Today’s 5-second tactics
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gm Dorfman,J
gm Fressinet,L
89th championship-FRANCE, Nimes, 2014.8.19 Position after 26 moves. A sharp position with both sides looking for victory. Black has been as happy to take White’s pawns as White has been in offering them! But a number of factors favour White: his strong passed pawn on the 7th; the open files on the Queen-side and White’s strong central control. Fressinet begins by taking the a-file:
27.Ra1!
Where should the Black Queen go?
The choice is much smaller than Black would like! If 27…Qe2(?) then 28.Bxc5! gives an unstoppable attack, while the slightly better 27…Qc2 (protecting against 28.Bxc5) goes off to 28.Rxa7+! KxR 29.Qa1+! Kb8 30.Rxe6! followed by Bf4+ winning
27…Qc4!?
The best chance
28.Bf1!!
A quiet move is often the most difficult to anticipate. Here the move is deadly! Black can not get away with the countershot 28…f6 as 29.Rxa7+ wins (29…Kb8!? 30.Qa1! etc).
28…Qb4
WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN!
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gm Fedorov, Alexei
fm Wallis,Chris (2345)
Riga Tech Open 2014.8.17 Position after 31 moves. Despite being a pawn up, Black’s lot is not rosey at all. His King is under attack and he has few pieces available to defend, most of them being on the Queenside.
WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN!
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