White Hot Rooks

By 21 Mar 21 on

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Rook Candles!

I bought four, lit them up and played chess in the dark with my son.
Nine moves in I castled, burnt my chin, jumped up scattering the
pieces all over the place and dripping hot wax on the chessboard.

After putting a plaster on my chin we lit up the Rooks and tried again.

A giant flesh eating moth appeared from nowhere and attacked me.
('it was one small moth about 1/2 inch long'.........greenpawns son.)

After my family chased the giant moth away we carried on playing.
My a1 Rook had not moved and around about move 30 I picked it up.
You have heard about Red Hot Pawn...well this a White Hot Rook.

Another burn plaster was added to my hand. After that we gave up.

Here is a wee piece of A.Galitzky magic for you (it was composed in 1904)

White to play and mate in four moves. I’ll be kind and give you a couple of clues.
Always leave Black with just one legal move to make, only one of the Knights move.

*** Spoiler Alert *** Solution right after this picture.

Gate Kamsky realising he had entered the Women’s 2012 U.S. Championship.
(in fact it is Kamsky v Nakamura in Round.10 of the 2012 U.S. Championship)

Solution to the Galitzky mate in four.
FEN 8/8/8/8/4N2N/4Kp2/7p/6kr w - - 0 1

[FEN "8/8/8/8/4N2N/4Kp2/7p/6kr w - - 0 1"]
1. Nd2 {Black has only one legal move.} 1... f2 2. Ndf3+ {Black has only one legal move.} 2... Kf1 3. Kd2 {Black has only one legal move.} 3... Rg1 4. Nxh2 {Checkmate.}

I was reading on Face Book about an experienced player recalling how he kept
getting beat by a friend playing Scholars Mate. He came up with a cunning plan.

1. e4 c6 2. Qh5 {Obviously intending 3.Bc4 and 4.Qxf7 or Bxf7 mate.} 2... Qa5 {This ingenious move is not to be recommended...however...} 3. Bc4 {...this was played by White.} 3... Qxh5 {One can only the imagine the joy he felt by refuting Scholars Mate.}

So of course I looked at RHP games where a Queen on a5 takes a Queen on h5.

chuke - Laponka RHP 2007

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 e6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Bc5 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Qh5 {A tempting hit on the c5 Bishop hoping their opponent misses it.} 7... Qa5+ {Now will White fall for the trick shot hidden in this position.} 8. Bd2 {Yes they have. White had to move the King.} 8... Bxf2+ {7. Qh5 did win this Bishop after all.} 9. Kxf2 Qxh5 {The problem is it lost the White Queen and it was 0-1 a few moves later.}

And now, just to even things up. A White Queen on h5 taking a Black Queen on a5

Ken Heikes - kilimanjarocigar RHP 2018

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nd4 4. Ba4 {I'd prefer Bc4 Black can go for a6, b5 and Nxb3 here.} 4... Qa5 {This is OK it has a6, b5 and Nxb3 ideas. White would have to take on b3 with the c-pawn.} 5. Nf3 b5 {This should have been prepared with 5...a6.} 6. Nxd4 cxd4 7. Nxb5 {Black’s best try here is 7..Qxa4 8.Nc7+ Kd8 9.Nxa8 Qc6 - still game on.} 7... Ba6 {Plausible but not best. White now spots the undefended Black Queen.} 8. Qh5 {Threatening Nd6+ and Qxa5. Black saw this and stopped it.} 8... Bxb5 9. Bxb5 Rb8 {Black is thinks this pin is taking advantage of the unprotected White Queen on h5.} 10. Bxd7+ {Instead it is the undefended Black Queen on a5 that falls.} 10... Kxd7 11. Qxa5

In case you have missed it, that was today’s instructive bit.
Look out for undefended pieces especially if there is a check
(any check) in the position. These are very basic examples but
undefended pieces often lose games even at the very highest level.

However should a good player ever think they are too good to get caught by such
banal tactics as a two move trick. (which often punishing an unprotected piece is.)
Then the rude awakening is enlightening, instructive and (for us) entertaining.

Thien Hai Dao - Garry Kasparov EUR-ASIA Rapid Match Batumi, 2001

FEN r1b1k2r/pp3pp1/2n2q1p/b2p4/3N4/P1N1P3/1PQ2PPP/R3KB1R w KQkq - 0 1

[FEN "r1b1k2r/pp3pp1/2n2q1p/b2p4/3N4/P1N1P3/1PQ2PPP/R3KB1R w KQkq - 0 1"]
1. Rd1 Bg4 2. Be2 {Kasparov now swaps 3 pairs of minor pieces looking for a slight plus.} 2... Nxd4 3. Rxd4 Bxc3+ {4. bxc3 looks best here.} 4. Qxc3 Bxe2 5. Kxe2 {Kasparov has judged the uncastled white King makes up for the weak d5 pawn.} 5... O-O 6. Rc1 {If 6...Rac8 7. Qxc8. The two Rooks will easily hold back the lone Queen.} 6... Qf5 {Trying to get in Rac8 and seeking squares from where to check the White king.} 7. Qd3 {White should have played Kf1 here and allowed Rac8.} 7... Qh5+ 8. g4 Qxh2 9. Rxd5 {White has doubled Rooks on the 7th in mind. Black needs to tactically work against this.} 9... Rae8 10. Rd7 {That is one Rook on the 7th.} 10... Qg2 {Hits the g-pawn with check. I'd have seriously considered Rcc7. such Rooks rarely lose.} 11. Qf5 {Kasparov spots a shot, aimed at that undefended d7 Rook.} 11... Re5 {12. Qxe5 Qxg4+ and Qxd7.} 12. Qf3 {12...Qxf3+ 13.Kxf3 is good for White but they have overlooked.} 12... Rxe3+ {The first pseudo Rook sac could be ignored, this one cannot.} 13. Qxe3 {13. Kxe3 Re8+ wins the White Queen.} 13... Qxg4+ 14. Kf1 Qxd7 {White's active and promising looking position along with two pawns has gone.} 15. Qxa7 {Snatching a pawn before Black can get organised but now the c1 Rook is unprotected.} 15... Qb5+ 16. Kg2 {16 Ke1 Re8+ wins easily. After Kg2 White resigned before Black could play.} 16... Qg5+ {and then Qxc1.} *

I mention last blog that I was playing over the games in this.

I had a wee joke with the Carlsen - Anand, Nice 2009 blindfold game.
Here is some good and genuine analysis by Soltis from the same book.

V. Anand - M. Carlsen, Game 9, World Championship, Chennai 2013.

The final position.

Black has just played 28....Qb1-e1. Anand only looked at 28....Qb1-d1 when 29.Rh4
would win. If 29.Rh4 now then 29...Qxh4! and White has no way to get at the King.

So we look at, with the help of Soltis, how 28....Qb-d1 would have won.

FEN 2bqnrk1/5p1p/5Pp1/3pP1P1/2pP3Q/1pP3N1/6BP/5RK1 w - - 0 26

[FEN "2bqnrk1/5p1p/5Pp1/3pP1P1/2pP3Q/1pP3N1/6BP/5RK1 w - - 0 26"]
26. Qh6 b2 27. Rf4 {Anand is aiming to make this a world championship brilliancy,} 27... b1=Q+ 28. Nf1 {Now instead of what was played we look at what Anand expected.} 28... Qd1 {28...Qe1 was played and Anand resigned.} 29. Rh4 Qh5 {Only move.} 30. Rxh5 gxh5 {White wins from by first hitting the d-pawn.} 31. Ne3 Be6 32. Bxd5 {If Bxd5 then Nf5 with Ne2+ coming. It wins outright.} 32... Qxd5 {So Black has to give up the Queen.} 33. Nxd5 Bxd5 {But it's not too bad. Black has a Rook, Knight and Bishop v a Queen.} 34. h4 {Now look at the position Black can only move the Bishop.} 34... Bf3 {In the Knight moves then Qg7 is mate.} 35. Kf2 Bd5 36. Ke1 Be4 37. Kd2 Bf3 38. Kc2 Be4+ {It does not matter where the Bishop goes it cannot stop the King from getting the c4 pawn.} 39. Kb2 Bf3 40. Ka3 Bc6 41. Kb4 Bd5 {If Black had tried to hold the pawn with Bc3 at anytime then d5 and d6 threatening d7.} 42. Kc5 Be6 43. d5 Bf5 44. Kxc4 Bd7 45. Kd4 {Now the win is easy to see, we play it out just for the sheer fun of it.} 45... Bh3 46. c4 Bd7 47. c5 Bg4 48. c6 Bf3 49. c7 Bg4 50. d6 Bf5 51. Kc5 {We left the Soltis analysis a long time ago. He just pointed us in the right direction.} 51... Bd7 52. Kb6 Bc8 53. Kc6 Be6 54. d7 Bd5+ {Kxd5 Nxc7+ still wins, but no need to take the Bishop just yet.} 55. Kc5 Bb7 56. c8=Q Bxc8 57. Qxf8+ {Yes, I'm now showing off.} 57... Kxf8 58. dxc8=Q h6 59. Kc6 hxg5 60. Kd7 Kg8 61. Qxe8+ Kh7 62. Qxf7+ {Checkmate next move.}

The thread accompanying this blog is Thread 188699
I have decided to leave the comments off as I have no way other than keep coming
back here to see if any have been made. Any corrections etc just use the above link.
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White Hot Rooks

The Planet Greenpawn

White Hot Rooks

Posted to The Planet Greenpawn

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