Been reading this.
Detective Inspector Robert Colbeck is investigating the
first Great Train Robbery that took place in London 1851.
Yes 1851 the same year as the first ever Chess Tournament.
I’m halfway through it but as yet no sign of any chess players.
I keep expecting Howard Staunton and Henry Bird to turn up
either as super Victorian Villains or plain clothes policemen.
I’ll give two lesser known games from London 1851 Tournament.
Both games are between Adolf Anderssen and Lionel Kieseritzky.
And ‘NO!’ neither of them is ‘The Immortal Game’.
I was going to tell them that you interfering bird brained nit-wit.
The Immortal Game was played in London 1851 but not in the tournament
of that year which was organised to take part alongside the London Festival.
It was run on a knock out basis. Two games were played with each player having White in
one game, if tied after two games the players played again till there was a clear result.
L. Kieseritzky - A. Anderssen London 1851
You are about to see why these games are not too well known. White to play.
I hope you all can see Black has a Mate in one if the f3 Rook moves.
Apparently Kieseritzky did not and despite the fact there was no time control
he duly played 20.Rg3 and of course Anderssen checkmated him with 20..Qf2.
‘The Not Quite Immortal Game’ Staunton's notes on how this game ended.
By the way, the layout of the 1851 book was thus:
Notice they did not give names. Very polite these Victorians.
We should try that here. G_____ v D__________ RHP 2012.
This next game is ‘The Immortal Draw’ between the same two players.
A. Anderssen - L. Kieseritzky, London 1851
[FEN "8/8/5K2/2r5/5k1P/2p5/P7/1R6 w - - 0 54"]
54. Rc1 Ke4 {White should now push the h-pawn but instead played.....} 55. Rxc3 Rxc3 56. h5 {Because he was convinced this is a draw.} 56... Rh3 57. Kg6 Rg3+ 58. Kf6 {And here L. Kieseritzky agreed a draw. If he had played on....} 58... Rf3+ 59. Kg6 {There is nothing better, this ending is lost for White because he has an a-pawn. Without the a-pawn there would be no win.} 59... Ke5 60. h6 Ke6 61. Kg7 Rg3+ 62. Kh8 Kf7 63. h7 {If there was no a-pawn White would now be stalemated. Black uses the fact an a-pawn is on the board to mate White.} 63... Rc3 64. a4 Rc8
I can combine these two games to show missed mates from drawn Rook endings .
GruffGriff - ettemarc, RHP .2015
[FEN "8/5p1p/1R4p1/1p6/6Pk/4PK1P/5P2/1r6 w - - 0 36"]
36. Kg2 b4 {The pawns are even so all we have to remember is the famous Russian proverb that All Rook Endings are Drawn.} 37. Rb7 h5 38. gxh5 Kxh5 39. Rxf7 b3 {Although Black is a pawn down the game still has a drawish look. Soon the White Rook will be tied to the b-file and the White King has to watch out for Rook checks and b2-b1.} 40. f4 {Careful now...play g5.} 40... b2 {OOPS!} 41. Rh7 {Checkmate.} 1-0
Same again, a drawn Rook ending where one player allows a mate.
bdh191 - S0AP, RHP.2015
[FEN "8/4k3/2p1Pp2/1p1p1P1p/3P3P/2P1R2K/8/6r1 w - - 0 36"]
36. Rg3 Rh1+ 37. Kg2 Rxh4 {This time Black goes the pawn up but White has enough play. Again it looks like a draw with best play.} 38. Rg7+ {Careful now...Ke8 and Black is OK.} 38... Kd6 {OOPS!} 39. Rd7 {Checkmate.} 1-0
I’ve been following the World Cup in Baku and Nakamura....
Hi. Did any of you see the end of the Lu - Topalov game from the 2015 World Cup?
Lu forced Topalov to display his Bishop v Rook knowledge and how to get the draw.
Wait a minute........where did you spring from I want to show Nakamura and........
Go away greenpawn here is some important must know knowledge for the lads.
Topalov had to show that he knew the drawing method for this type
of ending by heading for the corner NOT controlled by the Bishop.
Lu, - Topalov, Baku, World Cup 2015.
[FEN "7R/2b5/8/8/4K1k1/8/8/8 w - - 0 92"]
92. Rg8+ Kh4 93. Kf5 Kh3 94. Rg4 Kh2 95. Ke4 Kh1 96. Kf3 Kh2 97. Rg2+ Kh1 {This is a book draw. Remember the King heads for the corner not controlled by the Bishop.} 98. Kf2 Bb6+ 99. Kf1 Bc7 100. Rg7 Bd6 101. Rh7+ Bh2 {White cannot make any headway so played....} 102. Kf2 {Stalemate.}
I’ve been looking at a few of this years games, some of you don’t know this ending.
Penguin303 - brku RHP 2015
[FEN "8/8/2K1B3/r7/3k4/8/8/8 w - - 0 68"]
68. Kd6 {This is a draw. White heads for h1. Black cannot prevent it.} 68... Ra6+ 69. Ke7 Ke5 70. Bd7 Ra7 {Now Ke8 staying in touch with the correct corner. That would have drawn.} 71. Kd8 {Now Black wins.} 71... Kd6 72. Bg4 Rg7 {This hitting the Bishop and threatening a back rank mate is the winning method.} 73. Bh5 Rg8+ 74. Be8 Rh8 {White is forced to move the King and the Bishop is lost.}
In this next game Black misses a similar winning idea.
Riko Erlando - cornell83, RHP 2015
[FEN "8/8/3B4/8/8/5kpK/4r3/8 w - - 0 70"]
70. Bxg3 Re6 {Right idea wrong square.} 71. Kh4 {The only move to save the Bishop but with Rook on e6 it is good enough.} 71... Re4+ 72. Kh3 Re6 {Black has gone back to this square again. It's the wrong square.} 73. Kh4 Rh6+ 74. Kg5 {The King is loose and this game was drawn. I'll get the position back to where it was and show the win.} 74... Re6 75. Kh4 Re4+ 76. Kh3 {Here we are, now not Re6 but....} 76... Re8 {The difference being after...} 77. Kh4 Rh8+ {When the King goes to g5 it is not attacking a Rook on h6. The Bishop is lost. Black let this win slip through their fingers.}
OK Ernie now sod off....Not yet Greenpawn..I have a study. to show...there is a link.
A study by Kling & Horwitz, London 1851.
[FEN "6k1/5R2/6K1/8/3b4/8/8/8 b - - 0 78"]
78... Bg1 {White stays on the f-file to keep the Black King from running to a8 the safe corner for this Bishop.} 79. Rf1 Bh2 80. Rf2 Bg3 81. Rg2 {Bf4 or Bh4 then the White King moves giving check wins the Bishop.} 81... Bd6 82. Rd2 {White keeps threatening the Bishop gaining time to move off the f-file so the Rook can check as far away from the Black King as possible.} 82... Be7 83. Ra2 {This wins. Kf8 Ra8+ and Bd8 meets the same Ra8.} 83... Bd6 84. Ra8+ Bf8 85. Rc8 {Mate next move. There area few ways to wins that study but the final idea is the same. Work on these till you know them...One day you will need to know what to do...Trust me on this. The link is 1851.}
Remember last Blog where I showed White Knights on a8 and h8.
How about seeing if we have White Rooks appearing on a8 and h8.
jahmar83 - abshalom RHP2011
Checkmate.
fattymark - diggars RHP 2013
Checkmate.
Of course it would too much to ask to see an RHP game with White Rooks on
a8 and h8 and Black Rooks on a1 and h1. That would be impossible. But.........
jose sureda - ChrisVicAU RHP 2011
There is one. White went onto win.
Game 8574016
The thread accompanying this blog is
Thread 165695 
This ending could have appeared in a league match about 30 years ago.
Luckily that was in the days of adjournments so I had time to go over
it.and get to know it else I may have quite happily headed for the
wrong corner because to mate with a Bishop and Knight you chase
the King into corner controlled by the Bishop and I no doubt would
have mixed the two of them up....Endings (yuk!)