Today’s 5-second tactics
“Our most significant opportunities will be found in times of greatest difficulty.”
― Thomas S. Monson, Pathways To Perfection: Discourses Of Thomas S. Monson
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im Kantans, Toms
gm Neiksans, Arturs
Baltic zt Ilyumzhinov Cup Liepaja 2014.6.7 Position after 15 moves of play. Black has not show much prudence by castling too eagerly, allowing White to open up the h-file. Still, one would think that White is not sufficiently well developed to punish Black for this. But if there is a moral to be learned here, it is this: beware of any open file that leads to your King!
WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN!
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THE ATTACK OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE!
im Kantans, Toms:
gm Kulaots, Kaido
Baltic zt Ilyumzhinov Cup Liepaja 2014.6.9 Position after White’s 26th move (26.Qe3) A complicated game, not easy to understand up to now. White is better in the centre, but Black has has dancing Knights…always be wary of the Knight pair!
HOW DOES BLACK CONTINUE THE ATTACK?
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Baltic zt Ilyumzhinov Cup Liepaja 2014.6.7 Neiksans, Arturs–Kantans, Toms: 16.Nf5! Qf6 ( There is not much better, for if 16…gxf5 17.Qh5! gives a winning attack: 17…Rfe8 18.Bh6! Qf6 19.Bg5!) 17.Qg4!! Bxd5 ( 17…gxf5 18.Qh5 Rfe8 19.Bg5! as in the last variation)18.Qh3! Rfe8 19.Bg5! 1-0 To avoid immediate mate, Black must part with his Queen for too little.
Baltic zt Ilyumzhinov Cup Liepaja 2014.6.9 Kulaots, Kaido–Kantans, Toms: 26…Nxg2!! A purely positional sacrífice, the object of which is to open the King position. 27.Qxh6 Nh4! The point. The Knight can not be taken; while Black plans to exploit the a8-h1 diagonal and the g8-g1 file. Curiously, White is helpless. 28.f3 ( 28.Kh2 Rg7! ) Rg7+ 29.Kh1 Nexf3 30.Nf4 Qb7 31.Rf2 Ne1+ 32.Kh2 Nhf3+ 0-1 It is soon mate. Brilliant!