Introducing
Some of the penalty square instructions.
Order today to avoid disappointment.
Some positions to test your look ahead skills.
1) Black to play
Find Black’s killer 5th move.
2) (White to play)
Pick you way out of that one.
3) (White to play)
And easier one, but you have to spot the shot for it to be easy. (solutions below)
Some sketches containing the Outside Passed A-Pawn.
We start with a basic example.
reboot - Massimiliano Perna RHP 2017
[FEN "8/p4K2/6bp/kp6/6P1/5P2/8/8 w - - 0 46"]
46. Kxg6 b4 47. Kxh6 b3 48. g5 b2 49. g6 b1=Q 50. g7 {You can see the idea. Black is going to swap Queens and the a-pawn wins.} 50... Qh1+ 51. Kg6 Qg2+ 52. Kh7 Qxf3 53. g8=Q Qh5+ 54. Kg7 Qg5+ 55. Kf8 Qxg8+ 56. Kxg8 Kb4 {The a-pawn promotes 0-1.}
Next a no nonsense approach from Black showing how it should be done.
stephen001 - tazforky RHP 2018
[FEN "8/8/p7/P1k2K1p/7P/6P1/8/4b3 w - - 0 46"]
46. g4 hxg4 47. Kxg4 Bxh4 {Black has counted the squares perfectly. The White King cannot make it a draw.} 48. Kxh4 Kb5 49. Kg3 Kxa5 50. Kf3 Kb4 51. Ke3 Kb3 52. Kd3 a5 53. Kd2 Kb2 {The a-pawn is guided home.}
Now in typical RHP blog fashion this ending screwed up.
It’s not uncommon to see this ending misplayed on here.
Ruprecht - imetfischer, 2018
[FEN "8/p4k2/8/8/P1P3p1/2P2r2/6K1/2R5 w - - 0 44"]
44. Rf1 Rxf1 45. Kxf1 Ke6 46. Kf2 Kd6 47. Kg3 {Because Black has to pick up the c-pawns this is a draw.} 47... Kc5 48. Kxg4 Kxc4 49. Kf4 Kxc3 50. Ke5 Kb4 51. Kd5 Kxa4 52. Kc6 {Kc4 draws The White King keeps the Black King on the a-file.} 52... a5 53. Kc5 Kb3 {White resigned. But I'll use this game to show you the draw.} 54. Kb5 a4 55. Kc5 Kb2 56. Kc4 Ka3 57. Kc3 {This is the type of position White could have forced.} 57... Ka2 58. Kc2 Ka3 59. Kc3 Ka2 60. Kc2 a3 {Not Kc3 because then plays Kb8 and wins.} 61. Kc1 Kb3 62. Kb1 a2+ 63. Ka1 Ka3 {I repeat this never happened.}
Another example of the no messing about way. Black takes it into a risk free ending.
Robert Matheson - MurphMikej RHP 2016
[FEN "8/8/p5k1/8/1r6/8/1NK5/8 w - - 0 52"]
52. Kc3 Rb5 53. Nc4 {Careful. Kf6 Nd6+ and it's a draw.} 53... Kf6 {Black spotted it. RHP is full of games where a Knight fork has been missed.} 54. Na3 Rb8 55. Kc4 Ke5 56. Kc5 Ke4 57. Nc4 Kd3 58. Ne5+ Kc3 59. Nc6 {Black has got the King across to shepherd home the a-pawn.} 59... Rc8 60. Kb6 Rxc6+ {Fed up going boss-eyed looking for Knight forks White takes the easy path.} 61. Kxc6 {Careful. The hasty a5 meets Kb5 and the a-pawn falls.} 61... Kb4 62. Kd5 a5 63. Kd4 Kb3 64. Kd3 Kb2 65. Kc4 a4 66. Kb4 a3 {The a-pawn sails home.}
Now a complete typical RHP game full of missed tactical chances.
Mitchapolooza (1410) - bdh191 (1393) RHP 2018
1. e4 e5 2. f4 Bc5 {As good way of declining the King's Gambit.} 3. Nf3 d6 4. Bc4 Nc6 5. d4 {A pawn sac that does not appear to give White anything.} 5... Nxd4 6. fxe5 Bg4 7. Bxf7+ {Now we see the idea behind the d4 pawn sac. it is unsound.} 7... Kf8 {7...Kxf7 8.Ng5+ Qxg5 and Black comes out of it a piece up.} 8. a3 {That is wrong. White got away with the unsound sac. 8.Rf1 was better.} 8... Nxf3+ {8...Bxf3 9.gxh3 Qh5 was strong, though i8...Nxf3+ not too bad.} 9. gxf3 Qh4+ 10. Kd2 dxe5 11. fxg4 {Now take the f7 Bishop.} 11... Rd8+ 12. Bd5 {Due to Black not taking his chances White is coming out of this OK.} 12... c6 13. Qf3+ Nf6 14. c4 cxd5 {Black has won their piece back and the game is back in the pot.} 15. exd5 Qf2+ {In this position taking the Queens off favours White. 15...Kf7 get the h8 Rook into the game.} 16. Qxf2 Bxf2 17. g5 {This is OK. A good looking move is 17.Rf1.} 17... Ne4+ 18. Ke2 Bd4 19. Rf1+ Ke7 20. Kd3 {Leave the King alone. Get Queenside out. 20.Nc3.} 20... Nc5+ 21. Kc2 Rhf8 22. Rxf8 {22.Nd2 develop. White is drifting a bad position.} 22... Rxf8 23. Bd2 Rf1 {23...Rf2 with Ne4 threats keeps White tied up.} 24. Ra2 {Unpins the Knight.} 24... Ne4 25. Bb4+ Kd7 26. Nd2 {Puts White in more trouble. 26.h4 save a pawn and see what happens next.} 26... Rf2 27. Kd3 Nxd2 {27...Nxg4 gives Black a healthy plus.} 28. Bxd2 Rxh2 29. Bf4 {OOPS! Once again White jumps in with faulty tactics} 29... Rh3+ {Correct.} 30. Ke4 {Now 30....Rh4 wins the f4 Bishop and 0-1.} 30... exf4 {OOPS! Black missed it.} 31. Kxd4 Rh2 {White should just let the b2 pawn go. It's better than having a Rook on a2.} 32. Ke4 Rc2 33. Kd3 Rh2 34. Ke4 f3 35. Kxf3 Rc2 {36.Ra1 and Rh1 get that Rook active.} 36. Ke3 Rxc4 37. b4 Rg4 38. Rf2 Ke7 39. Rf5 {In Rook endings, given the choice always go active. 39.Rh2 hitting h7.} 39... Rg3+ 40. Rf3 {Taking the Rooks off is wrong. Black creates an outside h-pawn, then an outside a-pawn.} 40... Rxf3+ 41. Kxf3 Kd6 42. Ke4 h6 43. gxh6 gxh6 {There is the outside h-pawn which drags the White King away from the a-pawn.} 44. a4 h5 45. a5 h4 46. b5 h3 47. Kf3 Kxd5 48. a6 bxa6 49. bxa6 {Do not get cute here and play 49....h2 that would be a draw.} 49... Kc6 50. Kg3 Kb6 51. Kxh3 Kxa6 52. Kg2 Kb5 {The guard dog keep the fox away from the chicken.} 53. Kf2 Kb4 54. Ke2 Kb3 55. Kd2 Kb2 56. Kd3 a5 57. Kc4 a4 58. Kb4 a3 {The chicken reaches a1 and lays a golden egg.}
1) M. Fuller - L. Evans, Haifa Olympiad 1976
[FEN "3kr3/1p4Q1/p7/3p4/1PP2n2/8/P4qPP/3R3K w - - 0 1"]
1. Qg3 {The starting test position.} 1... Qxg3 {Other sensible win but this is the best.} 2. hxg3 Ne2 {Threatening mate with Rh8} 3. Rxd5+ {I hope you found and bust this defensive idea.} 3... Kc7 4. g4 Rh8+ 5. Rh5 {Now the move I wanted you to find.} 5... Ng3+ {White ends up a whole Rook up. An easy win.}
2) M. Tal - D. Ciric, Sarajevo, 1966
[FEN "5kr1/3p1p2/p7/2PPQ3/3P4/6P1/p4PK1/1q5R w - - 0 1"]
1. Rh8 {Now 1...Rxh8 2.Qxh8+ Ke7 3.d3+ Ke6 4.Qe5 Mate. I hope you saw that.} 1... a1=Q {Did you see this one. The move actually played.} 2. Qd6+ Kg7 3. Qh6# {Checkmate.}
3) H. Mecking - A. Rocha, Mar del Plata, 1969
[FEN "rk5r/2p3pp/p1p5/4N3/4P3/2q4P/P4PP1/R2Q2K1 w - - 0 1"]
1. Rb1+ {1...Kc8 then 2.Qd7 checkmate. You saw that yes?} 1... Ka7 {And now a simple deflecting of the guard.} 2. Qd4+ Qxd4 3. Nxc6 {Another Rook and Knight mate.}
The thread accompanying this blog is
Thread 180622
Chess MentorA very powerful stuff!!! 😍