Solutions to puzzles 31–40
Position 31
Black to play
S.Galer–R.Abayasekera, Guildford Club Championship 2011
Can you do better? Find the best move for Black in this position, and the plausible but inferior move he actually played.
White has just captured a pawn on d6 and has a very solid position. The best that Black can do here is bale out into a double rook ending a pawn down with 24…Qxd4 25.Rxd4 Bxd6 26.Rxd6 Bxe4 27.Rxa6 b4 28.Nxe4 Rxe4. White is better but it's still a game.
In the game, Black restored the material balance with 24…Bxe4. The bishop is immune from capture (25.Nxe4?? Qxc2 mate). But White has a series of intermediate moves: 25.Bxf8 Kxf8 (25…Rxf8 26.Qxe4 wins; 25…Qxd4 26.Rxd4 Rxc3 27.Rxe4 Rxe4 28.Rd8 wins) 26.Qd6+ Kg8 27.Rd4 (forking queen and bishop) Qc6 28.Rxe4. Finally taking the bishop. Black can't recapture: 28…Rxe4 29.Qxc6 Rxc6 30.Rd8+ and it's mate in two. So White has won a piece, and he went on to win the game.
Position 32
White to play
J.Toon–B.Barlow, London Commercial League 2011
Can you do better? Find the best move for White in this position, and the plausible but inferior move he actually played.
The game continued 50.Rd3 Qf5 51.Qc3 e5 52.Rf3 Qe6 53.Qxa5 Qxd6 54.Qe1 Re7 55.Qe4. That was the end of the playing session. Following analysis, a draw was agreed.
Instead, 50.Rf8 wins for White. The threat is mate on h8. I didn't play this move because of 50…Qd1+ 51.Kh2 Qxd6, pinning the white queen and preventing 52. Qh8 mate. I completely overlooked that 52.Rh8 was also mate.
The only way for Black to stop the mate is to play 50…Rg7. But then comes 51.Rc8 intending Rc7 to exchange off the rooks. The resulting queen and pawn ending is winning for White, because Black can't set up a perpetual.
Position 33
White to play
I.Pleci–L.Endzelins, Buenos Aires ol 1939
White has a big attack and two pieces en prise. Surprisingly, the winning continuation is a quiet move: 11.Rd8!
Now both piece captures lose:
(1) 11…Nxe4 12.Ne5+ Ke7 13.Re8+ Kd6 14.Nf7+ Kc5 15.Bd3 Nxg5 16.Nxh8;
(2) 11…fxg5 12.Ne5+ Ke7 13.Re8 mate.
The game continued 11…Be7 12.Ne5+ fxe5 13.Nd6+ Kg6 (13…Bxd6 14.Be8+ Kf8 15.Bg6 mate) 14.Bxe7 Nxe7 15.Rxh8. White has a winning position, which he converted in a few more moves.
Position 34
Black to play
N.Fleming–B.O'Gorman, Pimlico Summer Tournament 2011 Rd.1
What should be the result with best play?
The result with best play should be a draw. But king and pawn endings can be deceptive. Both players made mistakes in this position but, in the end, it was Black who made the last mistake. This how the game continued.
41…Kd6??
Black draws with 41…b5 42.axb6 Kc6 43.Kc4 Kxb6 44.Kd4 Kb5 45.Kxe4 Kxb4 46.Kf5 a5. Both sides queen at the same time, and the queen and pawn ending is drawn.
42.Kc4 Kc6 43.Kd4??
White could have won with the temporary pawn sacrifice 43.b5+ axb5+ 44.Kb4 Kd6 (the king must move away) 45.Kxb5 Kc7 46.Kc5 Kd7 47.Kd5. The Black king is unfavourably placed and White wins the queening race.
43…Kb5 44.Kxe4 Kxb4 45.Kd4??
The wrong square for the king. Instead White draws with 45.Kf5 Kxa5 46.e4 b5 47.e5 b4 and again both sides queen together.
45…Kxa5 46.e4 b5 47.e5 b4??
With this move, Black snatches defeat from the jaws of victory. 47…Kb6 wins because the king can stop the white pawn, but White can't stop the two black pawns: 48.e6 Kc7 49.Ke5 Kd8 50.Kf6 Ke8.
48.e6 b3 49.Kc3 1–0
It's all over.
Position 35
Black to play
A.Yurgis–M.Botvinnik, Leningrad 1931
34…Rc4!!
A stunning rook sacrifice. This threatens 35…c1Q so White has little choice.
35.bxc4
Not 35.Rc1 because of 35…Bc5 36.Kg2 Bxf2 37.Kxf2 a5 followed by …Rc3 and White sinks without trace.
35…Bc5 36.Kg2 Bxf2 37.Kxf2 b3
White resigned as the rook can't stop the connected passed pawns. Botvinnik described this as one of the most beautiful combinations in his entire tournament career.
How long did it take to find Black's first move? It's not obvious – Fritz 12 on a fast computer took about 25 seconds. 10 years ago, in My Great Predecessors Part II, Kasparov says simply that Fritz does not find the move, preferring instead 34…Rd3 which is not nearly as good. Fritz himself was not as good back then.
Position 36
White to mate in 60
Dr Karl Fabel, 1949
Long mates are often less difficult than they seem. It's not possible to calculate so many moves ahead, so the path to the solution lies in thinking and logic.
In this position, Black has a huge material advantage, initially evaluated at about –40 by Fritz 12 (that's the equivalent of eight extra rooks). But he can hardly move. The rook on a4 can shuttle between a4 and a3. With a rook on a3, the pawn on a5 has one move – and it smothers the rook. And the pawns on e4 and e5 have only four moves between them until they come to a halt on e3 and e2.
That leaves the two black knights as the only remaining pieces that can move. They have seven squares between them. But any move by a black knight that isn't a check (and also a black knight check on d5) allows mate in one by a white knight landing on e4 or d5.
So, assuming correct play by White, the only way for Black to prolong the game is to move his rook between a3 and a4. This means that White's winning plan is to stalemate the rook (in the sense that all rook moves will allow capture), forcing Black to move his pawns until eventually he runs out of safe moves and has to move a knight, allowing mate.
What makes it more difficult is that none of White's three knights can move. The knight on e1 stops the black king escaping via c2 or d3. The knight on e6 stops the black king escaping via d4. And the knight on f6 has to stay where it is so that it can deliver mate when a black knight moves. So White's king is the only piece that can move. The king has to carry out the mating strategy single-handedly for 59 moves, after which it's mate in one.
A little thought shows that a rook stalemate position arises when the white king is on b5, the black rook is on a3, and it's Black to move. The king has to travel from e7 to b5 in an even number of moves, because Black's rook will be on a3 after an odd number of moves and will then be unable to move to a4 without being captured. Also, the king has to travel on squares that do not allow a knight check (apart from the check on d5) – i.e. white squares, and the b6 square. So the first set of moves is as follows:
1.Ke8 Ra3 2.Kd7 Ra4 3.Kc8 Ra3 4.Kb7 Ra4 5.Kb6 Ra3 6.Kb5
Black must preserve the rook, and the rook's freedom of movement, so he has to push a pawn on the e-file:
6…e3
Now White has to lose a move, so as to arrive at the same position with Black to move. This requires the technique of triangulation, well-known from king and pawn endings. White moves between two adjacent squares but takes two moves to do it rather than one. This involves moving on to a dark square inbetween two white squares. The square has to be sufficiently far away from a black knight to avoid any checks. The nearest dark square that meets these requirements is f8. So the king has to go on a journey starting and ending on b5 that takes in the f8 square and uses an odd number of moves:
7.Kb6 Ra4 8.Kb7 Ra3 9.Kc8 Ra4 10.Kd7 Ra3 11.Ke8 Ra4 12.Kf7 Ra3 13.Kf8 Ra4
Now White returns to b5 by repeating moves 1 to 6:
14.Ke8 Ra3 15.Kd7 Ra4 16.Kc8 Ra3 17.Kb7 Ra4 18.Kb6 Ra3 19.Kb5
Again Black is in zugzwang and must make another pawn move:
19…e2
The continuation should not be hard to see. The white king marches from b5 to f8 and back again, forcing Black to move his e-pawns, until he runs out of moves. Then one final march arrives at the stalemate position and now Black must concede:
20.Kb6 Ra4 21.Kb7 Ra3 22.Kc8 Ra4 23.Kd7 Ra3 24.Ke8 Ra4 25.Kf7 Ra3 26.Kf8 Ra4 27.Ke8 Ra3 28.Kd7 Ra4 29.Kc8 Ra3 30.Kb7 Ra4 31.Kb6 Ra3 32.Kb5 e4
That's another pawn move gone.
33.Kb6 Ra4 34.Kb7 Ra3 35.Kc8 Ra4 36.Kd7 Ra3 37.Ke8 Ra4 38.Kf7 Ra3 39.Kf8 Ra4 40.Ke8 Ra3 41.Kd7 Ra4 42.Kc8 Ra3 43.Kb7 Ra4 44.Kb6 Ra3 45.Kb5 e3
And that's the last pawn move.
46.Kb6 Ra4 47.Kb7 Ra3 48.Kc8 Ra4 49.Kd7 Ra3 50.Ke8 Ra4 51.Kf7 Ra3 52.Kf8 Ra4 53.Ke8 Ra3 54.Kd7 Ra4 55.Kc8 Ra3 56.Kb7 Ra4 57.Kb6 Ra3 58.Kb5
Now Black can choose how to die.
(A) 58…Ra4 59.Kxa4 N moves 60.Ne4/Nd5 mate.
(B) 58…a4 59.Kb6 N moves 60.Ne4/Nd5 mate.
Position 37
Black to play
N.Chan–J.Toon, Surrey Border League 2010
Can you do better?
Find the best move by Black, and the plausible but inferior move that was actually played.
25…Bh5! is Black's best continuation: a multi-purpose move which connects the major pieces on the back rank, and threatens a capture on e3 or f3. White has only one good move: 26.Nxg5 (not 26.hxg5+ Kg7 and Black is better).
After 26.Nxg5, the remaining moves are non-forcing: 26…Qe7 27.Qf2 Bg4 28.Qf4 Rxg5 29.hxg5+ Qxg5. Black is in no immediate danger and has reasonable prospects of drawing the ending.
In the game, Black played 25…Bxe3?? which opened the g-file for White's major pieces. The game continued 26.Qxg8 (the only move, but it wins) Bxg1 27.Qh8+ (another only move) Kg6 28.Ng5 (winning Black's queen – and more) Qe7 29.Be2 Qxg5 30 Qg8+ Kh6 31.hxg5 mate. A pretty finish by White.
Position 38
White to play
J.Toon–N.Oliver, Civil Service rep match 1987
Can you do better?
Find the best move in this position, and the plausible but inferior move that was actually played.
White has turned the clock back 150 years with an old-fashioned King's Gambit, sacrificing no fewer than three minor pieces to reach this position. We are now at a crossroads. Can White force a win? He thought long and hard…
15.Rd3? was the move actually played. Introducing the second rook into the attack looks strong as White is threatening mate in two starting with Rg3+. Unfortunately Black has a defence: 15…h5 16.Rg3+ Bg4. Blocking the way. Black can afford to give up one or two minor pieces to make his king safe. The game ended fairly quickly: 17.Qxd4 Bg7 18.e5 Qxe5 19.Qd3+ Kh6 20.Kh1 Nf6 21.h3 Rad8 22.Re3 Qg5 0–1.
15.Qxh8?, or taking the rook later, loses to …Bg7 winning the queen.
In fact the best White can do is take a draw by perpetual check: 15.Qg3+ Kh6 16.Qf4+ Kg7 17.Qe5+ Kh6 etc. There is no way for Black to escape the checks.
Position 39
White to play
V.Ivanchuk–L.van Wely, Monaco (rapid) 2007
White won quickly with 1.Re8+ Kg7 (1…Rxe8 loses the queen) 2.Ne6+ and Black resigned. After 2…fxe6 3.Re7+ Qxe7 4.Qxe7+ and 5.Qxe6, he will lose further material.
Position 40
Black to play
W.Watson–R.Kuczynski, Bundesliga 1995
An extremely tense position. White to play would win immediately by 1.Rh8+ Kxg7 2.Qh6+ Kf6 3.gxf7+ Kf5 4.Qg6+ Kf4 5.Qe4 mate. So Black is looking for a forcing continuation. He found it:
1…Qxg1+
Decoying the rook on h1 away from the h-file.
2.Rxg1 bxa2
Now Black has time for this.
3.gxf7+ Kxf7 4.Qg2 a1Q+ 5.Kd2 Qxg1
A second queen sacrifice for a rook on the g1 square – now that's artistic.
6.gxf8Q+ Nxf8 7.Qxg1 Ra5.
After the fireworks Black has emerged with rook and two minor pieces for a queen, and he went on to win.