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| Mar-15-09 | | CHESSTTCAMPS: I'm afraid I can't end my Sunday slump.
This position is similar to yesterday's puzzle, where black has not moved rook and bishop on one wing. The difference is that in yesterday's puzzle, material was "even", whereas here, black is a minor piece ahead. However, white's pawn on f6 is demonstrably worth at least a minor piece in some continuations. The mating combinations that are possible with a queen and advanced pawn operating against a weakened castled position are quite familiar to experienced players. If white can get rid of the annoying black queen, the only king-side defender, the white queen will have a field day. My principle candidate was 20.R1f3 with the idea:
20.R1f3 Nxd4? 21.Rh3! Nxb3 22.Qd3+!
A useful gain of tempo to allow the queen access to h3. If now: A. 22... g6 23.Rxh6+ Kxh6 24.Qe3+! Kh7 (24...g5 25.Qh3+ Kg6 25.Kh5#) 25.Qh3+ Kg8 26.Qh6 and mate next move. B. 22... Kg8 (or Kh8) 23.Qh3 Kh7 24.g5 Kg6 25.Qxh6+ Kf5 26.Qxf8 Nd2 27.Qxf7 Nf3+ 28.Kf2 Nxe5 (virtually all forced to this 29.Qg7 Bd7 30.f7 Ng6 31.Qf6+ and black can resign, because the deadly f and g pawns will cost at least two pieces to stop. So it's clear that black has no chance after 20.R1f3 Nxd4 if white continues correctly. The analysis so far, I finished pretty quickly. Then I got stuck. Black has been far too cooperative by swapping off white's bishop and allowing the win of his queen. My recent misses have happened because I failed to consider the best defensive candidate. What about other candidates such as 20...Qg6? At first I didn't see a convincing continuation and I was ready to give up on 20.R1f3. I started to investigate the alternative candidate 20.fxg7 (with the idea of getting a rook to f6), but I didn't get anywhere. Then I came back to 20.R1c3 and I saw the potential of 20...Qg6 21.Rh3+ Kg8 22.g5!, a possibility that had crossed my mind earlier. Examining the alternative defensive candidates in turn: C. 20...Qg6 21.Rh3+ Kg8 22.g5
The threat is 23.Qh5! Qxh5 24.Rxh5 Nxd4 25.R3h3 and black can't stop mate. So now: C.1 22...Qxg5+ 23.Rbg3 Qxg3+ (23..Qxd4+ 24.Qxd4 Nxd4 25.Rxg7#) 24.hxg3 Nxd4 (or ...g6 25.Qd2 followed by Qh6) 25.Qxd4 and it's obvious there no defense against a quick mate. C.2 22... Qe4 23.Qh5! Qe1+ (25... Qxd4+ 24.Rbe3! and black can delay but not stop mate) 24.Kg2 Qd2+ 25.Bf2 Qe4+ 26.Rbc3 and black is out of useful checks. C.3 22... Nxd4! 23.Qxd4 Qxg5+ 24.Rhg3 (to keep the b-rook to defend checks at b1) Qc1+ 25.Kg2 Qxc2+ 26.Qf2 Qe4+ (... Qxf2+? 27.Kxf2 g6 28.Rg4 Bd7 29.Rh3 Rac8 30.Rgh4 and black has a few checks but can't stop mate on h8) 27.Kg1 stops the checks, but I still can't find a clear win after 27...g6. I think I'll throw in the towel - I suspect the right move is an immediate 20.g5, but my brain is too numb to work it out. A challenging and interesting set of puzzles this week. |
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| Mar-15-09 | | stukkenjager: 20.g5 Qg6
[20... Qh4 21. Bf2! Qxg5+ 22.Rg3)
20... Qxg5+ 21. Rg3!)]
21. Rh3+ Kg8 22.Qg4!! checkmate coming up, crushing!
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| Mar-15-09 | | CHESSTTCAMPS: <<agb2002> Black is a knight ahead but his king is not very safe. Trying to pin the royalty with 20.Rff3 seems too slow: 20... Nxd4 21.Qxd4 (21.Rh3 Nxb3 22.Rxh6+ gxh6 23.axb3 Rg8) Qc1+.> In your parenthesized note, I believe that the finesse 22.Qd3+! (instead of 22.Rxh6+) wins for white. However, I believe that your general assessment (that it's too slow) is correct. Against the defense 20.... Qg6 it seems to lose a tempo versus the text. See my initial post. |
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| Mar-15-09 | | zb2cr: I'm sort of in the same boat as <dzechiel>; I found 20. g5, Qg6; 21. Rh3+, Kg8; 22. Qg4, but I thought 22. ... exf6 won. As <Manic> points out, this is not true. |
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| Mar-15-09 | | outplayer: An open file has a great worth. I saw 20.g5 but I didn't came up with Bologan's plan of occupying the h-file. In the final position all his major pieces have been placed there. |
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| Mar-15-09 | | outplayer: Sorry. I should have said "I didn't come up..." |
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| Dec-14-10 | | mastermind7994: To what it was threatened as a mate it trapped the queen. Very nice indeed. |
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| May-26-23 | | Mayankk: I wanted to play 20 fxg7 Kxg7 21 g5, as Qxg5 is not possible now due to the threat of 22 Rg3 skewer. It could continue as 21 ... Qh4 22 Bf2 etc. when White will continue to chase the Black Queen around. and wait for the right moment to align the Rooks and Queen on the open f file. Also the f2 Bishop can be positioned at g3 where it will be safe from any threats from the Black Knight. I didn't even think of the idea to start with 20 g3. |
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| May-26-23 | | pauldo: What about 18...Rh8 |
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| May-26-23 | | mel gibson: I didn't see this one today either.
Stockfish 15 says:
20. g5 !
(20. g5 (g4-g5 g7-g6 g5xh6 Rf8-g8 h2-h4 Bc8-d7 Bd4-b2 Ra8-d8 Rb3-g3 Bd7-e8 h4-h5 Rd8-d7 Qd1-e1 d5-d4 Qe1-e4
Nc6-a5 Bb2xd4 Na5-c4 Rf1-f2 Nc4-a5 Kg1-h2 Na5-c6 Bd4-e3 Nc6-d8 Be3-b6
Nd8-c6 c2-c4 Nc6-b4 Bb6-c5 Nb4-c6 Bc5-d6 a6-a5 Bd6-c5 Rd7-c7 Bc5-e3 Rc7-d7
Be3-b6 a5-a4 Bb6-c5 Rd7-c7 Bc5-d6 Rc7-d7 Rg3-g5 Nc6-a5 c4-c5 Na5-c6 Rg5-g3
Nc6-a5 Rf2-f4 Na5-c6 Rf4-h4 Nc6-a7 Qe4-b1 Na7-c6 Rg3-g2 Rd7xd6 h5xg6+
Rg8xg6 Rg2xg6 f7xg6 e5xd6) +12.00/41 1266)
score for White +12.00 depth 41. |
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| May-26-23 | | Brenin: 20 g5 forces 20 ... Qg6 (Qxg5+ 21 Rg3 is even worse), giving White the opportunity for 21 Rh3+ followed by Qg4 and Qh4 with lethal threats of mate along the h-file. |
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| May-26-23 | | Brenin: 20 fxg7 looks tempting, but after 20 ... Kxg7 21 Rf6 Qh4 White's attack is losing momentum, e.g. 22 Bf2 Qg5 23 h4 Qxe4. |
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| May-26-23 | | jrredfield: It took a while but eventually I saw 20 g5. If 20 ... Qxg5, then White can pin the queen as it is essentially trapped. Doesn't really matter, because there's nothing I can see that will save Black's queen. If 20 ... Qg4 then 21 Bf2 Qh6 22 gxh6. If after 21 Bf2, Black moves the queen off of the h file (e.g. 21 ... Qf4) then White can end it quickly with the queen and rook attacking Black's king on the h file. 18 ... Nc6? loses. Black would have survived and even had a bit of an edge perhaps with 18 ... Rh8. |
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| May-26-23 | | jrredfield: As <pauldo> mentioned. |
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May-26-23
 | | agb2002: White is one knight down.
The open h-file suggests the maneuver g5-Rh3-Qg4-Qh4 the create a mating attack, so 20.g5: A) 20... Qxg5+ 21.Rg3
A.1) 21... Qh6 22.fxg7 Rg8 23.Qd3+ Qg6 24.Rxg6 is winning. A.2) 21... Qh4 22.Rf4 Qh6 (22... Qxf4 23.Qh5+ Kg8 24.Rxg7#) 23.Qd3+, followed by Rh3, is winning. B) 20... Qg6 21.Rh3+ Kg8 22.Qg4
B.1) 22... Nxd4 23.Qh4 Ne2+ 24.Kf2 (24.Kh1 Qe4+) 24... Qf5+ 25.Ke1 is winning. For example 25... Qxh3 26.Qxh3 Nd4 27.fxg7 Kxg7 28.Qh6+ Kg8 29.g6 fxg6 30.Rxf8#. B.2) 22... Qe4 23.Qh5 Qxd4+ 24.Rf2 wins.
B.3) 22... gxf6 23.Qh4 Qxg5+ (23... Qg7 24.exf6) 24.Rg3 wins decisive material. C) 20... Qh4 21.Bf2 Qxg5+ (21... Qf4 22.Qh5+ Kg8 23.Rh3 wins) 22.Rg3 looks similar to A. |
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| May-26-23 | | JohnTal: No Baloney here - forceful and bold. With Black's K confined and White's ability to rapidly bring his Rooks and Q on the H-file spelled an easy W for VB. |
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May-26-23
 | | scormus: I looked at 20 g5 ( ... Qxg5 21 Rg3) and 20 fxg7 (Kxg7 21 Rf6) and picked the wrong one.
OK, I was finding it rather tricky with the possibility of .... Nxd4 to think about. I'll console myself with the fact that if it had been 21 W to play, I'd have got it all. Then again, in that case it wouldn't have been Friday level ;) |
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May-26-23
 | | Dohboy: I think that 23.Qh4 wins faster. |
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May-26-23
 | | chrisowen: Rub pq view its gack in g5 its fluff finish ablush latch its gem g5 lab; |
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May-26-23
 | | eternaloptimist: I chose 22.♖f4 instead of ♕g4 as <johnlspouge> mentioned & it wins easily also. I’m happy that I found a winning line b/c 20.♙g5! is not an easy move to find! |
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May-26-23
 | | Breunor: Normally three stars is too hard for me, but I got this one - maybe helped by ‘looking for something’. After seeing 20 g5 play is pretty intuitive. |
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| May-26-23 | | Brenin: Schloss is German for castle, so Schlosser should mean castler, not a bad name for a chess player (though in fact it means locksmith), especially since Phillipp means lover pf horses, and you have to move a horse in order to castle. Victor, of course, appropriately means winner, but make what you will of the fact that Bologan is apparently Romanian for Bolognese. |
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| May-26-23 | | King.Arthur.Brazil: I must confess that I'm not with good mind to face the difficult potd. I'm wondering if it is 20. Rf5 because moves like gxf6 21. Rh5 win our enemy's ♕ that I love it. But, the simple ... g6 stops this threat easily. I really didn't find anything promissing today. |
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| May-27-23 | | Allderdice83: < Dohboy: I think that 23.Qh4 wins faster.> I agree. After 20. g5 Qg6 21. Rh3+ Kg8 22. Qg4 gxf6, I had 23. Qh4. There are only two defenses to the thresat of 24. Qh8#: 23 ... Qg7 or 23 ... Qxg5+. 23 ... Qg7 24. exf6 wins immediately.
23 ... Qxg5+ 24. Rg3! and now,
24 ... Qxg3+ 25. Qxg3+Kh7 26. Qh4+ Kg8 27. exf6 and Black is defenseless, eg., 27 ... Ne5 28. Qh6 and 29. Qg7#or
27 ... Nxd4 28. Qg5+ (not 28. Qh6? Nf5) Kh6 29. Qh6+ Kg8 30. Qg7# or,
24 ... Nxd4 25. Rxg5+ fxg5 26. Qxg5+ Kh7 27. Qh5+ Kg7 28. Rf2 and 28 ... Rd8 29. Rxf7+ Kg8 30. Qh7, or
28 ... Nf5 29. Rg2+ Ng7 30. Qh6 and 31. Qxg7# |
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| May-27-23 | | Allderdice83: Above, after 27 ... Nxd4 28. Qg5+, that should be Kh8 or Kh7, not Kh6, and then White has 29. Qg7# |
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Kibitzing
sac: 16.Bxh7+