I’ve been laid low for the last week by flu, this was not just any
old flu, this was ‘Man Flu’ which is the grandmaster of illnesses.
Three lost days in bed with a hot bottle, vapour rub on my chest,
sweet lemon toddies and I popped more pills than a junkie’s dog.
The hallucinations appeared on the second day. I swear Dr. Tarrasch
appeared and took my temperature. Sir George Thomas popped by,
he sat on my bed and read me stories of India by Rudyard Kipling.

On the fourth day I was better and the dreams were easy to explain.
Tarrasch is my favourite player and just before I was stricken down
I had been playing over a Sir George game from London 1927

Sir George Thomas - William Winter, Round 3 London 1927
I’m preparing my Christmas Blog, the usual jokes, odd puzzles and whatever. I will
post it in a week’s time. (so this will be a short blog) Here are a few puzzles that did not
make it this year. No doubt I’ll forget I’ve used them and they will appear next year.

This is mate in two from Kraemer.
Next a couple by Troitzky. The first one is a clue how to solve the second one.
White to play and win.
The second Troitzky puzzle.
White to play and give checkmate (9 moves)
Some Red Hot Pawn games with a King being held in a corner
by another King and the White player missing the best move.
eatman - thunderbolt RHP2012 (White to play)
White should play 1. Rf4 instead they took the pawn 1. Rxh3 Kf1 0-1.
Valentine Robinson - adam10smith RHP (White to play)
1. Nxg5 Nxg5 2.h4 and White should win. Instead 1.c5 Kf8 0-1.
This last one is good. Odinson - sardodos RHP 2017 (White to play)
1.h3 draws Instead it went 1. h4 Rg4 White resigned.
The thread accompanying this blog is Thread 204149
