The answer to the obvious question is....
...Yes. I bought this book because of the title.
I recently googled the book and discovered the title is
from a poem by Edward FitzGerald. 'Rubáiyát of Khayyám.'
'Tis all a Chequer-board of Nights and Days
Where Destiny with Men for Pieces plays:
Hither and thither moves, and mates, and slays,
And one by one back in the Closet lays.'
So there is a chess link in there after all.
Speaking of books the most famous book review is the two
word book review of Eric Schiller’s Unorthodox Openings.
Recently I’ve been pointed towards a ‘no word’ book review.
The book in question is Lev Alburt’s ‘Chess Rules of Thumb”
The joke no word review is:
Quickly moving on, how are you at solving mate in x moves?
Mates in two, three, four etc. Too easy for you. Then try this.
White to play and Mate in one Move (Leonid Kubbel)
No tricks or en passant scams, a genuine mate in one. (solution at the bottom)
Let us go back to...
I have not read it but without doubt one of the Rules of Thumb will
be the warning about making too many pawn moves in the opening.
OTB Chess History has given us 100's of examples, RHP 1,000’s.
talzamir - Arayn RHP 2012
1. d4 d5 2. e4 {The Blackmar Gambit, if taking pawn is not your thing then 2...e6 a French Defence or 2...c6 a Caro Kann are other options.} 2... dxe4 3. Nc3 f5 {Black has weakened his Kingside. 2...Nf6 was better} 4. f3 exf3 {Again 3...Nf6 was better, Black is developing White's pieces.} 5. Nxf3 h6 {Not sure what is about, it simply weakens the Kingside further, Again development of a piece was called for 4....Nf6 White ignores it and brings out another piece.} 6. Bc4 a5 {Black is not going to play Nf6, I'll stop mentioning it.} 7. Ne5 {The weakened Kingside has too many holes.} 7... h5 {That was designed to stop Qh5 check and all the misery that move would bring.} 8. Bf7 {Checkmate. Black’s 7 pawns moves were to blame.}
And now (I’m guessing you know what is coming, an amazing exception.)
GregoryBrown27 - roger k RHP 2011
Black shuns the Rule of Thumb under discussion. what I shall
do is point out some other Rules of Thumb that White ignores.
1. d4 e6 2. Nf3 f6 {No doubt about it, RHP players love putting a pawn on f6 in the opening instead of a Knight.} 3. e3 d5 4. Bb5+ {A Pointless Check.} 4... c6 5. Ba4 g5 6. O-O h5 7. Nc3 {Planless Development. Once castled White can go on the offensive. 7.Qd3 create threats. Black's Kingside is bare.} 7... h4 8. h3 {No need to create a potential target and weakness in the castle position. Again Qd3.} 8... g4 9. hxg4 e5 10. Ne1 {Undeveloping and missing a chance to open up the game as the better developed player (10. dxe5). 10.Ne1 was played to hold the g-pawn.} 10... e4 {Black's position, built up solely with pawn moves is starting to look OK. 11.f3 to crack the centre is a move here.} 11. g3 {Opening up the castled position for no reason at all. That pawn on h4 is actually hindering Black from getting at the White King.} 11... h3 {11...hxg3 12.fxg3 Qc7 13.Kg2 Qc7 with Qh7 idea looks better though Black is now looking good even after 11...h3.} 12. Ne2 {The idea being Ne2-f4} 12... Bxg4 {Black first piece move, (he will only need one piece.) Pins the e2 Knight.} 13. b3 {OOPS! Blocking the retreat of a piece with a pawn slip is a common blunder. 13....b5 wins the a4 Bishop.} 13... Bf3 {Black ignores it and goes for the King.} 14. Bb2 {Thoughtless development and missing the threat. 14.Nxf3 was the move here.} 14... h2 {Black has Checkmated White in 14 moves. 12 of those were Black pawn moves. There are no Rules of Thumb in Chess, only good and bad moves.}
Before we move onto the Hall of Doom, how about this true
story that I picked up whilst surfing about for an idea.
The story concerns a league match in England and a newcomer
was hastily drafted in to fill a vacant board. Upon being
presented with a score sheet the lad was instructed as per
the rules to write his moves down. And this is what he did!
The tale was accompanied with a picture of the lad's score sheet.
He wrote down his moves as instructed, but not his opponents.
I've no idea if the lad lost on an infringement of the rules, I
think not, most league matches are conducted on a friendly basis.
AT tournaments an incorrect score sheet can cost you the game
and a few Year back Wes So was defaulted for wrting small self
reminders to himself on his score sheet. I was warned once, in
jest, about my habit of writing 'zoom' or'zooom' when I castle.
I still do. G.Chandler - D.Russel, Edinburgh League, 2016.
1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. f4 Bg7 5. Nf3 c5 {Swiss Gambit and me had a few tussels with line on here a few years back. I was trying to remember my analysis from then.} 6. Bb5+ Bd7 7. e5 Ng4 8. e6 fxe6 9. Ng5 Bxb5 {Now 10.Nxe6 Bxd4 is the famous Seirawan drawing line. (see next game).} 10. Qxg4 Bc4 11. b3 Bxd4 12. Bd2 Bd5 13. Nxd5 {Black cannot play 13...Bxa1 14.Nxe6 would murder him.} 13... exd5 14. c3 Bf6 15. Ne6 Qd7 16. f5 Rg8 17. O-O {ZOOM!} 17... Nc6 18. Rae1 d4 {That is wrong. 18...Ne5 was the move I was worried about.} 19. fxg6 {Black now played 19...Rxg6 and I won Black's Queen with 20.Rxf6 exf6 (forced) 21.Nxc5+ 1-0 a few moves later. I was hoping for....} 19... Ne5 {..when I had planned the double Queen Sac.} 20. gxh7 Rxg4 21. h8=Q+ Bxh8 22. Rf8
The famous Yasser Seirawan drawing line I menioned.
[FEN "rn1qk2r/pp1bp1bp/3pp1p1/1Bp5/3P1Pn1/2N2N2/PPP3PP/R1BQK2R w KQkq - 0 9"]
9. Ng5 Bxb5 10. Nxe6 Bxd4 11. Nxd8 Bf2+ 12. Kd2 Be3+ 13. Ke1 Bf2+ 14. Kd2 Be3+ 15. Ke1 Bf2+ {etc...etc...}
A few days ago this problem was posted on the Chess Forum by moonbus.
It is White to play and mate in two moves.
There is only one way for mate in two moves. (Solution at the bottom)
This gave me an idea to look for some ‘Hall of Doom’ material.
The first game, not a real Hall of Doom contender because here
Black actually won the game though it was the long way around
gilma - InlandRevenueUK RHP 2013
A double Queen Sacrifice.
[FEN "8/p7/1p6/8/5Q2/7r/6r1/1K4k1 w - - 0 59"]
59. Qa4 Rh1 {All Black need do now is get in Kh2 and it is game over.} 60. Qf4 {White stops Kh2.} 60... a5 {Black comes up with another idea.} 61. Kc1 b5 62. Kb1 b4 63. Kc1 a4 64. Kd1 b3 65. Kc1 a3 66. Kb1 b2 67. Ka2 b1=Q+ {This Queen sac should have finished the game much quicker.} 68. Kxb1 {Now Rb2+ frees g2 for the Black King and the game is finished.} 68... Rb2+ 69. Kc1 Rf2 {Kg2+ discovered check looks better.} 70. Qg3+ Rg2 71. Qf4 a2 72. Qe5 {The White Queen is now over loaded. She has to prevent Kh1 and the square a1.} 72... a1=Q+ 73. Qxa1 Kh2# {Checkmate. A fun ending.} 0-1
Now we get onto some correct candidates for the ‘Hall of Doom’.
spammer - Pauline Calf RHP 2007
White misses a Queen winning Skewer
[FEN "8/8/8/8/4q1k1/5R2/5R1K/8 w - - 0 55"]
55. Rg3+ Kh4 56. Rf8 Qe5 {OOPS! Very Instructive. Black pins the Rook thinking it can never move. White now played 3.Rg8 and the game was drawn a few moves later. White missed.....} 57. Rh8+ Qxh8 {Now the g3 Rook is unpinned.} 58. Rh3+ {Skewers the Black Queen.}
A game featuring a missed mate in one that ended in a draw.
Thelemon200 - Adam Anderson RHP 2014
[FEN "3K1q2/3R4/4R3/2k5/8/8/8/8 w - - 0 59"]
59. Re8 Qf6+ 60. Ree7 Qf8+ 61. Kc7 Qf4+ 62. Kd8 {OOPS! Now Qb8 is checkmate.} 62... Qf8+ {Black missed it, the game struggled on for 10 more moves and was agreed drawn.}
As predictable as ever I have saved the best till last.
CaptainP - Boramir RHP 2012
Black missed a standard Skewer and played a one move blunder.
[FEN "5Q2/r3r3/4P3/6k1/8/7K/8/8 w - - 0 55"]
55. Qg8+ Kf5 56. Qg4+ Kf6 57. Kh4 {OOPS! Rh7+ and Rg7 wins the White Queen.} 57... Rxe6 {OOPS! OOPS! Black missed winning the Queen and leaves an undefended Rook on an open board.} 58. Qd4+ {White picks up the a7 Rook Black resigned.} 1-0
***Solutions***
White to pay and mate in one.
1.Qa3 checkmate.
White to play and mate in two
1.Rg1 (threat 2.Rg8 mate) 1...Qxh1 2.Rxh1 mate.
If you have anything to say or add then please use
Thread 171732 
