Rook and Bishop Checkmate

Lesson of the Week

Most of my students this week are receiving instruction in checkmate patterns employing rook and bishop. Most of the exercises feature a queen sacrifice to expose the king. I have drawn several positions from Victor Henkin, 1000 Checkmate Combinations, trans. Jimmy Adams and Sarah Hurst (2022) and several more from Georges Renaud and Victor Kahn, The Art of the Checkmate, trans. Jimmy Adams (2015). I also culled some positions from databases. For discussion of these books, see "Learning Checkmate (Or Teaching It)" and "Two Old Books (and one new)".

This position is published in my own Checkmates and Tactics (2019).

White to move. Mate in three.

This mate in five has stymied many of the students.

White to move

This mate in three is easier.

White to move

Morphy's famous queen sacrifice against Louis Paulsen in 1857 leads a series of imitators offered in Renaud and Kahn, The Art of the Checkmate.

Black to move

Samuel Boden followed Morphy's example to get a winning attack with multiple checkmate threats from this position.

Black to move

In all, I prepared 18 positions, but no students have seen them all. Some of my younger beginners received a worksheet with three mate in one and three mate in two.

This position was on a worksheet for older or more advanced students in my after school chess club. It comes from a game I played against Crafty on the Chessimo iPad app.

White to move

How many can you solve?

Solve This

As I am working through Anderssen -- Paulsen, Vienna 1873, which is in GM-RAM: Essential Grandmaster Knowledge, I came across a reference game from a simul conducted by Alexander Alekhine in 1933.

White to move

Alekhine found the winning tactical shot here.

Overworked Defenders

Adolf Anderssen found that Black's pieces were stretched thin in their efforts to hold everything together.

White to move

From Anderssen -- Paulsen, Vienna 1873.

Play Like Louis Paulsen

A couple of days ago, I was reflecting that Louis Paulsen is one of those players whose play I know principally from his losses. A rare exception is one win against Paul Morphy at the First American Chess Congress. But, for the most part, I seem to be looking at Paulsen's games because they were important victories for Morphy or Adolf Anderssen or Wilhelm Steinitz.

My game of the week for the seven days that began this morning, thus, offers a welcome exception. The game is Paulsen -- Rosenthal, Vienna 1873. Paulsen won with a nice combination from this position.

White to move

What would you play?

Morphy's Immortal

Game of the Week

This week, I am working on the sixth match game between Louis Paulsen and Paul Morphy. Some commentators have called this game "Morphy's Immortal". The decisive combination that begins with a queen sacrifice is the first problem in Anthology of Chess Combinations.

I have been reading several chess books, and also watching YouTube videos to get a sense of what others say about this game. In addition, I read through A.J. Goldsby's annotations and all of the comments on chessgames.com.

This game is number ten in Rashid Ziyatdinov, GM-RAM: Essential Grandmaster Knowledge (2000).

Paulsen,Louis -- Morphy,Paul  [C48]
USA–01.Kongress New York (4.6), 1857

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bc5 

Morphy's move is still a popular choice among some Grandmasters today.

4...Nd4 was first played by Emil Shallop against Paulsen. 5.Nxe5 (5.Ba4 Nxf3+ 6.Qxf3 c6 1–0 in 42 moves, Paulsen,L -- Schallopp,E, Berlin 1881) 5...Qe7

4...Bb4 is most popular.

5.0–0

5.Nxe5 Nxe5 (5...Bxf2+? 6.Kxf2 Nxe5 7.d4±) 6.d4 Bd6.

5...0–0 

5...d6 6.d4 exd4 7.Nxd4 Bd7 8.Nf5 0–0 9.Bg5 Bxf5 10.exf5 Nd4 11.Bd3 d5 12.Bxf6 gxf6 (12...Qxf6  is better 13.Nxd5 Qg5) 13.Na4 1–0 in 26 moves, Paulsen,L -- Zukertort,J, Leipzig 1877.

6.Nxe5

Black to move

6...Re8

6...Nxe5 is an interesting possibility 7.d4 Bd6 8.f4! (8.dxe5 Bxe5) 8...Nc6 9.e5 Be7 10.d5 (10.exf6 Bxf6) 10...Nb4

6...Nd4 7.Be2 d5 ½–½ is 32 moves. Marco,G -- Marshall,F, Monte Carlo 1904

6...Bd4 7.Nf3 Bxc3 8.dxc3 Nxe4 9.Bd3 d5 ½–½ in 33 moves, Tarrasch,S -- Schlechter,C, Monte Carlo 1903.

7.Nxc6?!

7.Nf3 "gives an advantage" (Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part I, 33).

7...dxc6 8.Bc4 b5

8...Nxe4? 9.Nxe4 Rxe4 10.Bxf7+ Kxf7 11.Qf3++-.

9.Be2

9.Bb3?! Bg4 10.Qe1 b4 with a slight advantage for Black, according to A.J. Goldsby 11.Nd1 Rxe4 12.Ne3 "is hardly advantageous to White" (Kasparov, 33).

9...Nxe4 10.Nxe4

10.Bf3? Nxf2 11.Rxf2 Qd4 12.Ne4 Rxe4–+.

10...Rxe4 11.Bf3

11.c3 is playable here Qh4 12.d4 Bd6 13.g3 Qh3 (with the idea 14...Rh4) 14.f4 Bd7 15.Bf3 Re7 and White has chances for advantage.

11...Re6

Forced.

White to move

12.c3

"A simply hideous move: who would think of allowing the queen in at d3?" (Kasparov, 33)

12.d3 has been suggested by most commentators, including Ray Keene.

"We can safely say that the play, as above given, was the main cause of White's disasters, particularly when contending against such a far-sighted and powerful adversary as Mr. Morphy."
Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper (28 November 1857).

A.J. Goldsby diagrees, offering: "Yet another perfectly reasonable move. (The main idea is to play d4, and block out Black's powerful dark-squared KB.)  I know Reinfeld condemned this move here, but again I am not at all sure that this criticism is either merited -- or justified. (David Lawson gives this a whole question mark, but this is completely and totally unjustified.)"

Goldsby offers the following variation: 12...Qh4 13.g3 Qf6 14.c3 Re8 15.d4 Bh3 16.Bg2 Bxg2 17.Kxg2 Bd6 18.Bd2 Qf5 19.Qf3 Qc2 when Black may be a little better.

12.a3? a5 Black has a clear edge.

12...Qd3

Yikes! The cramping effect of this move reminds me of my victory over Stockfish from a set position based on analysis of Mayet -- Anderssen (see "Training with Anderssen").

13.b4

13.Re1 seems better 13...Rxe1+ (13...Rb8) 14.Qxe1 Bf5 15.Bxc6 Rd8 16.Qe5 Qc2 17.Bf3 Bd6 18.Qxb5 Bd3 19.Qc6 Kf8 "Black still has the advantage" (Kasparov, 34)

13...Bb6 14.a4

"Probably worse for White" 14.Re1 Rxe1+ 15.Qxe1 Bd7 16.Qf1 Qc2 (Goldsby).

14...bxa4 15.Qxa4

Black to move

15...Bd7

15...Bb7 may be superior. Indeed, Kasparov identifies 15...Bd7 as Morphy's most significant miscalculation. 16.Ra2 Rae8 17.Qd1 Ba6 18.Rxa6 Qxa6 19.d4 Qc4 20.Bd2 a5 and Black has a clear advantage, according to Kasparov (34).

16.Ra2? 

16.Qa6! was Paulsen's last chance.

16...Rae8 17.Qa6

Black to move

This position is the first one in the Anthology of Chess Combinations, third edition.

17.Qc2 was no good. 17...Qxf1+ 18.Kxf1 Re1#.

17...Qxf3!!

"Beautiful as unexpected. Mr. Stanley, one of the bystanders, remarked of Mr. M., on his making this seemingly rash move, that he should be confined in a lunatic asylum. No one present could fathom the meaning of this bold play, until move after move showed to the wonder-struck spectators how accurate had been Mr. M.'s calculations. Just think of this, student--seeing into a dozen moves ahead, with all its attendant variations."
Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper.

"One of the most amazing moves ever played on a chess-board." A.J. Goldsby

17...Qxf1+? 18.Qxf1 Re1 19.d4 Rxf1+ 20.Kxf1 and White has an advantage.

18.gxf3 Rg6+ 19.Kh1 Bh3 20.Rd1

20.Rg1 Rxg1+ 21.Kxg1 Re1+ 22.Qf1 Rxf1#.

20.Qd3 tests Black's calculation.

Black to move

Analysis diagram after 20.Qd3

I put this position in front of the members of a Chess.com fan page on Facebook. No one found 20...f5!

a) 20...Bg2+ was suggested 21.Kg1 Bxf3+ 22.Qxg6 hxg6 and White is materally ahead.

b) 20...Bxf2 was the best of the suggestions on Facebook. 21.Qxg6 fxg6 22.Rd1 Be6 23.Ra1 Bd5 24.Kg2 Bh4 Black has a bishop and pawn for a rook, and perhaps a slight advantage.

c) 20...f5! keeps the attack alive. 21.Rd1 Bg2+ 22.Kg1 Bxf3+ 23.Kf1 Bxd1 and Black should win.

20...Bg2+ 21.Kg1 Bxf3+ 22.Kf1

Black to move

22...Bg2+

Morphy missed 22...Rg2! 23.Qd3 Rxf2+ 24.Kg1 Rg2+ 25.Kf1 (25.Kh1 Rg1#) 25...Rg1#.

23.Kg1 Bh3+

23...Be4+ 24.Kf1 Bf5 25.Qe2 Bh3+ 26.Ke1 Rg1#.

24.Kh1 Bxf2 25.Qf1

25.Rf1 Bxf1 26.Qxf1 Re1 27.Qxe1 Bxe1 28.Rxa7 h6-+

25...Bxf1 26.Rxf1 Re2 27.Ra1 Rh6 28.d4 Be3 29.Rf2 Rxf2 30.Bxe3 Rfxh2+ 31.Kg1 Rh1+ 32.Kg2 Rxa1 33.Bxh6 gxh6 0–1

Game of the Week

I am going through one game each week with the intention of understanding it thoroughly. This labor is part of a study plan guided by Rashid Ziyatdinov, GM-RAM: Essential Grandmaster Knowledge (2000).

There was an earlier, privately published version of this book. It caught my eye in the USCF product catalog in 1999 or thereabouts. The catalog description, "positions only, no evaluation," intrigued me. I ordered it; it was back-ordered for a few months and then I learned that it was no longer available. Ten years later, I bought the Thinker's Press edition, which also had gone out of print.

Ziyatdinov offers some hints concerning a program of study, and his co-author, Peter Dyson, offers additional hints. Much is left to the reader.

The basic plan is simple: each of the 253 positions (133 endgame, 120 middle game) in the book, plus an additional 47 selected by the reader, must be mastered thoroughly. That is, these positions must become as letters of the alphabet. Children learning to speak struggle to master the differences between the letter m and the letter n. Most have mastered these sounds before they begin school. Within a few years, the memory of these difficulties is forgotten and the sounds and meanings are second nature.

This past Saturday morning, I was discussing and playing Diagram 2 from "Problem Solving Contest" with a young student. The student did not yet understand some of the nuances of the position. We were also looking at slight variations of the same position. The student would make a move, and then I would either respond with an instant move for Black, or I would state, "the game is drawn". Diagram 2 is a win if it is White's move. If it is Black's move, Black steps the king forward one square, producing Diagram 14 in GM-RAM. Black holds a draw.*

Another young player, observing the exercise, stated, "But, you've studied this position!" I responded with an enthusiastic affirmation and the suggestion that he should do the same. This endgame position has become second nature for me, as have a handful of others in GM-RAM.

The 120 middle game positions are sourced from 59 games that Ziyatdinov offers in his book. Beginning in December, I have been systematically going through one of these games each week (see "Training with Anderssen"). Because I have been teaching an evening class on Tuesday nights, my week begins on Wednesday.

Mastery of these middle game positions is not easy. I am far from meeting the standard that I have attained with the simplest king and pawn endings and the elementary versions of Lucena and Philidor rook endgames. Even so, I am making progress. Some games are pushing me into study of obscure and or unsound openings.

Last week's "Game of the Week" is a case in point. I have not memorized the game. Nor have I come to a thorough understanding of the alternatives for both sides from the critical middle game positions. However, I have grown in my understanding of Louis Paulsen's opening ideas. In some of my blitz and rapid online games this past week, I have played Paul Morphy's move order against the Sicilian, and I have played Paulsen's defensive scheme from the Black side, albeit with improvements that I identified in my study.

Here are some of my notes on the game, the ninth in GM-RAM.

Morphy,Paul -- Paulsen,Louis [B40]
USA–01.Kongress New York (4.1), 29.10.1857

1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.Nf3

Morphy's move order nuance offers Black some choices, but no refutations.

3...e6

3...e5 is interesting, when  4.c3 seems best.

a) 4.Nxe5?? Qa5+

b) 4.Bc4 Qc7

(4...Nf6 5.Ng5 d5 6.exd5 h6 7.Nf3 Bg4 led to interesting play in Cochrane,J -- Staunton,H, London 1842 [Staunton won in 24 moves])

(4...Nc6 [4...dxc3 5.Nxc3 Nc6 6.Bc4 d6 7.Ng5 Nh6 Bondarevsky,I -- Kasparian,G,Tbilisi 1937 (White won in 24 moves)] 5.cxd4 exd4 6.Nxd4 [6.Bc4 has scored better than the main line])

5.Bb3 Bb4+ 6.c3 dxc3 7.0–0 Nf6 appeared in Anderssen,A -- Harrwitz,D, Breslau 1848 (Harrwitz won in 30 moves).

4.Nxd4 Bc5

White to move

This move seems dubious to me, and yet a few Grandmasters have played it in recent years, especially Vladimir Epishen. Louis Paulsen played it five times in the First American Chess Congress. He won the first, and then faced Morphy. Morphy won three of the four games, and had a material advantage that he was unable to convert in the other.

After these games, Paulsen switched to 4...Nf6. His older brother Wilfried played 4...Nf6, and then tried 4...a6 in a few games.The three main moves, 4...a6, 4...Nc6, and 4...Nf6 each have their merits. All other choices must be regarded as sidelines.

5.Nb3

This move remains the main line today.

5.Be3 was Morphy's choice after the drawn game.

5...Bb6 6.Nc3 Ne7 7.Bf4

Black to move

7...0–0

7...d5 should be played 8.exd5 Nxd5 9.Nxd5 exd5 (9...Qxd5!?) 10.Bb5+ Nc6 11.0–0 0–0 and Black's position was good enough for victory against the World Champion in a simul: Anand,V (2786) -- Bluesette (2155), ICC INT 2007 (Black won in 50 moves).

8.Bd6 f5 9.e5 a6 10.Be2 Nbc6 11.0–0 Rf7 12.Kh1 f4 13.Ne4 Nf5 14.Bh5 g6 15.Bg4 Ng7 16.Qf3 h5 17.Bh3 Qh4 18.Nf6+ Kh8 19.Qe4 Qg5 20.g3 f3 21.Nd2 Bd8 22.Nxf3 Qh6 23.Rg1 Bxf6 24.exf6 Ne8 25.Bf4 Nxf6 26.Qxc6 Qxf4 27.Qxc8+ Rxc8 28.gxf4 Rxc2 29.Rac1 Rxf2 30.Rc8+ Ng8 31.Ne5 Rg7 32.Nxg6+ Kh7 33.Nf8+ Kh6 34.Nxd7 Rxd7 35.Rcxg8 Rxf4 36.Bxe6 Re7 37.R8g6+ Kh7 38.Bg8+ Kh8 39.Rh6+ Rh7 40.Rxh7# 1–0

This morning, I am moving on to the sixth game of the Morphy -- Paulsen match at the First American Chess Congress even though much work remains for me to do on the first game.


*Please see a correction to this paragraph in the comments below, and also in tomorrow's post.

Lesson of the Week

This week ends the scholastic chess season for most of those whom I teach and coach, as the Washington State Elementary Chess Championship is Saturday. Those who receive their instruction as part of a class, rather than a club, will continue for another month or a few weeks more. The clubs end this week.

Our problem position comes from the game that provided last week's lesson. Then, we looked at Louis Paulsen's opening errors and the waltz of Wilhelm Steinitz's king. This week, we look at the combination that concludes the game. Steinitz chose the second best continuation from the diagram. We examine both, and any others that young players suggest as looking promising for White.


Steinitz,William -- Paulsen,Louis [C25]
Baden-Baden 30.07.1870

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 exf4 4.d4 Qh4+ 5.Ke2 d6 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.Bxf4 0–0–0 8.Ke3 Qh5 9.Be2 Qa5? 10.a3 Bxf3 11.Kxf3± Qh5+ 12.Ke3 Qh4 13.b4? g5? 14.Bg3 Qh6 15.b5 Nce7 16.Rf1 Nf6 17.Kf2 Ng6 18.Kg1+- Qg7 19.Qd2 h6 20.a4 Rg8 21.b6! axb6 22.Rxf6! Qxf6 23.Bg4+ Kb8 24.Nd5 Qg7 25.a5 f5 26.axb6 cxb6 27.Nxb6 Ne7 28.exf5 Qf7

White to move

29.f6

Even better was 29.Ra8+ Kc7 30.Qa5 Nc6 31.Nd5+ Kd7 32.Qc7+ Ke8 33.Bh5+-

29...Nc6 30.c4 Na7 31.Qa2 Nb5 32.Nd5 Qxd5 33.cxd5 Nxd4 34.Qa7+ Kc7 35.Rc1+ Nc6 36.Rxc6# 1–0

Smith-Morra Gambit Prehistory

When Johann Jacob Löwenthal took over editorship of The Chess Player's Magazine in 1865, he expressed his intent to "devote considerable space" to opening theory.

While endeavouring to systematize as far as possible those openings which have already been brought before the public, I shall submit to a searching analysis several others which have not yet found their way into print. The analysis of new methods of attack and defense will probably engage the attention of Chess players for an unlimited period. The Chess Player's Magazine (1865), 2-3

The first game presented offers an early version of what would come to be called the Smith-Morra Gambit, albeit with a slightly different move order. The game does not appear in the ChessBase database.

The player of the White pieces is presented as Mr. Calthorp (errata in the front of the volume notes the correct spelling should be Calthrop). Is he Samuel Robert Calthrop who played in the First American Chess Congress? Louis Paulsen eliminated Calthrop in the first round of that event, and these three games are the only games by any player named Calthrop in the ChessBase database. Perhaps it is notable that Calthrop played an early version of the Grand Prix Attack (also ECO B 21) in the third game of the match with Paulsen.

Samuel Robert Calthrop ran a boy's school in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and was originally from England. It is possible that he might have made a trip back to the mother country and played a few games of chess while there. On the other hand, perhaps he had a relative who was also a chess player with a knack for offbeat lines against the Sicilian Defense.

Here is the game with Löwenthal's annotations. I have converted English descriptive to algebraic, but otherwise reproduced the annotations as they appear in The Chess Player's Magazine (1865), 9-11.

Calthrop, [Samuel Robert?] -- Kennedy, Hugh Alexander [B21]
1864?
[ Löwenthal]

The following Sicilian Opening, adopted by so accomplished a veteran as Captain H. A. Kennedy, constitutes a good specimen of this début.

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Bc4

The move generally played here is 4.Nxd4.

4...e6 5.c3

This move, which contributes so important and interesting a variation in the Scotch Gambit, and which may be safely adopted in that opening, is not so good in this début, as Black may, without disadvantage, take the Pawn with Pawn. White would gain no advantage by bringing his Queen's Knight into play, as Black's Pawns form a perfectly safe entrenchment against any attack.

5...dxc3 6.Nxc3 Bc5 7.0–0 d6 8.Be3 Nf6

Exchanging Bishops would have considerably weakened the Queen's Pawn, which could not be maintained against the attacking forces White could bring to bear.

9.Bxc5

9.e5 appears to be more attacking, and leads to some interesting variations.

9...dxc5 10.Qc2 0–0 11.e5 Ng4 12.Rad1 Qe7 13.Rfe1 a6 14.h3 Nh6 15.Ne4 b5 16.Nfg5

Threatening Mate in two moves by playing Nf6+, &c.

16...Nf5 17.Bd3 Nxe5 18.f4 Nxd3 19.Qxd3 c4 20.Qc2 g6 21.g4 Ng7 22.Qf2 h6 23.Qh4

An interesting position (see Diagram).

23...h5

It is obvious that taking the proffered Knight would have involved the immediate loss of the game.

24.gxh5 Nxh5 25.Ng3 Qc5+

The correct move, by which Black is enabled to escape danger.

26.Kf1

The only move, for if 26.Kh1 Bb7+ and wins, or 26.Kh2 Qf2+ and wins.

26...Nxg3+ 27.Qxg3 Kg7 28.Qc3+ Kg8

Had Blck interposed the Pawn, White would have taken e-pawn with Rook.

29.Ne4 b4

Very well played, forcing White to abandon the diagonal, commanded by his Queen.

30.Nf6+ Kh8 31.Qg3 Kg7 32.Re5 Qe7 33.Nh5+ Kh6 34.f5

White has exhausted all his resources.

34. Rd5, an apparently good move, would not have led to any advantage; Black would have replied with f5, rendering his game perfectly safe.

34...gxh5 35.h4 Qf6 36.Qf4+ Kh7 37.Rd2 exf5 38.Rg2 Rg8 39.Rxg8 Kxg8 40.Re8+ Kg7 41.Qg3+ Kh7 42.Qf3 Qxh4 43.Qxa8

White might, perhaps, have done better to take Rxc8, but even in that case Black would have won by numerical superiority of the Pawns.

43...Qf4+ 44.Kg1 Qc1+ 45.Kf2 Qxb2+ 46.Re2 Qd4+ 47.Kf1 Qd1+ 48.Re1 Qd3+ 49.Re2 Be6 50.Qxa6 f4 51.Qc6 f3 52.Qe4+ Bf5 53.Qxd3 Bxd3 0–1