Today’s 5-second tactics
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EXAMPLE ONE
Heinz, Timothee
gm Kosten,A
TCh-FRA Top 12 Saint-Quentin 2014.5.25. Black had earlier sacrificed a pawn for the Bishop pair and an active game. He has now quite a reasonable game and should probably play 18…Rac8. MY QUESTION to you, dear reader, is the following:
CAN BLACK GET AWAY WITH CAPTURING ON D4??
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TCh-FRA Top 12 Saint-Quentin 2014.5.25 Kosten, Anthony C.–Heinz, Timothee: No, Black should not take the pawn, but that did not stop him. The game continuation was 18…Bxd4?? 19.Nxd4 Qxd4 20.Re8+! If I had a nickle for everytime somebody falls into this thematic trap…Taking the Rook loses the Queen. The game ended 20… Kg7 21.Qxd4+ Rxd4 22.Be5+! f6 23.Rc7+!Kh6 24.Rxa8 fxe5 25.Rh8 1-0
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EXAMPLE TWO
gm Williams, Simon K.
French Team Ch once more, on the 24th of this month. Position after 22 moves. A very sharp position! Black has 3-passers on the Queenside, but White’s play in the centre and on the Kingside is dangerous and should not be underestimated. Here the best continuation is 23.Rfe1! Bd7! 24.Ne7+ Rxe7! 25.Rxe7 Qxc2 26.Rxc2 when play is balanced (possibly a shade better for Black) but the position is incredibly complicated and very difficult for both sides.
HOWEVER, Simon–a wonderful tactician–thought that moving ‘the other Rook’ to e1 was the same thing but prettier, perhaps even beautiful:
23.Rce1?
Black can not take the Queen as he gets mated in two moves!
Simon’s last move was infact a mistake that his opponent now cleverly refutes. I assume that Simon overlooked Black’s 25th move…The game continued:
23…Bd7! 24.Ne7+
24…Rxe7! 25.Qxb3
25…Rxe1!!
Now should White take the pawn on c4 Black can win in several manners, the cleverest being 26…Rxf1+ 27.QxR b3! and the pawn can only be stopped at great cost.
26.Qc2!? RxR+ 27.KxR f5!
Snuffing out any dreams that White might have had of a check on g6. Now nothing stops the b-pawn from advancing.
28.Kf2 b3
0-1
