My life is complete. I now have a Doctor Who Chess Set.
Normally I shun these gimmick, historic or decorative chess sets.
I’m a Staunton design man, I think most of us chess players are.
However it was only £2.00 from a charity shop - that is the wife’s Christmas sorted.
Because I have found so many (both sound and unsound ) this will be a regular feature.
White sacs two Rooks thinking he will get them back. Infact not winning any
Rook was the way to go and Black’s best move was to just to take one Rook.
Michael01 - jazzvanna1 RHP 2017
1. Nf3 c5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. e4 {After a brief trip through M.C.O. We have landed on the planet Sicilian.} 3... d6 4. Bc4 e6 5. d4 Be7 {Everywhere except on RHP cxd4 in the Sicilian is an automatic move. It never gets played.} 6. Bf4 {White just has to castle and they have the perfect Fred Reinfeld set-up.} 6... Nc6 7. h3 {A wee bolt hole for f4 Bishop.} 7... a6 {Going for Queenside expansion.} 8. d5 {Best to castle before playing moves that can open the centre.} 8... exd5 9. exd5 Na5 10. Be2 b5 11. a3 Bb7 12. b4 {To stop the threat of 12...b4.} 12... Nc4 13. Bxc4 bxc4 14. bxc5 dxc5 15. d6 {Looks good but....} 15... Qa5 {White uncastled King allows tricks. Good here would be 16.0-0.} 16. Bd2 {Never retreat a piece unless you have to, the d6 pawn drops off the board.} 16... Bxd6 17. Ne4 Qc7 18. Nxf6+ gxf6 {Now castling in front of an open file and those two Bishops looks a bit doggy.} 19. Qe2+ Be7 20. Qxc4 {Not an OOPS White has an unplayed trick on the board.} 20... Bxf3 {Now 21.Bf4 to stop Qe4+ and then gxf3.} 21. gxf3 {Now this is an OOPS!} 21... Qe5+ 22. Qe4 Qxa1+ 23. Ke2 {Do not get greedy, 23...Qe4, the Queens are off and Black is a Rook up.} 23... Qxh1 {Don't take the Rook, 24.Qc6+ Kd8 25.Ba5 mate. or 24.Qc6+ Kf6 25.Bh6+ mates.} 24. Qxa8+ {Now there is no mate just a perpetual check.} 24... Bd8 {In hindsight it was better to give up the h1 Rook with Kd7.} 25. Qc6+ Ke7 26. Bf4 {White has a pep-check but plays for a trick. If 26...Re8 27.Qd6 mate.} 26... Qxh3 {I bet White never expected this, it losses, 26...Ba5 and White has to take the pep-check.} 27. Bd6+ Ke6 28. Bxc5+ {28...Ke5 29,Qe4 checkmate. The Black King is forced onto f5.} 28... Kf5 29. Qd7+ {The Black Queen has been skewered.} 1-0
Next. Why Oh Why did Black not play 15...h5? It must have broken White’s heart.
Lloyd Anderson - Cordeliana RHP 2018
1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 e6 3. Qd3 Bd6 4. Nb5 Nc6 5. Nxd6+ cxd6 6. e4 dxe4 7. Qxe4 Nf6 8. Qh4 {Queens defending pawns, pieces moving twice in the opening. A typical RHP game.} 8... O-O 9. Bd3 g6 10. Nf3 Qa5+ 11. Bd2 Qb6 12. Bg5 Qxb2 {Suddenly this game has a chance to be one of the Immortals.} 13. Bxf6 {Well played, the Immortal is on.} 13... Qxa1+ 14. Kd2 Qxh1 15. Ng5 {Black played 15...Re8 16.Qxh7 and mate next move. Why not allow....} 15... h5 16. Qxh5 gxh5 17. Bh7 {..that checkmate. One to show the grandkids.} 1-0
I was looking at a ‘Where’s Wally’ (could not find him)
So thought what a good idea. Where is Greenpawn?...Good Luck.
Most players have seen and heard of it, very few get to the chance to play it.
Benjamin Barker has played it twice! Once in 2018 and then again in 2019.
Benjamin Barker - CosmicWarrior RHP 2018
1. e4 e5 2. d4 d6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 {We have gone into a Philidor Defence.} 4... exd4 {Giving up the centre. playable but difficult. 4...Nbd7 is theory.} 5. Nxd4 Be7 6. g3 {Black should now just castle.} 6... Nc6 7. Bg2 h6 {A pointless pawn move 7...0-0 was OK.} 8. Nxc6 bxc6 9. e5 dxe5 {White can play 10.Bxc6+ and Bxa8. Then we would not have seen the following trick.} 10. Qxd8+ Kxd8 {10...Bxd8 then 11.Bxc6+ and Bxa8 wins a Rook the normal way.} 11. Bxc6 Rb8 12. Be3 e4 {Another bad pawn move. Leave them alone. 12...Bb7 and Black is doing OK.} 13. Bxa7 Rxb2 {Black could not resist it.} 14. O-O-O+ {White then took on b2 and was soon 1-0.}
Benjamin Barker - LEUR RHP 2019
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nc6 {See what I mean about no cxd4 in RHP Sicilians.} 4. dxc5 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Bg5 {Crafty...trying to get Black to play Be7 and then (I presume) cxd6.} 6... h6 7. Bxf6 Qxf6 8. Nd5 {8.Nb5 same threat on c7 but also tickling the d6 pawn was a tempting looking alternative.} 8... Qd8 9. Bb5 {But this is looking just as good for White.} 9... a6 10. Bxc6+ bxc6 11. Nb6 Rb8 12. Nxc8 Qxc8 {A plausible way to take back, the Rook hits b2. White will have to take time out for b2-b3.} 13. cxd6 Rxb2 {White cannot believe his luck. He did not miss it the first time, he won't miss it this time either.} 14. d7+ Qxd7 {Forced.} 15. Qxd7+ Kxd7 {Only move.} 16. O-O-O+ {He has done it again. 0-0-0 check snagging a wayward Black Rook on b2.} 16... Kc7 17. Kxb2 {Black resigned a few moves later.}
We end this weeks fun and jollity with this work of art.
White to play and win (sadly I do not know who composed it.)
Actually it’s a mate in 17 but do not despair I won’t ask you to solve it
though if you see the idea the first 13 moves are easy, well pretty easy.
FEN
8/2R5/7K/1p6/1p6/1p6/p1N1B3/bk6 w - - 0 1
[FEN "8/2R5/7K/1p6/1p6/1p6/p1N1B3/bk6 w - - 0 1"] 1. Na3+ {This is the only move that allows White to win. 1.Nxb4 2.Be5 draws.} 1... bxa3 2. Bd3+ Kb2 3. Bh7 {That should give you a clue on the first part of the winning procedure.} 3... b4 {Only move.} 4. Kg6 Kb1 {Black is reduced to only moves.} 5. Kg5+ Kb2 6. Kf5 {The ladder is used to get the White King in close enough to block some flight squares.} 6... Kb1 7. Kf4+ Kb2 8. Ke4 Kb1 9. Ke3+ Kb2 10. Kd3 Kb1 11. Kd2+ Kb2 {Now what to do? It is actually a mate in 5.} 12. Bg8 Kb1 13. Rc1+ Kb2 14. Rc4 {The star move that allows mate in 3.} 14... Kb1 15. Bh7+ Kb2 16. Bc2 bxc2 {Only move.} 17. Rxb4 {Checkmate.}
