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| Jul-17-10 | | stacase: Considering that it's a puzzle, 26 Nxg7 was the only move to consider. |
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Jul-17-10
 | | NM JRousselle: Stacase, what kind of logic is that? If you were in a game, would you automatically play Nxg7 because you had some notion that you had reached a "puzzle" position? |
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| Jul-17-10 | | Shamot: good point NM JRousselle !
when i look at these puzzles i automatically start considering the moves which i would not consider during a OTB game. I think we should just consider these puzzles just like a routine situation in a game, and that is the only way to consider all the moves in your own natural style. |
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| Jul-17-10 | | SufferingBruin: <NM JRousselle> Speaking for myself, that's the only reason I would consider Nxg7--because it's a puzzle position. In an OTB, I'd do something else--probably exchange until I'm sure I'd have the two bishops and hope for the best. FYI, I put this in against Chessmaster. After 27. Qd2 the program played Kf8. Anybody got a continuation? I've been, ah, "experimenting" for the last few minutes (Okay, it's been half an hour) and I'm stumped. |
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| Jul-17-10 | | jheiner: I spent 40 minutes on this, and got fairly close. I puttered out, but my qualitative analysis was: 26.Nxg6 Kxg6 allows White to bring the Q into dangerous threats. Black has choices. He can try to defend the diagonal of attack, but that failed. In my line I picked 27.Qd3 and the b1-h6 diagonal was indefensible. Or Black can run 27...Kf8. The position that occurs quickly is king-safety melting away, multiple potential pins on the pieces in the middle, the Ra1 swinging into play (ideally with tempo attacking the Q but I couldn't make that work with my Q on d3...so when I saw the solution I though ah ha!) and now White is winning a P. And I really wanted the R in with tempo badly. Here's the line I settled on:
26.Nxg6 Kxg6 (stepping into a pin on Nf6) 27.Qd3 Kf8 (because Black cannot defend the diagonal...consider 28.Qxh7+ especially with the two B. The Nf6 will fall and there are threats on the Ra8) and now maybe 28.Bc5 Rd8 and the Ra8 came into the game. So I got stuck as I couldn't get the R in with tempo as e1 was unguarded. And I didn't want Black getting the Ra8 activated. I got very close. And conceptually I just needed to take a step back and ask "how can I bring the Q in AND guard e1". The answer was the move Qd2. Subtle. Tough one. At 40 minutes I stopped, although often with these weekend puzzles I will take "as long as need be" because the goal (to me) is to get the right questions down and answer them in a controlled environment. Baby steps. Lastly, I think it's fascinating that these two players are both rated 2575 for this game. That implies extremely fine technique and the capture of the Pg7 might really cost the game. I'm looking forward to the kibitzing on this one. |
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Jul-17-10
 | | patzer2: The surprise demolition 26. Nxg7!!, combined with the precise follow 27. Qd2!, solves today's Saturday puzzle with mate threats to force the surrender of decisive material. Here's a break out of the combination with Fritz 10:
<26. Nxg7!! Kxg7 27. Qd2!>
After this short but precise demolition sham sacrifice and followup, Black cannot prevent White from gaining back his piece with decisive advantage. <27...Nde8>
If 27... h6, then White mates after 28. Re1 Qd7 29. Bxf6+ Kxf6 (29...Kg8 30. Qxh6  takes just a few more moves to mate) 30. Qxh6#. <28. Re1 Qd5>
If 28...Qd6, then White wins decisive material with 29. Qg5+ Kh8 30. Rxe8+ Rxe8 31. Bxf6+ Qxf6 32. Qxf6+ . <29. Be4> 1-0
Black resigns in lieu of possibilities such as 29...Qe6 30. Bxc6 Qxc6 31. Qg5+ Kh8 (31... Kf8 32. Bc5+ ) 32. Rxe8+ Rxe8 33. Bxf6+ Qxf6 34. Qxf6+ Kg8 35. Qxa6 . |
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| Jul-17-10 | | nuwanda: Hi <SufferingBruin>,
after 25.Nxg7 Kxg7 26.Qd2 Kf8 i think simply, similar to the game, 27.Re1. White gets at least the piece back with an overwhelming position. The key to the puzzle is realising that black has, after 26.Qd2, no way to meet both the threats Qg5 and Re1. This ia a though job, as black has after this quite move lots of possibilities. nice
... |
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| Jul-17-10 | | stacase: Thank you <SufferingBruin> for explaining the "It's a puzzle" logic. Yeah, I'd be a whole lot more conservative over the board. I rarely get these puzzles all the way to the end, and so I'm happy if I manage to get the first move as I did today, and first post as an added kicker (-: My own personal rule, is I don't get to post unless I get that first move. |
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Jul-17-10
 | | al wazir: I got the first move right, but then I wanted to play 27. Qd3. As soon as I clicked on the game I started having misgivings, which were amply justified. 27...Rh8 takes care of the mate threat. But after 27. Qd2 h6, how does white win? |
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| Jul-17-10 | | tacticalmonster: a) undefended piece(c6 B) and underdefended piece (d6 N). b) White has an unopposed dark-square bishop.
c) White put pressure on the g7 pawn and the f6 knight. d) Black has two weak squares- g7 and h7.
e) e6 queen is a useful defender guarding Black's uncordinated minor pieces. She needs to be driven away. f) What is the optimal place for White's major pieces? Candidate: 26 Nxg7
26 Kxg7 27 Qd2 h6
(27 Ne8 28 Re1 Qd5 29 Re5 Qd8 30 Qg5+ Kf8 31 Bc5+ Nd6 32 Qh6+ Kg8 33 Rg5+ Kh8 34 Qg7#) 28 Re1 Qd7 (28 Nc4 29 Rxe6 Nxd2 30 Rxc6 )(28 Qd5 29 Qf4 Ne8 30 Rxe8 Rxe8 31 Bxf6+ mate or heavy loss of material) 29 Qf4 (29 Qc3 Qd8 30 Qxc6 Rc8 ) Qd8 30 Re5! Bxf3
(30 Ne8 31 Rh5 Kf8 32 Bc5+ Nd6 33 Bxd6+ Ke8 34 Rxh6 ) 31 gxf3 Rc8 32 Rh5 Kf8 33 Bxf6 Qd7 34 Re5 unavoidable mate |
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Jul-17-10
| | ajk68: <al wazir>: after 27. Qd2 h6 28. Re1
the black Queen is forced to leave protection of the knight of f6.
29. Bxf6!
Black can't take back because of 30. Qxh6#
Mate follows shortly anyway. |
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Jul-17-10
| | ajk68: I guess black could also try 28...Nc4 but that fails to 29. Rxe6 30. Nxd2 30. Bxf6+ followed by 31. Rxc6 |
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Jul-17-10
| | ajk68: What's interesting about the sacrifice Nxg7 is that the remaining pawns are really just in the way of the king's escape. They allow for all types of tactical resources for white. |
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| Jul-17-10 | | smitha1: I have a suspicion that "puzzle positions" like this don't fall out of the sky; strong GMs aim to reach them. The quote of the day by Spielmann says it all: "I can see the combinations as well as Alekhine, but I cannot get into the same positions." Good heavens, I don't always even see the combinations. But with a little "right" practice we can get better. The Puzzle of the Day is a treasure chest of resources to use in OTB games so that even patzers like me can pull off an eye-blinder every now and then. |
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| Jul-17-10 | | smitha1: <ajk68> I never considered Nxg7 simply because I was fixated on Black's weak back rank. Like yesterday when many of us could not imagine anything beyond Rh8+, the puzzles stretch us out of our comfort zones. |
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Jul-17-10
 | | David2009: Psakhis vs V Malaniuk, 1987 White 26? In a game I would look at 26 Nxg7!? and reject it because of 26...Kxg7 27 Qd2 h6 and surely White cannot have enough? So I settle for a drawish ending with Qd3. LOOK HARDER THIS IS SATURDAY: 26 Nxg7 Kxg7 27 Qd2 h6 and now 28 Re1 and where does the BQ go? If Qd5, Qd7 or Qxa2 then 29 Bxf6+ Kxf8 30 Qxh6#. Black has 27...Ne8 instead of h6, but 28 Re1 is still strong and the black squares are weak. Enough said: time to
check;
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I got enough of it. Crafty link to play it out on-line:
click for larger view (Psakhis vs Malaniuk 1987 26?) http://www.chessvideos.tv/endgame-t... Crafty finds the interesting defence 26 Nxg7 Kxg7 27 Qd2 Kf8! etc. Who knows what should happen? Lunch time: overto fellow kibitzers. |
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Jul-17-10
| | benveniste: <David2009>, when I played this out, the computer also found  f8, I responded with  h6+ and eventually regained the piece, but found I had to defend carefully to keep it!27. d2 f8
28. h6 e7
29. h4 d7
30.  xf6 e3+
31. h2 xf3! |
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| Jul-17-10 | | zanshin: Well, I got the first move right. And that's about it. I saw the knight was about to be captured and had to be moved .. but where? Nxg7 seemed the most likely to solve a puzzle and I went with it. Knowing that <CG> checks the puzzles with engines, I'm pretty sure it's a sound sac. But I will check - just in case ;-) |
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Jul-17-10
 | | johnlspouge: Saturday (Very Difficult)
Psakhis vs V Malaniuk, 1987 (26.?) White to play and win.
Material: B for N. The Black Kg8 has 2 legal moves and is vulnerable to checks from Nf5. White has the Horowitz B pair bearing down on the Black K-side and the potential mate threat Qd1-d3. Black threatens 26…Nxf5, suggesting an aggressive retreat with Nf5. The Nf5 and Bd4 both threaten Pg7, suggesting 26.Nxg7, because of the subsequent pin on Nf6. The White Kg1 is vulnerable to Qe6-e3+, which Bd4 presently prevents. Candidates (26.): Nxg7
26.Nxg7 Kxg7 [else, drop a P]
27.Qd2 (threatening 28.Qg5+ 29.Bxf6 30.Qg7#)
The candidate 27.Qd2 is superior to the crude threat 27.Qd3, which does not support Ra1-e1. (1) 27…Kh8 28.Qh6 (threatening 29.Qxh7# or 29.Bxf6+ 30.Qg7#) Black has no feasible defense.
(2) 27…Kf8 28.Re1 (threatening 29.Qh6+ 30.Bxf6 31.Qg7#) Again, Black has no feasible defense.
(3) 27…h6 28.Re1 (threatening 29.Bxf6+ Kxf6 [else, # soon] 30.Qxh6#) Black has no feasible defense. |
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Jul-17-10
| | howardcockerham: why doen't black play 26...Bxf3? |
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| Jul-17-10 | | wladimirsky: <stacase: Thank you <SufferingBruin> for explaining the "It's a puzzle" logic. Yeah, I'd be a whole lot more conservative over the board.
I rarely get these puzzles all the way to the end, and so I'm happy if I manage to get the first move as I did today, and first post as an added kicker (-: My own personal rule, is I don't get to post unless I get that first move.
>
There is good logic and bad logic. |
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Jul-17-10
 | | lost in space: 26. Nxg7!
(26. Nh6? (my thirst thought) 26...gxh6 27. Qd2 Nd5! 28. Re1 Nc4 29. Rxe6 Nxd2 30. Rxc6 Nxb4 and Black is fine)26...Kxg7
(26...Qe7 27. Qd2 1:0)
27. Qd2 Kf8
(27...Re8 28. Qg5+ Kf8 29. Rd1 Nfe4 30. Qg7+ Ke7 31. fxe4 Qg6 32. Qxg6 fxg6 33. Be5 Rd8 34. e5 Ke8 35. Bxd6 1:0) 28. Qh6+ Ke7 29. Qh4 Kd7
(29...Rg8 30. Re1 Nde8 31. g4 h5 32. Bf5 Bxf3 33. Bxe6 fxe6 34. g5 Nd7 35. Rf1 1:0) 30. Bxf6 Re8 31. Bxh7 Kc8 32. Qg5
(32. Rc1?? Qe3+ 0:1)
32...Kb7 33. Rc1 Nc4 Bd4 1:0
Time to check |
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Jul-17-10
 | | kevin86: White sac-ed the knight to gain a tempo,and then pin black's strongest defender,the knight. |
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Jul-17-10
| | al wazir: <ajk68: after 27. Qd2 h6 28. Re1 the black Queen is forced to leave protection of the knight of f6. 29. Bxf6!> Right. 27...Ne8 takes care of one threat and 27...h6 takes care of the other, but there's no way to defend against both. Thanks. |
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Jul-17-10
 | | Jimfromprovidence: I got the same line as <beveniste> and <lost in space> through move 28, <26 Nxg7 Kxg7 27 Qd2 Kf8 28 Qh6+ Ke7>, then I got stuck.
click for larger view I could not figure out a way for white to gain back material, so I ran the position through Rybka freeware. It found the quiet but winning 29 Qh4!. 
click for larger view This move keeps the double attack and pin on the f knight, but the difference maker is that the queen now guards e1, so 30 Re1 pinning the queen is an immediate threat. Black is now forced to "unguard" the f knight with 29 Kd7, allowing 30 Bxf6. |
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sac: 26.Nxg7