Thursday’s tactics
SPRAGGETT ON CHESS
SOLUTIONS BELOW. GOOD LUCK!
1.
gm CANDELARIO (2579)
im IBARRA,J (2528)
From yesterday’s round in the Spanish Team Championship. Material is even and the game has been quite boring for the previous dozen moves or so…BUT it is especially in this kind of position that one must be attentive and wary of tactical tricks that suddenly appear. Falling asleep for even one move can be fatal…White’s last move (41.Qe3) gives Black a golden opportunity!
BLACK TO PLAY AND WIN!
2.
gm MCHEDLISHVILI
gm CHEPARINOV
Once more from the Spanish Team Championship yesterday. White had speculated soon after the opening with a wild sacrifice, only to find his opponent up to the challenge. Here Cheparinov is left only with some tricks…
HERE had Black played the precse 25…Nd4!! White’s position collapses in ruins (26.RxN RxN!; and the intended 26.Ne4 fails to the Knight fork on c2) and Black would have surely won the game easily.
INSTEAD, probably short of time, Mchedlishvili played a losing move:
25…Qe7?
Attacking the Knight on g5 but overlooking White’s next move!
26.Ne4!
Threatening the devastating Qh6-ch. Surprisingly, Black has no real defence now
AND SO once more luck favours the brave! Cheparinov’s unsound attack yields fruit. 26…Rg7 is out of the question because of 27.f6 winning a Rook (or even 27.Nf6! wins outright). And 26…f6 would be met by 27.Nxf6 Rg7 (27…Qg7. 28.Rd7!) 28.Pxe6! followed by Qh6-ch and the general exchange on h7, winning easily.
THAT ONLY LEAVES:
26…Qf8 (stopping the immediate threat) 27.Pxe6!!
Hopeless now would be 27…Qg7 28.Pxf7! Qxf7 29.Rh6 Kg7 30.Rf6! etc.
27…Nxe5 (as good as any) 28.e7!
Cheparinov is relentless
28…Nd3-ch 29.Kf1
1-0. There is nothing to do
28…Nd3-ch 29.Kf1
1-0. There is nothing to do
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3.
im CUENCA JIMENEZ
gm BAUER,C
WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN!
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4.
gm ALSINA LEAL
gm PONOMARIOV
WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN!
Grandmaster Bartel
SOLUTIONS:
1. 41…Re8!! wins immediately
3. White wins with 1.Bg7!
4. White wins with 36.Kc3!!
5.White wins with 1.Be6! PxB 2.Rh8-ch!! etc
im CUENCA JIMENEZ
Spanish Team Championship yesterday. Take a quick look at White’s assets: open h-file; all of his pieces coordinated and bearing down on the Black Kingside. PLUS it is his move! Do you need a formal invitation?
WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN!
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4.
gm ALSINA LEAL
gm PONOMARIOV
Spanish Team Championship yesterday. Black, two pawns down, is struggling but has some hopes of resisting should he reach a Bishop of opposite colour ending. His last move was the trappy 35…Qg2-ch.
Should White now play 36.Qf2?! then Black swaps Queens, plays …b6 followed by …Kd7 and tries to set up a fortress. Or if instead 36.Bf2 then 36…Qxg4 37.Qxa7!? Qf4-ch! keeps the game going.
WHAT STRONG CONTINUATION DID PONOMARIOV FIND INSTEAD?
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5.
im MOZHAROV
gm BARTEL
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5.
im MOZHAROV
From the recently finished tournament in St.Petersburg (Chigorin Memorial). Black has been completely out-classed, out-played and out-prepared…now is the time for White to put Black out of his misery.
WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN!
SOLUTIONS:
1. 41…Re8!! wins immediately
3. White wins with 1.Bg7!
4. White wins with 36.Kc3!!
5.White wins with 1.Be6! PxB 2.Rh8-ch!! etc