We pause just a moment whilst I win a £5.00 bet...
...see I told you I still had Short-Kasparov poster on my wall. Pay up.
I know in the past I have tackled this tricky subject before but after recently
overhearing a conversation in the greengrocers I thought we’d go over it again.
Some say there is no luck in chess. Others say there is and these discussions often
end up more flamed than Darwin v The Christians.(and that one is still going on.).
But just yesterday as I was standing in the queue I heard Mrs Scroggins tell
Dave our greengrocer that Josef Klinger was lucky when he mated Igor Glek
in the Werfen Open in 1990. This started off a minor argument resulting in Mrs
Scroggins throwing her bananas at Mrs Trupp who lives at the end of the street.
Here is the game in question.
J. Klinger - J. Glek, Werfen Open 1990
FEN
r2qr1k1/pQ1n1ppp/2p5/2Pp4/3Pn1b1/2P2N2/P3BPPP/R1B1R1K1 w - - 0 14
[FEN "r2qr1k1/pQ1n1ppp/2p5/2Pp4/3Pn1b1/2P2N2/P3BPPP/R1B1R1K1 w - - 0 14"] 14. Qxc6 Re6 15. Qxd5 {White is three pawns up. Black wins a couple back with tactics.} 15... Nxc3 16. Qc4 Bxf3 17. gxf3 Nxe2+ 18. Rxe2 Nxc5 {If dxc5 then Qd1+ wins the e2 Rook.} 19. Be3 Rg6+ 20. Kh1 Qf6 {Still White cannot take the Knight as Black is threatening mate with Qxf3+} 21. f4 Ne6 22. Rc1 {Setting up a double bounce check on c8. It's not on at the moment because Black has Ne6-g8. Later Black relies too heavily on this move.} 22... Qf5 {Threatening Qe4+ and checkmate.} 23. d5 {This is the fluke move that started the row. 10. f3 holds but this move stopping 10...Qe4+ opens the Bishop diagonal which frees the Re2 Rook, Did White see this was a gamble.. if so he was lucky...therefore there is luck in chess.} 23... Qh3 {10....Qh5 was the winner see next game.} 24. Qc8+ {White cannot believe his luck. Every piece of his is on the right square. Every Black piece is on the wrong square. Note here Black had no Nf8 because it's pinned to the h3 Queen. Unlucky?} 24... Rxc8 25. Rxc8+ Nf8 {Okay says Black now what?} 26. Rxf8+ Kxf8 27. Bc5+ Kg8 28. Re8 {Checkmate. Lucky?}
We now look at what the 'unlucky' Black player should played.
FEN
r5k1/p4ppp/4n1r1/5q2/2QP1P2/4B3/P3RP1P/2R4K w - - 0 1
[FEN "r5k1/p4ppp/4n1r1/5q2/2QP1P2/4B3/P3RP1P/2R4K w - - 0 1"] 1. d5 {Now instead of 1....Qh3.} 1... Qh5 {Threatening Qf3+ and the e6 Knight will no longer be pinned should White now play 2.Qc8 so the original combination we saw in the previous game is no longer on the board.} 2. Qe4 {The only defence.} 2... f5 {White has to give up his Queen with Qxe6+. There is no other way to stop Qf3+ The game could have gone this way.} 3. Qxe6+ Rxe6 {White has no time to take the e6 Rook. his e2 Rook is hanging. Now all the White pieces are on the wrong squares.} 4. Rec2 Rg6 {5...Qf3+ is impossible to prevent. 0-1.}
I'll run with this as a Red Hot Pawn theme of the week, a capture on f8 followed by
a Bishop check. You get to decide if the winner was lucky or was the loser unlucky.
Eshez - ciolo RHP 2011
FEN
r1b1k2r/1pp1qpp1/p3n2p/4P3/8/2PBB3/P1P2QPP/1R3RK1 w kq - 0 17
[FEN "r1b1k2r/1pp1qpp1/p3n2p/4P3/8/2PBB3/P1P2QPP/1R3RK1 w kq - 0 17"] 17. Qg3 Qa3 18. Rbd1 {White is offering the a2 pawn, he has a Rook sacrifice in mind and he needs this Rook on d1.} 18... Qxa2 {OK. I'll take it -what have you got?} 19. Rxf7 {Here we go....} 19... Kxf7 20. Bg6+ Kg8 21. Qf4 Nf8 {Not bad. This hits the g6 Bishop and the pawn stealing Queen on a2 covers f7. That was lucky.} 22. Qxf8+ {A Queen sacrifice.} 22... Kxf8 23. Bc5+ {Knocking the Black King back to g8 where it is duly mated.} 23... Kg8 24. Rd8
Maite - DigitGus RHP 2003
FEN
r1bq1rk1/pp1pnpbp/6p1/1B2P1B1/3p4/8/PP3PPP/RN1Q1RK1 w - - 0 11
[FEN "r1bq1rk1/pp1pnpbp/6p1/1B2P1B1/3p4/8/PP3PPP/RN1Q1RK1 w - - 0 11"] 11. Qxd4 Nc6 {Hoping White is going to fall for 2.Bxd8 Qxd4 and both Bishop are hanging.} 12. Qh4 Qb6 13. Nc3 {Tempting Black to nick a central pawn (which opens up a nice file for the White Rook) and threatens to win the Bb6 Bishop.} 13... Bxe5 14. Rae1 {White falls into it just to get at the weakened dark squares around the Black King.} 14... Bxc3 15. bxc3 Qxb5 16. Qh6 {With the nasty threat of Bf6. Black possibly saw this coming and thought this move....} 16... Qf5 {....was an adequate defence.} 17. Qxf8+ {Ahh......There is that!} 17... Kxf8 18. Bh6+ Kg8 19. Re8 {Checkmate.}
Similar to the one above but with a different build up.
regaliz - mcmahon RHP 2013
FEN
r1bq1rk1/pp1p1ppp/8/b2p4/8/2PB4/PP3PPP/R1BQR1K1 w - - 0 13
[FEN "r1bq1rk1/pp1p1ppp/8/b2p4/8/2PB4/PP3PPP/R1BQR1K1 w - - 0 13"]
13. Qh5 {White puts their better developed position to good use by putting a dent into the Black King's position.} 13... g6 14. Qh6 d4 {Black is fiddling whilst Rome is burning his threat of dxc3 is easily countered.} 15. b4 Bb6 {Now I was thinking 4.Bg5 looks good. If Black plays 4...f6 White has 5.Bxg6.} 16. Bd2 {Either this is a the craftiest waiting move ever played on RHP or White does not realise just how good his position is. As mention 4.Bg5 was the move.} 16... Qf6 {The move White was waiting for (or was he just lucky?) Black uses the Queen to cover the dark squares.} 17. Qxf8+ Kxf8 18. Bh6+ Kg8 {It was either this or 6...Qg7 going into a bad position an exchange down. Black wanted a quick end.} 19. Re8
We end this week's theme with a Black win.
cham55 - okfalls RHP 2014
FEN
4rrk1/2pb4/p2b3p/1p2p2q/3PQ1p1/PNP2pP1/1P3P1P/3RR1KB w - - 0 27
[FEN "4rrk1/2pb4/p2b3p/1p2p2q/3PQ1p1/PNP2pP1/1P3P1P/3RR1KB w - - 0 27"] 27. dxe5 Rxe5 28. Qb7 Rfe8 29. Rxe5 Qxe5 {Threatening the standard sacrifice Qe1+} 30. Rf1 Qe2 31. Qxa6 {Black now sets up the theme of the week.} 31... Bf5 32. Nd4 {Hitting the Queen and the Bishop but Black saw this coming.} 32... Qxf1+ 33. Kxf1 Bd3+ {Like in the previous game White could have prolonged the agony with 8. Ne2 Rxe2 but again White preferred the quick end.} 34. Kg1 Re1
('Night' by Veronica Kasatkina )
Strange Things That Happen in Red Hot Pawns Games
BlackBuck - socialist1917 RHP 2006
White to play move 26.
What do you think happened on this board on move 35?
FEN
bnr3k1/2Nq1pbp/pQ6/1p1p2p1/3P1p2/2R1P1B1/PP2BPPP/6K1 w - - 0 26
[FEN "bnr3k1/2Nq1pbp/pQ6/1p1p2p1/3P1p2/2R1P1B1/PP2BPPP/6K1 w - - 0 26"] 26. exf4 Nc6 27. fxg5 Nxd4 28. Bd3 Nf5 29. Rc2 Nxg3 30. hxg3 d4 31. Qxa6 Qg4 32. Re2 Bd5 33. Re7 Bf8 34. f3 Rxc7 {Not a mistake . For the Queen Black gets a Rook and a Knight plus...........} 35. fxg4 {Quadrupled White g-pawns!! White won this though it took him another 40 moves.}
Next we see Black two pieces down in this position.
It does not look good does it? So Black attacks White with his King and Rook.
The Pillager - OMuniz860 RHP 2011
FEN
8/1r6/1p1RNB1p/1k1p1pp1/3P4/4P2P/P4PP1/5K2 w - - 0 33
[FEN "8/1r6/1p1RNB1p/1k1p1pp1/3P4/4P2P/P4PP1/5K2 w - - 0 33"] 33. Rxd5+ Kc4 34. Rd8 Kd3 35. Bg7 Ra7 36. g3 Rxa2 37. Bxh6 Ra1+ 38. Kg2 Ke2 39. Bxg5 Rf1 40. Nf4+ Ke1 {Now all White need do is to play g4 and it's 1-0 fairly soon.} 41. Rb8 Rxf2+ 42. Kg1 Rf1+ 43. Kg2 Rf2+ 44. Kg1 Rf1+ {Black has perpetual check. If White tries to avoid it.} 45. Kh2 Rf2+ 46. Ng2+ Kf1 {g3 still allows the perpetual. If White tries.....} 47. h4 Rxg2+ 48. Kh1 Rg1+ 49. Kh2 Rg2+ {Still a perpetual. Again if White tries to get out of this....} 50. Kh3 Kg1 {Black checkmates next move.}
How about this one. Black brings the Queen far too early aiming at f2 for a quick checkmate.
Out pop the White Knights to hound and harass the Queen and at one time White could have
taken the Black Queen. Instead both the a8 and h8 Rooks get taken by the marauding Knights.
Black was only too glad to see those Knights out of the way and duly checkmated White on f2.
montagueX - Silverstriker RHP 2011
We have all seen a Double Rook Sacrifice. You will not see another like this one.
1. e4 e5 2. d3 {Very tame but it did encourage....} 2... Qf6 3. Nf3 Bc5 4. Nc3 a6 5. Nd5 {Let the Queen kicking begin.} 5... Qc6 6. Nxe5 Qd6 7. Nc4 Qc6 8. Ne5 Qb5 9. Nxc7+ Kd8 {White can now take the Black Queen and that would have been that. Instead it's the harmless, doing nothing a8 Rook that gets the chop.} 10. Nxa8 {Black now reverts back to plan A. 'attack f2' so he re-organises the Bishop and Queen. pulling the Bishop back to b6 is no good (Nxb6) so...} 10... Ba7 {....the Bishop hides amongst the pawns.} 11. Nxf7+ {This Knight pockets the h8 Rook.} 11... Ke7 12. Nxh8 Qc5 {Attacking f2.} 13. Be3 Qb4+ 14. Bd2 Qd4 {White is two Rooks up, he is not going to allow a perpetual.} 15. c3 Qxf2 {White has avoided the perpetual.}
