Combinative vision
SPRAGGETT ON CHESS
WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN!
KOSTAL
RADA
From the game Rada vs Kostal (1942). A sharp position where White is (temporarily) a pawn up but Black has very active counter chances. White has an opportunity to win by force. Do you see it? Solution later today.
I tell my students that seeing the winning idea is never enough: you must also work it out to the end. That is, you must be able to carry thru what you start! You must be prepared to anticipate and break the best defence before you start the skirmish…In the above example Black has a defence involving playing …Qe5 (contesting control of the a1-h8 diagonal), but White needs to see the refutation of this defence. Are you up to it?
Ten minutes for finding the idea, the mainline as well as the side-lines. GOOD LUCK!
SOLUTION: Congrats to everyone who successfully solved this one! The win is : 1.RxB! (eliminating the best defender of the dark squares around the Black monarch) 1…RxR. 2.Qd4 (threatening mate) 2…Qe5! (only good try) 3.Re1!! winning. If Black takes the Queen then there is a back rank mate. If Black does not take the Queen…then he might as well resign!
SOLUTION: Congrats to everyone who successfully solved this one! The win is : 1.RxB! (eliminating the best defender of the dark squares around the Black monarch) 1…RxR. 2.Qd4 (threatening mate) 2…Qe5! (only good try) 3.Re1!! winning. If Black takes the Queen then there is a back rank mate. If Black does not take the Queen…then he might as well resign!
SPRAGGETT ON CHESS