I was asked to coach the Italian Women’s Olympiad Chess Team.
I course agreed and on the first day these 10 beautiful women and me
went swimming in the Mediterranean Sea and .....EEK!......A SPIDER.
I was dragged out my dream by a mad wife screaming the word ‘Spider’.
I know what you are thinking, how can a woman who can turn milk into
yoghurt just by simply starting at it be afraid of a wee spider, but it’s true.
Spiders in Scotland are sacred thanks to Robert the Bruce, they are protected by law.
The story goes he was hiding in a cave from the English and was about to give up
when he saw this spider trying to make a web but the wind kept blowing it down.
Again and again it tried but it kept on failing, but it eventually succeeded. Bruce
took the hint and inspired by the valiant spider carried on and won at Bannockburn.
(The spider said he could have done it on the first go but hates people watching him.)
Robert the Bruce also invented the Scotch Game. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4.
He was playing at the Bannockburn Open and in this position with Bruce as White.
He picked up his d-pawn to play 3.d3 but a spider just happen to skittle across the board.
When it tried to cross the d4 square it was splattered by Bruce with the White pawn.
His opponent insisted the move stood. Bruce played on with the pawn on d4 and won.
By coincidence I recently won an RHP game using the Scotch Opening..
greenpawn - Blanca RHP 2016
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 {The Scotch Game or Squashed Spider.} 3... exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 {5.Nb3 or 5.Be3 puts more bite into the game. This move......} 5. Nxc6 {...poses Black less problems.} 5... Qf6 {From here 32 RHP players have tried to save the c6 Knight and been mated with 6...Qxf2.} 6. Qd2 {This odd looking ,move is probably the best here. It stops the Qxf2 threat, allows the f1 Bishop to move and prepares castling.} 6... dxc6 {6...bxc6 intending d5 is also a move. But in the same position I've played the same move. As we shall see 6...Qxc6 is maybe not the best move here.} 7. Bd3 Ne7 {I prefer Be6 with 0-0-0 and a Kingside pawn storm ideas.} 8. O-O O-O 9. Kh1 {With the obvious intention of playing f4} 9... Be6 10. f4 Rfd8 11. Qe1 {Moving the Queen from the pin before a disaster on the d-file occurs.} 11... g6 {To hold up any plans of me playing f4-f5} 12. Nc3 Bd4 13. Bd2 Qg7 {To take the sting out of e5 or f5 from White. But I now spot that loose Knight on e7 and maybe...just maybe this idea will work.} 14. Ne2 Bxb2 {Excellent...so far so good.} 15. Rb1 {Now take the other pawn.} 15... Bxa2 {Good. Now for plan 'A'.} 16. Rxb2 Qxb2 17. Bc3 Qb6 18. Qh4 {Not only hitting the loose e7 Knight but threatening to play Qf6 and Qg7 mate. Black had a touch of the panics and resigned here but the game could have gone on.} 18... c5 {18...Kf8 18.Qxh7 must be good but 18...c5 I only saw when I was wondering what he would do here. (this was an OOPS moment.)} 19. Qxe7 {Maybe f5 first to get the Rook into the game. 18.Qh6 Rd4 giving back the exchange is an idea.} 19... c4 {Black is winning back the piece and White has to justify his sacrifices. Possibly starting with 20.f5 but it's not a resignable position.}
If it’s any consolation at all to Blanca, I too recently resigned in a position
where I could have played on infact I was possibly winning when I resigned.
lbthree - greenpawn (that me!) THP 2016 Black to play
I simply overlooked I could play 12..NxR here (backward Knight moves)
and resigned. I’ve won dozens of games on RHP that I should have lost.
Every now and then you must give one back. It the Caissa law of Chess.
Back to the Scotch, I mention that 32 RHP games have ended with 6...Qxf3 mate..
However a total of 65 RHP games have lost a Black Queen to the counter pitfall.
We shall let Loki74 explain, who as Black has fallen for it in various forms 3 times.
aardvark99uk - Loki74 RHP 2008
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nxc6 Qf6 6. Qd2 Qxc6 {This must be playable but beware the Queen and King are sitting on the same diagonal.} 7. Nc3 d6 {OOPS!} 8. Bb5 {As I said. this has happened 65 times on RHP and Loki74 is not the only one to have been caught more than once.}
Staying with the Scotch Game this weeks ‘Trapper of the Month’ is...
clandarkfire - Augustus13 RHP 2009
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Be3 Qf6 {6 c3 is the move here but quite a number of the lads on RHP have gone for the tempting...} 6. Nb5 Bxe3 7. fxe3 Qh4+ 8. g3 Qxe4 9. Nxc7+ Kd8 10. Nxa8 Qxh1 {This position has been seen a few times on RHP.} 11. Qd6 {This move with the obvious threat of 12.Qc7+ and 13.Qxc8 or 11.Qg4 are the most popular choices.} 11... Nge7 {Protects the c8 Bishop.} 12. Nd2 {Why not 12.Nc3. Well that move would discourage Black from playing...} 12... Qd5 {The plan is simple enough. Black wants to swap Queens then pick off the Knight on a8. The only trouble is this move allows the Knight on a8 to escape.} 13. Qc7+ Ke8 14. Qxc8+ {Now we see it.} 14... Nxc8 15. Nc7+ {Black resigned. After NxQ White is whole piece up.}
A slight digression from the usual Chess stuff. This book...
...was dropped into my lap.
A book with some of the answers given by contestants in Quiz Shows.
I’m no brain box myself but some of the answers given are hilarious.
And this exchange took place when the quiz show host tried to help out.
The Chess Olympiad is on in Baku. So a mini-Hall of Doom.
Jose Fernando Cubas (2470) - Kirill Stupak (2561) Baku Olympiad 2016
FEN
r4rk1/1p4pp/3Nb3/3pP3/P1p2P1q/2P2p2/2BQ1P1P/R3R1K1 w - - 0 25
[FEN "r4rk1/1p4pp/3Nb3/3pP3/P1p2P1q/2P2p2/2BQ1P1P/R3R1K1 w - - 0 25"] 25. Kh1 Rxf4 {White is a piece up and now giving it back with 2.Bf5 Bxf5 3.Qxd5+ could have averted the following disaster. When up a piece always look for good ways to hand it back. } 26. Rg1 Raf8 27. Rg3 Kh8 {Now Rb1 and White is hanging on ....anything but....} 28. Rag1 {OOPS!} 28... Qxh2+ {White resigned.} 29. Kxh2 Rh4+ 30. Rh3 Rxh3
Of course Red Hot Pawn has a better example with the same set-up.
Talisman - nolaviking RHP 2010
FEN
5rk1/p4r2/3pQ2p/1Pp1n3/P1P3p1/2R2pPq/3N1P1P/4R2K w - - 0 33
[FEN "5rk1/p4r2/3pQ2p/1Pp1n3/P1P3p1/2R2pPq/3N1P1P/4R2K w - - 0 33"] 33. Rg1 Kg7 {Black calmly breaks the pin on the f7 Rook.} 34. a5 {White has not seen it and goes to create a passed Queenside pawn.....too slow.} 34... Rf5 35. b6 {Ah Well....Having a bad plan is better than having no plan.} 35... Qxh2+ 36. Kxh2 Rh5# 0-1
Black is in check and it’s mate next move, Black resigned and was given a win!
Sadly after the game a mobile was discovered in Tang Tang’s possession.
He was not using it to cheat, he just forgot to hand it in at the start of game
Players are not allowed, mobiles, watches............even the pens the supplied.
