There's a particular kind of checkmate that always makes me smile and it's where the final blow is delivered by a pawn.  Unfortunately I don't get to see too many of these, so when two Stafford players delivered such checkmates in a single week, I couldn't resist publishing at least one of them. David Barker delivered the first of these checkmates early in the month during an away match at Holmes Chapel in North Staffs Division 3. Unfortunately I don't have the full scoresheet, but here is the position (right) immediately prior to the mating move. White has just played Bishop g1-e3?? The second of these checkmates came just 2 days later in a Wolverhampton League Division 1 clash at home against Stourbridge. Ray Hyde, playing a French Defence with the black pieces, had castled queenside and took advantage of the white queen's dreadfully passive position and a weakened centre to launch an assault against the exposed kingside. There was a very nice knight sacrifice along the way but of course, the final blow was a joy to behold. Once again the diagram is just prior to the final move and the full game can be played through by clicking on the diagram, or from the 'featured game' link on the current season page.  |
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