From a cartoon in CHESS August 1967. (I coloured it in for effect.)
I’m sure this was the first chess cartoon I saw in a chess magazine.
A pleasant change from a drawing of two old men playing chess asleep and
covered in cobwebs which were common before Bobby Fischer appeared.
This week’s puzzle I picked up in a Russian magazine, no composers name.
The King and Bishop dominate the Knight. But there a cute move to find.
White to play and win.
[FEN "6nk/8/7P/4K3/1B6/8/7P/8 w - - 0 1"]
1. Bf8 {This move is easy enough. Hold the h6 pawn and restrict the Knight.} 1... Kh7 2. h3 {The star move. 2. h4 draws. All will be revealed why very soon.} 2... Kg6 {We will see what happens if 2...Nxh6 in a few moves.} 3. h7 {This pawn is sacced to keep the Black King bottled up.} 3... Kxh7 4. Kf5 Nh6+ {If Black had played this on move 2 then it would have met the same reply.} 5. Kf6 {And now we see the value of the pawn on h3. The Knight cannot escape.} 5... Ng8+ {If the pawn had been h4 the Knight could have jumped out here with Ng4+} 6. Kg5 {This seals the door on the Knight’s prison.} 6... Kh8 {White next move condemns Black to only making Knight moves.} 7. Kg6 {The Knight is captured, there is no stalemate and White has the correct Bishop for the h-pawn.}
All I’ve heard is that a female player called Candy Dates is playing chess in Toronto.
Sources say if she wins this event she will play a world title match against Dame Liren.
Sadly no games from Candy Dates game but I did find this effort from Toronto
F. Caruana - H. Nakamura, Toronto 2024 Rd.1 (Black to play)
Nakamura played 23...Rxf2 a wonderfully worked out sac to get a three fold rep.
Caruana never played 24.Kxf2 but 24.Rbxd5 instead and the game was eventually
drawn. We shall look at what could have happnend if Caruana had taken the Rook,
[FEN "3q1rk1/5ppp/Q7/1R1p4/8/1Bb5/P1P2rPP/3R2K1 w - - 0 1"]
1. Kxf2 Qh4+ 2. Kg1 Bd4+ {3.Rxd4 Qe1 mate. A mini theme on this next.} 3. Kh1 Be5 {4.g3 Qe4+ 5.Kh1 is an easy enough draw to see.} 4. h3 Qg3 5. Kg1 Qe3+ 6. Kf1 Qf4+ {White has to play 7.Kg1 if 7.Ke1 Bc3+ and Re8+ and if 7.Ke2...} 7. Ke2 Bd4 {8...Qe3+ and mate on f2. is just one of the many mating patterns now appearing.} 8. Rf1 {Everything gets mated but this annoying move hides a cute idea I went for.} 8... Re8+ 9. Kd1 {Now of course the mundane 9...Qxf1+ etc.... but I thought I had found.} 9... Bc3 {With Qxf1 mate or Qd2 mate and if 10,Rxf4 Re1 mate. But White has.} 10. Rxd5 {Which stops all the mates. Damn! 10...Qe3 still wins for but it is not as pretty.}
I mentioned 3.Rxd4 Qe1 mate. I wonder how many RHP players have been mated this
way. The number runs into thousands. I could do the next 30 blogs on back rank mates.
I’ll spare a few blushes and tears by limiting it to just a couple of examples. (for now.)
Balu Muthusamy - Peppe Catapano RHP 2023 (White to play)
A very common RHP blunder coming up. A material grab or a threat without looking.
21.Qxg7 Qe1 mate. Until your King has luft, (21.h3!) always check your back rank.
palmer45 - truthisnow 2014 (we have to play this one out.)
[FEN "4r3/7p/p2PNp1k/qp4p1/3R4/P1rP4/PQ3PPP/R5K1 w - - 0 1"]
1. Re1 {I like this because it encourages Blacks next move which threatens mate in one.} 1... Rxa3 {Now 2. Rxh4+ gxh4 3.Qxf6+ mate next move. or 2...Kg6 3.Rh6+ also mates,} 2. Qb1 {White only looked at stopping the mate on e1. Check All Checks!} 2... Rxa2 3. d7 Ra1 {Threatening 4...Qxe1+ 3. Qxe1 Rxe1 mate.} 4. Qxa1 {Having spotted that one White has this game as 1-0.} 4... Rxe6 {The last arrow which should have fallen short after 5.Qxa5} 5. d8=Q {The maxims keep coming. Pause before Promoting and Check All Checks.} 5... Qxe1+ 6. Qxe1 Rxe1 {Checkmate.}
We end with a piece of chessboard magic. Some amateur players have in the past been
lucky enough to be have had their day in the sunshine. The day when every moved clicked.
Black gives up two Knights, two Bishops and both Rooks to checkmate White’s King.
N.N. - Edward Mason, London League Match, 1948.
[FEN "k1q1bbrr/1p3pp1/p7/5n1n/PP2N2p/1NP5/1BB1Q1PP/2R2R1K b - - 0 1"]
1... Bb5 2. axb5 Nhg3+ 3. Nxg3 Nxg3+ 4. hxg3 hxg3+ 5. Kg1 Rh1+ {BY now you will see the idea and what is coming.} 6. Kxh1 Rh8+ 7. Kg1 Bc5+ 8. Nxc5 Rh1+ 9. Kxh1 Qh8+ 10. Kg1 Qh2 {All one can say is 'Bravo!'}
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