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| Dec-18-14 | | diagonalley: yep ... got 31.P-R5 ok, although i overlooked the subsequent check from the black Q, so only half a point i guess :-( |
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| Dec-18-14 | | Cheapo by the Dozen: Good point, <Phony Benoni>. Things get pretty minimalist after ... 34 Qxg5, but even in that line you are correct. |
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| Dec-18-14 | | agb2002: White has a pawn for a bishop.
Black threatens ... Ne3 and ... Qf5+.
The pawn on f7 and the rook on h1 suggest 31.h5:
A) 31... Qf5+ 32.Ka1
A.1) 32... Qxf4 33.hxg6+ and mate next.
A.2) 32... Qxg5 33.hxg6+ Qh6 (33... Qh4 34.Q(R)xh4+ Bxh4 35.R(Q)xh4#) 34.Rxh6+ gxh6 35.Qxh6#. A.3) 32... Bxg5 33.hxg6+ Bh6 34.Rxh6+ gxh6 35.Qxh6#.
A.4) 32... Rxf7 33.hxg6+ Kg8 34.gxf7+ Kf8 35.Qxf5, etc. B) 31... Nd2+ 32.Rxd2 (32.Ka1(2) Qxa4+ 33.bxa4 Rxa4#; 32.Kc2 Qf5+ and 32.Kc1 Nxb3+ create problems unnecesarily) B.1) 32... Qd5 33.Rdh2 doesn't solve anything for Black. B.2) 32... B(Q)xg5 33.hxg6+ wins as in A.2 and A.3.
C) 31... Na3+ 32.Ka2 (32.bxa3 Qf5+ creates problems again) and White wins as above. D) 31... B(Q)xg5 32.hxg6+ wins as in A.2 and A.3. |
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| Dec-18-14 | | gofer: The black king is in a mating net...
click for larger view... with one simple move we can threaten mate and re-load the pawn on
f7 if it gets taken...
<31 h5 ...>
31 ... gxh5
32 Rxh5#
31 ... Na3+ 34 bxa3 (changes nothing)
31 ... Nd2+ 34 Rxd2 (changes nothing)
31 ... Qxg5 (or Bxg5)
32 hxg6+ Qh6 (or Bh6)
33 Rxh6+ gxh6
34 Qxh6#/Qxf6 (or Qxh6#/Qf6)
<31 ... Rxf7>
<32 hxg6+ Kg8>
<33 Rh8+! ...>
White gives up the extra rook to maintain the mating net! We could play gxf7+ immediately, which is definitely winning, but far less elegant. <33 ... Kxh8>
<34 gxf7 ...>
click for larger viewBlack has an awful sense of <Deja Vu>, but unfortunately this time the h file is open. Ouch! It is as though Rf8, Pg6, Ph4 and Rh8 has been beamed up by aliens, but the same awful position remains... 34 ... g6
35 Qxf6#
34 ... Qd5
35 Qh4#/Qh2#
34 ... Na3+ 35 bxa3 (changes nothing)
34 ... Nd2+ 35 Rxd2 (changes nothing)
34 ... Qxg5 (or Bxg5)
35 Rh1+ Qh6 (or Bh6)
36 Rxh6+ gxh6
37 Qxh6#/Qxf6 (or Qxh6#/Qf6)
~~~
I never even considered <31 ... Qf5+>, which is a little remiss of me! But
it changes very little as <32 ... Rxf7> must be still be played to survive and at that point the black queen is lost! |
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Dec-18-14
 | | Richard Taylor: I looked at this and immediately said: "It's probably h5." Then looked up the game. I had missed the check. But not had for a 1 minute squizz. Might have missed that check. I've played both sides of the English Attack and it makes for some wild chess for sure! |
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| Dec-18-14 | | stacase: Easy week continues. |
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| Dec-18-14 | | morfishine: H-pawn push oughtta do it
Gotta get to work
***** |
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| Dec-18-14 | | zb2cr: Found this one, but the idea of 31. h5 was pretty easy. It's all the gingerbread decorating Black's thrashing about that makes this one complicated. |
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| Dec-18-14 | | CHESSTTCAMPS: Black has an extra bishop for a pawn and a serious Q-side attack, but it all for naught - white's attack breaks through first: 31.h5!
Black gets to add a defender to the king-side in three different ways, but it doesn't matter! A. 31... Bxg5 32.hg6+ Bh6 (Bh4 33.Q/Rxh4+ Qh5 34.Q/Rxh5#) 33.Rxh6+ gh6 34.Qxh6# B. 31... Qxg5 32.hxg6+ Qh6 (Qh4 33.Q/Rxh4+ forces mate) 33.Rxh6 forces mate. C. 31... Rxf7 32.hg6+ Kg8 33.gxf7+ Kf8 34.Rh8+ (34.Rde1 Nd2+ 35.Kc2! is also playable, but not 35.Kh2??? Qxh4+. In this line, simply 35... Qxg5 prevents Rh8#) Kd7 35.Rxa8 Qxg5 (Qxa8 36.Qc7+ Kf6 37.Nh7+ and 38.f8=Q) 36.Qxg5 Bxg5 37.bxc4 with an extra rook. D. 31... Qf5+ (The defense I almost missed. OTB would I react with 32.Qxf5?? gxf5 ruining the attack and still a piece down?) 32.Ka1!! Ahh - in a puzzle position, we don't have to deal with that ticking clock 32... Qxf4 (black's spite checks run out after 32... Rxa4+ 33.bxa4) 33.hxg6+ 1-0 In Line D, all other defenses at move 32... lose to 33.hxg6(+). Even more tactically interesting than yesterday's POTD. |
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Dec-18-14
 | | Penguincw: Yes! I got this Thursday puzzle (probably the first time ever). 31.h5 and the threat is to mate by taking on g6. If black takes on h5, white will take back with mate. If 31...Bxg5, then simply 32.hxg6+ Bh6 33.Rxh6+ gxh6 34.Qxh6# 1-0. I didn't calculate 31...Qf5+, but I don't think mate can be prevented without shredding material: 32...Rxf7 33.hxg6+ Kg8 34.gxf7+ Kf8 35.Qxf5 and white can probably mate in 20 moves or so. |
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| Dec-18-14 | | Chess Dad: I haven't worked out all of the variations, but from what I see, starting with 31.h5 is going to be very hard to deal with. 31...Bxg5 32. hxg6+ Bh6 33. Rxh6+ gxh6 34. Qxh6# is one continuation. 31...Rxf7 32. Nxf7+ Kg8 33. hxg6 looks pretty promising for white. 31...Nd2+ 32. Rxd2 just delays. Same with 31...Na3+ 32. bxa3. 31...Qxg5 32.hxg6+ Qh4 33.Rxh4+ Bxh4 34. Qxh4#.
Ok, let's check now. I probably missed something.
Hmmm. 31. h5 Qf5+ I wasn't expecting that. Does it change anything? I don't think it matters if I move the King to a1 or a2. But I don't want to take the queen. I'll try 32. Ka2 and see the response. He can have my queen if he wants. Ok, Ka1 was played, but I don't think that choice mattered. I'm counting that as a win, and my first 4/4 for Mon - Thurs. |
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| Dec-18-14 | | dfcx: 31. h5 looks very good, opening the h-file.
A. 31...Bxg5/Qxg5 32. hxg6+ B/Qh6 33. Rxh6+ gxh6 34. Qxh6# B. 31...Rxg7 32.hxg6+ Kg8 33.gxf7+ Kf8 34. Rxa8  Black can't take the rook because of the mate threat Qd7+ Kf8 Nh7# C. 31...Qf5+ I missed this until I saw the game. It delays the game by one move. The quiet reply 32. Ka1 returns the game to the previous sequences. |
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| Dec-18-14 | | TheaN: Thursday 18 December 2014 <31.?.> White is a knight down and needs to make his attack work quickly, or regain the material. After 31.bxc4 Qxa4 black is threatening Qa1 with Qxb2 which can hardly be defended. Instead, white should look at pressing on to the black king. Black would be mated with the h-pawn off the board, which suggests <31.h5>. Black cannot simply ignore this threat because of hxg5#. Black has a few options available: the check on d2, two captures on g5, the capture on f7 and a check on f5. Lets decide that <31....Nd2+ 32.Rxd2> does not help black in any way. Capturing on g5 does not work: <31....Bxg5? 32.hxg6+ Bh6 33.Rxh6+! gxh6 34.Qxh6#>, similarly <31....Qxg5? 32.hxg6+ Qh4 33.Rxh4+ Bxh4 34.Qxh4#>. The check on f5 seems interesting <31....Qf5+?!> but white completely ignores it with <32.Ka1! >. After 32....Qxf4 33.hxg6+ is still mate, capturing on g5 is still the same and now capturing on f7 will only expose black the queen after 32....Rxf7 33.hxg6+ Kg8 34.gxf7+ Kf8 35.Qxf5 . The capture on f7 seems most interesting. It concedes a rook, but gives the black king space via f8 and e7. <31....Rxf7 32.hxg6+ Kg8>. After 33.gxf7+ Kf8 34.Rh8+ Ke7, white doesn't have any short term threats at hand. It is probably winning after 35.Rxa8 or 35.Re1+, but white has something better. Instead of going for material, white should keep the black king on the king side with <33.Rh8+! Kxh8 34.gxf7>. Black to move, but hopeless. Black has no options against 35.Rh1+. 34....g6 doesn't work because of 35.Qxf6#, and capturing on g5 is identical as in the initial position: <34....Bxg5 35.Rh1+ Bh6 36.Rxh6+ gxh6 37.Qxh6# 1-0> and it's over. |
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| Dec-18-14 | | YetAnotherAmateur: This reminds me of Tal saying he sacrificed because it was the fastest way to get his pieces out of the way. 31. h5 definitely looked like the right play. The least bad option for black seems to be something like: 31. ... Qf5+
32. Ka1 Rxf7
33. hxg6+ Kg8
34. gxf7+ Kf8
35. Re1 and now black is powerless to prevent Rh8# |
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| Dec-18-14 | | TheaN: Yep, got this one completely. Small correction would be that black does have something against Rh1 in the final line by means of Qd5, but of course white can mate with the queen as well: it was more in the sense that a capture on g5 would lead to identical positions as a capture after 31.h5. |
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| Dec-18-14 | | TheaN: Funny thing: not being able to visualize the mate directly quite some solvers (including myself) chose the superior <31.h5 Rxf7 32.hxg6+ Kg8 33.Rh8+!>. This mates in 7: <33....Kxh8 34.gxf7 Nd2+ 35.Rxd2 Qf5+ 36.Qxf5 Bxg5 36.Qxg5 Ra6 37.f8=Q+ Kh7 38.Qgxg7#>. However, <33.gxf7+> mates in 8: <33....Kf8 34.Rh8+ Ke7 35.Rxa8! Na3+ (Qxa8 36.Qc7+ Kf8 37.Nh7#)> the point in the combination <36.bxa3> and from here on black can only save the position up till move 39, which is one move more than Rh8+!. Tl;dr: solvers that chose 33.Rh8+! found the optimal finish, solvers that saw 33.gxf7+ Kf8 34.Rh8+ Ke7 35.Rxa8 with Qxa8? 36.Qc7+ Kf8 37.Nh7# saw the second optimal finish, solvers that stopped after 33.gxf7+ will most likely have won the game but did come a move or two short. |
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| Dec-18-14 | | varishnakov: 31.P-R5 RxP [31...PxP 32.RxP mate; 31...B(or Q)xN
32.PxP+ B-R3 33.RxB+ PxR 34.QxP mate; 31...Q-B4+
32.K-R1 QxQ (32...RxP 33.PxP+ K-N1 32.QxQ) 33.PxP+ Q-R5 34.RxQ mate] 32.PxP+ K-N1 33.PxR+ K-B1 34.PxN BxN
(34...QxP 35.Q-Q6+ B-K2 36.R-R8 mate) 35.Q-Q6+ KxP
36.QR-B1+ B-B3 37.RxB+ PxR 38.R-R7+ K-N1 39.Q-Q7 Q-R2 40.QxQ RxQ 41.RxR |
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| Dec-18-14 | | kevin86: The threat of mate after h5 is so devastating that black can take the queen...and still lose! |
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| Dec-18-14 | | varishnakov: I didn't quite get all the lines, but mine had an easily winning advantage. Though, actually my 37.RxB throws away most of the advantage. It was a bit far without so many forcing moves, I went astray. I would have reassessed OTB a few moves before that, so I consider myself to have gotten the full point. |
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| Dec-18-14 | | Edeltalent: 31.? White to move.
White is a piece down and could restore material balance by capturing the knight, but the Black king is so vulnerable that 31.h5 screams to be played, trying to force open the h-file and deliver mate. Luckily it's only Thursday, so this plan works rather smoothly. Black has a surprising number of ideas to defend though which all need to be thought about, but - the king can't run by himself
- the attacking rook on h1 can't be removed
- counterattacking knightchecks don't help (31...Nd2+ 32.Ka1 Qxa4+ would be oh so sweet, but it's not <that> hard to spot 32.Rxd2) - the h-file can't be plugged (31...Bxg5 (or 31...Qxg5) 32.hxg6+ Bh6 33.Rxh6+ and mate) - the g-pawn can't move out of the way to keep the h-file closed, as it's blocked. That leads to the idea of moving out of the way by capturing, and indeed things have improved greatly for Black after 31...Qf5+ 32.Qxf5 gxf5. This is probably the variation that would spoil your fun for some time when trying to assess h5, but once you realize that the white Queen is not the main attacking piece, it's easy to just sacrifice it with 33.Ka1, keeping the poor g-pawn on its miserable spot. (Tough luck for Black that his own pawn on d4 is blocking all counterplay) - removing the f7 pawn with 31...Rxf7 gives the King some breathing room, but he's still not gonna be too happy, as after 32.hxg6+ Kg8 33.Nxf7 Kf8 34.Re1, Black can only stop immediate mate on h8 by throwing more material with Ne5 or Nd2+, which is completely hopeless. In this variation, the white Knight, so far secret hero of the attack by just holding out under fire in the way of several black pieces, finally gets his active share in the charge. |
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| Dec-18-14 | | Chess Dad: I seem to be the only one who chose 32. Ka2 over 32. Ka1. Is there a reason Ka2 doesn't work?
I can't see one, but perhaps I'm missing something.
Don't both work equally well? And if so, why is there such a marked preference for 32.Ka1? |
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| Dec-18-14 | | Edeltalent: <Chess Dad> There's nothing wrong with Ka2, but generally I'd not like to give Black the additional ressource of Rxa4+ bxa4 b3+. Makes no difference in this specific position, but just change it a tiny bit to
click for larger view
and suddenly Ka1 is game over and Ka2 quite tricky. |
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| Dec-18-14 | | Pedro Fernandez: I didn't see the check (after 23.h5!) but this one doesn't change at all the unavoidable mate, including 24...Rxf7. |
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| Dec-18-14 | | Pedro Fernandez: Oops! Is 31.h5 and 32...Rxf7, sorry. |
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| Dec-18-14 | | Conrad93: 31...Bxg5 is even more attractive, with a similar idea. 32. hxg6+ Bxh6 33. Rxh6+! gxh6 34. Qxh6# |
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Kibitzing
sac: 30.a4