The theme of the week is Knights and the things they do.
That’s me in a shadow of a Knight leaning against a Rook.
Now I know that you know that I know that you know you that you cannot
Checkmate a King with a Knight and Bishop if it is in the ‘wrong corner’.
The correct corner is the corner square the same colour as your Bishop.
Istvan1990 - Banfieldspawn RHP 2014
Black mated with 1….Ne2 2.Ka7 Nc1+ 3.Ka1 Bc3 mate.
Trying to do it in the wrong corner, the corner square not covered by your Bishop.
Then as the KBN player you may suffer the same sad fate as 32 other RHP games.
paulwagle - daithioconaill RHP 2013.
Black has just been stalemated. Yes so far we have 32 stalemates with KBN v K,
However, and Chess has a brilliant habit of producing “howevers”.
If we add a pawn then we can actually break the wrong corner rule.
This week’s instructive point being that not all endgame pawns are gold dust.
Sometimes, to your advantage, you can leave an opponent’s pawn on the board
catnap642 - Duimex RHP 2012
Game 8968762
[FEN "K7/n7/P7/1k6/8/4b3/8/8 w - - 0 1"]
1. Kb7 {Play now went 1....Ka5 2.Kc7 Kxa6. Black then chased the White King all over the place till eventually he lost the Bishop and the game was drawn.} 1... Bb6 {With this move, which keeps the White King stuck in the 'wrong corner' we have a neat win.} 2. Ka8 {2.Kb8 will transpose, Black can lose a tempo with the Bishop.} 2... Kc6 3. Kb8 {White is reduced to only moves.} 3... Bc5 {The Bishop loses a tempo setting up the mate by staying on the g1-a7 diagonal.} 4. Ka8 Nc8 {Now 5.a7 is mate in two 5...Nb6+ 6.Kb8 Bd6 mate.} 5. Kb8 Nb6 {6.a7 Bd6 is mate. Note how we use the White pawn to seal off a flight square and prevent stalemates..} 6. Ka7 {The only move.} 6... Nd7+ 7. Ka8 Bd4 {This is why chasing the King to the 'wrong corner' is a mistaken plan because if it were not for the fact White has a pawn then this would be stalemate.} 8. a7 Nb6+ 9. Kb8 Be5 {Checkmate.}
The Knights Triangle.
You have all heard of the Bermuda Triangle and the Eternal Triangle.
Today we look at The Knight’s Triangle a regular guest here on RHP.
Here is the bare bones of the Knight’s Triangle with White to play.
1.Nd5? Nxd5 2.Bxe7 Nxe7 and because Knights can move backwards Black is a piece up.
Here is an example from play.
Gwaihir - dabensta RHP 2013
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.Nc3 0-0 6.Be2 a6 7.0-0 b5 {White, no doubt prompted by the ‘threat’ of b4 enters The Triangle.} 8.Nd5 Nxd5 9.Bxe7 Nxe7 {Black is a piece up...How did that happen?}
One more so we get the pattern firmly established.
(Guess how many RHP players have fallen for this.)
Grissom - jaapm RHP 2007
Also note the dangers of changing a plan. This too is a frequent fault on RHP.
The reason is obvious. With days in between moves a player simply forgets
what they intended (I know I have) and plays what looks like a good move.
White is shaping up to challenge the d-file but is suddenly presented with a better idea.
[FEN "3r1rk1/p1p2ppp/2p2n2/8/1b2P3/2N5/PPP2PPP/R1B1R1K1 w - - 0 13"]
13. Bg5 Be7 {White, a happy pawn up, now prepares to challenge Black's hold on the d-file with Rd1 by removing any back rank surprises.} 14. h3 c5 {Black makes the d5 square available for the White Knight enticing it to jump into the Knight’s Triangle.} 15. Nd5 {And there is goes.} 15... Nxd5 16. Bxe7 Nxe7 {The Triangle claims another victim. Black won.}
Of course this common RHP blunder can be played by the Black player.
but statistics indicate it is usually White that is the victim of this oversight.
White has lost a piece this way 807 times on RHP
Black has lost a piece this way 351 times on RHP
Which endorses the legend that it is better to have Black on RHP because the
blunder will come that one move sooner. Often the White player is too impulsive
C.S. Purdy put it much better a long time before the internet was invented.
“The player who completes his development first is said to have the initiative because he is
thus able to start making blunders while his opponent is still occupied in bringing out his men.”
Taken from "Among These Mates" Chess Review (Australia), 1939.
We leave the Triangle with this wee nugget played between:
Globetrekker - Timmonnj RHP 2013
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 {Philidor’s Defence. Solid but Black has to be aware of a some theoretical lines. Playing this one off the cuff can easily lead Black into a difficult position.} 3. d4 exd4 {Giving up e5 point is playable but the spirit of this opening lay in holding e5 with 3...Nf6 hitting e4 and 4...Nbd7.} 4. c3 {White turns the game into a gambit, Black should take the pawn and see what White has.} 4... Bg4 5. cxd4 Nf6 6. Nc3 a6 {No need to cover b5. Get a bit out, develop. 6...Be7} 7. Be2 Nc6 {So that was the idea of 6...a6. Black feared Bb5 and d5.} 8. Qb3 {Looks good at first glance. A hit on b7 and perhaps a Ng5 hit on f7 in the pipeline. Second glance and you can see Black can play 8...Bxf3 and 9....Nxd4,} 8... Nxd4 {Wrong move order. Black had to play Bxf3 first. We now see a White Knight Triangle.} 9. Nxd4 Bxe2 10. Ndxe2 {And White is a piece up.} 10... b6 11. Nd5 Nxe4 {Well there goes another piece. It's your move. Does your opponent have an unprotected piece in the position. (Yes that Knight on e4) is there a check in the position. (Yes Qa4+) and Qa4+ will indeed pick up the e4 Knight.} 12. Nd4 {White either missed it or is going for bigger tricks.} 12... g6 {All these weakening pawn moves when Knights are about do not bade well.} 13. Nc6 Qc8 {Oh please tell me White played Qc3 hitting the h8 Rook. Black cannot play Nxc3 because….(see what happens.)} 14. f3 {Same idea but a bit crude.} 14... Nc5 15. Nf6 {A Knight mate from, a Knight Triangle.} 1-0
And we end with, judging by the messages and games I get sent, the most popular part of the show.
I’m convinced people don’t look at the rest, they just swoop down the page to see if
their name is mentioned, breathe a sigh of relief if it’s not, then play over and chuckle
at the poor wretch whose blunder has been discovered in amongst the rubble of RHP.
Here is a game that arrived yesterday in the Pandora's Box I call my In Tray.
caoimho - Larkie RHP 2015
White is winning on material and position. The Captain leaves the bridge and the
lookout fails to spot an iceberg. Not quite the same disaster as the Titanic but close.
Black plays the best move but has me howling because he had a ‘better’ move.
[FEN "8/R7/4n3/P2Rp3/4Pk2/5P1P/6PK/2r5 w - - 0 1"]
1. Rf7+ Ke3 2. Rxe5 Nf4 {White should just play 3.Rxf4 Black would probably have resigned. He has nothing after his Knight goes.} 3. Ref5 Ne2 4. e5 Kf2 5. e6 {Passed pawn must be pushed - or so the books tells. However...} 5... Ng3 {Nothing can now prevent Black from playing his next move.} 6. Rg5 Rh1 {Brilliant. So why am I moaning about it. See the next game.}
That was a Hook mate. I’ve 100’s of those. Black should have played….
[FEN "8/5R2/8/P3PR2/8/5P1P/4nkPK/2r5 w - - 0 1"]
1. e6 {Now instead of Ng3 and Rh1 mate how's about....} 1... Rh1+ 2. Kxh1 Ng3+ 3. Kh2 Nf1+ 4. Kh1 Ng3+ 5. Kh2 Nf1+ 6. Kh1 Ng3+ {A Knight aided by the King v two Rooks perpetual that I've never seen before. It would have been the Immortal Perpetual.}
Some other Knight perpetuals with the same pattern which are worth knowing.
jpoconne - Th3dream RHP 2013
Black drew with Kh2 Nf1+ Kh1 Ng3+ etc…
Kostic Sasa - champion76 RHP 2006
White has and took the perpetual with Ng6 + and Nf8+
chessicle - Chufty Jones RHP 2006
Same pattern as above but this time it’s a Knight on g8.
Finally this one which deserves to seen in full as it has a good point.
Ullr - hazer RHP 2007
[FEN "8/5ppk/7p/PQp5/2P5/7P/3n2PK/r7 w - - 0 1"]
1. Qxc5 {White should have (and this is hindsight talking) ruined the pattern by playing h4 or g4 and then ran with the a-pawn. The Queen has gone to the wrong square.} 1... Nf1+ 2. Kh1 Ng3+ 3. Kh2 Nf1+ 4. Kh1 Ng3+ 5. Kh2 {And that is how it ended. But wait...I know what you are thinking....The White King can escape.} 5... Nf1+ 6. Kg1 {Correct Mr. Thomas. The King can run out to f2. Why did the King not run to f2?} 6... Ng3+ {It has to go back to h2 because if.....} 7. Kf2 Ne4+ {I told you that Queen went to the wrong square. She has just been Knight forked.}
Maybe post the game (no need to give names) in the thread
linked to this blog. Let the lads have a look at it.
That's the right thing to do when playing on means a loss on time.
Where there any pawns left? With 3 minor pieces against one then if there are no pawns it's impossible for the weaker side to force a win so he can't have been trying to. Even with pawns it's unlikely that he could do anything two pawns down so the right thing to do is offer a draw.