From Kevin Spraggett's Blog

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  • Neil Sullivan
    • 2009-04-11
    • 254

    #1

    From Kevin Spraggett's Blog

    This position, from an old Aussie newspaper was in the blog today as a premature resignation by White.



    The continuation given is

    1) f6+ Kh8
    2) Ne2! Qxe2
    3) Rf2! Qxf2
    4) Qxf2 Rxf2
    5) fe! resigns

    Doesn't Black have 3) .... Qe1+ to win? I'm not home now and don't have a board so I'm wondering if I'm missing something obvious. It wouldn't be the first time. :)
  • Zeljko Kitich
    • 2008-06-01
    • 1275

    #2
    Re: From Kevin Spraggett's Blog

    Doesn't that allow 4. Kg2 solidifying white's position and threatening to promote the pawn? or maybe not since after QxR black's King goes to g8 stopping the pawn
    Last edited by Zeljko Kitich; Thursday, 3 February, 2011, 03:55 PM.

    Comment

    • Stephen Wright
      • 2008-08-25
      • 461

      #3
      Re: From Kevin Spraggett's Blog

      Note the quoted last sentence after the given variation (by editor C.J.S. Purdy): "Of course it's easy, now, to see what Black ought to have done. But never resign just to show you can see your opponent's threats."

      Comment

      • Alan Baljeu
        • 2008-07-11
        • 425

        #4
        Re: From Kevin Spraggett's Blog

        Threats are not a reason to resign. Once they've happened and you're just lost... then you may resign.

        Comment

        • Neil Sullivan
          • 2009-04-11
          • 254

          #5
          Re: From Kevin Spraggett's Blog

          Originally posted by Stephen Wright View Post
          Note the quoted last sentence after the given variation (by editor C.J.S. Purdy): "Of course it's easy, now, to see what Black ought to have done. But never resign just to show you can see your opponent's threats."
          I did see it, but the article states that white resigned the position and then an onlooker demonstrated a win for white. It seems a little muddled. Perhaps Kevin is presenting it tongue-in-cheek?

          Comment

          • Gordon Taylor
            • 2008-11-05
            • 153

            #6
            Re: From Kevin Spraggett's Blog

            The problem lies in the punctuation. 3.Rf2 may warrent an exclam, but 3...Qxf2 should get ??. It's really just a last desperate fling by White in a lost position. 3...Qe1+ is a simple win as pointed out. Just another example of my motto: "There is no position so good that there isn't some way to screw it up!"

            Comment

            • Christopher Mallon
              • 2008-05-29
              • 1117

              #7
              Re: From Kevin Spraggett's Blog

              Originally posted by Gordon Taylor View Post
              my motto: "There is no position so good that there isn't some way to screw it up!"
              Interesting challenge... can we construct a position in which every move leads to a winning checkmate? :)
              Christopher Mallon
              FIDE Arbiter

              Comment

              • Kerry Liles
                • 2008-05-30
                • 3071

                #8
                Re: From Kevin Spraggett's Blog

                Originally posted by Christopher Mallon View Post
                Interesting challenge... can we construct a position in which every move leads to a winning checkmate? :)
                Or a position where the only legal move(s) result in checkmate...
                That is all fine and good, except that the player could hallucinate and offer a draw or resign! (no way to prevent that!)
                ...Mike Pence: the Lord of the fly.

                Comment

                • Gordon Taylor
                  • 2008-11-05
                  • 153

                  #9
                  Re: From Kevin Spraggett's Blog

                  I'm pretty sure you can. But then, "Every good rule has an exception!"

                  Comment

                  • Alan Baljeu
                    • 2008-07-11
                    • 425

                    #10
                    Re: From Kevin Spraggett's Blog

                    Comment

                    • Zeljko Kitich
                      • 2008-06-01
                      • 1275

                      #11
                      Re: From Kevin Spraggett's Blog

                      Originally posted by Christopher Mallon View Post
                      Interesting challenge... can we construct a position in which every move leads to a winning checkmate? :)
                      you've been looking at my old scoresheets haven't you? :):)

                      Comment

                      • Ken Craft
                        • 2008-05-30
                        • 830

                        #12
                        Re: From Kevin Spraggett's Blog

                        Kevin has moved on to featuring the CFC Executive today.

                        Comment

                        • Roger Patterson
                          • 2008-05-30
                          • 1409

                          #13
                          Re: From Kevin Spraggett's Blog

                          I once saw a problem (in Scientific Americain no less) about 35 years ago in which the problem was to find a legal move that wasn't checkmate. As I recall, I had to look up the solution!

                          Comment

                          • Zeljko Kitich
                            • 2008-06-01
                            • 1275

                            #14
                            Re: From Kevin Spraggett's Blog

                            Originally posted by Ken Craft View Post
                            Kevin has moved on to featuring the CFC Executive today.
                            first a post about resigning then a post about the CFC executive, the boy is getting down right subliminal I'd say

                            Comment

                            • Kai G. Gauer
                              • 2008-07-21
                              • 215

                              #15
                              Re: From Kevin Spraggett's Blog

                              Item #334 http://www.xs4all.nl/~timkr/chess2/diary_17.htm talks about a recent record for "worst possible move" - all moves, except one, mate immediately - with an exceptional move that self-mates. Also on the most recent entry (Dec 2010) is a consecutive check record.

                              Comment

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