The cover of the June 1972 ‘Chess Life & Review’ published a few
months before the Fischer - Spassky match. Brezhnev and Kosygin
are asking Spassky, who has a pile of books for defences v 1.e4 what
he will do if Bobby does not play 1.e4. A prophetic magazine cover.
Of course I would now be expected to slip in game 6 of the ’72 match
where Bobby stunned Spassky and everyone else by playing 1.c4.
That’s too easy, what I can do is nick a moment from game 6.
Bobby Fischer - Boris Spassky, Reykjavik 1972
Fischer has just played 37.Qe4 and is now threatening 38.Rf8+ Nxf8
39.Rxf8+ Qxf8 40 Qh7 mate. Spassky spotted it and played 37…Nf6.
Take the pattern…
…search the RHP Database looking for a similar idea and I have the start of a Blog.
I found one and of course in typical Red Hot Pawn fashion it’s a total cock up!
gcyrus - woody65 RHP 2012
[FEN "4r1k1/1b4pp/p7/3P1R1P/2q1p3/4Q1P1/6B1/6K1 w - - 0 29"]
29. Bf1 Qc7 30. Qb3 {White has placed the crafty d5-d6+ Queening winning trick on the board.} 30... Kh8 {Black saw that one and ducked it.} 31. Qe3 {White is full of tricks today. He has spotted after Kh8 Black's back rank is weak and is thinking about grabbing the e-pawn confident in the knowledge Black cannot take back on e5 because Rf8 is checkmate.} 31... a5 {Now that move could have won the 'Trap of the Year' back in 2012 because White did play....} 32. Qxe4 {When
playing such moves always give it a double-take. The whole idea is unsound. Black can now play Qc5+ which also covers the square the f8. Black can then take the Queen. But alas....} 32... Rc8 {...Black missed it. Check all Checks!} 33. Qf3 {Stopping Qxg3+ and again with the back rank threats starting with Rf8+} 33... Qb8 34. Kh2 h6 {Understandable giving some air for the Black King. But White sets up the Bishop, Queen & Rook battery seen in the Fischer-Spassky game.} 35. Bd3 a4 36. Qe4 {And there is no defence to Rf8+ and Qh7 mate. Black resigned. We can try...} 36... Kg8 37. Qe6+ Kh8 38. Qg6 Kg8 39. Rf7 {Convinced?}
The same pattern pops up in the following game but a different result.
jebry - luizandre RHP 2013
[FEN "5r1k/5pp1/1p2b2p/p2qP3/3r4/P2B2QP/1PP1R1P1/5R1K w - - 0 27"]
27. Rf4 {Looks like White has missed a pawn winning trick from Black with this move.} 27... Rxf4 28. Qxf4 Bxh3 {Perhaps White saw this coming and now realised his intended Be4 drops the e2 Rook to Black playing Qd1+} 29. Kh2 Be6 30. Rf2 Qd8 31. Qe4 g6 32. Rf6 Bf5 {This was worked out carefully by Black. It's actually a trap. White should have refrained in going for the mate. Qe3 hits the h6 pawn, the b6 pawn will fall and after Bxd3 cxd3 the d-pawn is a big passed pawn.} 33. Rxf5 gxf5 34. Qxf5 {And mate on h7 cannot be stopped.} 34... Qh4+ {Well there is this.} 35. Kg1 Qe1+ 36. Kh2 Qh4+ {Black has a perpetual. White being the exchange down cannot very interpose and swap Queens so it was a draw.}
OK enough of Fischer - Spassky Game 6. Let’s look at some other RHP games.
I nearly dismissed this game as it was shaping up to be a walk over.
Then I noticed that Black actually wins it. I should know
by now being two pieces up RHP never guarantees a win.
joeboy69 - Xenpak RHP 2014
1. e4 e5 2. f4 Bd6 {Two moves in and we are out of recognised theory. I think it's a trap based on 3.fxe4 Bxe4 4.d4? Qh5+ with 5.g3 Bxg3+ ideas.} 3. Nf3 Nf6 {4 moves in and the first pawn fork of the afternoon.} 4. fxe5 Bxe5 5. Nxe5 Nxe4 6. Qe2 {Six moves in and Black is shaping up nicely to lose another piece.} 6... O-O 7. Qxe4 {And there it goes. Now you know
that I would never show a blatant massacre unless something odd happens so don't skip this game, play on....} 7... Re8 {Maybe Black saw this counterplay down the open e-file coming when throwing his developed pieces overboard.} 8. Qf4 {The White Queen jumps off the hot e-file with a hit on f7...} 8... Nc6 {.....which off course is ignored.} 9. d4 {White
decides to protect the Knight, hoping Black will defend f7 giving him time to sort out his King's position.} 9... d6 10. Qxf7+ {And now he takes on f7 and why not?} 10... Kh8 11. Bd3 Be6 {White could castle here meeting Bxf7 with Nxf7 + and NxQ remaining two pieces up.} 12. Qh5 Bg8 13. O-O {With the e5 Knight now unpinned White is actually threatening Ng6 mate. Black has to take the Knight.} 13... dxe5 14. dxe5 Rxe5 15. Qg4 Qe7 16. Bd2 Be6 {Any sensible move by the White seems OK. Instead White attempts to swap pieces.} 17. Bf5 {And Black rather neatly wins back his piece with...} 17... Qc5+ 18. Kh1 Rxf5 19. Rxf5 Bxf5 20. Qd1 {White returns the Queen to d1 to stop Black from playing Qxc2 from where it also hits b2,}
20... Bxc2 21. Qc1 {Pinning the Bishop. Is White about to get back into the game? Black can now unpin with 21...Qf5 but he spots a shot.....} 21... Ne5 22. Na3 Nd3 {White should have been wary about taking pieces from this guy. He's tricky. 23.Bd3 and the game goes on.} 23. Qxc2 {The third piece White has won from Black.} 23... Nf2+ {Black wins the White King.} 24. Kg1 Nh3+ 25. Kh1 Qg1+ 26. Rxg1 Nf2
Next we see some instructive and interesting moments from an RHP game.
White is messes up a common tactic them then makes a common mistake.
Huntingdon - f1list RHP 2008
[FEN "r1r3k1/pp1bqpp1/4p2p/3n4/3N4/P2BPQ2/1P3PPP/2RR2K1 w - - 0 18"]
18. Qe4 {Nice moment to join the game. White is threatening checkmate with Qh7+ and Qh8.} 18... f5 {g6 would have been better. Black has missed this wee trick.} 19. Nxf5 {Answering exf5 with Qxd5+} 19... Qf6 20. Nd6 Rxc1 21. Rxc1 Nb6 {You can see the point of this . It is defending the a8 Rook from Qh7+ and Qh8+ and threatens Bc6. However Qxb2 hitting the c1 Rook keeps the Knight centralised and wins back the pawn.} 22. Rc2 {Obviously protecting the b2 pawn but I would have played h3 Luft! and if Qxb2 then Rc7. Sooner or later Qh7+ will be a winning threat.} 22... Bc6 23. Qg4 {I'm thinking Qh7+ was better and then on Kf8 consider Nxb7 Black cannot take it due to Rc7.} 23... Qe5 24. Rd2 {Holding the d6 Knight
with tactics. Qxd6 being met with Bh7+. White likes this idea and depends upon it once again.} 24... Rd8 {White now has Bh7+ and on Kxh7 he plays Nf7 winning the exchange. Instead....} 25. Nxb7 {The same Bh7+ idea but White has played it the wrong way....} 25... Bxb7 26. Bh7+ Kxh7 27. Rxd8 {...because instead of winning the exchange White is now fighting with a
Rook v a Bishop and Knight.} 27... Qxb2 28. h3 Qc1+ {Be careful how you answer this 30.Rd1 looks forced.} 29. Kh2 {White was now expecting Qxa3 when he plays Qxe6 with Qg8+ coming pulling the Black King into the open. But wait...Is there an unprotected piece in the position...is there a check?} 29... Qc7+ {White resigned.}
So we stated with Fischer playing 1.c4 back in 1972 and we finish with a trio of RHP
disasters that began with 1.c4. The first has a cunning opening novelty on move two.
MrPinkie - anticyclone RHP 2011
1. c4 e5 2. d4 Qe7 {Black has his beady greedy eyes on the c4 pawn.} 3. d5 Qb4+ {Followed by Qxc4} 4. Nd2 {Drats foiled....RHP plan two is called for. Hit the f2 square.} 4... Bc5 5. a3 Qb6 6. b4 {Plan 2 worked!} 6... Bxf2
Following on we see a Black Knight checkmating an English Opening in ten moves.
It could have and should have been nine moves but Black missed it first time around.
FisherKing108 - woodyb52 RHP 2013
1. c4 c5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. e3 Nc6 4. Nf3 e6 {This is looking all very normal, am I sure this an RHP game?} 5. d4 cxd4 6. Nxd4 Bb4 {7.Bd2 looks OK here.} 7. Ne2 {Now we are back in usually RHP variations. Why develop a piece (7.Bd2) when we can move a protected Knight for the 3rd time in the opening.} 7... Ne4 8. Bd2 Ne5 {Now that is a sly, slick and shrewd move. Black is looking at playing Nd3 checkmate.} 9. Nxe4 {And he has got it! Nd3 mate.} 9... Bxd2+ {Wait a minute, he’s missed it!. White now has a think (a very dangerous thing to do on RHP). If I take back on d2 with the Queen I drop the c-pawn. So....} 10. Nxd2 {I take back on d2 with the Knight thus holding the c-pawn. Brilliant.} 10... Nd3
We have seen a Bishop and Knight mate v 1.c4 so how’s about a Black Rook
giving checkmate v 1.c4. Sit back and engage in the complete joy and misery of…
BustyBeaver - CaptainPat RHP 2013
1. c4 d5 2. cxd5 Nf6 3. Nf3 Bg4 4. Ne5 {If Black had now played 4....Qxd5 we would now be watching the Horror that never was. I'll show that next.} 4... Bh5 5. Qa4+ {That's an awkward check that should have led to a good White position.} 5... c6 6. dxc6 bxc6 {Leave the c-pawn alone. 7.Nc3 Develop!} 7. Nxc6 {Black can get out of this with Qd7 instead Black goes
for a back rank trick.} 7... Nxc6 8. Qxc6+ Nd7 {Now 9.Nc3.} 9. e3 {OOPS! The Idea obviously being Bb5 putting the squeeze on the pinned piece. White has missed…} 9... Rc8 {This wins the White Queen or....} 10. Qb5 Rxc1 {....Checkmates White.}
I close with the ‘Horror that Never Was’ but trust me one day this will happen on RHP.
??????????? - ??????????? RHP ????
1. c4 d5 2. cxd5 Nf6 3. Nf3 Bg4 4. Ne5 {Now instead of 4....Bh5 as in the previous game which wastes a tempo - and tempo will be important in this game. We play....} 4... Qxd5 5. Nxg4 Nxg4 6. Qa4+ {Of course 6...Qd7 saves the g4 Knight. But how's about....} 6... Qc6 {And if....} 7. Qxg4 {White is threatening Qc8 checkmate.} 7... Qxc1 {But Black got in first
with the same idea and pattern. I told you tempo would be important.}
Another blog finished. I called it Fischer Spassky Game 6 and never gave the game.
That of course is the greenpawn way. Next week Botvinnik - Bronstein Game 11.
The thread accompanying this blog is
Thread 164528
I need your blunders to keep me going in material.
The other lads need you blunders to boost their ratings.
🙂
I really like your writing style and it has made me look up your Chandler Cornered - Chess Edinburgh blogs as well.
It's what keeps me coming to RHP even after taking my correspondence chess to another site.
Cheers!
Just noticed that next week would mark the fifth year of your first blog. Congrats and thanks for all the education/entertainment! Keep it coming!!
Srini
Next Blog, I'll have a Jack Black combo.