How Many Pumpkins Did You Eat?
PUMPKIN #1 Whitfield versus Hanks, team match, Sydney, Australia, 1944. This was a TRICK! The game continued 1. Qxb4?? Rg6! 2. Qxe7 and Black announced mate in eight! With 2.… Rxg2+ 3. Kh1 Rxf2+ 4. Kg1 Rg2+ 5. Kh1 Rg6+ and White can interpose queen, bishop, pawn and rook before being mated!
PUMPKIN #2 Natalie Guy versus A. Martin del Campo, Women’s Olympiad, Armenia, 1996 This was a TRICK! The game continued 1.… Qxd2?? 2. Rxg7!! Qd1+ (Black sees that 2.… Kxg7 3. Qg5+ leads to mate by 3.… Kh8 4. Qf6 mate, or 3.… Kf8 4. Qf6+ Ke8 5. Qf7 mate, so she gives up the queen to give the king an escape square on d8. If this works, Black would have two rooks and a knight for her queen. But it doesn’t work.) 3. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 4. Kf2 Kxg7 5. Qf7+! Kh6 6. Qf6+ Kh5 7. Qg5 mate.
PUMPKIN #3 Diemer versus Albrecht, Isny 1948 This is a TREAT! After 1. Qxg4 Bxg4? 2. Nf6 double check and mate!
PUMPKIN #4 Stoltz versus Colle TREAT! The game continued 1.… Bxc4! (to draw the white queen away from the attack on g6) 2. Qxc4 Rxe5 3. Qd3 Qxf1! And wins since 4.… Re1+ is threatened.
PUMPKIN #5 Abrahams versus Samisch, Hastings Premier Reserves, 1938-39 TRICK! Black expected to fork king and queen with his knight, but the game went 1.… Qxc3?? (Give yourself two extra pumpkins if you noticed that 1.… Ne2+ forces 2. Qxe2 when it is now safe for Black to play 2. … Qxc3) 2. Rd8+ Kg7 3. Qxc3+ f6 4. Qd2 Rxd8 5. Qxd8 bxc6 6. Qxe7+ Kg8 7. Qe8+ Kg7 8. Qxc6, 1-0.
PUMPKIN #6 Stahlberg versus Carlsson, Orebro, 1938 TREAT! The game continued 1. cxb7 Rxa4 2. Bb5 Raxe4 (If the rook on a4 moves to a safe square such as a7, White plays 3. Bxe8 Qxe8 4. Nxf6! and the black queen cannot leave the eighth rank, so White threatens 5. Nd7+ and 6. b8=Q.) 3. Rxe4 Rxe4 (One defender leaves the eighth rank.) 4. Qxf6+!. White gives up another piece to draw the other defender off the rank and the b-pawn will promote.
PUMPKIN #7 Levitt versus Sandler, Loympiad, Armenia, 1996. TREAT! After 1.… Qxb5! 2. Nd6 Qb6! And Black has won a pawn. White must retreat the knight to e4 to de- fend the rook on f2.
PUMPKIN #8 Webster versus Ellis, Wisconsin 1971 TREAT! The game went 1. Rxf6 Qxf6 2. Bh7+ Kh8 3. Qh5 and wins, because 3.… Qh6 4. Ne7+ will win.
PUMPKIN #9 Cao versus Wohl, Olympiad, Armenia 1996 TREAT! The game went 1. Rxd7! Bxf3 2. Qxf3 Qxh2+ 3. Kf1 Ne5 4. Bf4! Nxf3 5. Bxh2 Nxe1 (Black had in- tended to play Nxh2+, but missed that 6. Kg1 traps the knight.) 6. Kxe1 Rfd8 7. Rb7 Rd4 8. Be2 Rad8 9. Bc7 R8d7 10. Rxa7, 1-0.
PUMPKIN #10 Groeschl versus Webster, Wisconsin Championship 1974 TRICK! If 1.… bxa1=Q? Qf7 mate! So Black played 1. … Qxg5!, and won, since if 2. fxg5 bxa1=Q 3. gxf6 Qxf6+ and Black is two pieces ahead.
PUMPKIN #11 Kaplan versus Bronstein, Hastings 1975-76 TREAT! After 1.… Rxd2 2. Rxd2 Rd8 3. Rd1 c4!, 0-1. Black’s last move made it impossible for White to break the pin by moving his pawns to c4 and c3, fol- lowed by his king to c2. Now White will eventually run out of pawn moves and have to move his king, which will allow Black to take the rook for free and leave White a piece down.
PUMPKIN #12 Perry versus Bernstein, Postal Game, 1977 TRICK! The game went 1. Nxd3?? Nxd3+ 2. Qxd3?? Qxe1+ 3. Kg2 Re2+, 0-1. But White could have played 1. Kg3!! when Black
has no more useful checks and must meet the threats of 2. Nxg6 mate and 2. Rexe7. 1.… Qxe1 does that, but 2. Qxe1 Nxf4 3. Rh8+ wins. White also threw away the draw with 1. Nxd3 Nxd3+
2. Qxd3??, when he could still have played 2. Kg3 as after 2.… Qxe1+ 3. Qxe1 Rxe1, White can give per- petual check (repetition of position) with 4. Rh8+ and 5. Rh7+, etc.
The goblins have enjoyed this chess workout and hope everyone now has some fine virtual pumpkins to make virtual jack-o-lanterns! Happy Halloween, and take care not to trip on the vines as you head for home!
October 2011 Chess Life for Kids! 15
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