| Apr-28-13 | | pauldo: Got 27. ... Bxf4 noting the back rank weakness that the black queen can exploit. |
|
| Apr-28-13 | | Gilmoy: <21.c3> without ever getting g4 was too much pain for the pawn up. Maybe just bite the bullet and return it with 20.Bd3? The immediate <19..Bf5> 20.g4 Bxc2 hangs Bf4: 21.Be5 Qc6. On almost anything else, e.g. 20.Be5 Qc6 and White has problems on both colors. Maybe a deep positional trap in the trade-down line: winning "weak" d5 actually hurts White by accelerating Black's counterattack. With your king on c1 and heavy pieces afoot, you probably don't want all three of his b-c-d pawns. The dragon's tongue already sniffs b2, and White's Bs are never as good. |
|
| Apr-28-13 | | diagonalley: 27 ...BxP ...fabulous move - (i looked at it fleetingly but failed to perceive the dual threat the black queen posed) |
|
| Apr-28-13 | | xthred: I got the first move. |
|
| Apr-28-13 | | goodevans: Focused in on the key move within 10 seconds and had it pretty much worked out within 2 or 3 minutes. Is it my imagination or have the puzzles at the end of this week been a bit simpler than usual? |
|
| Apr-28-13 | | Abdel Irada: <<•> You pays your money... <•>> This puzzle is of the variety in which the key move is so intuitive that it lunges from the board and buries its fangs in your visual cortex. Black knocks his opponent's fedora off with
<<•> 27. ...Bxf4! >. The positional justification for this sacrifice is the overwork of not one but two White pieces: the queen on a4 and the bishop on d2. All this is possible because the white queenside has been compromised by the pawn on c3, and because the black queen is powerfully centralized on d5. I note in passing that the sacrifice pins the bishop on d2, threatening material gain with 28. ...Qh1†, since the rook can no longer interpose on e1. White has three germane replies.
< (1) 28. Bxf4?, Qh1†  > This is *one* way the queen can invade. Black mates in two. < (2) 28. Qxf4, Qxa2 > And this is the other. Now White will have to give up decisive material to avoid mate. < (3) 28. Re8†, Kg7 > Again there are three choices.
< (3.1) 29. Bxf4?, Qh1† > Black mates in one.
< (3.2) 29. Qxf4, Rxe8 > This is not an immediate win, but the advantage of the exchange should suffice in this position, given Black's many threats. < (3.3) 29. Rxd8, Bxd2†
30. Kd1, Qxd8 >
Black is a piece ahead.
This puzzle does not strike me as of "insane" difficulty, but perhaps I've overlooked some surprising (to me, at any rate) resource. ∞ |
|
| Apr-28-13 | | morfishine: <27....Bxf4 28.Qxf4 Qxa2> Looks winning |
|
Apr-28-13
 | | agb2002: Black is a pawn down.
White would probably try to simplify with 28.Re8+.
The white queen protects a2 and the dark square bishop prevents Qh1+ followed by mate. This suggests 27... Bxf4: A) 28.Bxf4 Qh1+ and mate in two.
B) 28.Qxf4 Qxa2 29.Re4 (29.Kd1 Qa(b)1#) 29... Bxe4 30.Qxe4 Qxa3 - + [R vs B]. C) 28.Re8+ Kg7 29.Rxd8 (29.Qd4+ Qxd4 30.cxd4 Bxd2+ 31.Kxd2 Rxe8 - + [R]) 29... Bxd2+ 30.Kd1 Qxd8 - + [B]. D) 28.Qd4 Qh1+ 29.Re1 Qxe1#.
E) 28.Qe8+ Rxe8 29.Rxe8+ Kg7 30.Bxf4 Qc6 31.Be5+ f6 32.Re7+ Kf8 wins more material. |
|
| Apr-28-13 | | engmaged: This has been a game where "sac, sac, mate" formula did not work with the dragon. White did not try maybe!. Pawn storm on kingside was not even issued by white and it makes me wonder why? anyway nice finishing by black with 27....Bxf4. the complications after the zwischenzug check 28.Re8+ is what has spiced things up.
I think white in the end can not do anything about the threat 32... Bh3 or Bd3 |
|
| Apr-28-13 | | James D Flynn: Black is down a pawn but his pieces are well placed to attack the White K and White’s back rank appears weak. The immediate 27…..Qh1+ is met by 28.Re1(not Be1 Qf3 29.Rf2 Bxf4+ 30.Qxf4 Qd1#) Qxh2 31.Re8+ Re8 32.Qxe8+ Kg7 33.Bc4 Qh1+ 34.Be1 (if Qe1 Qxe1+ 35.Bxe1 Bxf4+ and Black is a pawn up for the endgame) Qb7 35.Qe5+ f6 36.Qd6 now the endgame is better for White since pawns are equal and the Black Q is tied to the defense of the 7th rank. However this illustrates the importance of the White Q’s defensive position and the resource 31.Re8+ in holding his defense. If the White Q could be enticed away from a4 that resource would not be available,
27…..Bxf4 28.Qxf4(not Bxf4 Qh1+ 29. Re1 Qxe1+ Qd1 Rxd1#) Qxa2 29.Qxf5(the only defense to the threat of Qb1#) gxf5 30.Rg2+ Kh8 31.Bb5 Rb8 32.c4 a6 33.Bd7 Qxb2+ 34.Kd1 Qb1+ 35.Ke2(if Bc1 Rd8 wins the B on d7 and White has a Q for a B) Qe4+ 36.Kf2 Rb2 36.Kf1 Qd3+ 37.Ke1 Qxd7 and Black has a Q for a B with an easily won endgame. |
|
| Apr-28-13 | | vinidivici: The first move is so easy. You just need to calculate that after 27...Bxf4, 1.taking the bishop (28.Bxf4) is impossible due to 28...Qh1+
2.taking the bishop with queen also imbecile (Qxf4) because 28...Qxa2 3.Now whats left is 28.Re8+, taking the rook (Rxe8) means after queen taking back the rook and check after king retreat you will lose your bishop and after you lose the bishop, you can keep checking the king but i stop the analyses here because the white bishop can always protect the opponent king, because this is the move to win, so this line becomes nonsense. So whats left is not to take the rook , after king retreat, white still has the checkmate threats by the queen and 2 companions (f4 bishop and d8 rook). White cannot take the rook because the intermezzo Bxd2+ (white lose his bishop) and Qxd8 (white lose the rook). whats left is white taking the bishop with queen, this means black wins the exchange bishop for rook. I stop the calculation here. So the first move is easy and the rest is medium...i think. By the way, to render whats in your thought to the writings in the board is not easy as you think. I just put my thoughts here so i didnt use the notations here because its quick and i dont need the notations . |
|
| Apr-28-13 | | Patriot: White is up a pawn. White threatens exchanging down by 28.Re8+. 27...Bxf4 looks insane, but I don't see a refutation. 28.Bxf4 Qh1+
28.Qxf4 Qxa2, threatening mate in one.
28.Re8+ Kg7 29.Rxd8 Bxd2+ 30.Kd1 Qxd8
28.Re8+ Kg7 29.Qd4+ Qxd4 30.cxd4 Bxd2+ 31.Kxd2 Rxe8 28.c4 Bxd2+
I'm not sure what else black can muster. |
|
| Apr-28-13 | | snakebyt: Qh1+ or Bxf4 to clear out that pesky pawn and bait blkB and Q. After this Qh1+ but the wht R to e8+ is a distraction. I wasn't able to solve definitively. Pretty tough for me. |
|
| Apr-28-13 | | snakebyt: P.S., As always, I really enjoy reading the expert analysis and I learn a lot from that. Thanks! |
|
| Apr-28-13 | | Patriot: It's great that some of you thought 27...Bxf4 was very easy to find. To me it looked like a simple counting mistake until I began investigating it further. But taking that move seriously, took more time than actually working out what happens afterward. I have no problem admitting I only found 27...Bxf4 because it's a puzzle. During a game with limited time, I probably would have tried 27...Qh1+, trying to win h2. The question is, would you have seen this during a long time control? Just knowing it's a puzzle lures us to keep searching until we find the winning move. But during a real game, how do you know there is a winning move? What would trigger you to switch into "puzzle mode" and search until the winning move is found? That's the key, and I have to give Fedorov a lot of credit for finding this while the clock is ticking. |
|
| Apr-28-13 | | stst: Sunday insane, of course this is a very hidden one...Try several approaches:
(A)27...Qh1+
(A1)28.Qd1 Qxd1, 29.Kxd1 Bg4, 30.Ke1 Bxe2, 31.Bxe2... Black got some material advantage
(A2)28.Re1 Qxh2, 29.Re2 Qg1+, 30.Re1 Qf2, 31.Re2... not much advantage
(B)27.....Bd7 to harass the Q, not much...
(C)27....Bxf4 to divert the Q
28.Qxf4 Qxa2, 29.Kd1 Qb3, 30.Ke1 Qxb2, 31.Kf2 Qb6+, 32.Kf1 Qxa6 ... Black got some space and material advantage...
see what the real game goes... |
|
| Apr-28-13 | | stst: Oh, couldn't agree with White's 28.Re8+, this would exchange in disadvantage for White, as the game actually shows....Think that if White concentrates more on defense first, it's hanging tighter.... |
|
| Apr-28-13 | | stst: <But during a real game, how do you know there is a winning move? What would trigger you to switch into "puzzle mode" and search until the winning move is found? >
That's what differentiates GM's from amateurs, when roughly for a GM game, after move around 15~20, every move presents a "problem-like" situation where the GM has to quickly identify the best course, and calculates the aftermath. Every move would present a problem as well as opportunity. It's not uncommon even in GM play, we find some best opportunities have been squandered, esp. in tight time controls. |
|
| Apr-28-13 | | LIFE Master AJ: Cool game, nice finish ...
not as difficult as some Sundays, I think. |
|
| Apr-28-13 | | M.Hassan: "Insane"
Black to play 27...?
Black is a pawn down.
27...........Bxf4!
<if 28.Bxf4 Qh1+ 29.Re1 Qxe1+ 30.Qd1 Qxd1#> <if 28.Qxf4 Qxa2 29.Bd3 Qa1+ 30.Kc2 Bxd3+ 31.Kb3 Bxe2 and White unergoes heavy losses> 28.Re8+ Kg7
29.Qxf4 Rxe8
30.Qd4+ Qxd4
31.cxd4
Black has better pawn formation and is stronger and should win the endgame |
|
May-07-17
 | | plang: <engmaged: This has been a game where "sac, sac, mate" formula did not work with the dragon. White did not try maybe!. Pawn storm on kingside was not even issued by white and it makes me wonder why?> 9 0-0-0 invites the gambit ..d5 where Black gets an attack for a pawn. If White wants to attack then perhaps 9 Bc4 is the line to choose. Five months earlier Fedorov had lost twice at Polanica Zdroj 2000 against Movsesian and Ivanchuk playing 14..Qb7; here he varied with 124..Qb8. 16 Ba3 was a new move; 16 Bd4 had been played previously. 20 Rxd8?! gave up the open file; Fedorov recommended 20 Bc4..Rxd1+ 21 Rxd1..Rc8 22 Bb3..Qc6 23 Rd2..e6 24 Qxa7..Qxf3 with Black having play for the pawn. 21 c3? was a positional blunder fatally weakening the king's position; 21 Bc4 was better. Fedorov missed a quicker win with 24..Rd6 25 Bf1..Qd5 26 Re2..Qd3. 27 Re8+ would have been a better defense avoiding Fedorov's shot 27..Bxf4! though Black still would have been clearly better. |
|
| May-07-17 | | ChessHigherCat: I thought 22...Bh6 was pretty amazing. If 23 Bhx6, the all-devouring she-wolf descends to f2, threatening mate on c2 and general mayhem. |
|
Kibitzing
sac: 27...Bxf4