Did you spot my, er, deliberate error last week. I used the wrong diagram for the puzzle.
It’s quite funny how it came about and I’m going to give you a peek into the mixed
up mind of someone who has been reading chess books and magazine for 60 years.
I was thinking of using it for the class I teach but I could not recall the exact position.
I then started setting up random positions close to what I could remember about it.
I remembered I saw it in a magazine and I was recalling Korchnoi, Courtney and Kite!
So knowing that Hugh Courtney wrote for CHESS I went though my 300 odd copies.
CHESS magazine, December 1983. Korchnoi shaking hands with Kasparov.
That is it. Korchnoi on the cover. Inside Hugh Courtney said the puzzle looked like
someone has been flying a kite. (fancy having those three linked in a memory pattern.)
White to play and mate in four. I posted a diagram I had been working on. (idiot.)
I do not know who composed this weeks puzzle but is it the correct diagram!
White to play and checkmate in three moves. (answer at the bottom)
Whilst flicking through all my CHESS magazine I did stop every now and then
and was sidetracked because of something interesting. This game is was of them.
R.. Hall - G. Lamb, Wolverhampton 1969
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. c3 {The Goring Gambit. A good low level opening giving Black plenty of scope to go wrong} 4... dxc3 {4...d5 or 4..Nf6 are the other 4th moves we will briefly look at.} 5. Bc4 {5....cxb2 is risky. RHP players have done so and 125 have lost under 20 moves.} 5... d6 {The most popular choice.} 6. Nxc3 Nf6 7. Qb3 Qd7 {Best. Black now has Na5 ideas without worrying about Qb5+} 8. Ng5 {White has to keep the hit on f7 going before Na5.} 8... Ne5 {The obvious and standard defensive/attacking move in these type of positions.} 9. Bb5 {The Bishop has to move, this gives Black a chance to go wrong.} 9... c6 10. f4 {Now 10....Ng4 is deemed the best and most common move here.} 10... cxb5 {But this move can lead to a very difficult position for Black to hold.} 11. fxe5 dxe5 12. Be3 {The open d-file will cause Black problems.} 12... a6 {12...a5 was the better move here to answer Rd1 with a4.} 13. Rd1 Qc7 {Now we see the mess Black is in. The Queen has to guard f7.} 14. Bb6 {A deflecting the guard tactic.} 14... Qc4 {The move Black was relying on to quell the attack.} 15. Rd8+ Ke7 16. Qd1 {Threatening Qd6 mate. Nothing baring a serious error from White can save Black.} 16... Qc6 {White now had to find a very cute and good move.} 17. Re8+ {Excellent. 17...Kxe8 or 17...Nxe8 then 18.Qd8 Mate. and if....} 17... Qxe8 18. Bc5 {Checkmate.}
So let us look at the Goring Gambit and the other 4th move options instead of 4...dxc3.
First the Red Hot Pawns stats and I’ll use games 25 moves and under because
that usually catches all the opening disasters and a lack of theoretical knowledge.
4...dxc3 White wins 515 draws 3 Black wins 173
4...d5 White wins 57 draws 4 Black wins 56
4...Nf6 White wins 315 draws 9 Black wins 260
The low number of draws is because I used games finishing on or under move 25.
Taking the gambit pawn 4...dxc3 gives White a huge plus. Amazingly close with 4...d5.
And 4...Nf6, a more popular choice than 4...d5 scores better than the reply 3...dxc3.
We have seen 4...dxc3 now we look at a couple of RHP games with 4...d5 and 4...Nf6
diedjee - Walshie RHP 2006 (This ends with an alert tactical trick.)
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. c3 d5 {If it is theoretically safe for Black to play d5 in a 1.e4 e5 opening then you are doing O.K.} 5. exd5 Qxd5 6. cxd4 Bg4 7. Be2 Bb4+ 8. Nc3 Bxf3 9. Bxf3 Qc4 {Stops White from castling.} 10. Bd2 {10.Bxc6+ bxc6 and 11.Qe2+ or 10...Qxc6 and 11.0-0 look better than this.} 10... O-O-O {Now 10.Bxc6 Qxc6 and 0-0. But some players are too reluctant to give up a Bishop for a Knight.} 11. Rc1 {This looks like it has potential but all Black needs to do is keep calm and nick the pawn.} 11... Nxd4 {I think the idea was now 12,Nd5 but that fails to 12...Bxd2+ and 13....Nxf3+} 12. Qa4 {A change of plan perhaps with a3 ideas. Now some good play by Black.} 12... Nxf3+ {Well spotted.} 13. gxf3 Rxd2 {14.Qe8+ Rd8 and 13.a3 Re2+ is mate in a few moves. So White took on d2.} 14. Kxd2 Bxc3+ {Black wins the White Queen 0-1.}
Last game and we look at 4....Nf6 which is a fighters choice.
hongili - pizzano RHP 2012
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 {By transposition we have reached the key position.} 5. e5 Ne4 6. Qe2 f5 {The best move and only played only a handful of times on RHP.} 7. exf6 d5 {Black ignores the f6 pawn. f7+ is no threat, the King is going to f7 anyway.} 8. Nxd4 Nxd4 9. cxd4 {White is threatening f3.} 9... Kf7 10. fxg7 {This looks good for White but stay tuned.} 10... Bb4+ {Now due to open e-file and the Queen on e2 the good guys are playing Kd1,} 11. Bd2 {This is the obvious reply and now White has to play very carefully.} 11... Re8 12. Qh5+ Kg8 {Black uses the g7 pawn as a shield. Kxg7 was OK but I like Kg8.} 13. Be2 Nf6 14. Qg5 Qe7 {Threatening mate on the move and preventing 0-0.} 15. Qe5 {15.Qe3 (hindsight) is better. 15....Qf7 16.Qb3.} 15... Qf7 16. Qg3 Nh5 {White has drifted into a poor position due to pressure down the e-file so 11.Kd1 was better} 17. Qf3 {Now 17,,,,Nf4 looks very strong.} 17... Qxf3 {But this is OK. Black has won the opening battle.} 18. gxf3 Nf4 19. Nc3 {19 Bxb4 was better though still looking grim. Black now wins a Rook.} 19... Nd3+ {20.Kf1 Bh3+ 21.Kg1 Rxe2! and White is an even worse mess than the actual game.} 20. Kd1 Nxf2+ {White is losing a whole Rook, resign. Not yet, there is a sly trick on the board.} 21. Ke1 Nxh1 22. Nxd5 {That looks so good. Hitting the b5 Bishop, the c7 pawn and Nf6+} 22... Be7 {This one move stops all the threats. 23.Nxc7 Bh4+} 23. Bc4 {White is still cooking up tricks.} 23... Bd6+ 24. Kf1 Be6 25. Bh6 {Again with the Nf6+ threats. Maybe taking the g7 pawn on move 12 was better.} 25... c6 {When I first saw this I thought, has Black missed something.} 26. Nf6+ Kf7 {No. I had, the c4 Bishop hangs with a check.} 27. d5 {The last arrow. 27.Bxe6+ Rxe6 and Black is OK.} 27... Bh3+ 28. Kg1 Kxf6 29. Kxh1 cxd5 30. Bxd5 Re2 {With Bg2+ and Bc5+ mating ideas.} 31. f4 Kg6 {32.Rg1+ Kxh6 does not work. Black will come out of it a piece up} 32. Bg5 Kxg7 {AT last. A few token moves from White and it soon ends.} 33. Rg1 Bc5 34. Rd1 Rae8 35. Bf3 Re1+ {Black resigned.}
The Unknown Composer mate. (I’ll find out)
FEN
k7/P6Q/8/8/8/8/p6p/K6R w - - 0 1
[FEN "k7/P6Q/8/8/8/8/p6p/K6R w - - 0 1"] 1. Kb2 {Black has only legal from now on.} 1... a1=Q+ {Promoting a Rook, Bishop or Knight makes no difference.} 2. Rxa1 h1=Q {Again promoting to a Rook, Bishop or Knight makes no difference.} 3. Qxh1 {Checkmate.}
