Windmills. Rook v Knight. The Adams Spot!

Windmills. Rook v Knight. The Adams Spot!

The Planet Greenpawn

Windmills. Rook v Knight. The Adams Spot!



I was playing over the Giri - Ding Liren game from the ongoing 2015 Tata Steel…..

(insert a picture of Anish Giri……………….Russ)
Anish Giri

This is Anish Giri on the cover of the April 2009 CHESS when at
14 years and 7 months he became the World’s Youngest Grandmaster.

I was playing over the Giri - Ding Liren game from the ongoing 2015 Tata Steel…..

(A brief bio on Anish Giri………………Russ)

Born in Russia. Father Nepalese, Mother Russian. The family now reside in Holland.

I was playing over a game from the ongoing 2015 Tata Steel event
when this position with Black to play cropped up in one of the games.

A.Giri - Ding Liren, Tata Steel 2015.


And I was thinking (I do that sometimes, the headaches wear off after a while)
that offside White Knight has no way to escape the Rook's continuous attacks.


The coincidence being that morning I had been looking for a theme for this Blog and hit
upon a study composed in the year 811 AD. by a lad who name we only know as Zajbar.


Zajbar 811 AD. White to play and win. A very early demonstration of Zugzwang.


This ending is much more common than two Bishops v a Lone King
so serious students of the game should take some time out to study it.

I’ll give a brief example of some of the ideas used by both sides.

And that was how this week’s theme was shaping up. I had intended to
find some RHP examples of players screwing up Rook v Knight endings.

So I scanned the RHP Database wondering what tales of misery I would find.

As a Rook v Knight ending is classed as a book draw and indeed 70 % of the RHP games
with this ending are drawn. I just looked for Rook v Knight endings ending with 1-0 or 0-1.

The very first one I looked at had my head in my hands. This was a bad idea.

Bicsb - Fatbouy RHP 2014


Good grief, We are in deep trouble if they are all like this. The Knight wins!
Suddenly I got a well timed PM from Moonbus requesting to see Windmills
Windmill

So we forget about Rook and Knight endings and instead show Windmills,

Chess history has given us plenty of examples but I will be using the games from RHP.
For those of you who think a windmill is a mill you wind up here is one in all it’s glory,

USArmyParatrooper - sagator RHP 2011


Another illustration just to make sure you have it. This time Black has all the fun.

rkmmax - forkedknight RHP 2011


There is so much joy in swinging Rooks about, I’ll show you another example.

randr - Ed Freyfogle RHP 2010


So you have the idea. All that we need do is look at the finer points. Where is the h-pawn.

If the h-pawn is on h7 then no need to go Windmilling. You can look for a mate instead.

kjl291 - kcrally RHP 2012


Of course others here have missed this quicker mate. Here is another.
Watch out for Black’s clever and alert play leading up to Windmill.

Odinson - Checkov RHP 2010

An amusing finish. White shows Black how the mating pattern works.


With the pawn on h6 (or of course h3) then the mating pattern is not there.
However, this allows one to for a perpetual check. A couple of sad examples.

bdh191 - teclay RHP 2012


Another needless loss with a missed perpetual.

achilles9533 - pl RHP2011


Windmill

The Greenpawn Cock-Up No. 146.

How are you getting on with that 5.Bd3 gambit in the Caro Kann from the last blog.


I’ve already had a couple of blitz games with it. Two losses where I went sac-happy.
Here (not v the Caro Kann) I’m White in a recent blitz game. You will enjoy this one.


Windmill

We end with this masterpiece from the dark damp pit that is the RHP Database.
White successfully manages to get back rank mated ‘without castling’ in 10 moves.

jeremyluerkens - Dragonball RHP 2007



The thread accompanying this blog is Thread 162591

Posted to The Planet Greenpawn

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