Today’s winning 5-second tactics
“People think I’m crazy to put myself through such torture, though I would argue otherwise. Somewhere along the line we seem to have confused comfort with happiness. Dostoyevsky had it right: ‘Suffering is the sole origin of consciousness.’ Never are my senses more engaged than when the pain sets in. There is a magic in misery. Just ask any runner.”
― Dean Karnazes, Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner
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FROM THE CHINESE TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
gm Wang, Rui
Xu, Xiangyu (2257)
WHITE TO PLAY AND CRUSH!
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gm Xiu, Deshun
Xu, Yinglun (2463)
BLACK TO PLAY AND WIN!
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gm Yu, Ruiyu
gm Wen, Yang
WHITE TO PLAY AND CRUSH!
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im Wang, Chen (2524)
gm Malakhov, Vladimir
WHITE TO PLAY AND CRUSH!
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EXCITING FINISH!
gm Zhou, Jianchao
gm Wei,Yi
TCh-CHN 2015.8.22 Position after White’s 37th move (37.b7). A wild position! Making things worse, both players were probably short of time. Earlier Black knew that he was better, but even so, it is extremely difficult to play correctly when we have these mad pawn races…It makes no sense for Black to play 37…Rb8 and White will simply advance his a-pawn. But what to do?
Correct is to take the draw that is inevitable after 37…f2+! 38.Ke2 Rd2+! ( Not 38…Rd1? 39.Rf4+!! Kxf4 40.b8=Q+ Kf5 41.Qb5 and White wins; more on this later ) 39.Kxe3 See diagram below
White is hoping for 39…f1=Q 40.KxR! when only he has winning chances because his King can hide from Black’s checks.
39…f1=N+!!
White can not avoid perpetual check after 40.Kf3 Nxh2+!
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In the game, HOWEVER, Black wanted more…
37…Rd2 (?)
Now if 38. b8=Q f2+ 39.Kf1 Rd1+ and Black wins!
38.Rf4+!!
The move that Black must have overlooked! Now White is winning!
38…KxR 39.b8=Q+ Kf5
If Black could keep his advanced centre-pawns then he would have chances to hold, but unfortunately for him he is going to lose one of them. The game continued
40.Qc8+ Ke5 41.Qc7+ Ke4 42.Qe7+ Kd4 43.Qb4+ Kd5?! [ Some what better, but also insufficient, is 43…Ke5 44.Qe7+ Kd4 45.Qa7+ Ke4 46.Qb7+ Kf4 47.Qxf7+ Ke4 48.Qg6+ Kf4 49.Qg3+ Ke4 50.Qg4+ and the e-pawn goes ]
44.Qb7+ [1:0]
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MORE TACTICAL MAGIC!
gm Wei,Yi
gm Zhao, Jun
TCh-CHN 2015.8.21 Position after White’s 32nd move (32.Bc4) Another wild, chaotic and out-of-control position from wonderboy Wei Yi! Despite his heroic efforts, Black here is simply lost: White’s King is safe enough and nothing can stop White’s advance of pawns on the Queenside. Wei, never the less, tries to conjure up some threats…
32…Nh5!?
Black tries to regroup and put his Bishop on f4. Now good enough for White is the defensive 33.g3!?, but there is no immediate need for this and so White advances his b-pawn…
33.b6 Bf4
Now White should take defensive measures with the immediate 34.g3! and he should win easily enough; though Black has some scary checks, they lead to nothing: for example 34…Rxh2+! 35.Kxh2 Qh4+ 36.Kg2 Bxg3 37.Qc3+ Be5 38.Qxe3 Bd4 39.Qe8+ Kg7 40.Qe1! etc. Black has some other tries, but there is nothing in them.
HOWEVER, White thought he saw something better…
34.b7 (?)
White had based this decision on some long variation…
34…Ng3+!
White had foreseen this resource. Black has really no choice, anyway, as 34…Qd8 35.a4 Qb8 36.Qh4! is all over.
35.QxN! BxQ 36.b8=Q+ Kg7
37.h3
White is an entire Rook up and he must have thought that the rest should be easy…REALITY is that White is LOST!! Amazing…
37…Qh4!!
Threatening mate starting with 38…Qxh3+. The next moves by White are all virtually forced
38.Rgd1 Bf4! 39.Rxd2 Qg3!!
Mate is inevitable!
40.Kg1 Qh2+ 41.Kf1 Qh1+
0-1
Fortune favours the brave…
