Today’s chess quiz
SPRAGGETT ON CHESS
SURPRISE MATING ATTACK!
A sharp position from the game Demuth vs Korneev played in Lille last week. After 29 moves of play, both sides are fighting to win. Korneev is counting on his passed Queen-side pawns and 2-Bishops. At first sight, he seems to be right: Black will either play …a3 or prepare it with …b4 first. Notice that the Rook on c1 will have to watch out for a later …Bxc5ch. Should White play timidly with 30.Rd4?!, Black even gets the advantage after 30…a3!
THE QUEEN AND KNIGHT ATTACKING DUO
gm MAZE
im VAIBHAV
Example 6
THE MOON WALK
BLOT
JONCKHEERE
Example 3: White mated Black starting with 18.Rxf6! KxR 19.Rf1-ch Kg7 20. Nxe6-ch!! and mate next move.
Example 4: White played the surprising 30.Rc3!!, ignoring the Black pawn advance and threatening to mate the King on the other side of the board! Curiously, Black is helpless, even though he will get an extra Queen in a couple of moves….the game continued. 30…a3 31.Rg3-ch Kh7 32.Rxf8! a2 (what else?) 33. Rg-g8!! a1 (Q)-ch 34. Kh2 and Black resigned as mate is inevitable.
Examples 5 and 6 will be published shortly.
The following positions occurred this past week in European tournaments. Try your best to solve them! Some are easier than others…solutions at the end! The number of examples will increase as the day advances, I have a whole list of them! Enjoy
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Example 1
THE OVERWORKED PIECE
gm MILANOVIC
gm SEDLAK
From the Serbian Chess Championship. This is the position after 40 moves in the Sedlak vs Milanovic game. There is the theme of the over-worked piece floating around the position: the Rook on h7 saves the Rook on g5 because of the pin against the White King. HOWEVER, this same Rook on h7 must guard against the sudden advance of the White pawn on d7….for the moment this is not an issue because the Bishop on d7 blockades the passed pawn.
WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN!
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Example 2
THE WEAK BACK-RANK!
im ARJUN (2230 elo)
THE WEAK BACK-RANK!
im ARJUN (2230 elo)
gm FLEAR
This is the position after White’s 29th move (29.Bd5) from the game between gm Flear and the lowly master Bharat Arjun in the Lille tournament! What Flear was counting on was 29…Qa6-ch 30.Qc4! , preventing the Black Queen from penetrating on e2.
Arjun pulled off the upset of the round with his next move. What was it that the grandmaster overlooked?
BLACK TO PLAY AND WIN!
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Example 3
THE KING WHO FORGOT TO CASTLE WHEN HE SHOULD HAVE…
BLONDEL
FERYN
From the Lille tournament, position after 17 moves of a sharp Sicilian defence. Clearly the Black King can not be safe where he stands, defended only by a Bishop and 2 pawns. How did White press his attack?
WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN!
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Example 4
SURPRISE MATING ATTACK!
gm KORNEEV
im DEMUTH
A sharp position from the game Demuth vs Korneev played in Lille last week. After 29 moves of play, both sides are fighting to win. Korneev is counting on his passed Queen-side pawns and 2-Bishops. At first sight, he seems to be right: Black will either play …a3 or prepare it with …b4 first. Notice that the Rook on c1 will have to watch out for a later …Bxc5ch. Should White play timidly with 30.Rd4?!, Black even gets the advantage after 30…a3!
SOMETIMES the position hides a little secret and the chessmaster must search very carefully for it. Notice that Black’s 2-Bishops are at present pinned or out of play…What did Demuth find that soon forced Korneev to resign?
WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN!
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Example 5
THE QUEEN AND KNIGHT ATTACKING DUO
gm MAZE
The position after 16 moves of play from the game between Vaibhav and Maze in the Lille tournament. White is trying to exploit the Black King position but Black seems to have everything undercontrol. It appears that the Knight on e6 must retreat, giving Black some needed time to consolidate his position.
WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN!
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Example 6
THE MOON WALK
BLOT
After 14 moves in the game between 2 amateur players in Lille. White can now win a piece with the pedestrian 15.Bf3 Bb7 16.Qa4-ch!. BUT can we blame White for wanting more here, with the Black monarch not yet castled?
WHAT DID WHITE PLAY THAT SOON SAW THE BLACK KING DANCE LIKE M.J.?
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SOLUTIONS
Example 1: White wins with 41.Bf3-ch! The mate threat on a8 forces 41…Bc6 and now 42.d7! overloads the Rook on h7. After 42…Rxd7 (what else? The sleazy 42…Rg4 doesn’t even work because White can Queen his pawn protecting the mate threat!) 43.PxR(g5) leaves White a Rook up. Black resigned.
Example 2: Black played 29…Rxd5!, removing the strong defender. After 30.PxR Qa6-ch! will end up mating White after 31.Kg1 Qe2 etc. Flear resigned after Black’s 29th move.
Example 3: White mated Black starting with 18.Rxf6! KxR 19.Rf1-ch Kg7 20. Nxe6-ch!! and mate next move.
Example 4: White played the surprising 30.Rc3!!, ignoring the Black pawn advance and threatening to mate the King on the other side of the board! Curiously, Black is helpless, even though he will get an extra Queen in a couple of moves….the game continued. 30…a3 31.Rg3-ch Kh7 32.Rxf8! a2 (what else?) 33. Rg-g8!! a1 (Q)-ch 34. Kh2 and Black resigned as mate is inevitable.
Examples 5 and 6 will be published shortly.