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| May-20-15 | | patzer2: Some Chess tactics are like old friends. You recognize them immediately and feel comfortable being with them. Today's Wednesday 35. Qa3! immediately jumped out as a tactic, which, like an old friend, was very familiar to me. "Hey there Queen deflection and back rank mate threat. Haven't seen you in a while. What's new?" In this case, what's new was the interesting follow-up after the expected 35.Qa3! Rxd8 36. Qxa4 Rc8 with 37. Qd7!  . I would have played the slightly weaker, but still winning, 37. Qc2 . Both moves (either 37. Qd7!or 37. Qc2) win, but Fritz indicates stopping the passed pawn without the blockade after 37. Qd7! Rb8 (37...Ra8 38. Qd5! ) 38. Qc6! is stronger. White can muck it up with 37. Qxa5?? (diagram below): 
click for larger viewHere, after 37. Qxa5?? (diagram above), Black turns the tables and snatches victory from the jaws of defeat with 37...Bd4+! (not 37...c7? 38. Qxf5  ) 38. Kh2 c2  . Black's decisive mistake was 33...dxc3?? Instead, 33...Qd7! to (diagram below) 
click for larger viewwas strong and likely winning for Black. Play after 33...Qd7! (diagram above) might continue 34. Rc5 Qxf5! 35. Qa3 (not 35...Rxa5?? 36. Bh2+ ) 35...h6 36. Rxa5 Rde8 to with an extra pawn and the initiative for Black. P.S.: <devere><agb2002> Thanks for the analysis of 35...Qd4+! which, according to Fritz, is the strongest defense. I didn't consider 35...Qd4+ in my initial calculations, but after 35...Qd4+ 36. Rxd4 Bxd4 37. Kf1! c2 38. Nc5! (+3.42 @ 20 depth, Fritz 12) White has it under control. |
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| May-20-15 | | kelu: @agb2002: if d) 35... Bd4+ 36.Kh1? Qd1+ (and saves the game). 36.Kh2 is correct |
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| May-20-15 | | wooden nickel: <An Englishman: Good Evening: All of which makes 33.Rc3 a clever little trap...>
Yes indeed... on the other hand, what if Black doesn't fall for it? ... for instance after
33... Qd7, I'd prefer Black! |
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| May-20-15 | | morfishine: <35.Qa3> wins on the spot; if 35...Qb5, White mates with the laser 36.Qf8+ ***** |
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May-20-15
 | | Bubo bubo: The <free-floating queen motif> again: White plays 35.Qa3!, attacking the unguarded black queen and threatening Qf8+ with mate next move. Black has no way to cope with these threats, since his queen has to protect the Re8. He may try 35...Bd4+ (hoping for 36.Kf1?? Qd1#), but after 36.Kh2 Be5+ 37.Kh1 he has run out of checks and out of luck. Not as clear as the prototype of this motif O Bernstein vs Capablanca, 1914, but nevertheless very nice! |
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| May-20-15 | | CHESSTTCAMPS: Black has bishop+pawn for a knight and may feel good about his prospects with the advanced, protected passed pawn on c3. But there is a little back rank problem to deal with... 35.Qa3!!
A) 35... Qxa3? 36.Rxe8#
B) 35... Qb5|c6 (or c2) 36.Qf8+ forces mate.
C) 35... Rxd8 36.Qxa4 and black can't hang on to the passed pawns, e.g. 36...Rc8 37.Qd7 Ra8 38.Qc6 and c3 must fall. D) 35... Bd4+ 36.Kh2! (Kf1?? Qd1#) Be5+ 37.Ng3! (g3?? Qc2+ followed by 38... Rxd8) Bxg3+ 38.Kxg3 and black is out of tricks. Time for review... |
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| May-20-15 | | arun.pulak: black could have drawn by shuttling between a4 and c6...i feel |
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May-20-15
 | | Penguincw: 35.Qa3, and if black takes the queen, then white takes the rook. If black takes the rook, white takes the queen. Also, the queen is guarding d1, so there is no mate threat on d1. Seems easier than yesterday IMO. |
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| May-20-15 | | Sally Simpson: Like FSR I too checked out Check It Out's post from yesterday so no need to solve today. I have a day off. Check It Out is obviously the seventh son of a seventh son and is using his psychic powers to post solutions to the puzzles before they appear. Check It Out if you are reading this post six number between 1 and 49. I'll use them in the next UK lottery and split the winnings 50/50 - go for it. (and whilst you are here give us the solution to tomorrow's puzzle.) Thank You. |
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| May-20-15 | | patzer2: <CHESSTTCAMPS><C) 35... Rxd8 36.Qxa4 and black can't hang on to the passed pawns, e.g. 36...Rc8 37.Qd7 Ra8 38.Qc6 and c3 must fall> This clearly wins, but perhaps an even stronger alternative after 37...Ra8 is 38. Ng5! (diagram below):
click for larger viewHere, after 37...Ra8 38. Ng5!, Fritz 12 indicates play might continue 37...Kg8 38.Qe4 Rd8 39.Qxe5 h6 40.f6 gxf6 41.Qxf6 Rd1+ 42.Kh2 hxg5 43.Qxg5+ Kf8 44.Qxa5 Rd3 45.Qf5 c2 46.Qc8+ Kg7 47.Qxc2 Re3 48.Kg3 (+9.34 @ 22/52 depth). |
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| May-20-15 | | CHESSTTCAMPS: <patzer2> Nice. 38.Ng5 crossed my mind, but I didn't analyze it. |
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May-20-15
 | | kevin86: An odd sort of a finish: white wins queen for rook or mates. |
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| May-20-15 | | morfishine: Actually an X-Ray |
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| May-20-15 | | Longview: Had not seen this tactic of forcing a Rook:Queen exchange. Very nice and <Patzer2> well worth noting, it appears. Modest growth, day by day. |
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May-20-15
 | | Let The Wookiee Win: It is still a game if black plays 35... Qd4+! because the bishop finds a nice home at d4 and the pawn on the 7th makes it hard for white to activate. I think best play is: 35. Qa3 Qd4+!
36. Rxd4 Bxd4+
37. Kf1 c2
38. Nc3! Rc8
39. Ne2 Be5
40. Qxa5 Bf4
when black wins the knight for the passed pawn but white has enough to win. |
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May-20-15
 | | agb2002: <kelu: @agb2002: if d) 35... Bd4+ 36.Kh1? Qd1+ (and saves the game). 36.Kh2 is correct> You're right, thank you. I remember I discarded 36... Qd1+ because of 37.Rxd1, an illegal move! |
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May-20-15
| | agb2002: <patzer2
....
P.S.: <devere><agb2002> Thanks for the analysis of 35...Qd4+!>Thanks to you! |
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| May-20-15 | | devere: < Let The Wookiee Win: It is still a game if black plays 35... Qd4+! because the bishop finds a nice home at d4 and the pawn on the 7th makes it hard for white to activate. I think best play is: 35. Qa3 Qd4+!
36. Rxd4 Bxd4+
37. Kf1 c2
38. Nc3! Rc8
39. Ne2 Be5
40. Qxa5 Bf4
when black wins the knight for the passed pawn but white has enough to win.> 38. Nc3 allows 38... c1(Q) 39.Qxc1 Rc8 and White has no effective Queen move. This is much better for Black than the lines following 38.Nc5, since then if 38... c1(Q) 39.Qxc1 Rc8 White can play 40. Qc4 |
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| May-20-15 | | RandomVisitor: A critical point in this game is reached after 33.Rc3!? where black should have tried:
click for larger viewRybka 4.1 x64:
<[-1.34] d=23 33...Qd7> 34.Rc5 Qxf5 35.Nf2 Qe6 36.f4 Bf6 37.Rxa5 g6 38.Qd2 Kg7 39.Ra3 Qb6 40.Kh2 Re3 41.Qa2 Qe6 42.Qxe6 Rxe6 |
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| May-20-15 | | RandomVisitor: After 31...Re7 maybe white should try kingside pressure and attempt a drawish Rook and pawn endgame: 32.Nxf6 gxf6 then
click for larger viewRybka 4.1 x64:
<[+0.45] d=23 33.Qh6> Qc6 34.Rxd4 Rg8 35.Kh1 Qb6 36.Rh4 Rg7 37.Rg4 Rg8 38.Kh2 Ree8 39.Rd7 Rxg4 40.hxg4 Kg8 41.g5 Qb8+ 42.Kh3 Qb5 43.gxf6 Qxf5+ 44.Kh2 Qg6 45.Qe3 Rb8 46.Qf4 Qh5+ 47.Kg3 Qg6+ 48.Kh4 |
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May-20-15
 | | Check It Out: <Sally Simpson> Are you kidding? I'm saving those six numbers and taking 100%. If you send me 20 quid in the mail I'll cut you in for 10%. |
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| May-20-15 | | Sally Simpson: Hi Check It Out,
I knew you were going to say that. I must be psychic as well. The key move for Thursday's puzzle will be Ne6+
(Time stamp: it's 01:26 UK time) |
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May-20-15
 | | gawain: I saw 35 Qa3 (deflecting the Black queen) right away, but I worried about 35... Qd1+. I didn't notice at first (or at second or even at third) that the White rook was all over that. Embarrassing. |
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| May-21-15 | | TheBish: Matulovic vs Hecht, 1965 White to play (35.?) "Medium/Easy"
The key to finding the crushing move in this position is noticing that Black's back rank is very weak, with his queen barely holding things together by defending against Rxe8#. Can we somehow deflect Black's queen? White can afford to pay a high price, including giving away his queen, if it results in checkmate. After a little looking and analyzing, the answer to the previous question becomes apparent -- yes! 35. Qa3!! Bd4+
Black's best try, since all queen moves along the a4-e8 diagonal are answered by 36. Qf8+! with an X-ray attack resulting in a mate in 2; all other moves result in mate or serious material loss, such as 35...Rxd8 36. Qxa4 or 35...Qd4+ 36. Rxd4 Bxd4+ 37. Kf1. 36. Kh2!
But not 36. Kf1?? or 36. Kh1??, after which the answer would be 36...Qd1+ followed by 37...Rxd8 with an easy win for Black. 36...Be5+ 37. Kh1!
(but not 37. g3?? Qc2+) and now Black no longer has the d1 square for a queen check, as the d8 rook can now "see" it with Black's bishop no longer blocking the d-file. Black should resign here. |
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May-21-15
| | Let The Wookiee Win: <devere> Good point. 38. Nc5 is much better, though I still think Black's best drawing chance is to trade minor pieces and keep the c-pawn. |
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Kibitzing
sac: 33.Rc3