Wesley So vs Hikaru Nakamura (2016)

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Wesley So vs Hikaru Nakamura
Ultimate Blitz Challenge (2016) (blitz), St. Louis, MO USA, rd 15, Apr-29
Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack. Two Knights Defense Blockade Line (D37) · 0-1

ANALYSIS [x]

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Dec-19-17		patzer2: Finding 39...Bd4! for today's Tuesday puzzle solution was easy for me, perhaps because I struggled in a tournament game years ago to find such a move in a similar Bishop and Pawn endgame. P.S.: For a White improvement, the computer pick 25. f3 = (0.00 @ 35 ply, Stockfish 8) is surely better than the game move 25. Kf1 Nd5 ⩱ (-0.64 @ 37 ply, Stockfish 8).

Dec-19-17		lost in space: Killermove is 39....Bd4

Dec-19-17		wtpy: Took a second for me too see as well.Bd4 is simple but elegant

Dec-19-17		saturn2: 39..Bd4 and white's bishop cannot guard a1.

Dec-19-17		sudoplatov: Simple. ...Bd4 covers the Queening Square and deflects the King away if captured. It also block's White's Black Bishop from getting into action quickly enough. Opponent's Passed Pawns seem move rather quickly.

Dec-19-17		agb2002: The material is identical. White can stop the a-pawn with Be5, Be1-c3 or Kc2. Therefore, 39... Bd4: A) 40.Kxd4 a2 wins. B) 40.Kc2 a2 wins. C) 40.fxg7 Bxg7 (or 40... a2 - +; 40... Kxg7? 41.Kxd4 a2 42.Be5+ and 43.Kc5 + -) 41.Be1 a2 42.Bc3 Bxc3 wins. D) 40.Bf2 Bxf2 wins.

Dec-19-17		malt: 39...Bd4! stops 40.Be5

Dec-19-17		AlicesKnight: A neat point; 39.... Bd4. Whether White plays 40.Kxd4 of Kc2 the reply ....a2 will queen. Black must avoid 40.fxg7 Kxg7?; 41.kxd4 a2; 42.Be5+. Let's see - yes.

Dec-19-17		Cheapo by the Dozen: Cute. After a couple of false starts, I noticed that BOTH White's bishop and king might be able to stop Black's a-pawn in time, and that the challenge was to somehow hamper both of them. Once the issue is framed that way, ... Bd4 becomes the one obvious choice to try.

Dec-19-17		Whitehat1963: Took me a lot longer than it should have. I could see what needed to be done, but For the longest time, I couldn’t figure out how to block the white bishop’s path to the a1 square.

Dec-19-17		morfishine: <39...Bd4> prevents Be5 allowing the pawn to promote *****

Dec-19-17		leRevenant: nice puzzle - took some time, not so much to find the correct move but to be fairly confident about it. c.f. <diagonalley> :-)

Dec-19-17		thegoodanarchist: Got it.

Dec-19-17		mjmorri: Got it quickly. If the White King captures, he blocks the long diagonal preventing his own Bishop from controlling the Queening square.

Dec-19-17		gawain: A very satisfying solution!

Dec-19-17		Great Bear: Nice interception displacement.

Dec-19-17		Jimfromprovidence: 39...a2 looks good as well but takes more work. click for larger view One winning line is 40 Be5 gxf6 41 Bb2 (or 41 Ba1 or Bc3) Bd6 42 Kc2 Be5, below, where white has to either give up his bishop or after trading bishops, lose the king and pawn end game. click for larger view

Dec-19-17		kevin86: A brilliant move! Black either will control the long diagonal or force white to block ir, so the bishop cannot stop the pawn.

Dec-19-17		whiteshark: <39...Bd4!> Black occupies the crossroad and that's it.

Dec-19-17		JonKing: Oh, so nice. Bd4.

Dec-19-17		Olsonist: Pretty easy to spot and still a very pretty move.

Dec-19-17		Jambow: Not bad didn't take too long, passed pawn getting to the flag is key, and long diagonal dark squares and deflecting king say look over here. Something we probably might miss in a real game.

Dec-19-17		Bubo bubo: White threatens to stop the a-pawn with Be5. Black prevents this by entering the long diagonal first: 39...Bd4!, threatening a2 and a1Q. After 40.Kxd4 a2 the diagonal remains blocked and the pawn will promote, and 40.Be5 Bxe5 or 40.Bf2 Bxf2 are pointless as well. The puzzles featuring an endgame are often especially instructive - I would really appreciate an additional category <endgame puzzle of the day> !

Dec-19-17		eternaloptimist: It took me a few minutes to find the right move. I met Naka earlier this year in St. Louis @ a blitz & rapid tournament there. I got his autograph & talked to him for 10 minutes or so. He's a really cool guy & definitely 1 of the best & most creative chess players in the world! Meeting some of the best chess players in the world was a great experience for me!

Dec-19-17		John Abraham: well played Hikaru!

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