Chess Rythm and Blues

[FEN "5bk1/3r2pp/p4p2/3p4/P7/1pB2P2/2PR2PP/5K2 w - - 0 33"]
33. cxb3 Rb7 34. Rxd5 Rxb3 35. Bd4 {It's quite positions like this where unexpected blunders occur. They are often missed because neither player is expecting to see one. The blunder often Rules of Thumb.} 35... Ra3 {The most natural move on the board. Placing a Rook behind an enemy pawn, it’s what all the books tell us to do.} 36. Rd8 {Black resigned! 4....Rxa3 5. Bc5 wins the pinned f8 Bishop. 4....Rd3 5.Ke2 and Bc5. that just leaves....} 36... Kf7 37. Rxf8+ Kxf8 38. Bc5+ {If it's Pins and Forks v Rules of Thumb then Pins and Forks win all the time.}

[FEN "2k4r/1p4p1/7p/p4p2/P2B1b1P/1P1P4/5P2/R3r1K1 w - - 0 22"]
22. Rxe1 Rd8 23. Bb6 {No Black did not play 2....Bc7 allowing 3.Rc1. A try now would be 2...Bd2 3.Rd1 Rd6. Instead Black nicks the d3 pawn.} 23... Rxd3 {OOPS!} 24. Re8+ Kd7 25. Rd8+ {Black resigned, they have dropped the exchange.}

[FEN "2r5/1p3k1p/p4bp1/5b2/2KN4/1P4P1/P4B1P/4R3 w - - 0 41"]
41. Kd5 Bh3 {White suspects nothing but his King is in severe danger. He had to play 2.Ke4 here.} 42. a4 Bg2+ 43. Kd6 Bxd4 44. Bxd4 {Now we have a genuine Rook and Bishop ending......but not for long.} 44... Rc6+ {5.Ke5 Re6+ wins the e1 Rook.} 45. Kd7 Bh3+ 46. Kd8 Rc8 {Checkmate.}

[FEN "4k3/pp6/2b1p2p/2Pr1p2/2p2P2/2P1B1P1/P1P4P/1R4K1 w - - 0 24"]
24. Kf2 h5 25. Rb4 Rd1 26. Rb2 h4 27. gxh4 Rh1 28. Kg3 Re1 29. Bf2 Re4 {I deliberately started a few back before the critical position to get into the stride of the game. What on earth can go wrong here. An opposite coloured Bishops ending with no threats. Beware of such thinking.} 30. h5 {7.Bd4 to stop Black's next move was called for.} 30... e5 {Now White is suddenly in trouble. He fails to respond correctly.} 31. fxe5 {OOPS!} 31... Rg4+ 32. Kh3 {Only move.} 32... Bg2 {Checkmate.}

[FEN "6k1/3R1pp1/1p2p2p/2p1P3/PpB2P1b/1P3r2/8/6K1 w - - 0 29"]
29. Rb7 Rxf4 30. Rxb6 Rf5 31. Bd3 {Black has all the winning chances (being three pawns up is a good clue.) Here 4...Rg5+ then g6 and Black can pick up the loose e-pawn. It's not going to run away.} 31... Rxe5 {Now four pawns up and......} 32. Rb8+ {....Checkmated next move..}

[FEN "4rr1k/bp4p1/p1p2q1p/P2pnN2/1P2P3/1B1P2QP/5PP1/R3R1K1 w - - 0 30"]
30. exd5 {OOPS! Black can now take the f5 Knight but he has a better idea in mind.} 30... Nxd3 {Threatens Bxf2+ and if 2.Rf1 Bxf2+ 3.Rxf2 Qxa1+ game over.} 31. Qxd3 {Black was OK with this. He can win the f5 Knight....} 31... Rxe1+ 32. Rxe1 Qxf5 {....and still have an opposite coloured Bishop attack on f2.} 33. Qxf5 Rxf5 34. Re8+ {Black resigned, he is losing a whole Rook.} 34... Kh7 35. Bc2 Kg6 36. Rf8

[FEN "r6k/b1B3p1/p6p/8/2B4P/1p4P1/b2R1P2/6K1 w - - 0 33"]
33. Bxa6 Bxf2+ 34. Kxf2 Rxa6 35. Be5 Ra7 36. Bd4 {Black now gets an idea. Beware of ideas, they are often wrong.} 36... Kh7 {Yes that is what was played.} 37. Bxa7 Bb1 38. g4 Bc2 {There is the idea. It's all about the b-pawn.} 39. Bd4 {And that is as far as it got for now. So White won this one. Well maybe not, he is an RHP player, now jump onto the next game.}

[FEN "8/8/3k4/4R3/2KB4/1p6/2b5/8 w - - 0 60"]
60. Rc5 Bd1 61. Be5+ Ke6 62. Rd5 Bc2 {Now comes the blunder from White. Bb2 to stop the pawn should have been played ages ago.} 63. Kd4 {OOPS!} 63... b2 64. Rd6+ Ke7 65. Rb6 b1=Q 66. Rxb1 Bxb1 {Draw agreed.}

[FEN "2K5/r7/5kB1/4bP2/2R5/8/8/8 w - - 0 67"]
67. Rc6+ Ke7 {OOPS! Black has dropped his Bishop. 1...Kg7 was OK.} 68. Re6+ Kf8 69. Rxe5 Ra8+ 70. Kb7 Ra3 71. f6 Rg3 72. Bh5 Kg8 73. f7+ Kg7 74. Rf5 Kh7 75. f8=Q Rb3+ 76. Kc6 Rc3+ 77. Rc5 Rxc5+ {Queen takes Rook and checkmate in a few.} 78. Kxc5 {Stalemate.}

[FEN "8/R2b1p1p/4k2p/8/1rP5/3B1PKP/P5P1/8 w - - 0 31"]
31. Bf5+ {White plays a wee trick to remove some wood from the board thus making the win easier.} 31... Kxf5 32. Rxd7 Rxc4 33. Rxf7+ Kg6 34. Rf4 Rc7 35. a4 Rc5 36. Kh2 Kg5 37. Rg4+ Kh5 {Good. Black stalemates himself, it's his only chance. White's sense of danger should have risen when he saw such an odd move.} 38. g3 {No. He walk right into it.} 38... Rc2+ 39. Kg1 Rh2 {Arghhhh...No. Rg2+ then just kept giving a check along the 2nd rank. White cannot take it as it is Stalemate. White can now play Rg5+ then Kxh2 and run home the a-pawn.} 40. Kxh2 {Stalemate.....incredible.}

[FEN "8/8/8/3p4/pkpP4/1p1b4/8/K7 w - - 0 73"]
73. Kb2 a3+ 74. Ka1 {2....b2+ 3.Ka2 b1=Q mate.} 74... c3 {Stalemate.}