Atomick's Pet Chess Trap!

Me and the duck losing at chess (it was The Duck’s Fault!)
Last week we set the task place 18 Queens (nine of each colour)
on a chessboard without any of the Queens attacking each other.


That is the solution but some lad over at chessgames.com let’s call him ‘Smart Alec.’
has found a way to place10 White Queen and 9 Black Queens on the chessboard.

So my 18 Queens problem is cooked. It is now a 19 Queens problem.



I was looking for something else and I encountered a few ‘Everlasting Pins’ that had
been misplayed because the player did not seem to realise just how good the pin was.

nonkel - bohemia51 RHP 2017 (White to play)


White played 57.Qf3 and won 20 odd moves later. 57.Kg3 Kg8 is Black’s only move then Qxg6.

Robert Matheson - ZorroTheFox RHP 2008 (White to play)


White played 41.Rxg6 but look at the position. 41.f3 when Black runs out
of pawn moves then they have to move the King leaving the Rook to it’s fate.

Faith was restored in Sudarodimus - iddelz RHP 2010

Also a few days ago I was watching Anand v Aronian draw live game, it went
to a Double Rook Ending. ‘These are always drawn’ came an online comment.

I made a mental note to check the Red Hot Pawn DataBase. It did not disappoint.

jumblemaster13 - alexsprod RHP 2013

Next. Black is winning, White is winning, Black is winning, It’s a draw....White wins.

von Bilin - filipecosteira RHP 2017



That is what I am here for...to educate and pre-warn my readers.

I mentioned Greco when I did my History of Chess and recently I flicked
through Greco’s games and came across a five move game winning a piece.

Between 2006 and 2019 user Atomick has set this trap 59 times.


So far 25 victims have taken the e4 pawn and lost their Knight to 5.Qa4+


The Babson task was a chess problem task set with the following conditions.

White makes a move that forces checkmate in the stipulated number of moves.
Black's defences must include the promotion of a pawn, to a Knight, a Bishop,
a Rook, or a Queen. White then must promote a pawn to the same piece that Black
has just promoted too and must force checkmate in the stipulated number of moves.

It looks as if Joseph Babson ( 1852-1929) had set an impossible task but
in 1982 one Leonid Yarosh (1957-) published in Shakhmaty v SSSR this.


It is mate in 4. the first move is 1.a7. We will go through all four promotions.

First the Queen Promotions.


Now the Rook Promotions.


Now the Bishop Promotions


Finally the Knight Promotions



Find games from 2019 where a Queen takes a Queen and a Queen mates next move.
Then a Rook takes a Rook and a Rook mates next move then a Bishop, then a Knight
and finally a game where a pawn takes a pawn and pawn gives mate on the next move.

stephen001 - Adrianaecarde RHP .2019 (the Queen takes Queen and Queen mate task)


chessal - tcamerlengo 2019 (the Rook takes Rook and Rook mate task)


chessH - texasnurse RHP 2019 (the Bishop takes Bishop and Bishop mate task)


NoFriendsPete - Knights Watch RHP 2019 (the Knight takes Knight and Knight mate task)


Finally the Texas Nurse make a welcome return this time as a winner.
stephen001 - texasnurse RHP 2019 (the pawn takes pawn and pawn mate task))


The thread accompanying this blog is Thread 182221