Don’t blame me. Blame…I can’t remember his name…I lost a blitz game
because I missed a simple checkmate in two by trying to be a clever dick.
Punishment in such cases is swift and sure. Solve six simple Checkmates.
I had to solve them so you have to solve them. It’s the RHP Blog rules.
The postions have been taken from this book
In all cases White is to play and checkmate in two moves.
They are not difficult. The solution is under each position.
1.Rg7+ fh8 or Kh8 then 2.Rg8 mate.
1.Nxa7+ Kd7 2.Bb5 mate.
1.Bf7+ Kg4 2.h3 mate.
1.Rh8+ Kg5 2.Rh5 mate.
I’m bored setting theses things up…let’s move onto the next bit.
An unheard melody is an unplayed combination usually of a beautiful nature
that has been relegated to a mere game note and never appeared on the board.
History has given us many examples. Perhaps the most famous is:
Schiffers - Chigorin St Petersburg, 1897
FEN
2kr3r/ppp1n1p1/5pp1/4b3/8/5bN1/PPP2P2/R1B1QRK1 w - - 0 23
[FEN "2kr3r/ppp1n1p1/5pp1/4b3/8/5bN1/PPP2P2/R1B1QRK1 w - - 0 23"]
23. Qe3 Bc6 24. Qxa7 {Chigorin has sacced his Queen and now had the chance to play Rh1+ and mate in the same way as I will show. Yes! Twice he missed his chance to play the melody. Instead he played...} 24... b6 25. Be3 {Black now played Nf5 and the game ended in a draw. If only he had played....} 25... Rh1+ 26. Nxh1 Bh2+ 27. Kxh2 {It's little wonder he missed this continuation. Who after saccing a Queen is going to delve into saccing a Rook and Bishop especially when the attractive looking move Nf5 was on the board.} 27... Rh8+ 28. Kg3 {And now Nf5, this time it comes with a check.} 28... Nf5+ 29. Kf4 Rh4 {Checkmate. I don't now about Chigorin but even I lose sleep over this game. One can only wonder what he went through.}
This next one has a happier ending, the player missing the combo went onto win.
Tarrasch - Kurschner Nuremberg, 1889
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 {When Black takes on e4 in the Lopez it is known as the Open Defence. Tarrasch himself like to play the Black side of this opening and won some nice games with it.} 5. d4 Nd6 6. dxe5 {A temporary piece sacrifice.} 6... Nxb5 7. a4 {Thus White wins back his piece.} 7... Nd6 {Tarrasch in his 300 Hundred games says better is 7...d6. Black is playing to go a pawn up} 8. Bg5 {Tarrasch slips in this move to get the Black King and Queen lined up on the same file.} 8... Be7 9. Bxe7 Qxe7 10. exd6 cxd6 11. Re1 Ne5 12. Nd4 Qf6 13. Nc3 O-O 14. Nd5 Qh4 {Now Tarrasch played the very tempting 15.Ra3 with Rh3 to follow and won. He mentions that 15.Nf5 maybe better and nothing more. We follow this line to hear the melody.} 15. Nf5 Qd8 16. Rxe5 {This exchange sacrifice getting rid of Black's only active piece allows White to play 17.Qg4 and the fun begins.} 16... dxe5 17. Qg4 g6 18. Nde7+ Kh8 19. Qg5 {With the idea of Qf6+} 19... f6 20. Nxg6+ {20...hxg6 21.Qh6+ and mate.} 20... Kg8 21. Qh6 {Now threatening to checkmate on g7.} 21... Rf7 22. Qg7+ {Delightful. A wonderful find.} 22... Rxg7 23. Nh6 {Checkmate. If Reinfeld had known about that finish he would have included this game in his excellent book 'Tarrasch’s Best Games'.}
The RHP Unheard Melody has to be the following game.
kiadvent - benda RHP 2012 (part I The Unheard Melody )
FEN
rnbq2k1/ppp2ppp/3p4/2b5/2BnN3/3P4/PPr2PPP/R4RK1 w - - 0 14
[FEN "rnbq2k1/ppp2ppp/3p4/2b5/2BnN3/3P4/PPr2PPP/R4RK1 w - - 0 14"]
14. b3 Qh4 15. Rfe1 Ne2+ 16. Kf1 {We shall see what actually happened in the next wee game. Here Black could and should have played.....} 16... Qxf2+ {Yes this works...It works perfectly.} 17. Nxf2 Ng3+ 18. hxg3 Rxf2+ 19. Kg1 Rf6+ 20. Kh1 Rh6 {Wonderful and unfortunately an unheard melody. Now see what really happened..}
kiadvent - benda RHP 2012 (part II The Heard and Witnessed Disaster.)
FEN
rnbq2k1/ppp2ppp/3p4/2b5/2BnN3/3P4/PPr2PPP/R4RK1 w - - 0 14
[FEN "rnbq2k1/ppp2ppp/3p4/2b5/2BnN3/3P4/PPr2PPP/R4RK1 w - - 0 14"]
14. b3 Qh4 15. Rfe1 Ne2+ 16. Kf1 {Now not Qxf2+ which as we previously saw mated in a glorious fashion. But this...} 16... Nf4 17. Ng3 Qxh2 18. Re8 {What a fun game chess is.}
Not quite in the unheard melody category but never the less nice and instructive.
The Queen Skewer.
lfcstu - Geoffrey Darling RHP 2012
FEN
8/8/8/8/5P1n/pkNK4/8/8 w - - 0 43
[FEN "8/8/8/8/5P1n/pkNK4/8/8 w - - 0 43"] 43. Kd2 Nf5 44. Kd3 Ne7 45. Kd2 Nd5 {Well worked out. Should White play Nxd6 then the a-pawn cannot be stopped.} 46. f5 Nxc3 {Now White realised that if 5.f6 than 5...Ne4+ picks up the f-pawn. So 0-1. But would Black have played 5...Ne4+ because looking at this Black can allow White to promote and then skewer the new Queen.......Watch…Look and Learn.} 47. f6 a2 48. f7 a1=Q 49. f8=Q {Black has that most important of things when dual promotions take place. The Move. Note if it were White to play here then Qb8+ draws. } 49... Qd1+ {Black now forces the King into a skewer.} 50. Ke3 {Only move.} 50... Qe2+ {If Kf4 then Qf2 is skewer number 1.} 51. Kd4 Qe4+ 52. Kc5 {Only move.} 52... Qb4+ {And skewer number 2 picks up the Queen.}
Red Hot Pawn moves that raised Casablanca’s eyes in despair.
A new feature where we look at RHP endgame play in all it’s glory.
Dasa - dirtysniper RHP 2011
FEN
8/8/p1p1b3/2P5/1Pk5/B7/1K6/8 w - - 0 51
[FEN "8/8/p1p1b3/2P5/1Pk5/B7/1K6/8 w - - 0 51"]
51. Ka2 Kb5+ 52. Kb2 a5 {All White need to do to is bxa5 and it's a cold draw.} 53. Kc3 {But what could be wrong with that?} 53... axb4+ 54. Bxb4 {It's still a draw.} 54... Ka4 {No it's not a draw. It's Zugzwang! White to move losses. The Bishop is trapped and Black easily won the ending.} 55. Ba3 Kxa3
Next White misses a win by not losing a tempo with triangulation.
tone5 - dd22 RHP 2014
FEN
8/8/8/8/5kP1/5p1P/3K4/8 w - - 0 1
[FEN "8/8/8/8/5kP1/5p1P/3K4/8 w - - 0 1"]
1. Ke1 Kg5 2. Kf2 {White could have played 2.Kf1 answering 2...Kf4 with 3.Kf2} 2... Kf4 {Now what White wants is to have this position with Black to move. Black has to drop his f-pawn or play Ke4 allowing h3-h4 etc...etc... The game went 3. g5 Kxg5 4.Kxf3 draw. It should have gone....} 3. Kf1 Kg5 {Any other move allows g5 and h4. Now not 4.Kf2 from White but....} 4. Kg1 {This triangulation losing a tempo idea is a necessary tool for all players } 4... Kf4 {Any other moves drops the f-pawn.} 5. Kf2 {Now it's Black to move and he must either drop the f-pawn or allow g4-g5 and h3-h4} 5... Kg5 {The best try. The White win is fairly simple. Force the Black King to the back rank and instead of stalemating him lose a tempo with the h-pawn thus...} 6. Kxf3 Kg6 7. Kf4 Kf6 8. g5+ Kg6 9. Kg4 Kg7 10. Kh5 Kh7 11. g6+ Kg7 12. Kg5 Kg8 13. Kf6 Kf8 14. g7+ Kg8 {Now not Kg6 stalemate but....} 15. h4 Kh7 16. Kf7 Kh6 17. g8=Q Kh5 18. Qg5
One slack move and Capablanca faints.
celtictiger - odoodsdudes RHP 2014
FEN
8/8/6k1/p5P1/1p2K1P1/1P6/8/8 w - - 0 45
[FEN "8/8/6k1/p5P1/1p2K1P1/1P6/8/8 w - - 0 45"]
45. Kd4 Kxg5 {Easy White win. 2.Kc4 and the b-pawn wins.} 46. Kc5 {Just when you think any move will do to secure the win, this happens.} 46... a4 {If the White King was on c4 he could now simply play bxa4 then capture the b-pawn and run home the a-pawn. With the King on c5 if White takes the a-pawn then b4-b3 wins for Black.} 47. Kxb4 {White has to take the draw.} 47... axb3 48. Kxb3 Kxg4
As usual saved the best till last. In the space of three moves White goes
from having a won game, to having a drawn game to having a lost game.
markonix333 - nikolamiletic 2014
FEN
8/3K4/6p1/P2n4/8/5p2/6k1/3N4 w - - 0 49
[FEN "8/3K4/6p1/P2n4/8/5p2/6k1/3N4 w - - 0 49"] 49. a6 f2 50. Nxf2 {Well played. Black’s last move was an error. White now has a won game.} 50... Kxf2 {Now a7 and Kc6 White promotes the a-pawn. For example 3.a7 Nb6+ 4.Kc6 Na8 Kb7. or 3.a7 g5 4.Kc6! White wins.} 51. Kc6 {The wrong order of moves. Now White can only draw.} 51... Nb4+ {White should now play Kd6 easily picking up the g-pawn and that's a draw.} 52. Kb5 {No! Ignore the silly Knight go for the g-pawn. Now it's a loss.} 52... Nxa6 53. Kxa6 g5 54. Kb5 g4 {Capablanca has left the building.}
