| Oct-07-16 | | nalinw: First? I saw the dancing Knight in the future but went for 17.... Nxd6
18 Qxd6 Nxf7
19 Qxd5 Bxd5
but the game move seems to gain a tempo because Bxd5 is now CHECK. |
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| Oct-07-16 | | dfcx: I see black can sac a piece then win back with some extra pawns. 17...Nxf2
18.Bxf2 Rxf2
19.Qxf2 Ng4
20.Qxd4 Bxd4+
21.Kh1 Nf2+
click for larger viewthen black takes a few pawns before taking the rook 22.Kg1 Nxd3+
23.Kh1 Nf2+
24.Kg1 Nxe4+
25.Kh1 Nf2+
26.Kg1 Nd3+
27.Kh1 Nxe1
Now black has two pawn advantage. |
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| Oct-07-16 | | Aunt Jemima: I wasn't even close, but I sort of saw these variations dancing around the edges of my mind. Black has nerves of steel. |
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| Oct-07-16 | | patzer2: For today's Friday puzzle, like <dfcx>, I correctly played guess-the-move with the game continuation's windmill discovered check tactical theme from 17...Nxf2 through 27...Nxe1. White's game goes south after 14. Bf4?, allowing 14...Nfg4  (-1.90 @ 35 depth, Komodo 10.1). Instead, 14. f4 Neg4 15. Bc4 = (0.01 @ 21 depth, Deep Fritz 15) or 14. Na3 Qb6 15. Nc4 = (0.17 @ 21 depth, Deep Fritz 15) hold it level. |
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| Oct-07-16 | | mqhelisi: is 17...Nxd3 bad since the solution resulted in a prolonged two pawn advantage game I saw a take on d3 eyeing also b2 pawn? after say ..17. Nxd3
18.Qxd3(Rd1 still) Qxb2
19. Na3 (safer than Nd2 since...Rad8)
I think f2 will still be weak though white is piece up there is more play from black maybe another trick in my view |
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| Oct-07-16 | | mqhelisi: yeah taking on f2 seems good as a follow up to Nxd3 line I see |
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| Oct-07-16 | | YouRang: Friday 17...?
click for larger view
This took me some time. The combination isn't that complicated, but it's long enough to make my board vision go fuzzy. Pf2 definitely seems to be the hot spot. I (black) have threee attackers, and Pf2 has three defenders, so based on that it's adequately defended. Of course, often things aren't so simple. Just counting attackers and defenders fails if the defenders are more valuable than the attackers. It also fails if some tactic emerges after the exchanges. Typically you start exchanging with your least valuable piece, so: <17...Nxf2>, and white would recapture with it's least valuable piece: <18.Bxf2>
click for larger view
The next capture (in value order) is the black rook and white queen: <18...Rxf2 19.Qxf2>, and the position we need to visualize is this:
click for larger view
So far, black has spent a rook to get this pin. Is there a payoff? Taking white's queen is no good, and neither is attacking it with ...Rf8. The only thing that looks promising is bringing my bishop into it at e4, and for that to happen I have to move my knight (so my Q is guarded by the bishop) and compel white to capture on e4. Black has the perfect move for that: <19...Ng4!> forcing <20.Qxd4 Bxd4+>
click for larger view
Now it's clear that indeed a nice windmill tactic has emerged, which should be enough to get my rook back with a couple pawns better. |
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| Oct-07-16 | | diagonalley: eeeee... that were bl**dy 'ard! |
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| Oct-07-16 | | eaglewing: 44.BxNd1 with the double centralpawn already behind seems bad. A slight hope for a draw should center on the different coulored bishops, therefore rooks and knights should be exchanged. 44. Rc2 or Rc1 look fine enough, I do not see, why Nf2+ (or anything else) would be immediately frightening. |
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| Oct-07-16 | | gofer: I saw the windmill and thought at the very least it won two pawns.
The only question was how to set up the windmill? With <17 ... Nxf2> or <17 ... Rxf2>? I was temped to play the latter... ...but does it still work?! <17 ... Rxf2>
<18 Bxf2 Nxf2>
click for larger view19 g3/h3 Nxd3+ 
19 Qxf2 Ng4 transposes to the main line...
19 Q anywhere but e3 Nh3++ 20 Kh1 Qg1#
<19 Qe3 Neg4>
<20 Qxd4 Bxd4>
click for larger viewNow white has to avoid mate!
21 Nc3/Nd2 Nh3++ 22 Kh1 Ngf2#
21 Bd2 Nh3++ 22 Kh1 Ngf2# or Kf1 Ngxh2#
21 Re2 Nh3++ 22 Kh1 Ngf2+ 23 Rxf2 Nxf2+ loses 3 pawns and an exchange 21 h3 loses 3 pawns and the rook
21 g3 loses 2 pawns and the rook and either the knight or another rook So all in all I would probably try <17 ... Rxf2> and probably expect
to transpose to the <17 ... Nxf2> line, but the variations in the former
look more advantageous than a simple 2 pawn advantage... |
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| Oct-07-16 | | et1: YouRang - congratulations for having find the windmill ! |
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| Oct-07-16 | | mel gibson: The Bishop & knight combo become a meat grinder -
it's almost comical. |
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| Oct-07-16 | | agb2002: Black has a bishop and a knight for the bishop pair and a pawn. The concentration of forces on f2 suggests 17... Nxf2: A) 18.Bxf2 Rxf2
A.1) 19.Qxf2 Ng4 20.Qxd4 Bxd4+ 21.Kh1 Nf2+ 22.Kg1 Nxe4+ 23.Kh1 Nf2+ 24.Kg1 Nxd3+ 25.Kh1 Nxe1 and Black emerges two pawns ahead. For example, 26.Nc3 Nc2 27.Rc1 (27.Rd1 e5 threatening Ne3 and Black seems to consolidate) 27... Ne3 with the better ending. A.2) 19.Qe3 Ng4 (19... Rxf1+ 20.Kxf1 Rf8+ 21.Ke2 unclear; 19... Qxe3 20.Rxe3 Raf8 21.Nc3 unclear) A.2.a) 20.Qxd4 Bxd4
A.2.a.i) 21.Kh1 Bxb2 wins the knight.
A.2.a.ii) 21.Nc3 Rf5+ (much quicker than 21... Rxb2+ 22.Kh1 Bxc3 - + [N+P]) 22.Kh1 Nf2+ 23.Kg1 Nxe4+ 24.Kh1 Ng3+ 25.hxg3 Rh5#. A.2.b) 20.Qg3 Rxf1+ 21.Kxf1 Rf8+ 22.Ke2 Rf2+ 23.Kd1 Qxb2 wins. A.3) 19.Qd1 Rxf1+ (or 19... Rd2+ wins) 20.Kxf1 Rf8+ 21.Qf3 (21.Ke2 Q(R)xf2#) 21... Nxf3 wins. B) 18.Qe3 Nh3+ 19.gxh3 (19.Kh1 Qxe3 20.Rxe3 Rxf1#) 19... Nf3+ B.1) 20.Kf2 Nxe1 21.Qxd4 (21.Kxe1 Qxe3+ wins) 21... Bxd4+ 22.Kxe1 Bxb2 wins decisive material. B.2) 20.Kg2 Nxe1+ 21.Qxe1 (21.Bxe1 Qxe3 wins) 21... Qxb2 wins decisive material. B.3) 20.Kh1 Nxe1 21.Qxe1 (21.Qxd4 Rxf1+ 22.Qg1 Rxg1+ 23.Kxg1 Nc2 ends up a rook ahead) 21... Qxb2 as above. C) 18.Bxe5 Nh3+ 19.Kh1 Qg1#.
D) 18.Qxf2 Rxf2 19.Bxf2 Qxb2 wins decisive material. |
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| Oct-19-16 | | Moszkowski012273: 14.Bf4... was just asking for it. |
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Nov-19-24
 | | Korora: Another My Little Windmill! |
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Nov-19-24
 | | Teyss: Beautiful combination where 17...Rxf2 is equivalent, Friday puzzle in 2016. After the windmill with two extra Pawns it's a matter of technique as we say to avoid a detailed analysis. Desperately tried to find an external reference for the pun, to no avail. |
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| Nov-19-24 | | mrknightly: <Teyss> "Man of La Mancha" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_o... |
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Nov-19-24
| | Teyss: Hi mrknightly,
Thanks for the reference. I was thinking about Don Quixote but was wondering about the pun's convoluted formulation. Maybe it's a quote from the movie (which I didn't see)? |
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| Nov-19-24 | | goodevans: Don Quixote was a Knight Errant ("Errant Knight"?). He was anything but "Windmill-Savvy". <…about the pun's convoluted formulation. Maybe it's a quote…> If true then that would explain it, otherwise I’m still struggling. |
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Kibitzing
sac: 18...Rxf2