| Sep-13-06 | | AdrianP: What a strange and interesting game! Ljubo's king goes walking all the way to one flank and then back to the other. (I came across the game looking for stuff similar to McShane-Short, 2006 being played as I write). |
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Sep-13-06
 | | keypusher: yes, it really is a neat game, and a great illustration of the value of an active king. Thanks for pointing it out! |
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Jan-29-16
 | | Penguincw: Hmm. Friday puzzle. When I first saw the puzzle, I thought it was black to move, and came up with stuff such as d2, Ba3, etc. I then clicked on the solution, hit the right arrow on my keyboard, first move is white's move. Quickly backspace, pretend none of that happened. Anyway, I "got" 54.Nxd3, 54...Rxd3 55.b6. However, black has 55...Bd2, and if 56.b7, then 56...Rb3, yay, black is winning now. But hey, assuming today's puzzle is just like yesterday's, that means my alternate solution is correct, right? |
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| Jan-29-16 | | nalinw: Doesn't 55. b6 win by queening the pawn?
In the game White also invoked mate threats with the Rook - which I didn't see - but can't he just Queen? If
55. .... Bd2 then 56. Rb1 |
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| Jan-29-16 | | patzer2: Got the obvious 54. Nxd3 first move solution to today's Friday puzzle. However, after 54...Rxd3 I missed the strongest follow-up 55. Kg5! My planned follow-up was 55. b6  (+2.16 @ 23 depth, Deep Fritz 15) which the computer indicates wins slowly. But it's not as strong or so clearly winning as the game move 55. Kg5! (+3.09 @ 25 depth, Deep Fritz 15). My only consolation in missing the second strongest follow-up move is the satisfaction of knowing White missed the strongest follow-up on the third move of the combination. Specifically, after 54. Nxd3 Rxd3 55. Kg5! Ba6, White missed the stronger winning continuation 56. Rb1! (+5.37 @ 26 depth, Deep Fritz 15; diagram below) 
click for larger viewwhen play might continue 56...Bb4 57. b6 Ba5 58. b7 Bd8+ 59. Kf5 Bc7 60. Ke6 Bb8 61. Kd7 Ra3 62. Rd1 Kh6 63. Rg1 Kh7 64. h6 d5 65. Rg7+ Kxh6 66. Rg8 Ba7 67. exd5 Rb3 68. Kc7 Bb6+ 69. Kc6 Ba5 70. b8=Q with mate sure to follow. P.S.: For a Black improvement, Deep Fritz 15 suggests 23... Nh5! as play might continue 24. Qb1 Bf6 25. Qa1 Qe7 26. Rg4 Qa7 27. Rd1 Qa4 28. Re1 Ra7 29. Reg1 Rab7 30. Nc1 Ra8 31. Ne2 Bd8 32. Rb1 Rab8 33. Nc1 Ba5 34. Rg1 Bxc3+ 35. Kxc3 Ra8 36. Kd2 Ng7 37. Ne2 Ne6  (-1.10 @ 20 depth). |
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| Jan-29-16 | | TeaChess: The king move is to avoid black Be1(can Bf2 check, and Rb3), if b6 first, b6 pawn easy to lose. |
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| Jan-29-16 | | patzer2: <nalinw: Doesn't 55. b6 win by queening the pawn?> It wins by at least threatening to promote the pawn. After 55. b6 Rb3, White has to find the winning follow-up 56. Kg5! . But it's not nearly as strong as 55. Kg5! Ba6 56. Rb1 . |
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| Jan-29-16 | | legi: Wow! Anyone wondered how the black pawn came to d3? |
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| Jan-29-16 | | agb2002: White has a knight for a bishop.
Black threatens d2.
The first idea that comes to mind is to threaten the black king, while pushing the b and h-pawns, after eliminating the pawn on d3, 54.Nxd3: A) 54... Rxd3 55.Kg5
A.1) 55... Rb3 56.Ra7+
A.1.a) 56... Kg8 57.Kg6 Kf8 (57... Ra3 58.Rxa3 Bxa3 59.b6 Bb4 60.b7 wins) 58.h6 and Black is unable to stop both passed pawns. For example, 58... Be1 59.h7 Rh3 60.h8=Q+ Rxh8 61.Ra8+ Ke7 62.Rxh8 Kd7 (62... Bxf2 63.b6 Kd7 64.b7, etc.) 63.Rh7+ Kc8 64.f3 followed by Kf6-e6, etc. A.1.b) 56... Kh8 57.Kg6 looks even worse for Black than A.1.a. A.2) 55... Ra3 56.Rxa3 as in the subline of A.1.a.
A.3) 55... Ba3 56.Rb1
A.3.a) 56... Bb4 57.b6 Ra3 58.b7 wins.
A.3.b) 56... Rxc4 57.b6 Rb4 58.Rxb4 cxb4 59.b7 wins.
B) 54... Rxc4 55.b6 wins.
C) 54... Rb3 55.Kg5 is similar to previous lines. |
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| Jan-29-16 | | abuzic: 54.b6 is met with 54...Ba5 55.Rxa5 d2 56.b7 Rh3+ 57.Kxh3 <57.Kg5 Rxh5+> 57...d1Q <57...dxc1Q loses> with perpetual checks on h1, h5, g4, h4, d1 and mating threats, like 58.Ra7 Qh1+ 59.Kg4 Kh6. |
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| Jan-29-16 | | The Kings Domain: Didn't get it but a nice puzzle. It seems difficult but the correct answer is so simple in it's obviousness that it's embarrassing. :-) |
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| Jan-29-16 | | diagonalley: well, white must obviously first liquidate black's passed pawn... but there's still a fair bit to do to secure the win.... excellent endgame study |
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| Jan-29-16 | | morfishine: Intuitively <54.Nxd3> looks like an "only" move. After confirming this as correct, I patted myself on my back, re-refreshed my coffee and decided not calculate even 1-half move further |
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| Jan-29-16 | | gofer: White's passed b pawn is a massive threat, but so is the h pawn. Black has its own passed pawn, but not for long... <54 Nxd3 ...>
Black cannot refuse because the two passed pawns will prove decisive quite quickly... 54 ... Rb3
55 Nxb4 Rxb4
56 Kg5
<54 ... Rxd3>
<55 Kg5! ...>
The whole point of the exercise is to get BOTH passed pawns moving and forcing the black
king onto its back rank and using the king will achieve this very quickly!!! Black cannot stop the promotion with its rook!
55 ... Rb3
56 Ra7+ Kg8
57 Kg6 Kf8
58 h6
click for larger view55 ... Ra3
56 Rxa3 Bxa3
57 b6
click for larger viewand as it must also try to stop Ra7+ there is only one try... <55 ... Ba3>
<56 Rb1! ...>
Black must scrabble with the bishop to stop the promotion successfully... <56 ... Bb4>
In passing white cannot play 57 Rxb4 cxb4 58 b6 Rd1 59 b7 Rg1+ 60 Kf6 Rg8 winning for
black!!!
<57 b6 Ba5>
<58 b7 Bc7>
<59 b8=Q Bxb8>
<60 Rxb8 >
click for larger viewThis is hopeless for black the king will be forced onto the back rank and its all
over after that...
~~~
Hmmm, like <agb2002> and <Patzer2/Deep Fritz> I preferred <56 Rb1! ...>... |
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| Jan-29-16 | | cocker: A five move sequence to reach a level material rook & pawn ending. |
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| Jan-29-16 | | stacase: Black's d3 Pawn needed killin |
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| Jan-29-16 | | wooden nickel: Very instructive endgame, the obvious 54.Nxd3 in order to push the passed b-pawn (55.b6) seems to win. Playing 55.Kg5! first is much better. Nice Friday puzzle! |
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| Jan-29-16 | | dfcx: White has two passed pawns but black's pawn is closer to promotion, so white needs to take care of this first. 54.Nxd3!
A. 54...Rxd3 55.Kg5
A1. 55...Ba3 (Ra3 6.Rxa3) 56.Rb1 Bb4 57.b6 Ra3 58.b7 wins A2. 55...Rb3 56.Ra7+ Kg8 57.Kg6 Kf8 58.h6 and black can't stop both pawns with a single rook. B. 54...Rb3 55.Nxb4 Rxb4 56.Kg5 and black can't stop Ra7+ followed by Kg6, this is worse than A2. C. 54...Ba3 55.Rb1 similar to A1 above. |
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Jan-29-16
 | | offramp: Larsen was a magician at endings so to beat him like this is fantastic. |
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| Jan-29-16 | | transpose: I did not figure it out, but then I played through the entire game, a real treat. Great game by Ljubo; sometimes I forget just how incredible some players were. |
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| Jan-29-16 | | kevin86: Sadly, the knight needed to be sacrificed to save the game...but white won it. |
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Jan-29-16
 | | Jimfromprovidence: <gofer> here is your line: <54 Nxd3 Rxd3>
<55 Kg5!Ba3>
<56 Rb1! Bb4>
<57 b6 Ba5>
<58 b7 Bc7>
<59 b8=Q Bxb8>
<60 Rxb8 >
I was with you and your strong analysis up to 58...Bc7. Here black can avoid the back rank scenario you describe by playing 58...Bd8+, forcing white to play 59 Kf5. 
click for larger viewIt looks like one way white can win is by walking his king up to c8, but the details along the way escape me. |
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| Jan-29-16 | | mel gibson: I saw this one - the knight had to be sacrificed then the passed pawn on the b file can cause havoc. |
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| Jan-29-16 | | devere: A very nice endgame. It was elegant and instructive. |
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Jan-29-16
 | | perfidious: <A very nice endgame. It was elegant and instructive.> That it was. |
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Kibitzing
sac: 54.Nxd3