| Jan-19-13 | | Gregor Samsa Mendel: I got this one, which means that it is unusually easy for a Saturday puzzle. |
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| Jan-19-13 | | nottogoodabeginner: I don't know how anyone can get this puzzle to the very end. I don't see that all of whites moves were forced so how can you know for sure ahead of time what white would do? |
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| Jan-19-13 | | rilkefan: Got this immediately, probably missing some subtlety that makes it hard. The fact that white can't defend the knight by taking on d4 due to ...Nxe2+ isn't Saturday level, nor is the fact that the knight can't move for the same reason. |
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Jan-19-13
 | | Sneaky: As if often is with these weekend puzzles, the real challenge is not so much finding the favorable variation, but it's convincing yourself that you're not overlooking something far more spectacular and forcing. |
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Jan-19-13
 | | LoveThatJoker: <21...R5xc5! 22. Bxc5> [22. Ne5 (say) 22...Nxe2+ 24. Rxe2 (24. Kf1 Nxc1 25. Bxc5 Bb5+ 26. Ke1 Rxc5  ) 24...Rxc1+ 25. Bf1 Bb5 ] <22...Rxc5 23. Nb2 Nxe2+ 24. Rxe2 Bf1 25. Bb5> LTJ |
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Jan-19-13
 | | al wazir: 21...Rxc5 22. Bxc5 Rxc5 wasn't hard to find (it's the only tactical maneuver available to black), but I had no idea what white's next move would be. |
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| Jan-19-13 | | dfcx: I can see until move 22.
21...Rbxc5,
22. Bxc5 Rxc5
what if white play
23. Nd6!? Nxe2+
24. Rxe2 Rxc1+
25. Bf1
Black to play 25...? 
click for larger view
Black is only a pawn ahead. |
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| Jan-19-13 | | sfm: <nottogoodabeginner: I don't know how anyone can get this puzzle to the very end.> You are right, nobody can.
All the Puzzle Of The Day asks you to do is to find the strongest move. If you also looked at the strongest replies and worked out the right answer to those, then you have truly "solved it". Sometimes there is a critical variation that we should work out to really say we saw enough. Usually, the POTD has a winning move - or a drawing move from a difficult position - but sometimes it has turned out that such a move was not even there. In this way, POTD is more real-chess like, than some other positions where it says "White to move and win" or " - draw", and there is a clear way to achieve this. Enjoy - and look forward to the day where your chosen name is completely misplaced! |
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Jan-19-13
 | | scormus: <Sneaky: As if often is with these weekend puzzles, the real challenge is not so much finding the favorable variation, but it's convincing yourself that you're not overlooking something far more spectacular and forcing.>
How very true! When I reached 24 B to play I felt something extra was expected, like .... Nxe7+ 25 Rxe7 Rc1+ but that doesn't work |
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| Jan-19-13 | | Abdel Irada: <<•>File under "C"<•>> This is a strange position: a queenless middlegame with pieces scattered all over the lot. In such situations, it is natural to look for tactics, and here we immediately note one important point: e2 is weak, and if the knight on c3 could reach that square without being captured — or with a discovered attack — it could win the rook on c1 by a fork. But can this be brought to pass, and if so, how? Well, it appears that White Dzagged when he should have Dzigged, because the loose knight on c4 (notice how many of these key squares happen to be on the c-file?) invites exploitation. Black begins with a temporary exchange sac:
<<•>21. ...R5xc5!> It looks logical to accept this, but what if White doesn't? <(1) 22. Ne5?!...>
If the attacked knight is going to move, it may as well go to an active square; on b2 it does exactly nothing. <22. ...Nxe2†
23. Rxe2, Rxc1†
24. Bf1, Bb5 >
Already the exchange ahead, Black will now win another piece. And since there are no better squares for the knight and no other choice than to move it if White refuses the exchange, we may conclude that refusing the sac is untenable. Back to the main line.
<<•>(2) 22. Bxc5, Rxc5> Now White has the exchange for a pawn, but he is back to the same quandary: The knight is hanging, and moving it loses back the exchange with interest. Alternatives to consider, beginning with what I will call the main line because it seems to offer the strongest resistance: <<•>(2.1) 23. Nd6, Nxe2†24. Rxe2, Rxc1†
25. Bf1, e5! >
click for larger view[The position after 25. ...e5!]
I evaluate Black's position as winning. He's "only" a pawn ahead, but his threat of 26. ...Bh3 is hard to meet, and by the time White disentangles, Black will put his passed d-pawn to good use or win the a-pawn and start another passed pawn on its way. <(2.2) 23. Nb2?, Nxe2†
24. Rxe2, Rxc1†
25. Bf1, Bb5 >
This is an easy win, since White's knight on b2 does nothing to stop the deadly pin. <(2.3) 23. Ne3?, dxe3
24. Rdc2 ...>
Others: (a) 24. Rxd7?, Nxe2† 25. Kf1, Rxc1† 26. Kxe2, Nxd7 . (b) 24. Rxc3??, exd2 . <24. ...Nxe2†
25. Kf1, Rxc2
26. Rxc2, Nd4
27. Rb2, e2†
28. Ke1, Bb5 >
With two knights and a defended passed pawn on the seventh for a rook, Black's task is not hard. <(2.4) 23. Rxd4?, Nxe2†
24. Kf1, Nxd4 >
Black is a full piece to the good, and the continuing pin on the c-file is ominous for White. |
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| Jan-19-13 | | Abdel Irada: N.B.: For "he" and "his" read "she" and "her" respectively throughout. |
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| Jan-19-13 | | cyclon: What comes to my mind relatively soon in today's puzzle is actually quite practical 'small swing' ; 21. -Rbxc5 ( threatens simply 22. -Rxc4 and if Knight moves away, comes 22. -Nxe2+ winning. Also 22. Rxd4?? Nxe2+, or 22. Rxc3?? dxc3 both wins. ) 22. Bxc5 ( so, this is practically forced. ) 22. -Rxc5 and NOW, because Knight cannot move away, whatever reasonable move White plays follows 23. -Rxc4 by Black having slight material plus and better game in general which is already enough to justify this continuation as a plausible one - Black clearly plays for win here. Still, there may be something else. I wouldn't , however, extend cufflinks for Black because there's still game left. |
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| Jan-19-13 | | agb2002: Black has a bishop and a knight for the bishop pair and a pawn. The rook on c1 and the white knight are defenseless and aligned on the c-file. This suggests 21... Rbxc5: A) 22.Bxc5 Rxc5
A.1) 23.Rxd4 Nxe2+ and 24... Nxd4 - +.
A.2) 23.Nd6 Nxe2+ 24.Rxe2 Rxc1+ 25.Bf1 e5 26.Kg2 Bc6+ 27.Kg1 A.2.a) 27.f3 Bxf3+ 28.Kxf3 Rxf1+ 29.Kg2 Ra1 30.Rxe5 Rxa3 - + [2P] (31.Re8+ Nxe8). A.2.b) 27... e4 looks bad for White.
A.3) 23.Nb2 Nxe2+ is similar to A.2.
B) 22.Nb2 Nxe2+, etc. |
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| Jan-19-13 | | morfishine: White is up a pawn, threatening a favorable liquidation starting with Be7 followed by Nd6
winning an exchange. Black's active pieces compensate for the pawn. For now, Black's d-pawn
is taboo due to Nxe2+ winning a rook. There's only one check Nxe2+ which seems premature. Moving onto Capture Candidates, there is also only one Rxc5, recovering the pawn at the cost of
an exchange. The question is which rook?
I don't see any striking move candidates
(1) <21...Rcxc5> Keeps a rook on the b-file preventing Bb7 <22.Bxc5 Rxc5> Now, the White Knight has only one safe square d6
click for larger view<23.Rxc3 dxc3 24.Rc2 Rxc4> Black has won a piece; or 23.Nd6 Nxe2+ 24.Rxe2 Rxc1+ 25.Bf1 e5 with the huge threat 26...Bh3 (2) <21...Rbxc5> If now 22.Bb7, then <22...Rxc4 23.Bxc8 Rxc8> and Black has won a piece **********
PM: I had the right idea, and it turns out it doesn't appear to matter which rook captures on c5;
Also, there's no realistic way I could've visualized all the way through move 47! :) |
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| Jan-19-13 | | morfishine: <dfcx> Black continues 25...e5 threatening 26...Bh3 |
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| Jan-19-13 | | mistreaver: Saturday.Black to play. 21.?Very difficult.
Again we have a real mess at the board. If i were to evaluate this position on sight i would
claim that white is better but then again...
So let's see. Some motiffs are the vulnerability of the rook on c1 due to fork at e2, but
for that black would have to distract the rook from e2.And also the vulnerability of white's first rank
if black can gat his Lsb on h3.
So let's try:
a) 21... e5. The idea is to open the diagonal for the bishop.
White has two recaptures
22 Nxe5 d3(with the threat of Nxe2+)
23 Nxd7 Nxe2+
24 Rxe2 dxe2
25 Nxf6+ gxf6
26 Re1 and black loses, i would say
b)perhaps a different move order
21 ... d3
22 Rxc3 Rc1+
23Bf1 e5
24 Kg2 Ne4
25 Rxe2 Nxc3
and it seems to me that black is much better here
Time to check.
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Not even close, in my second variation, instead of Kg2, Rcxd3 wins for white. Zero for today,3.25/6 this week. I hardly even considered the exchange sacrifice, i looked for it only for a brief moment. |
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| Jan-19-13 | | whiteshark: <al wazir: 21...Rxc5 22. Bxc5 Rxc5 wasn't hard to find (it's the only tactical maneuver available to black), but I had no idea what white's next move would be.> I'm afraid I agree to it. <23. Nb2 Nxe2+ 24. Rxe2 Bf1 25. Bb5> wins a piece. |
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| Jan-19-13 | | Patriot: White is up a pawn and has the bishop pair.
Looking at checks, captures, and threats there is one move that makes sense due to the x-ray of the c8-rook through to c1. 21...Rbxc5
22.Bxc5 Rxc5 (threatening the knight)
23.Rxd4 Nxe2+ 24.Kf1 Nxd4
23.Nd6 Nxe2+ 24.Rxe2 Rxc1+
23.Rxc3 dxc3 24.Rc2 Rxc4
Going back to move 22, I don't see anything for white. I don't see what else white can do. |
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| Jan-19-13 | | snakebyt: 21...Nce4 is what I chose in hopes that I could persuade Be6 away from there. A fork seemed a good idea but then Bg2 takes and it's off to the races. It is a long drawn out chase either way. I am thinking about lining up blk rooks down the bfile and freeing up the Bishop line to pressure Pg3. |
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| Jan-19-13 | | Patriot: <morf> <(1) <21...Rcxc5> Keeps a rook on the b-file preventing Bb7> There's a move I should have considered after going back to move 22! On 21...Rcxc5, 22.a4 is another possibility besides 22.Bxc5. |
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| Jan-19-13 | | Marmot PFL: Black takes twice on c5 (otherwise white is just better/winning) then if Nc4 moves Ne2+ and Rxc1. If that's basically all there is I think there were harder problems earlier in the week. |
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| Jan-19-13 | | David2009: N Dzagnidze vs G Mammadova, 2012 Black 21...? Level material and at first sight White seems OK. Since this is a Saturday puzzle, I look for forcing moves (always worthwhile according to
<Patriot> who develops this and other principles in his on-going correspondence with <Morf> which can be browsed by visiting their forums). I reject 21...d3 which jettisons a Pawn
to exd3 and analyse 21...Rbxc5 sacrificing the Exchange for a Pawn. After 22.Bxc5 Rxc5 Black's pieces on the c file have all sprung to life:
the immediate threat is Rxc4 and if 23.Nd6 Nxe2+ 24.Rxe2 Rxc1+ 25.Bf1 e5 and the threat of Bh3 is most unpleasant. If White tries 222.Ne5 then
22....Nxc2+ wins quickly. I suspect I have missed a good White defence. Time to
check:
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Got much of it. Here's the position with White to play her 21st move:
click for larger view
linked to Crafty End Game Trainer: http://www.chessvideos.tv/endgame-t.... It is surprisingly difficult to defend the diagram position as White: 21.Rc1 runs into the same debacle as the game, whilst 21.Re1 runs into
21...Ne4 which seems to win material. This leaves 21.Rc2 when Nfe4 leaves White under pressure. Chapeau to any one who can pilot White to a draw against the EGT! |
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| Jan-20-13 | | M.Hassan: "Very Difficult"
Balck to play 21...?
Black is a pawn down.
First tried 21...Rb1 and did not gain anything out of this line, then tried the following: 21............Rxc5
22.Bxc5 Rxc5
23.Nb2 Nxe2+
24.Rxe2 Rxc1+
25.Kg2
Black managed to get two pawns and is a pawn ahead now. Continuation will be lengthy.
Time to check |
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Kibitzing
sac: 21...Rbxc5