(2) 37. Kh4?!, Bf2†!
38. Qxf2, Qxf5

<With the opposite-colored bishops off and a dangerous queenside majority, the queen ending is promising for Black.>

Kupreichik is a grandmaster, originally from Belarus when it was part of the Soviet Union. His style is generally described by the word "caveman". Think of Nezhmetdinov without the subtle positional flair.

As you might expect, his results are erratic. In his first three USSR championships, beginning in 1969, he finished last. Then in the 1980/81 event, he started with 6.5/7 and later led the field by 1.5 points with five rounds to go. Whereupon he lost four games in a row and dropped into a tie for sixth. By his final USSR Championship, he was last again.

At his best, the games are breathtaking. At his worst, the games are still breathtaking but things just don't work out.

Secondly, based on the position I can tell that this is a puzzle that I recommended not too long ago.

<36...h5+!>

A) 37. Kxh5 g6+ 38. Bxg6 (38. Kh6 gxf5+ ; 38. else Qxf5 ) 38...Qxh3+ 39. Kg5 Be7#

B) 37. Kg5 Be7+ 38. Kxh5 g6+

C) 37. Kh4 Be7+ 38. Kg3 (38. Kxh5 g6+ ) 38...Qe3+ 39. Kg2 (Best) 39...Bc5 to as Black is a pawn up and has the clear initiative.

D) 37. Kg3 Qe3+ to as Black is a pawn up and has the clear initiative.

E) 37. Kf3 Qe3+ to as Black is a pawn up and has the clear initiative.

Now that I have solved this puzzle thoroughly, I see that although it is an interesting puzzle, it is certainly not as good as I thought it was originally. This due to fact that White can play on (albeit in a much inferior endgame) in lines 'C' through 'E'.

This said, I'm glad that <CG> used it, as I'm sure it will appease the folks that were looking for puzzles based on non-material gains (i.e., positional advantage/initiative). All in all, an instructive and interesting puzzle!

difficult to tell though whether it's necessary to capture of he

does then g6+ and white is loosing his bishop or kh4 37...bf2+ in

38.Qxf2 Qxf3 and I think black can make use of his queenside

majority. 37.Kg3 qe3+ king goes abruptly it often in 38.Kg2 h4 again

ascendancy it favour in dark could gain the f4 pawn after much

scrambling a wins probably it on the cards so g6 ie wins the f5

I can't tell you how relieved I am. I was starting to sweat bullets thinking "Geez...All the regulars and fellow kibitzers, are going to be angry with me for suggesting a somewhat inconclusive puzzle".

Thankfully however, again, I did indeed suggest <37...?> Black to play and win on August 22nd!

< An anecdote to go with a bit of chess blindness. Unlike in the Indian or the British Armies the Americans are quite used to faternising across ranks. One day a general, 2 colonels and a seargent were playing Bridge. The general had a colonel for a partner and he was the declarer.

The game came down to last three cards and the General badly needed the diamond finesse through the Seargent. He knew the spade K and the diamond K were out and held divided between his opponents. But which where was the crux.

After a spell of tense thinking the General could not make up his mind and he felt pushed into asking the Seargent.

"Sgt the 3 cards you are holding, you think the majority is Red?"

(unethical, of course and the Sgt knew it just as well)

The polite and unrevealing reply,

'Cant tell the difference general, color blindness. You see it runs in the family.

(Color blind people do not get into any army/are boarded out whenever detected)>

Thanks for the kind mentions, guys!

I am sincerely thankful for you taking the time to say that my originial suggestion of "<37...?> Black to play and win" was more in keeping with the tradition that we have here on the daily puzzle.

White threatens 37.Bxe6 and 37.Qxc5.

The position of the white king suggests the possibility of creating a mating net. The only reasonable move that delivers check is 36... h5+:

A) 37.Kxh5 g6+

A.1) 38.Bxg6 Qxh3+ 39.Kg5 Be7#.

A.2) 38.Kg4(5) Qxf5+ 39.Qxf5 gxf5 40.Kxf5 b4 41.Ke4 a4 42.Kd3 Kg7 - +, and the black king will eliminate White's f- and h-pawns.

A.3) 38.Kh4(6) Qxf5 39.Qxf5 gxf5 is similar to A.2.

B) 37.Kg5 Be7+ 38.Kxh5 g6+ is similar to A.

C) 37.Kh4 Be7+ 38.Kg3 (38.Kxh5 transposes to B) 38... Qe3+ 39.Kg2 (39.Kh2 Qxf4+) 39... Bc5 (39... Qxf4 40.Qc8+ and mate next) and threatening b4, a4 (Qxa4 Qf2+ wins) and h4.

D) 37.Kg3 Qe1+ and 38... Qe3 is similar to C.

Black has a vicious tactic: 36...h5+ and if 37.Kxh5? g6+ picks up the Bishop since if 38.Bxg6 Qxh3+ 39.Kg5 Be7#. 37.Kg5 Be7+ is a similar variation. This leaves 37.Kf3 Qe3+ 38.Kg2 a4, or finally 37.Kg3 Qe3+ 38.Kh4!? (Kg2 transposes) g6 when 39.Bxg6? Be7+ leads to the mate discussed earlier. Time to check.
====
White appears to have blundered with 37.Kxh5: time to defend the pre-puzzle position

click for larger view

against Crafty End Game Trainer: http://www.chessvideos.tv/endgame-t...

Against Crafty EGT my defence 37.Kf3 is met by Qe3+ 38.Kg2 g6!? 39.Bxg6 h4 40.Be4 Qg3+ 41.Kf1 Qxf4+ 42.Ke2 Qf2+ 43.Kd1 Qf1+ 44.Kd2 Bb4+ 45.Ke3 Qxh3+ (all more or less forced for White). Here I thought White was lost so I fired up Fritz 12. Herr Fritz finds the draw (!): 46. Kd4 Qf1 47. Qc8+ Bf8 (no better is 47...Qf8 48.Qxf8+ Bxf8 49.Bc6 b4 50.Ke4 h3 51.Kf3 with a cast-iron draw) 48. Ke3 Qe1+ 49. Kf3 Qg3+ 50. Ke2 Qf4 51. Qe8 Qg4+ 52. Ke1 Qg1+ 53. Ke2 Qg4+ draw by repetition. However, Crafty EGT may not have found the best moves.

<erniecohen> suggests that the position after 37.Kh4 Bf2+ 38.Qxf2 Qxf5 is won for Black. White can defend with Kg3 leading to the following position colours-reversed:

click for larger view

(E Kristiansen vs Kupreichik 2012 critical variation colours reversed). Even with Fritz 12's help I can't beat Crafty EGT using the colours-reversed link http://www.chessvideos.tv/endgame-t.... Other kibitzers may be more successful: please post the win if you find it.

Black's bishop is exposed. White's Q on the back rank would pose nasty problems, given that the White B covers Black's h7 escape square. Meaning that the Black Q can't get too adventurous, as checking opportunities run dry fairly quickly. A Q-sac on f5 achieves nothing. And like other posters, 36... h5+ appeared to me only to lose a P without advantage. I still don't understand the continuation, in fact.

A) 37.Kxh5 g6+ 38.Bxg6 Qxh3+ 39.Kg5 Be7#

B) 37.Kg5 Be7+ 38.Kxh5 g6+ 39.Bxg6 Qxh3#

Almost every games has a/some/many puzzles.

Mind yourself....if Kupreichik won every puzzle, his winning percentage would be no less than 99%.

The better solution is, "why POTD always put Kupreichik in the winning side?"

......and if u want u can add

"Please Chessgames make a POTD where Kupreichik finally lost that game!!"

But that doesnt make sense. I wouldnt mind who the player in the POTD game, i mind how t good the puzzle is. And this puzzle is very good.