A Chess Jacket and the Salvio Trap

by greenpawn34 View Profile on Jun 29 2017 10:03 | 10389 views | 2 edits | Last edit on Nov 02 2022 08:59

Look at them, these are our chess elite...

....and they have been made to wear dull unimaginative jackets.

My Auntie Ethel, the one who disguised herself as a man in WWII
so she could fly Lancaster Bombers, always said; “Never complain
about anything, just improve it. ” I have a new jacket design in mind.

I have moved house and I now live in a huge concrete Rook.

It is quite strange living a circular room with no corners.

I decided to wallpaper the sitting room. I went through 18 rolls of
wallpaper before I discovered I had been going round and round
in circles papering over the same bit time and time and time again.

The title says it all. What Happened Next? Three riddles this week

Korchnoi - Karpov, Brussels 1987

(Black to move) What happened next?

J. Polgar - B. Spassky, 10th game, Budapest 1993.

(Black to play move 11) What happened next? (and was then undone by the organisers.)

S. Mamedyarov - H. Nakamura, Grand Tour Blitz, Paris 2017.

What happened next?

Black to play.

Answers after I show you a picture of me and the Thompson Twins.

Korchnoi - Karpov, Brussels 1987

Korchnoi accidentally touched his King and realised right away he was lost.
In his anger he swept the pieces off the board and stormed out of the room.

Korchnoi - Karpov, Brussels 1987 (position after Black’s last move)

J. Polgar - B. Spassky, 10th game, Budapest 1993.

This one involved a semi - successful cover up by the organisers.

Spassky and Judit Polgar had been having an argument with this variation in their match.
This was the third time it had appeared and on the way to the critical position, which
appears round about move 15, these two players just hammered out the following moves.

Spassky played 11...Re8 and Polgar immediately replied 12 Nf1. Black then played
12...Bb7 and the variation under examination was back on line. Black went onto win.

However after 11...Re8 White could have played 12.Bxf7 Kxf7 13.Ng5+

And Black losses his Queen. Spassky would have resigned.

To save the players any embarrassment, and possibly to stop any demeaning comments
about the match (both players missed 12. Bxf7+ ), the organisers of the match released
the moves 11....Re8 and 12....Bb7 in the wrong order so the shot 12. Bxf7+ was not on.

Even today some Data Bases have the wrong move order as if this never happened.

S. Mamedyarov - H. Nakamura, Grand Tour Blitz, Paris 2017.

1...f1=Q+ 2. Rxf1 Rxh5 is a simple 100% draw.

Nakamura (apparently for a joke) played 1...f1=N threatening Ng3+ and
expecting 2. Rxf1 Rxh5 and a handshake. Instead he was stunned to see:

FEN 8/8/8/5R1P/8/7r/4Kpk1/8 b - - 0 1
Invert Board PGN Headers Comments

[FEN "8/8/8/5R1P/8/7r/4Kpk1/8 b - - 0 1"]
1... f1=N {Black threatens Ng3+ and now he expected 2.Rxf1.} 2. Rf2+ {The joke has backfired. 2...Kg3 3.Rf3+ and then Rxh3 and the h-pawn runs home to promote.} 2... Kg1 3. Rxf1+ Kg2 4. Rf2+ Kg1 5. Rf5 {Nakamura, no doubt shaken went onto to lose this (but do remember this was blitz chess) . There is a standard draw here with...} 5... Kh2 {...and Black just keep playing Kh1-h2-h1. The White King cannot cross the 3rd rank and if the Rook tries to lift the blockade with Rf3 then the h-pawn falls.}

If Nakamura had taken the Queen it would produced a three way tie for first
place. Instead he finished in 3rd place, taking the Knight cost Nakamura $7,500

@Spectators in the Chess Forum mentions the well known trap in the Queen’s
Gambit Accepted where Black losses a Rook saying because it was first spotted
by Alessandro Salvio (1570 - 1540) the trap should bear his name. He’s correct.

This trap has caught a staggering 4000+ players on RHP. See the Games Explorer.

You will see the move 6. Qd1-f3 has been played 2,959 times.
You will also see the number of times this shot has been missed.

Salvio may have been first to mention it but I bet he never caught nowhere near as
many victims as @AttilaTheHorn. My records indicate he has trapped 96 players.

Here it is, I am picking a random 2017 game. (I have 65 this year alone to choose from)

AttilaTheHorn (and why not, it’s his pet trap) - Mladen Jurkovic RHP 2017

Invert Board PGN Comments

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3 {This is a key move. Centre grabbing with 3.e4 may look better but the trap is only set with this move.} 3... b5 {To defend the c4 pawn.} 4. a4 {Undermining the defence of the c4 pawn.} 4... c6 {Black saw that 4...a6 does not defend the b5-pawn because the a6 pawn is pinned. Having spotted that blunder this move is quickly selected.} 5. axb5 cxb5 {And now we see why 3.e3 was played instead of 3.e4.} 6. Qf3 {3.e3 allows White to play this move. It wins a piece. Black usually resign here or makes a vain effort to trap the Queen after 7.Qxa8.}

So what as Black do you do to avoid being one of the victims.

Here is one way to play it by one of the RHP good guys.

ticmic - Swiss Toni RHP 2013

Invert Board PGN Comments

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3 b5 4. a4 b4 {Give the pawn back. The b4 pawn cramps White's Queenside. The natural square for the b1 Knight (c3) is taken away. it will have to go to d2 then the c1 Bishop will moan.} 5. Qf3 {You will see this a few times. Don't worry about it. White has just taken f3 away from the g1 Knight.} 5... c6 {Only move. Has Black not taken c6 away from the b8 Knight. Yes. But thanks to the Queen on f3 this problem will be solved with a gain of tempo. Look and Learn.} 6. Bxc4 Nf6 {Develop and stops the attack on f7.} 7. Nh3 {Developing to get castled. It was either here or 7.Ne2.} 7... Bg4 {Not only developing with a gain of time. It sets up Black's next move.} 8. Qg3 c5 {I like that, It nibbles at White's centre, frees c6 and sets a trap. 9.dxc5 Qd1 mate. } 9. O-O {Good move.} 9... cxd4 10. Nf4 {Another good move. 10.Ng5 was an alternative. White wants Black to take on e3 to help him develop his Queenside with Bxe3.} 10... Nc6 {Black develops, he is not interested in a pawn if it unlocks White's Queenside.} 11. h3 {Black does not mind seeing that, the Bishop takes up a better post.} 11... Bf5 12. Nd2 {See note after Black’s 4th move. The c1 Bishop is now moaning. It does not make a move in this game.} 12... Rc8 13. Nb3 {Asking for trouble with a loose Bishop on c4 but White wants to play Bxe3 in the event of dxe3.} 13... Ne4 14. Qh4 Nd6 {Black is still refusing to play dxe3. he has bigger plans for that pawn.} 15. Ba6 e5 {Taking the Queens off. The White Queen has been used to improve Black’s position The Black Queen has not moved.} 16. Qxd8+ Rxd8 17. Nh5 d3 { A pawn on d3 or d6 is a bone in the throat.} 18. Nd2 {Blocking the Black the d-pawn} 18... Bg6 {To get the f8 Bishop developed. At the moment the g7 is under attack with a check.} 19. Ng3 Nb8 {Trading off one of the pieces putting pressure on the d3 pawn.} 20. Bb5+ Nxb5 21. axb5 Rd7 {Simply hanging onto the extra pawn.} 22. e4 {With ideas of getting the c1 Bishop to e3 and stopping when prepared e5-e4.} 22... f6 {This move gives the Black Bishop the f7 square. } 23. f4 Bc5+ 24. Kh1 exf4 {Black decides to take on f4. The open file and diagonal will favour him.} 25. Rxf4 O-O 26. b3 {Planning to get the c1 Bishop into the game via b2. But Black jumps on that idea right away.} 26... Bd4 27. Ra2 Be5 28. Rf3 {Only move. The Rook has to protect the g3 Knight. Now the c1 Bishop is unprotected.} 28... Rc8 29. Nc4 Bf7 {Another pawn is going to fall.} 30. Rd2 Bxc4 31. bxc4 Rxc4 32. Rd1 b3 33. Nf1 {33....b2 wins the c1 Bishop but Black wins in his own way.} 33... Rb4 34. Rfxd3 Rxd3 {White resigned.} 35. Rxd3 Rxb5 {No need to rush b2. It’s coming soon} 36. Rd2 b2 37. Bxb2 Rxb2 {Game over.}

Two RHP players playing with lone Queens. An accident waiting to happen.

White skillfully finds a skewer where others would have failed.

lyndmeg - Jokakor55 RHP 2015

FEN 8/7Q/8/q5k1/8/8/8/2K5 w - - 0 58
Invert Board PGN Headers Comments

[FEN "8/7Q/8/q5k1/8/8/8/2K5 w - - 0 58"]
58. Kd1 Qa4+ 59. Ke2 Qa2+ 60. Kf3 {Just keep moving the King on the first two ranks, Black cannot do anything. This is a draw.} 60... Qb3+ 61. Ke4 {OOPS!} 61... Qc2+ {The Queen is skewered.}

In the next game temptation blinds the player.
ebonyismydog - beechform RHP 2016

FEN 8/8/5K2/4P3/3k2P1/2p5/8/8 w - - 0 52
Invert Board PGN Headers Comments

[FEN "8/8/5K2/4P3/3k2P1/2p5/8/8 w - - 0 52"]
52. e6 c2 53. e7 c1=Q {Usually, if there are any tricks on the board they are the preserve of the first player to promote. Here it is different.} 54. e8=Q Qf4+ 55. Ke7 {Don't do it Black.} 55... Qxg4 {He did it.} 56. Qa4+ {The Queen.....she is skewered.}

davissarah - trexman83380 RHP 2012

But before we get to two lone Queens, this happened (White to play)

White has mate in three: 1.Qc4+ Kb3 2.Qb6+ Kc4 3.Rc4 mate.

But White missed it and played 1.Qe5

Black now has mate in three. 1....Qf2+ 2..Ke4 Rh4+ 3. Qf4 Qxf4 mate.

But Black missed it and played 1....Qc3+ We now join the game.

FEN 8/8/8/R3Q3/2k5/2q1K3/7r/8 w - - 0 39
Invert Board PGN Headers Comments

[FEN "8/8/8/R3Q3/2k5/2q1K3/7r/8 w - - 0 39"]

39. Ke4 Qxa5 {Queen takes Queen looks good.} 40. Qxh2 {We are now down to lone Queens.} 40... Qg5 41. Qc2+ Kb5 42. Qb3+ Kc5 43. Qb8 Qd5+ 44. Ke3 Qc6 45. Qe5+ Qd5 46. Qc3+ Qc4 47. Qa5+ Qb5 48. Qa8 Kc4 49. Qc8+ Qc5+ 50. Kd2 {The accident that was always going to happen.} 50... Qxc8

The thread accompanying this blog is Thread 173308

Posted to The Planet Greenpawn

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A Chess Jacket and the Salvio Trap

The Planet Greenpawn

A Chess Jacket and the Salvio Trap

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