How about this as a Christmas present for your RHP friend.
Actually it’s not a chess book. It’s a book on how you can improve
your life by following chess maxims. ‘Always Plan Ahead’. etc.....
I don’t need it, I don’t want it, the only reason it’s on here is because...
....the board is the wrong way around. (‘Always Plan Ahead.’ )
All chess writing hacks have at some time or other used the phrase:
“Every Russian School Boy knows.................................................”
Fill in the space with any well known rule of thumb followed
by an example or an exception to the rule of thumb in action.
William Hartston went one better in his book on the 1993 Short v Kasparov match.
He put in a picture of Russian children studying chess This is the position on the board.
A very strange position. I wonder if they were allowing White to have two
moves then Black has one move then White has two more moves and so on.
If they were using such a teaching rule then this position....
...can reached by White in 10 moves and Black in 5 moves. White plays 11.Qxf7 mate.
Of course my well groomed readers will now expect me to supply an RHP game
ending in checkmate with the exact same moves. That is unfortunately impossible.
This one ‘The Red Hot Pawn Mating Attack’ comes close position wise in as much
Black has a fianchettoed Queen’s Bishop, a Knight on d7 and White Queen on f7.
apollot - betrayed RHP.2014
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. Qf3 {The RHP mating attack now consists of White chasing the f6 Knight away and mating on f7.} 3... d6 4. h3 {This stops Bishop g4. For the plan to work White must maintain the Queen and Bishop attack on f7.} 4... Nc6 5. c3 {This is to stop Nd4 chasing the Queen off f3.} 5... b6 6. g4 {With possible Queen harassing moves like Bg4 and Nd4 prevented White returns to Plan A.} 6... Bb7 7. g5 {Black who has done wrong here can throw a spanner into the workings of Plan A by playing 7...Na5 hitting the loose c4 Bishop and as a bonus attacking the White e-pawn.} 7... Nd7 {The RHP Attack wins again.} 8. Qxf7
That basic White set up that appeared on the Russian School kids demo board.
I have an RHP game from that set up featuring RHP Mating Attack Plan B.
dpcc - Browny RHP 2006
1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 {The Queens Gambit Accepted. Often abbreviated to the QGA.} 3. Nc3 a6 {Black is thinking of holding onto the gambit with b5.} 4. a4 {This move holds up the b5 idea.} 4... c6 {Again thinking of holding onto the c4 pawn with b5.} 5. e4 {Black now sees that If 5...b5 6.axb5 cxb5 7.Nxb5 Black cannot take back on b5 because the a-pawn is pinned to the a8 Rook.} 5... e6 {5.....e5 would end White's opening pull. 6.dxe5 Qxd1+ and Black can play either b5 or Be6 depending on how White takes back on d1.} 6. Bxc4 Nf6 7. Nf3 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. Re1 h6 {No need for this common weakening move. Try to develop with some kind of opening plan ...Qc7 and ...Nd7 aiming for e5. Black needs to upset the White pawn centre.} 10. Qc2 Bb4 {Now we see the reasoning behind 9...h6. It was to play this pin on the c3 Knight without allowing Bg5 but it's very slow. White continues developing.} 11. Bf4 Nbd7 12. Rad1 {The basic set up on the Russian school demo board. Black's next move is aiming at playing b5 or c5 to create some play on the Queenside.} 12... b6 {White now puts into operation the RHP Mating attack Plan B. B-a2 - b1 then e5 and mate on h7.} 13. Ba2 b5 {That can be ignored as it does not interfere with Plan B.} 14. Bb1 Nb6 {So can that.} 15. e5 Nfd5 16. Qh7 {The RHP Mating Attack Plan B. Next week plans C to Z.}
The year is 1991 and in the Russian under 18 Championship this position....
...appeared on the board in V. Orlov - D. Fridman Russian U18 Ch.Alma-Ata, 1991
White played the only drawing move .Kg6 and the game was agreed a draw.
FEN
8/8/5k1K/3p1p2/5P2/R4Nn1/4r3/8 w - - 0 79
[FEN "8/8/5k1K/3p1p2/5P2/R4Nn1/4r3/8 w - - 0 79"] 79. Ra6+ Re6 80. Rxe6+ Kxe6 81. Kg6 Kd6 82. Nd4 Kc5 83. Nxf5 Nxf5 84. Kxf5 {Although Black promotes first, due to the fact White's pawn is a Bishop's pawn (a c or f-pawn) this is a draw.} 84... d4 {The above position.} 85. Kg6 d3 86. f5 d2 87. f6 d1=Q 88. f7 Qd6+ {The game was agreed drawn, I'll play on for a few more moves.} 89. Kg7 Qe7 90. Kg8 Qe6 91. Kh8 {We now see the peculiarity of the Bishop pawns in this ending. If Black takes the pawn then it is stalemate.}
Time passed and later that year Topalov played Fridman (who was Black in the above
game) in the European U-20 Championship at Aalborg. (you can check all this yourself.)
The Topalov - Fridman game was a dreary 14 mover, the players decanted to the
bar and once there Fridman showed Topalov the above ending in his game v Orlov .
Topalov thanked Fridman, bought him two beers, gave him his last cigarette and left.
Time passed....we now leave Europe, cross the Atlantic Ocean and land in Canada.
V. Topalov - A. Antunes, The Canadian Open 1992
FEN
8/6n1/3kp3/3p4/5P2/1N1K4/8/8 w - - 0 60
[FEN "8/6n1/3kp3/3p4/5P2/1N1K4/8/8 w - - 0 60"] 60. Nd4 Nf5 61. Nxf5+ exf5 62. Kd4 Kc6 63. Ke5 Kc5 64. Kxf5 d4 {And we now have the exact same position as in the 1991 Orlov-Fridman game. Topalov of course remembered what Fridman had shown him and play continued...} 65. Kg6 d3 66. f5 d2 67. f6 d1=Q 68. f7 Qd8 69. Kg7 Qg5+ 70. Kh8 Qf6+ 71. Kg8 Qg6+ 72. Kh8 {It's a draw. Antunes took the pawn just for the fun of it.} 72... Qxf7 {Stalemate.}
Pretty amazing. Anyone with a half decent DataBase can check these two games
for themselves. I cannot find the same position anywhere but in these two games.
We come very close with a Red Hot Pawn game played in 2011.
But we not yet finished with this instructive position.
Because if we by sleight of hand move the Black c-pawn two files to the left.
With White to play this is now a Black win!
FEN
8/8/8/2k2K2/1p3P2/8/8/8 w - - 0 1
[FEN "8/8/8/2k2K2/1p3P2/8/8/8 w - - 0 1"] 1. Kg6 b3 2. f5 b2 3. f6 b1=Q+ {There is the catch. Black Queens with check. The pawn is stopped for one move from going to f7 and with the tempo gained the Black King can advance towards the pawn.} 4. Kg7 Qb7+ 5. f7 Kd6 6. Kg8 Qg2+ 7. Kh8 Ke7 {A simple Black win.}
So are we at last finished with this position.
No, employing more sleight of hand if we move the pawn 3 files to the left.
With White to play and Black not Queening with a check Black still wins!
FEN
8/8/8/2k2K2/p4P2/8/8/8 w - - 0 1
[FEN "8/8/8/2k2K2/p4P2/8/8/8 w - - 0 1"] 1. Kg6 a3 2. f5 a2 3. f6 a1=Q 4. f7 {What is the difference between this and what else we have seen.} 4... Qh8 {This move. The White King cannot get into the corner nor can White threaten to promote the pawn.} 5. Kf5 Qf8 {An elementary win.}
We cannot leave this position and theme without seeing it totally screwed up.
bobbybez - dtwilson RHP 2010
FEN
8/8/5K2/1k3P2/8/2p5/8/8 w - - 0 57
[FEN "8/8/5K2/1k3P2/8/2p5/8/8 w - - 0 57"] 57. Kg7 c2 58. f6 c1=Q 59. f7 Qg5+ {Now Kh7 or Kh8 is the drawing method.} 60. Kf8 {The White King is now caught on the wrong side of the f-pawn. Black wins by bringing his King across.} 60... Qf6 {Black misses his chance. Kc6 was the move.} 61. Kg8 {White has stolen back the draw.} 61... Qg6+ {Kh8 and we have the known drawn position with stalemate.} 62. Kf8 {Again White has missed it, he is unaware of the stalemate idea.} 62... Kc6 {Now Black is on the right path.} 63. Ke7 Qd6+ 64. Ke8 Qd7+ {Forcing the King onto f8 to buy the Black King another tempo.} 65. Kf8 Kd6 66. Kg8 Qg4+ {It is now too late for Kh8 or Kh7 because Black can play Ke7.} 67. Kf8 {Black now played Qg6 and mated White is a few moves. The clean cut kill is...} 67... Qg5 {...and checkmate next move.}
