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September 2, 2010

How to escape from difficult territory

TAHLEQUAH — Jack Sheppard was a notorious and celebrated early 18th Century London criminal. After his first escape from prison, he was caught for pick pocketing and imprisoned with his wife. They filed through their manacles; removed a bar from their cell window; climbed down their knotted bed-clothes to ground level and then clambered over a 22-foot-high prison gate to freedom.   

Sheppard escaped two more times. In this week’s position black waggishly escapes with a draw. How does black pick white’s pocket?    

White’s two passed pawns on f5 and h5 are too much and should win. Meanwhile, black’s king is snuggly imprisoned on a5. The King blocks its a6 pawn, and the King cannot move. This is because of white’s a4 pawn and rook, which prevent the King from moving to b5 and b6. Black’s king is almost stalemated.

Black’s rook thus moves to f7 (Rf7+), checking white. Taking the rook gives white a stalemate but not the win. The white king thus moves out of check. But the black rook continues to follow and check white and offer itself over and over. White can never get out of check without stalemating black.   

For example: 1. . . Rf7+; 2. Kg8 Rf8+ ; 3. Kh7 Rh8+

The endless checking continues: 4. Kg7 Rg8+; 5. Kf6 Rf8+; 6. Ke5 Rxf5+

Sheppard’s third and fourth escapes were from death sentences. But Sheppard could not escape a fifth time. He could not stalemate death. Amidst a carnival atmosphere 200,000 people (one-third of London), Sheppard’s execution procession meandered through the streets of London to the hangman’s noose.  The procession even paused at the City of Oxford tavern, so Sheppard could drink a pint of sack before his end.

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