppp/2n2n2/1B1pp3/4P3/2P2N2/PPQP1PPP/RNB1K2R w KQkq - 0 1
[FEN "r2qkb1r/pppb1ppp/2n2n2/1B1pp3/4P3/2P2N2/PPQP1PPP/RNB1K2R w KQkq - 0 1"] 1. Bxc6 Bxc6 2. Nxe5 Nxe4 3. O-O f6 4. Nxc6 bxc6 5. d3 Nc5 {Here 6.Re1+ followed by b5 would have caused some concern in the Black camp.} 6. d4 Ne4 7. Qa4 Qd6 8. Re1 Be7 9. Nd2 Nxd2 {Both players are setting each other traps. Here we go...} 10. Rxe7+ {Black can play 10...Kxe7 here but instead goes for a Double Rook Trick or Treat.} 10... Qxe7 {Go on then play it.} 11. Qxc6+ Kf8 {Deliberately offering the a8 Rook with check.} 12. Qxa8+ Kf7 {White should now play 13.Qxd5+ followed by Bxd2 and White is a piece up.} 13. Qxh8 {OOPS!} 13... Qe1 {Checkmate.}
I’ve said this before, I’ll say it again, taking Rooks is not the object of the game,
it is checkmate. Next is a nigh perfect lesson from the player of the Black bits .
King of Nothing - Ndellable RHP 2012
1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 Bg4 4. c4 {Perhaps looking for 4...dxc4 5.Bc4 ... 6.Ne5 Bxd1 7.Bxf7 mate.} 4... Bxf3 {Black chopped this Knight so it would not get to e5. I like 4...e6.} 5. Qxf3 e6 6. Nc3 Be7 7. e4 {This will lead to trouble, it needed preparing with Bd3.} 7... Nc6 {7...dxe4 8.Nxe4 Bb4+ and Black is looking good.} 8. Be3 {8.e5 would have prevented the debacle that follows, but it's instructive treats galore for us.} 8... dxe4 9. Nxe4 Nxd4 10. Nxf6+ Bxf6 11. Bxd4 Qxd4 {So far so good. Now what was that about never taking the QNP with a Queen,} 12. Qxb7 {There goes one....} 12... Qxb2 {...and there goes another.} 13. Qxa8+ {White had to take back on b2, he has missed the sweet trick Black has up their sleeve.} 13... Ke7 14. Qxh8 Bc3+ {This is the Double Cross in a Double Rook Sac. White was expecting 14...Qxa1+} 15. Kd1 {Only move.} 15... Qd2 {Checkmate. The object of the game.}
Same theme, new twist, this time a Knight smothers a White King.
Mckenstein - jimm619 RHP 2019
FEN
r2qkb1r/p5p1/Q1pp3p/4p3/1pb1PnP1/1P3P1P/PBPP4/1NKR3R w kq - 0 18
[FEN "r2qkb1r/p5p1/Q1pp3p/4p3/1pb1PnP1/1P3P1P/PBPP4/1NKR3R w kq - 0 18"] 18. Qxc4 Be7 {Offering the c6 pawn to decoy the White Queen away from covering the e2 square.} 19. Qxc6+ Qd7 {Now offering a Rook or two to make sure the Queen cannot get back to protect e2.} 20. Qxa8+ Kf7 21. Qxh8 Ne2 {Checkmate.}
We pause for educational comment. Before taking the 2nd Rook, look to see if
there is a something nasty waiting for you, for example a mate in one move.
Matthew Barrington - Timdix102 RHP 2014
FEN
r3k2r/p1pn1ppp/1p1bpq2/1Q6/3P2b1/2P5/PP2PPPP/RN2KBNR w KQkq - 0 9
[FEN "r3k2r/p1pn1ppp/1p1bpq2/1Q6/3P2b1/2P5/PP2PPPP/RN2KBNR w KQkq - 0 9"] 9. Qc6 {Black now sets a cunning one move trap.} 9... Qg5 {With the threat of Qc1 checkmate.} 10. Qxa8+ Ke7 {White can now play f4, it hits the Black Queen and creates a bolt hole on f2.} 11. Qxh8 Qc1
