Friday’s 5-second tactics
”The silhouette (also known as a “shade” or “shadow”) was an inexpensive and popular form of portraiture from about 1780 to 1850. This example, depicting a game of chess, is probably by Auguste Edouart (1788-1861), a French emigre who cut his first silhouette in the United States in 1839. The players in this silhouette are The Athenaeum’s Librarian, William McIlhenney, Jr. (c.1779-1853), who was said to be passionately fond of chess, and his partner is George Spackman (d.1861), a fellow alumnus of The University of Pennsylvania.” LINK
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gm ARESHCHENKO,A
gm FELGAER,R
The World Cup in Tromso, yesterday. The position after White’s 36th move. It is clear that White is in trouble, his King wide open while his pieces stumble to shelter His Majesty from the active Black Rooks. Areshchenko only need discover the most precise move order to end the game…
BLACK TO PLAY AND WIN! 
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gm GIRI,A
gm LI CHAO
The World Cup, yesterday. White had just blundered with his last move (18.Bg5), probably the result of nerves. With this blunder, the Dutch star has the chance to clinch the match and move on to the 3rd round.
BLACK TO PLAY AND WIN!
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SPEAKING OF NERVES…
gm KAMSKY
gm SHIMANOV
You are going to LIKE this! At first I thought that this was from the playoffs the day before yesterday, but it has since been confirmed that it was played yesterday, in regular time control. Both players are under great stress, and this helps explain the incredible blunders that took place. Here we have the position after 19 moves. (Black’s last move was 19…Rh6, setting up some cheapos on h2) Here White has a chance to win the game immediately!
WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN!
INSTEAD, White did not see the win and played the cautious, but weak, 20.Rf2?
Now Kamsky has the opportunity to win the game! Do you see it? (Kamsky did not see it, and went on to lose the game…)
BLACK TO PLAY AND WIN!
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BANG! BANG!
FERNANDEZ PEREZ,D
gm CRUZ, Ch
From the International Open in Figueres, Spain. Yesterday. Position after 28 moves. A classical Queens Gambit Declined (X-change variation), it is clear that Black is on the defensive. White’s Queen, two Rooks and Knight can not ask for more active positions…even so, Black seems to have all of the hot-spots covered.
Cristhian Cruz, a young grandmaster living in Barcelona (and a member of my team EEBcn ) is having a great year and has scored some wonderful successes so far. In this game he shows his considerable talent:
29.Nxa6!!
If now 29…Qxa6 30.Qb4! c5 (what else?) 31.dxc5 Kb8 32.Ra3 Qe6 33.Qf4+ and White must win; or if instead 29…bxa6 30.Rxc6 Rxc6 31.Qxc6+ Rb7 32.Ra3!
THE GAME CONTINUED: 29…Re6 30.h4 Nf7
WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN!
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SOLUTIONS
Felgaer, Ruben–Areshchenko, Alexander: 36… Rxg3+! 37.Rxg3 Qd4+! 38.Kh1 Qe4+ 0-1 Re1 follows
Li, Chao –Giri, Anish: 18…Ne4! Immediately decisive, hitting both the Queen and the Bishop on g5. 19.Qxc8+ There is no fully satisfactory reply, so White has some fun before resigning. 19..Bxc8 20.Bxe7 Ngxf2 21.Rc7 h6 22.Ba3 Ba6 23.Nbd4 Qd8 24.Ra7 Qb6 25.Ra8+ Kh7 26.e3 Bb7 27.Rf8 Qc7 28.Bf1 Ng4 0-1
Shimanov, AleksandR–Kamsky, Gata: White can win with the precise 20.Nxf7!! Rxf7 ( of course not 20…Qxh2+ 21.Kxh2 Ng3+ 22.Nxh6+! ) 21.Qxb5! Qe7 (There is nothing better than to retreta) 22.Bxf7+ Kxf7 23.Bxf4! Nxf4 24.Rxf4+ with a completely winning game. After White’s 20.Rf2?? Kamsky can now win with the elegante?) 20…Qxh2+! 21.Kf1 ( 21.Kxh2 Ng3+ 22.Kg1 Rh1# ) Qh1+ 22.Ke2 Ng3+ 23.Kd2 Qg1 24.Qf3 Nxe4+ etc
Cruz, Cristhian–Fernandez Perez, Didier: 31.Rxb7!! Brilliant! The game continued 31…Qxb7 32.Nc5+ Qa7 33.Qxa7+ Kxa7 34.Nxe6 when Cruz won without too much difficulty. However, even more precise would have been 32.Nc7+ and 33.NxR when the Knight going to c5 and Rook to the third rank should win quickly.