Solutions to puzzles 41–50
Position 41
White to play
A.Naiditsch–D.Stellwagen, Wijk aan Zee 2006
White sacrifices both his pieces in order to obtain advanced connected passed pawns.
1.Rxc6! Kxc6 2.Bxh6! Kd7
2…Rxh6 3.g5 Rh8 4.g6 Rg8 5.Kg5 and 6.h6 is an easy win for White.
3.Kg5 Ke8?
Black can hold out for longer with other moves, e.g. 3…a5 intending …b5 to create his own passed pawn, but White still wins eventually.
4.Kg6 Rf7 5.Bg7 Rf4 6.g5 1–0.
Note that White can't reverse the order of the sacrifices: 1.Bxh6? Nxe5! and Black is fine.
Position 42
Black to play
J.Toon–R.Cannon, Civil Service League 2011
Can you do better?
Find the best move for Black in this position, and the plausible but inferior move that was actually played.
This complex position arose from a French Defence. White is attacking on the queenside, Black on the kingside. At the moment the bishop on c5 is threatened. Black played 33…Bd6 (obviously not 33…Bd4?? 34.Nxd4 winning a piece because if Black recaptures it's mate on c7). Then came 34.Qe3 (attacking the a7 pawn) Bb8? (34…Kb8 was better) 35.Qe2 (threatening a deadly check on a6) Kb7?? (the final mistake) 36.Nc5+ Ka8 37.Nxd7 winning a piece. Black played on for another 10 moves but the position is now lost.
But see what happens if Black ignores the threat to the bishop in the original position and instead plays 33…f4! The White queen is forced away from the defence of the h2 pawn. 34.Qd3 Be3 with the dreadful threat of …Rxh2+ followed by …Qh6 mate. White can avert this with 35.h3 but after 35…Qg8 Black has an overwhelming advantage.
Position 43
White to play
J.Toon–R.Granat, Surrey Border League 2011
Can you do better?
Find the best move for White in this position, and the plausible but inferior move that was actually played.
An extremely tense position in which both players are still playing for the win. The game continued 44.Rc6 with the threat of Re6 followed by Qe5+ or Nxg5, which would be terminal. Black's reply is forced. 44…g4 opening lines against the white king and threatening to bring the black queen to h4.
There didn't seem to be a winning line, so White played into the perpetual check by 45.fxg4 hxg4 46.hxg4 Qh4+ 47.Kg1 and the game was agreed drawn. However, White can improve on this with 45.Rc8 g3+ (exchanging pawns on f3 or h3 doesn't help Black) 46.Kg1. It takes nerves of steel to go in for this, because the game will be over if Black can just get one of his major pieces on to White's back rank. But Black's pieces are passively placed and he has nothing better than 46…Rf8 offering a rook swap. 47.Rxf8 Qxf8 48.Qe5+ Kg6 49.Qxf4 Qh6 (forced) 50.Qxh6+ Kxh6. White is a pawn up in the knight ending, although it might be hard to win given the bad position of the white king.
Going back to the original position, White's pieces dominate the centre and it's clear that the …g4 break is Black's best hope of counterplay. The arrival of the black queen on h4 is annoying, so White's best continuation is the prophylactic 44.h4! This gives up a pawn, seemingly for nothing, but it slows down Black's attack and allows White to develop a dangerous initiative. For example:
(a) 44…gxh4 45.Rc6 h3 (what else?) 46.Re6 Qh4 47.Qe5+ Kh7 48.gxh3 and White wins;
(b) 44…Nxh4 45.Rc6 Rf5 46.Qd4+ Kh7 47.Qc3 Qe5 48.Nf6+ Kg7 49.Nxh5+ Kh7 50.Rc7+ Kh6 51.Ng7! Qxc3 52.Nxf5+ Nxf5 53.Rxc3 and White wins;
(c) 44…g4 45.Ng5 g3+ 46.Kh3 Ne3 47.Qd3 Qd7+ 48.Qxd7 Rxd7 49.Ne6+ Kf7 50.Nxf4 with an extra pawn and the much better ending.
Position 44
White to play
J.Toon–C.Pedersen, Central London League 2011
Can you do better?
Find the best move for White in this position, and the plausible but inferior move that was actually played.
This position arose from a line of the French Defence where White sacrifices a pawn for a strong initiative.
In the game, White decided to force the black queen over to the kingside, then infiltrate Black's undefended queenside:
21.Rc3 Qa4
The only move.
22.b3 Qe4 23.Qb5
Expecting to win material, but…
23…d4!
The only move (again). This defends b7 and allows the queen back to the queenside.
24.Bxd4 Qd5
Attacking the white queen. There's nothing better than exchanging.
25.Qxd5 exd5 26.Rc7 b5.
The immediate danger is over and Black went on to draw.
However, White can improve on this.
21.Nd4! Qb6
The only move since 21…Qa4 allows 22.b3 and the queen is trapped. But now Black is open to a discovered attack winning material.
22.Nb5
With the double threat of Bxb6 and Nc7+.
22…Bc5
Others are worse:
(a) 22…Qd8 23.Nc7+ Kf8 24.Nxa8 Qxa8 25.Rc7 Nxe5 26.Rac1 Nc6 27.Qb5;
(b) 22…Nc5 23.Nd6+ Bxd6 24.exd6 Qxd6 25.Bxc5.
23.Nd6+ Ke7 24.Rxc5 Nxc5 25.Rc1 Rac8 26.Qg4
Switching the attack to the kingside. Black cannot defend against the multiple threats.
Position 45
Black to play
Eckhardt–Tarrasch, Nuremberg 1888
A complicated position in which Black's king is under pressure and White's back rank is weak. White is threatening to win lots of material with Nxf6+. But it was Black to move – and Dr Tarrasch had seen further than his opponent…
1…Bxd5!
Ignoring the threat.
2.Nxf6+ Qxf6 3.Bxf6
Now White is threatening mate on g7.
3…Bc4+ 4.Kg1 Ne2+ 5.Kf1 Nc1+!
White must have overlooked this.
6.Kg1 Re1 mate.
Position 46
White to play
J.Toon–M.Fulleylove, Blitz game, 2011
Can you do better?
Find the best move for White in this position, and the plausible but inferior move that was actually played.
The game continued 1.Bxf6 Bxf6 2.Nd5 exd5 3.Nxc6 Qxc6 4.Bxd5 and Black resigned (on the face of it he is losing a rook for nothing). This is not the best line for White because Black has a significant improvement in 3…dxe4, when White has nothing better than 4.Qxd6 Qxd6 5.Rxd6 Re8 6.Bd5 Bf5 with a balanced position. White has a discovered attack but there is no useful square for the knight on c6 to move to.
Also Black's resignation is premature. After 4…Qc7 5.Bxa8, Black has 5…Bg4 recovering the material, although White has the better ending because of the isolated and weak black pawn on d6.
Actually the strongest continuation for White is 1.Nxc6 Qxc6 2.e5.
This threatens to win a piece, so Black's reply is forced:
2…b4 3.exf6
Not 3.Nd5 Nxd5 4.Bxd5 exd5 5.Bxe7 Bf5 6.Bxf8 Rc8 7.b3 Qxc2+ 8.Qxc2 Rxc2+ 9.Kb1 Kxf8 with an obscure position, and definitely not 3.Ne2 dxe5 4.dxe5 Ne4 when Black wins.
3…bxc3
Not 3…gxf6 4.Nd5 exd5 5.Bh6 Qc7 6.Qxd5 Be6 7.Rd3! Kh8 (the queen can't be taken because it's mate on the g-file) 8.Rg3 Rg8 9.Bxg7+ Rxg7 10.Qxa8+ and White wins.
4.Qd4 cxb2+ 5. Kb1 gxf6 6.Bxf6 e5 7.fxe5 dxe5 8.Bxe5
Although material is level, White has a winning attack because Black's king is so exposed. Black has no defence to the threat of Rd3-g3.
Position 47
White to play
(1) Mate in 2
Find White's first move.
(2) Mate in 5
Find White's final move.
It's easy to see that Black is in zugzwang. Any move he makes allows White to mate immediately. For example, moving either black knight allows a white knight to capture on c5 or g5 with mate. However, it's White's turn, so the task is to find a waiting move that essentially resets the position with Black to move instead.
The most efficient waiting move is 1.Re4. This is also the most artistic move because it is the only one that maintains the symmetry of the Christmas tree. Apart from the knight moves, Black has six pawn moves and they all result in mate:
(a) 1…c4 2.Nd4 mate
(b) 1…d4 2.Bc4 mate
(c) 1…dxe4 2.Bc4 mate
(d) 1…fxe4 2.Bg4 mate
(e) 1…f4 2.Bg4 mate
(f) 1…g4 2.Nf4 mate.
There are a number of different mates in 5, all based on the same idea but with alternatives on some moves. So: 1.Kd2 e4 (best) 2.Rxe4+ dxe4 3.Bc4+ Ke5 4.Bd8+ Kd6 5.Re6 mate. The mating move is the same in all variations.
Position 48
Black to play
R.Fries–C.Hetherington, London Commercial League 2011
Can you do better?
Find the best move for Black in this position, and the plausible but inferior move that was actually played.
The best move here is 28...Kg8, when White has nothing better than 29.Qh5 Bg4 30.Qxg4+ Nxg4 – White has to give up his queen to avoid mate.
The actual move played was 28...Ke7?? Now White could have won with 29.Bxf6+ Qxf6 30.Rc7+ winning Black's queen, e.g. 30...Kd6 31.Qxf6+ Kxc7 and White has a winning material advantage. White did not see this and played 29.Qxh7+. The game saw further twists and turns before Black eventually won – just after White had missed a draw by perpetual.
Position 49
Black to play
A.Istratescu–D.Sengupta, Hastings Masters (6), 2011–12
Black found the tactical stroke 33…Bh3+! which decoyed the white king away from the defence of the f3-pawn. White can't capture the bishop (34.Kxh3 Nf2+ forks king and queen) so must abandon the pawn for nothing.
There followed 34.Kh2 Qxf3 35.Qxd5+ Kh7 36.Rg1 Nxg5 37.Qxe5 (37.Qxf3 Nxf3+ 38.Kxh3 Nxg1+ 39.Nxg1 and the ending is hopeless for White) 37…Qf2+ 38.Kh1 Nf3. White resigned as he is faced with mate or overwhelming material loss.
Position 50
Black to play
Source unknown
Black wins with a pretty combination. 1…Nf3+ 2.gxf3 Qg6+ 3.Kh1 Ng3+ and 4…Qxc2 with a queen for two knights. Of course, 2.Kh1 allows 2…Nxd4 winning the exchange.