I was sitting in my garden playing over an Alekhine game.
When suddenly I was attacked by a giant beastie butterfly.
Lucky for me I had Alekhine’s Best Games Vol II to hand.
A nice easy one to start because I have a couple of odd ones later.
E. B. Cook 1868 White to play and mate in three moves.
Pause Before Promoting.
1.f8=R Kd6 2.c8=R Ke6 3.Rc6 Checkmate
This next one is a Self Mate. Do not panic it is relatively easy. I solved it!
It is White to play and you must force Black to give checkmate in four moves.
Every White move is a check and all of Black’s moves are one choice only moves.
Puzzle No.3 is White to play and mate in 50 moves.
Take a careful look at it. Trust me, you can do it in your head!
White’s first concern will be to grab that runaway a-pawn. The White King is
in the square. Note the Black King can only move from a7 to b8 and back again.
Grab the a-pawn, take on f3, Ka6 forces Black to play f4-f3.take it and play f4
A prophetic article from the CHESS magazine, April 1997 by Alastair Gunn
who advises us all to read a book called ‘Queen’s Gambit’ by Walter Tevis.
13 years later someone at Netflix did read it and the whole planet went crazy.
I ‘m at the age where I look at games in senior events out of curiosity because
these players were part of the top bunch when I was younger and I faithfully
followed their games. It’s good see some of them are still playing and enjoying
themselves. Mestel would have enjoyed this one and it fits here. RHP blog fodder.
J. Mestel - S. Novak, 65+ Seniors Team Ch Poland, 2025
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 Nc6 {A bad move and a common mistake played on Red Hot Pawn.} 4. d5 {A position seen over 1,300 times here.} 4... exd5 5. exd5 Qe7+ 6. Be2 Ne5 7. O-O {Now 7...d6 and try and hang on. Instead Black opens the e-file.} 7... Nxf3+ 8. Bxf3 Qd6 9. Re1+ Be7 {To give f8 as an extra flight square.} 10. Na3 {I like that move Nb5 or Nc4 cannot be prevented} 10... Kf8 11. Nc4 Qf6 {Good alternatives are impossible to spot. It's now just a question of how long it will take for White to win.} 12. d6 Bd8 13. Bd2 {I like that one too. Black cannot play g7 to g6 as a extra flight square. 13...g6 14.Bc3.} 13... Qh4 {Attacking the c4 Knight/ White protects it and threatens mate.} 14. Qe2 {Black cannot save this game and can only avoid being mated by giving up half their chess set.} 14... Nf6 {This allows a double Queen sac but all moves at this stage are doomed to fail.} 15. Qe7+ {Have a Queen.} 15... Bxe7 16. dxe7+ {Black resigned. 16...Ke8 17.Nd6 mate and the other line is...} 16... Kg8 17. e8=Q+ {Have another Queen.} 17... Nxe8 18. Rxe8 {Checkmate.}
An RHP game from the same misplayed opening. It has an amusing finish.
ludwig wriessnig - dappermystic RHP 2023..
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 e6 {The best move, according to millions, yes millions of games is 3...cxd4.} 4. d5 Na5 { As good as any provided after White plays d6 Black thinks about playing the Knight back to c6.} 5. d6 Qb6 {Hitting the d6 pawn. Though it looks ugly 5...f6 first was an option.} 6. e5 f6 {OK do it this way.} 7. Nc3 {With the threat of Nb5 and Nc7+ so 7...a6 looks forced.} 7... fxe5 {I think that here...} 8. Nb5 {...Black missed this Knight apart from threatening Nc7+ is also defending the d6 pawn.} 8... Rb8 {Saves the Rook but like the previous game there are no good alternatives.} 9. Nxe5 a6 {A couple of moves too late.} 10. Nc7+ {With the unenviable choice, give up the Queen or get checkmated.} 10... Kd8 11. Nf7 {The two Knights mate Black, the rest of the White army just look on.}
