| notyetagm: <apple pi: Terrific finish - a great puzzle move!> Black to play: 32 ... ?
click for larger viewHere Black (Hou Yifan) notices that the White e5-knight is <LOOSE>, with an equal number of attackers and defenders. That is, Black attacks the White e5-knight twice with her Black c7-queen and Black f4-bishop while White <DEFENDS> the White e5-knight twice with his White d4-bishop and White g4-knight. <But as Soltis recently pointed out in his lastest book, <<<ANY PIECE, PAWN, OR SQUARE THAT IS ATTACKED AND DEFENDED AN EQUAL NUMBER OF TIMES IS A TACTICAL WEAKNESS>>>>. Here the fact that the White g4-knight is a critical <DEFENDER> of the White e5-knight and resides on a _VERY_ exposed square (g4, Black's KN5) suggests that attacking this <KNIGHT DEFENDER> to <REMOVE THE GUARD> may bear fruit. And indeed it does. In the above position Hou Yifan simply played 32 ... h7-h5!, <REMOVING THE GUARD> of the <LOOSE> White e5-knight by <DRIVING OFF> its White g4-knight <DEFENDER>. Position after 32 ... h7-h5! <remove the guard> 0-1
click for larger viewNotice that the <COUNTERATTACK> by White 33  e1-f1,f2 against the <UNDEFENDED> Black f4-bishop is simply met by 32 ...  f4-g3, placing the Black dark-squared bishop on the g3-square where it is defended by the Black f5-knight while maintaining the threats to the <LOOSE> White e5-knight and the <EMBARRASSED> White g4-knight. | 
