| May-26-07 | | Whitehat1963: What a complex exchange beginning after 18...Ndf6. I can't understand the nuances, don't see all the perils. But I do love the queen trap and the queen sac later. Definitely worthy of your time. (Player of the Day) |
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| May-26-07 | | whiteshark: <Whitehat1963> A notable game, indeed! |
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| May-26-07 | | whiteshark: <Attila Schneider'> 3 volume monograph on Benoni says <11... b5!?> instead of <11... a6?>. Quoting this game Schneider also says <14... Re8?!>, because the point f7 becomes weak. After <17. Lc4> white is already better, treating d6 giving him good tactical possibilities. Mainline after <11... b5!?> :
12. Bxb5 Sxe4 13. Nxe4 Qa5+ 14. Nfd2!? Bxb5 15. Nxd6 Ba6 16. 0-0-0 Nd7 18. Ne4! Nb6 19. Ne3 Be2! 20. Rd2 c4 21. Qb5 Bd3 .... well, it's a different game. |
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Feb-03-25
 | | takebackok: Easy take your pick Monday, what wins 31. d8=Q or Nf7+ or Rc1 think they all win. Best is 31. Nxg6+! hxg6 32. Re8 and the p queens. |
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| Feb-03-25 | | areknames: Certainly not an easy Monday. |
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| Feb-03-25 | | Mayankk: I saw 31 Nf7+ Rxf7 ( 31 ... Kg8 32 d8=Q+ also wins) 32 d8=Q+ rather quickly. And didn't think I need to look further. |
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Feb-03-25
 | | Breunor: I also went for Nf7 +. |
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| Feb-03-25 | | BxChess: I initially looked at 31. Nf7, but felt that 31. ...Kg8 32. Re8 Bf6 33. Rxf8+ Kxf8 34. d8=Q+ Bxd8 35. Nxd8 leaving white up a pawn and an exchange was not enough. I also saw 31. Nf7+ Kg8 32. d8=Q Rxd8 33. Nxd8, leaving white up the double exhange and a pawn was better, but not entirely satifactory. I eventually settled on the continuation of the game line 31. Nxg6+ hxg6 32. Re8 Bf6 33. Rxf8+ Kg7 34. Rxf6 Kxf6 35. d8=Q+ as best. Hard work for a Monday. |
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| Feb-03-25 | | King.Arthur.Brazil: The most simple is: 31. Nf7+ Rxf7 32. Re8+ Rf8 33. d8=Q. However, B is not forced to this: 31... Kg8 32. d8=Q Rxd8 33. Nxd8... with (2R x 2B) end game. |
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| Feb-03-25 | | little ernie: Good game ; cooked puzzle. |
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| Feb-03-25 | | mel gibson: I chose 31. Nf7+
Stockfish 17 chose as per the actual game:
31. Nxg6+
(31. Nxg6+ (1.Nxg6+ hxg6 2.Re8 Nd6 3.Rxf8+ Bxf8 4.d8Q Kg7 5.Qd7+ Nf7 6.Qd2 Bf5
7.Qc3+ Kg8 8.Re1 Bd7 9.Qc4 Kg7 10.h4 Bd6 11.Kh1 a5 12.Qd5 c4 13.Qxc4 Bb4
14.Ra1 Kf8 ) +7.76/39 155)
score for White +7.76 depth 39.
If I force SF to play my choice it's only slightly weaker: 31. Nf7+
(31. Nf7+ Kg8 (1. ... Kg8 2.d8Q Rxd8 3.Nxd8 Bf6 4.Ne6
Bxb2 5.Ra2 Bc3 6.Rxc2 Bxe1 7.Nxc5 Kf7 8.Nxa6 h5 9.Nc5 h4 10.Rc1 Bd2 11.Rd1
Bb4 12.Nb7 Ne7 13.Rb1 Bc3 14.a5 Nc6 ) -6.25/39 185) score for Black -6.25 depth 39. |
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| Feb-03-25 | | saturn2: 31.d8Q and white remains with 2R+N+P vs 2B+N . |
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Feb-03-25
 | | Teyss: So we have as winning moves the game line (best), Nf7+ and 31.d8=Q Rxd8 32.Nf7+. It's interesting from time to time to have a choice and pick the best even though this embarras de richesse is not Monday level. Or maybe that's it: any winning move is a solve? |
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| Feb-03-25 | | TheaN: As per others, I chose <31.Nf7+!?> which is technically suboptimal but gets the job done as well. I would say the only situation here as White that you might want to avoid is a potential counterattack by the bishops, given after Bxb2 they are aligned but can also retreat with an attack on a rook ie 31.d8Q?! Rxd8 32.Nf7+ Kh8 33.Nxd8 Bxb2:
click for larger view
In hindsight this is fine because 34.Ra2 Bc3? 35.Re8+ Kg7 36.Rxc2 +-. Still, that requires a bit more calculation. Decided to play Nf7+ because it ties up the Black pieces: 31....Rxf7? 32.d8Q+ Bf8 (Rf8 is worse as rooks get traded) 33.Re8 +- is just hopeless, Black's tied up and White can simplify, so <31....Kg8 32.Re8>:
click for larger view
In terms of allowing counterplay, this is the situation you want: threatening d8, the LSB and knight are bystanders. Sure, <32....Bf6> is damage control, but after <33.Rxf8+ Kxf8 34.d8Q Bxd8 35.Nxd8 +-> this endgame is far more trivial than you'd think: White is threatening Rc1 Rxc5 and Ne6+ Nxc5, after 35....Ke7 36.Rc1! Nd4 37.Nc6+! Nxc6 38.Rxc2 +- White managed to simplify to ♖:♘ kind of forced, and this is the ideal imbalance you want when up an exchange: knights are terrible defenders against rooks. |
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Feb-03-25
 | | chrisowen: I bunk its wags its dip q rule its me its c its hot fave its jury its Nxg6+ its a faith ph its duh its axiom juggle its ahh its rich its Nxg6+ fig x |
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| Feb-03-25 | | Tiggler: I chose Nf7 too and I think it has to be counted as a miss. |
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Feb-03-25
| | chrisowen: pretty in pink a bit xx |
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| Feb-03-25 | | whiteshark: When you discover a comment of yours from happier times long past... |
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| Feb-03-25 | | TheaN: <Tiggler: I chose Nf7 too and I think it has to be counted as a miss.> Respectfully disagree, it's all within relative margins, personally. I'm not arguing guaranteeing the promotion is better, just that winning a rook or piece is enough here as well. At 25 depths SF gives Nxg6 +6.3 and all the alternatives +5.4, and this makes complete sense as it literally compares ♕:♗ (9:3) with initiative to ♖♖♙:♗♗ (11:6) with initiative, but no immediate knockout. Even the worse 31.Nf7+ Kg8 32.Re8?! is barely debatable due to the simplification: 32....Bf6 33.Rxf8+ Kxf8 34.d8Q Bxd8 35.Nxd8 +- is forced to stay in the game, but even this position (♖♙:♗) is +5 at depth 25 because Black has no rooks left to create counterplay and White will win a pawn soon. The 0.9 and/or 1.3 difference matters if the plus is significantly less. At 6+? Not so much. |
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| Feb-03-25 | | Mfrankpsyd: 31. Nxg6 is the most decisive of the various winning moves. No one has yet mentioned 31. Nb6 which, after 31� Bf6, 32. Re8 leaves White up an exchange and a pawn (much like 31. Nf7); better but not best is 31. d8 which, after 31� Rxd8 32. Nf7+ gives White two exchanges and a pawn. |
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| Feb-03-25 | | Hercdon: I too chose 31. d8=Q followed by Nf7+ and NxR, only the third best line. Lots of opportunity, unfortunately, for black |
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Feb-03-25
 | | eternaloptimist: <Hercdon> I chose 31. d8=Q also but no black doesn't have plenty of opportunities after it. Stockfish says white has a +5.73 pawn advantage @ (30 ply) w/ blacks best reply (31…Rxd8). White has an easy win w/ d8=Q |
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sac: 29.Qxc8