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.

White Hot Rooks

The Planet Greenpawn

White Hot Rooks

Posted to The Planet Greenpawn

The Planet Greenpawn