26 ... Qxe2 is the obvious shot; the queen is poisoned due to 27 ... Nb3++#, and 27 ... Qc2# is threatened, so White has to capture the f5 bishop.

26 ... Qxe2 27 Qxf5 Qe3+ hands Black a queen, so White needs to play 27 Nxf5 instead. But Black then is in a tricky situation:

27 ... Bxc3 allows 28 Qxh6#.
27 ... Nd3+ 28 Rxd3 Qxd3 29 Rxg7 also seems to get Black mated quickly at h6. 27 ... Rxf5 28 Qxf5 leaves Black's remaining rook undefended.

So I'd play 26 ... Bh7, with the ideas:

White's queen is of course immediately attacked.
When White saves his queen he needs to do something about the ... Qxe2 threat. When White saves his queen, he shouldn't leave the d6 knight hanging. The h7 bishop slightly reduces White's (counter)attacking chances.

27 Qh2 seems forced in response. And so my main line is:

26 ... Bh7
27 Qh2 Qe3+
28 Rd2 Be5

The improvement comes on the second move:

26. ... Qxe2!
27. Qxf5 Nb3+!
28. axb3 Rxf5
29. Nxf5 Bxc3!
white resigns.

If, in this line, 28. Kb1!?, black has

28. ... Rxc3!
29. Nf7+ Rxf7
30. Qxf7 Rc1+
31. Rxc1 Qxb2 mate!

1) It threatens Qc2#
2) It threatens Nd3+ Rxd3 Qxd3! winning
3) Last but not least, Nxe2 loses to Nb3#

<26 ... Qxe2>

27 Nxe2 Nb3#

27 Nf7+ Rxf7

27 Qxh6+ Bxh6

So white must defend the mate threat.

27 Qxf5 Nb3+
28 axb3 Rxf5 (Kb1 Rxc3)

27 Rd2 Nd3+
28 Rxd3 Qxd3
29 Nxf5 Rxf5
30 Qd2 Rxf3

27 Nxf5 Nd3+
28 Rxd3 Qxd3
29 Rxg7 Rxc3+
30 bxc3 Qxc3+
31 Kb1 Qxg7

27 Qd2 Nd3+!
28 Kb1 Nxb2+! (Qxd3 Bxd3 28 Rd2 Rxc3+ 29 bxc3 Qe3 ) 29 Ka1 Nxd2! (Kc1 Rxc3+ )

I imagine White was staggered by 26...Qxe2, hence the blooper 27.Qxf5??

26... Qxe2!

Black gets to start taking pieces first! Obviously the Q is immune from capture.

A) 27.Bxe2?? Nb3#

B) 27.Nxc8?? (and many other moves) Qc2#

C) 27.Rd2 Nd3+ 28.Rxd3 (otherwise 28... Nxf4) Qxd3 29.Nxf5 (otherwise 29... Qxc2#) Qxf5 wins a rook.

D) 27.Nxf5 Nd3+ 28.Rxd3 Qxd3 28.Rxg7 Rxc3+! (not Q(R)xf5?? 29.Qxh6+ forces mate!) 29.bxc3 Qxc3+ and now

D.1) 30.Kb1 Qxg7! 31.d6 (Nxg7? Rxf4 is a winning endgame) Qf6 32.d7 (otherwise 33... Qxf5) Rd8 wins the troublesome d-pawn and the game (34.Qc7 Qxf5+)

D.2) 30.Kd1 Qxg7 31.d6 Qa1+ 32.Kc2 Qxa2+ 33.Kc3 (Kd1 Qb1+ followed by Qxf5 wins) Rc8+ 34.Kd4 Qa4+ 35.Ke5|e3 Re8+ wins the Q.

E) 27.Qxf5? Qe3+ 28.Kb1 Rxf5 29.Nxf5 Qxf3 30.Nxg7 Rg8 31.Ne6 Nxe6 32.dxe6 Qf5+ wins the d-pawn and black's material advantage should win.

So he was thrilled to see the combination possibility 26...Qxe2! 27. Nxe2?? Nb6# in today's Friday puzzle.

Of course he was a little disappointed to learn Masters don't usually fall for such easy tactics, and there's a little more work involved in solving this puzzle.

However, after White's clever try at a swindle with 27.Qxf5!? hoping for 27...Rxf5?? 28. Nxe2 , he was pleased to see the neat zwischenzug (a.k.a. in between move) tactic 28...Qe3+ 29. Kb1 Rxf5 .

P.S.: White's best chance at salvaging his game may have been at move 24. Instead of 24. Bxf4, perhaps 24. Kb1 = to going for King safety and keeping the tension might have worked out better. This line also sets a trap, as after 24. Kb1 Bxf5+ 25. Ka1 (diagram below)

click for larger view

click for larger view

I'm not sure which is better here, 31 Kb1 or 31 Kd1 in order to double-attack the knight.

With 31 Kb1 Qxg7 here is the position.

click for larger view

Black's threat is 32...Qg1+ and to look for checks on b6 and then f6.

With 31 Kd1 Qxg7 here is the position.

click for larger view

Actually, if he saw that Qxe2 was safe because of the threat of Nb3#, then he got full marks for today.

White is up two pawns, but in a sharp position like this, that's not the most imortant thing. Many pieces can be taken. With the open c-file and both black bishops pointing in his direction, the white kings is vulnerable, but Black's also doesn't feel completely safe.

26...Nb3+ could be a pretty mate, but the pawn on a2 covers that square. Now if we could somehow remove the Nc3 from the file, that would make it a double check and mate. This leads to the move 26...Qxe2, which also threatens mate on c2. White has only one reasonable reply, but this gives me a headache. After 27.Nxf5 Nd3+ 28.Rxd3 Qxd3 29.Rxg7, suddenly Black's king is in mortal danger. 29...Rxc3+ and 29...Qf1+ are possible here, but it looks as if the best Black can hope for is to escape with a perpetual.

How about 26...Bh7 to bring the bishop to safety, hitting the white queen, and after she moves away take on e2? Problem is, she could protect the bishop while retreating with 27.Qh2. An even bigger issue is 27.Nxc8.

Back to 26...Qxe2 27.Nxf5. Again I would want to dislodge the Nc3 (this time to get to the pawn b2), but I don't see a way. And the queen is now really hanging, thus a move with the knight looks logical. But where to? 27...Nd3+ we already tried without much success. 27...Na4 looks desirable, hitting b2 and c3. Nice would be 28.Rd2 Nxc3 29.bxc3 Rxf5 30.Qxf5 Rxc3+ 31.Rc2 Qe3+ and Black wins. But the knight can be taken, and after 28.Qxa4 Rxc3+ 29.bxc3 Bxc3 30.Qc2 or 28...Bxc3 29.bxc3 Rxc3+ 30.Kb1, White holds (and in fact might well be better). 28...Rxf5 looks like pressure for Black, but White should be fine.

The only other knight jump with tempo is 27...Ne6. 28.dxe6 Rxc3+ 29.bxc3 (29.Kb1 Rb3 30.Rd2 Rxb2+ 31.Kc1 Rc8+ finishes with fireworks) Bxc3 30.Rd2 Bxd2+ 31.Qxd2 Rc8+ was great while it lasted, but 30.Qxh6# took a bit of fun out of it.

Trying to deflect the white queen from a4 and h6 with 27...Rxf5 doesn't help, after 28.Qxf5 c8 is hanging.

I had another thought about 26...Bh7 27.Nxc8 Rxc8 (also with the inclusion of 26...Be5 27.Qxh6+) which looks dangerous over the board but far from conclusive.

What a mess!!! Black has sacrificed two pawns and the positions around both Kings have been blasted wide open.

Peering through the tangle of pieces black notices the potential for Nd3+, forking the white King and Queen. Unfortunately this can be met with 27.Bxd3 and although black's reply 27...Bxd3 discovers an attack against the white Queen from the Rf8, it doesn't appear especially lethal.

How do we make that punch more powerful? How about removing the Be2, defender of the d3 square?

26...Qxe2
27.Nxe2 Nb3# is beautiful!

27.Nxf5 (Qc2# was threatened) is much harder to deal with. White threatens the Bg7 and Qxh6 if the Bg7 moves away from the pawn's defense.

27...Rxf5 deals with white's threats but white can liquidate favorably now 28.Nxe2! Rxf4
29.Nxf4 Nd3+
30.Kb1 Nxf4 and white has a Rook and two pawns versus black's Knight and Bishop. White's d pawn starts to look menacing and although he can probably stop its promotion, black is not happy here.

Well black needs another forcing 27th move! How about 27...Nd3+ 28.Rxd3 (forced) and in view of the eminent destruction of black's Bg7, this doesn't look promising. Maybe a miracle lies ahead!

White threatens 27.Nxc8 and 27.Nxf5.

The first idea that comes to mind is 26... Qxe2:

A) 27.Nxe2 Nb3#.

B) 27.Nxc8 Qc2#.

C) 27.Nxf5 Nd3+ (27... Qe5 28.Qxe5 Bxe5 29.Ne7 folowed by 30.Ng6) 28.Rxd3 Qxd3 29.Rxg7 (what else?) 29... Rxc3+ 30.bxc3 Qxc3+ 31.Kd1 Qxg7 with a winning endgame after 32.Nxg7 Rxf5 or 32.Qxh6+ Qxh6 33.Nxh6 Rxf3.