Often when I do a blog I find it’s too long so something has to go.
I try to keep what I’ve removed for the next one but something
happens and I leave it out again...and again...and again. Eventually
I decide it naff and ditch it. So from the dustbin of the last blog.
🙂
I was picking some easy puzzles from old CHESS magazines for the
blog and I came across Davies - Han, Kendal 2019. It is Black to play.
Yes 1....Rxc4+ and the b4 pawn runs home to b1. 0-1.
Far too easy but I thought I could use it as I was bound to come across
a handful of RHP games where such a simple tactic had been missed.
The 2nd game I looked at was richardv - timv RHP 2022.
1....Rb7 pins the Bishop and the f-pawn promotes. But Black did not
play 1...Rb7 instead they played 1...Kg2 and the game was drawn.
The game continued and this position was reached. Black to play.
Here is your test. How does this end. What is plan from here as Black.
I’ll give what happened.
That should give a clue of what not to do if you want to win this.
But even without gaining a tempo the win is still there.
Good. it found a home. (it’s still too long) In future I’ll drop unused blog bits here.
@greenpawn34
Thank you again for sharing these things. I probably have misseda few wins that way 🙁
Hi Ponderable
I once won two OTB games that way. A King and Rook v King and a lone Pawn,
My opponent resigned right away when they could have forced me to give up the
Rook for the pawn. And in the other my opponent misplayed it and allowed me to
catch the pawn.
Confession.
I spotted the first win right away. Do not take the pawn, let White waste a tempo. In the second
I first thought if Black takes the pawn then they could be the victim in the mutual Zugswang
and was two moves in before I realised No. White is still lost.
I was never involved in many endings but I did tend to be lucky a few times.
Chandler - Ferguson, Edinburgh Chess League 1981
I'm losing but Black comes up with an imaginative way to win it.
It really did deserve better result but it had a tiny flaw which I spotted
