World Cup RHP Championship + The Maradona Mate

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Bg4 5. Ne5 Bh5 6. Qb3 {With a defender offside on the Kingside (the light squared Bishop) White plays on the Queenside.} 6... Qc7 7. Bf4 {Threatening Ng6 netting the h8 Rook.} 7... Qb6 8. Qxb6 axb6 {The main strikers have both come off. when this happens it's not uncommon to see both players play with their guard down.} 9. e3 Nbd7 10. Nxd7 {And now Black sets a trap that was worked out on the training ground.} 10... Nxd7 11. cxd5 cxd5 12. Nxd5 e6 {Beautiful.} 13. Nc7+ Kd8 14. Nxa8 {White thinks it’s all over…..} 14... Bb4 {..It is now…..That is checkmate.}

1. e4 c5 2. Bc4 {Despite modern theory disliking this move against the Sicilian formation it does score rather well at the lower levels.} 2... e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. exd5 exd5 5. Bb5+ Bd7 6. Qe2+ Be7 7. Ne5 {White is knocking the ball about outside the penalty area but is not making no headway.} 7... Nf6 {Black simply develops.} 8. Nc3 O-O 9. d3 Re8 {Alarms bells should be flashing here. The Queen and King lined up against a Rook on e8.} 10. Bf4 {Now 10...Bd6 would have caught White's King out of position.} 10... a6 11. Bxd7 Nbxd7 {Now 12.Nxd7 and castle.} 12. O-O-O Bd6 {The pinned e5 Knight must fall.} 13. g3 Nxe5 14. d4 cxd4 15. Rxd4 {White is turning a lost piece into a completely lost game.} 15... Nc6 {And now White is a whole Rook down.} 16. Qd3 Nxd4 17. Qxd4 Bxf4+ 18. gxf4 Qd7 19. b3 {Black should now bring the a8 Rook into the game with Rac8 and coast home.} 19... Ne4 20. Nxd5 Rad8 {But Black saw this coming and is looking forward to picking up another pinned piece.} 21. Rd1 Qf5 {Black is about to get a shock....} 22. Ne7+ {....and instead of gathering his composure and giving his players a halftime talk. He has a brainstorm.} 22... Kh8 {22...Kf8 was OK.} 23. Qxd8 {And Black resigned. 1-0. but after.} 23... Qxf4+ {Check all checks, especially before you resign. Infact never resign if you have a check in the position.}24. Kb1 Nf6 {I can see no White win here, Black is going to play h6 and take that White Queen. If the Queen moves the e7 Knight falls. I bet Black is as sick as parrot for resigning this.}

[FEN "7r/8/4R3/8/1N3P1k/1K5P/1P4P1/8 w - - 0 38"]

38. Rg6 Rh5 {This is the drowning man clutching at bricks, all White need do now is to play Rg4 Checkmate. 1-0.} 39. Rg5 {Instead White misses the penalty and now....} 39... Rh8 {.....will White notice that the Black King has no moves?} 40. Nd5 {The answer is no.} 40... Rb8+ 41. Kc3 Rc8+ 42. Kd4 Rc4+ {Of course if KxR then it's stalemate. The King tries to run but the Rook keeps chasing him all over the football field. This is man marking taken up a level.} 43. Ke5 Re4+ 44. Kf5 Re5+ {KxR or PxR it is still stalemate.} 45. Kg6 Re6+ 46. Kh7 Rh6+ 47. Kg7 Rh7+ 48. Kf6 Rf7+ 49. Ke5 Re7+ {And seeing no way to prevent the draw White gives up.} 50. Nxe7 {Stalemate.}

[FEN "6k1/1b1r1ppp/p1q5/8/1B4P1/P2Q3P/2P2RP1/6K1 w - - 0 35"]

35. Qe2 Rd4 36. Qe5 Rd1+ 37. Kh2 {Now a safety first move would be h6 giving the Black King some air, The longer one goes without giving luft when there are Queens and Rooks roaming about on open files the more chance there is you will walk into a bank rank combination.} 37... Qc8 {This backward Queen move inviting the White Queen to have a pop at f7 conceals a deadly trap made all the more cunning because it involves another backward move. Attacking backward moves are the hardest for defenders to see coming.} 38. Qe7 {Threatening Qxf7+ and Qf8+ mating Black. Unfortunately Black has the ball.} 38... Qb8+ {Bd6 drops a piece and the game to Qxd6+. White ends the misery.} 39. g3 Rh1 {Checkmate.}

[FEN "1kr5/5R2/p1Bp3p/1p2b3/6p1/P7/1PP3P1/2K2R2 w - - 0 34"]

34. Rb7+ {This check will mate Black.} 34... Ka8 35. Bd5 {It was this move that White failed to see. What can be done against the threat of Rxb5+ and Rf7+ Mating. Nothing.} 35... a5 {This at least gives the King running room after if Rxb5+} 36. Rff7 {And Rb6 is mate. You must not let these chances slip by boys.}

[FEN "8/5R2/pk1p4/1p2b3/4B1pp/PP6/2P3P1/2K5 w - - 0 39"]

39. Rh7 Bf6 40. Rh6 {OOPS! Black scores a break away equaliser.} 40... Bg5+ 41. Kd1 Bxh6 42. Ke2 g3 43. Kf3 Bg5 44. Kg4 Bd8 45. Kf5 a5 46. Ke6 Kc5 47. Bd3 {White's 2nd blunder at this stage of the game. (cramp?) Black can play h3 and bring on a sub in the shape of a fresh Queen.} 47... b4 {Black misses his chance.} 48. axb4+ axb4 49. Bc4 {It's back on again and with the Black Queen limbering up on the touch line ready to come on......the players agree a draw. If Black had played h3 the Black Queen comes on..} 49... h3 50. gxh3 g2

[FEN "r1b5/2k4r/1p3p2/3Qp3/PP1p2q1/N2P3p/3B1P1K/R7 b - - 0 28"]

28... Qg2+ {Get the boot in first. This move wipes out all threats and wins by force that unprotected a1 Rook.} 29. Qxg2 hxg2+ 30. Kxg2 Bb7+ {now Kf1 then Bf3. (or indeed Rh1+ and Rxa1). If Kg1 then Rh1 is checkmate and if Kg3 Rg8+ mate next move.} 31. f3 Rg8+ 32. Kf2 Rh2+ {Now Ke1 gets mated with Rg1.} 33. Kf1 {And Black has the choice of taking the d2 Bishop or the a1 Rook with Rh1+.}