THE GUILLOTINE


In most games of chess both players CASTLE KING-SIDE. The Kings decide to live on g1 and g8. As you've probably learned, we use three Pawns to defend the castled King: Freddie the f-pawn, Gerry the g-pawn and Harry the h-pawn. It's good advice not to move Freddie, Gerry or Harry unless you have a very good reason. Early on in the game, anyway. As pieces and pawns get exchanged off, FILES are opened for Rooks and Queens, and you might well reach a position looking something like this.


If it's White's move what would you play? Easy: Rc3-c8# And if it's Black's move? Again, the same thing. Rb2-b1+ and mate next move after White's put his Rook in the way.


This is called a BACK RANK mate, but I like to think of it as a GUILLOTINE. The King's head is on the block and the Rook comes down like a blade to chop his head off.


What about this position? It's White's move. What would you play? Again, the three unmoved pawns in front of Black's King should make you think about a mate on c8. This time it takes two moves. White plays Qc4-c8+ - a QUEEN SACRIFICE. Black has only one move: Rb8xc8, and White mates with Rc3-c8.


One of the most exciting things you can do in chess is to SACRIFICE your QUEEN to force checkmate. It happens a lot in books but not very often in real life. When it does it often looks like this.



If we move the pieces around a bit we reach this position, which comes from a game Bernstein-Capablanca, Moscow 1914. José Raúl Capablanca, a Cuban, was World Champion between 1921 and 1927, and one of the strongest players of all time.


You'll see that both players have the familiar three pawns in front of their King. It's Black to play. What should Capablanca play in this position?


It's easy, isn't it? Qb6-b1+ forces Qe2-f1, when Rd8-d1 (PIN!) wins the Queen. Hands up who said that. I hope it wasn't you, because unfortunately White plays Rc3-c8+ (SPLAT!) at the end of your variation! You won't get a chance to take his Queen because he'll take your King first! If you fell for this trap you did well to see the PIN but need to learn to look further ahead.


The correct answer is Qb6-b2!!, which wins in every variation.


1. If White takes the Queen: Qe2xb2, what would you play? It's pretty obvious: Rd8-d1#.


2. Once you've seen that you'll notice that Qb6-b2 is a QUEEN FORK! The Queen on e2 is on the end of one prong and the Rook on c3 is on the other prong. So how can White get out of the FORK? He could try Rc3-c2. Can you find Black's winning idea? He plays Qb2-b1+, forcing Qe2-f1. Then, again NOT Rd8-d1 because of Rc2-c8+, but Qb1xc2, winning a Rook.


3. White could try Qe2-e1, moving the Queen to DEFEND the Rook. How should Black answer this move? By playing Qb2xc3 (DECOY!), and if White takes the Queen he gets mated.


4. White could also try Qe2-c4, again moving the Queen to DEFEND the Rook. Find a move for Black now. Yes, Black could still play Qb2xc3 (DECOY!) winning the Rook, but there's something even better. Rd8-d1+ forces Qe2-f1 when White will take the Queen followed by the Rook.


5. Another Queen move to defend the Rook is Qe2-c2. How would you win in that position? Simply take the Queen, and if he takes back, Rd8-d1 is mate.


6. Next question. Suppose White plays Rc3-d3. Now you could take either the Rook or the Queen. Which one would you choose? You certainly wouldn't take the Queen: you get mated by Rd3xd8. If you took the Rook with Rd8xd3 you would mate him if he played Qe2xb2, but after Qe2xd3 you'd have nothing much: Qb2-a1+ is answered by Qe2-f1. Instead, the best move is Qb2-b1+ (FORK!) which wins the Rook.


7. Now suppose White plays Rc3-c8. Again you have a choice of two pieces to take? What would you do? Again, if you take the Queen you get mated. If you take the Rook, White can take your Queen safely. The way to win is again Qb2-b1+ (or Qb2-a1+), forcing Qe2-f1, when you exchange Queens and then take the Rook. Black doesn't have time to take your Rook and mate you because you're CHECKING him every move. Notice the power of the check.


In fact Bernstein chose to resign after Qb6-b2. He knew that Capablanca was far too good a player to fall for any of the traps.


Now look at the diagram on your right, which, allegedly, comes from a game EZ Adams - Torre, New Orleans 1920. (Historians believe that this was a composed position, perhaps based on something that happened in a friendly game between Adams and Torre.) This is a difficult position so take your time over it. You see again Freddie, Gerry and Harry unmoved in front of each King, but both back ranks look well protected at the moment. Anyway, it's White's move and he has to think about what to do with his Queen.


Firstly, suppose both Queens were off the board. What would White play? Pipsqueak! It's mate in 2: Re2xe8+. If you take the White Queen and the Black Rook on c8 off the board what would White play? Again, Re2xe8+ and mate next move.


So, we are trying to lure either the Black Queen or the Rook on c8 away from defending the Rook on e8. Can you find a Queen move to do that? The move is Qd4-g4! Now if Black takes the Queen what happens? Yes, it's mate in two: Re2xe8+. And if Black defends his Queen, say with Re8-d8? White takes the Queen and then mates on e8. The Black Queen has to continue defending e8 so where should she go? No choice: Qd7-b5, giving our next diagram. Think very carefully, doing a CCT for both sides, before choosing your next move.


EVERY MOVE, YOU MUST LOOK FOR YOUR OPPONENT'S THREAT. Black has no checks, but he does have some captures. Let's try Qb5xe2. Then, if White takes the Queen, he's the one who dies by the GUILLOTINE: Black plays Rc8-c1+ and mates two moves later. So White has to meet Black's THREAT, which he does by playing the stunning Qg4-c4!!


Now what happens if Black plays Qb5xc4? Yes, Re2xe8+ and mate next move. And if Black plays Rc8xc4? Again, Re2xe8+ and mate next move. So Black has to play Qb5-d7 to maintain his defence of e8 (Diagram).


How can White make progress here? He now plays Qc4-c7!! Again, Black has two ways of taking the Queen. If Qd7xc7, what does White do? Re2xe8+, of course. If Rc8xc7 everyone knows what happens: Re2xe8+. So the Black Queen returns to b5 (Diagram).


Again, White has to be a bit careful before choosing his next move. It looks tempting to play Qc7xb7, but that move opens the c-file again, and instead of taking the Queen Black would play Qb5xe2, again winning a Rook or mating.








So in order to make progress White must play a2-a4!, and Black must keep control of e8 by taking the pawn, giving our next diagram.


Now what? Black's Queen and Rook on c8 have to keep control of e8. But the Rook on e8 also has to keep control of c8. So White can play Re2-e4! What happens if Rc8xc7? Yet again, Re4xe8+. What happens if Re8xe4? Qc7xc8+ and mate in three moves time (Bf6-d8, Qc8xd8+ Re4-e8, Qd8xe8+ Qa4xe8, Re1xe8#). And if Qa4xe4? White plays Re1xe4, and if Black takes either the Queen or the Rook he still gets mated. But Black can still defend by playing Qa4-b5 (Diagram)


Now at last we can finish him off. Can you find the move? Yes, it's Qc7xb7! For the final time, what happens if Qb5xb7? Re4xe8+ and mate next move. And again, if Re8xe4? Again, we have Qc7xc8+ and mate in three more moves. But Black no longer has any safe squares on the a4-e8 diagonal so he has no choice but to resign.


That was a really complicated position so don't worry if you didn't understand it first time round. You should at any rate know what a BACK RANK MATE looks like by now.


HELPFUL HINTS


1. If you see Freddie, Gerry and Harry unmoved in front of a King, either your opponent's or your own, think BACK RANK MATE.


2. As files get opened up and pieces and pawns get exchanged it's often a good idea to move a pawn - usually Harry - one square to create a safe square for your King.


3. Think about DECOYS during your games. If that piece wasn't there I would have a strong move. How can I attack it and force it to move?


4. Try to calculate during your games: NOT I go there, then there, then there BUT I go there, then he goes there, then I go there.


5. Think CCT while you are calculating: the moves you calculate are FORCING MOVES: CHECKS, CAPTURES and THREATS. If you try to calculate anything else you're probably wasting your time.










XABCDEFGH Y
8-+-+-+k+(
7zp-+-+pzpp'
6-+-+-+-+& 5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-tR-zP-+-#
2Ptr-+-zPPzP"
1+-+-+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

XABCDEFGH Y
8-tr-+-+k+(
7zp-+-+pzpp'
6-+-+-+q+& 5+-+-+-+-%
4-+Q+-+-+$
3+-tR-zP-+-#
2P+-+-zPPzP"
1+-+-+-mK-!
xabcdefghy
White to move


XABCDEFGH Y
8-+-tr-+k+(
7zp-+-+pzpp'
6-wq-+-+-+& 5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-tR-zP-+-#
2P+-+QzPPzP"
1+-+-+-mK-!
xabcdefghy
Black to move






XABCDEFGH Y
8-+-tr-+k+(
7zp-+-+pzpp'
6-+-+-+-+& 5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-tR-zP-+-#
2Pwq-+QzPPzP"
1+-+-+-mK-!
xabcdefghy
White to move



















































XABCDEFGHY
8-+r+r+k+(
7+p+q+pzpp'
6-+-zp-vl-+&
5zp-+P+-+-%
4-+-wQ-+-+$
3+-+-+N+-#
2PzP-+RzPPzP"
1+-+-tR-mK-!
xabcdefghy
White to move


XABCDEFGH Y
8-+r+r+k+(
7+p+-+pzpp'
6-+-zp-vl-+& 5zpq+P+-+-%
4-+-+-+Q+$
3+-+-+N+-#
2PzP-+RzPPzP"
1+-+-tR-mK-!
xabcdefghy
White to move




XABCDEFGHY
8-+r+r+k+(
7+p+q+pzpp'
6-+-zp-vl-+&
5zp-+P+-+-%
4-+Q+-+-+$
3+-+-+N+-#
2PzP-+RzPPzP"
1+-+-tR-mK-!
xabcdefghy
White to move

XABCDEFGHY
8-+r+r+k+(
7+pwQ-+pzpp'
6-+-zp-vl-+&
5zpq+P+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+N+-#
2PzP-+RzPPzP"
1+-+-tR-mK-!
xabcdefghy
White to move

XABCDEFGHY
8-+r+r+k+(
7+pwQ-+pzpp'
6-+-zp-vl-+&
5zp-+P+-+-%
4q+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+N+-#
2-zP-+RzPPzP"
1+-+-tR-mK-!
xabcdefghy
White to move

XABCDEFGHY
8-+r+r+k+(
7+pwQ-+pzpp'
6-+-zp-vl-+&
5zpq+P+-+-%
4-+-+R+-+$
3+-+-+N+-#
2-zP-+-zPPzP"
1+-+-tR-mK-!
xabcdefghy
White to move