Me having a New Year pint and few games of Blitz.
And yes I dyed my hair blue for the festivities.
And here is a picture of football player’s arm.
It is the right arm of Morgan Gibbs-White of Nottingham Forest.
George Spencer-Brown (1923 – 2016) was a chess playing mathematician
who played for Cambridge in the varsity matches v Oxford. He was also a
sports correspondent to the Daily Express, an author, a glider pilot and a poet.
Google his name to view his fascinating details and life on his own Wiki page.
Mr. Spencer Brown wrote me a letter in 2007 after I mentioned this gambit
(which is really a trap) in an old ‘Chandler Cornered’ that I wrote many years
ago He mentioned he played it occasionally and cannot recall ever losing with it.
I was doing a report on the 2007 Sandy Bells Club Championship. It was won by
Brian Duncan and I found a bloke who looked Ray Keene to present the prizes.
I was so taken with the move 4...Nb4 I took a chessboard around Edinburgh and
had various people looking at the position. Everyone from girls minding their own
business in a cafe to two kind old dears who served behind the counter in a charity shop.
The opening moves are easy to remember. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nb4!?
A position that appeared over 200 times on RHP with White winning the majority.
However things change if White captures the offered e5 pawn because there follows
5.Nxe5 Qg5 (seen only 18 times on HP) when Black has won the majority of games.
Just a quick glance at the position after 5.Qg5 and you see the problems facing White.
If the attacked e5 Knight moves then the b5 Bishop is lost. 6.d4 meets Qxg2 hitting
the h1 Rook the e4 pawn both with check. If White then 7.Qf3 then after trading on
f3 Black plays Nxc2+ winning the a1 Rook. White is practically lost after 5 moves.
I was looking at some RHP games in this line but most were marred by silly blunders.
The game Mr Spencer-Brown sent was OK but ended in a draw and White did not play
4.Nxe5. So take your seat as I chase rainbows for some ‘come fly with me’ analysis.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nb4 {Now 4.0-0 and there are no tricks for Black just a bad position.} 4. Nxe5 {But we examine this because it does look tempting to just fall for it.} 4... Qg5 5. d4 Qxg2 6. Rf1 {I'd play this as there is a chance you can cook up things on the open e-file.} 6... Qxe4+ 7. Be3 Nxc2+ {Cold bloodied players would go for 7...Qxc2 but then 8.Ba4 though White is still looking bad.} 8. Kd2 Nxa1 9. Nc3 Qh4 {This is something like I had in mind. White has a lot of development. Black has a Rook.} 10. Qe2 {White has five pieces with threats in play. Black has to play carefully.} 10... Be7 {White was threatening Nxd7 and Bg5+} 11. Bc4 Nh6 {12.Bxh6 does not figure because 12,,,Qxh6 is a check.} 12. Nf3 {Re-deploying the pieces trying to get something to work.} 12... Qh5 {White's attack is about to reach it's peak.} 13. Nd5 {There are a few ways Black can go wrong here. 13...Kd8 14.Bf4 and White is looking good.} 13... d6 {This simple move with the threat of Bg4 looks OK.} 14. Bg5 {At last. White has on the board a mate in one.} 14... O-O {Giving up the e7 Bishop is OK. Other tries and White is fine. 14....Be6 15.Nxc7+ and Nxe6.} 15. Nxe7+ Kh8 16. Nxc8 {Take this before it comes to g4.} 16... Raxc8 17. Rxa1 {White has two Bishops for a Rook and two pawns. Interesting...}
This weeks study is by F.J. Prokop 1928 (White to play and win.)
The winning idea is well worth knowing. It has been missed a few times
and not just on Red Hot Pawn. You give up a Rook to win the Queen.
[FEN "8/q7/2RKp3/1R6/8/k7/8/8 w - - 0 1"]
1. Rcb6 {Stops Qe3+ and sets up either rook going to the a-file giving mate.} 1... Qa4 {The Queen cannot leave the a-file and you will soon see why Qa8 failed.} 2. Ke5 {Again leaving Black with no check.} 2... Ka2 3. Rb2+ Ka3 4. Rb1 {Threatening 5.Ra1 mate. 4....Ka2 5.Rb6b2+ Ka4 6.Ra1+ wins the Black Queen.} 4... Qa5+ 5. Kxe6 {Black has no checks.} 5... Ka2 {We now see the winning routine in action.} 6. R6b2+ Ka3 7. Ra1+ Kxb2 8. Rxa5 {Remember that trick, you force the King to take a Rook leaving the Queen undefended.}
The RHP example following the theme of this study is incredible. Not only does
the player of the White pieces miss the same win as in the study they also miss
an easier win . Black, not to be outdone in the error stakes misses a mate in one.
wiz444 - Iain gibson RHP 2022
[FEN "8/7k/p5R1/8/q7/6R1/7K/8 w - - 0 63"]
63. R6g4 {Black should play Qc2+ here.} 63... Qa2+ {Rg2 by White and Black has to give their Queen to stop Rh4 checkmate.} 64. Kg1 {We play on till the next missed win.} 64... Qb1+ 65. Kf2 Qc2+ 66. Ke1 Qc1+ 67. Ke2 Qh1 {White can play Rg7+ and win the Black Queen as in the previous study.} 68. Kd3 {We play on till the next missed win.} 68... a5 69. Ke3 Kh6 70. Kf4 a4 71. Kf5 Qf1+ 72. Rf4 Qb5+ 73. Kg4 {Black can play Qh5 checkmate.} 73... Qd7+ {We play on and this time the winning opportunity was seized.} 74. Rf5 Kg6 75. Rf3 Qd4+ 76. R5f4 Qd7+ 77. Kh4 Qe7+ {White should play Kh3 and not give Black a chance to give up the Queen.} 78. Rf6+ Qxf6+ {Bravo!} 79. Rxf6+ Kxf6 {The Black promotes and it was 0-1.}
The thread accompanying this blog is
Thread 198670 
