| Mar-28-18 | | ChessHigherCat: Easy for a Wednesday. Nxb3+ axb3 Bxb2+ and if Qxb2 then Qxd1# or if Kxb2 then Qxd2+ Rxd2 Rxd2+ |
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| Mar-28-18 | | ChessHigherCat: And for the pun, Frenkely Filipped out! |
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| Mar-28-18 | | Phony Benoni: Darn. I so wanted tp play 14...Bh6 15.Qxh6 Nxb3+. But Black's queen is attacked. |
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| Mar-28-18 | | saturn2: 14..Nxb3 and the following moves win exchange and two pawns. |
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| Mar-28-18 | | Mayankk: Missed it. I was side-tracked by Bh6, thinking it is the solution after the knight sac. It’s only after I read PB’s post above, did I realise how poor my eye-sight was. |
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| Mar-28-18 | | landshark: I've seen harder Wednesdays. Saw the game continuation, then looked around for other move orders to see if more could be squeezed out of the attack. Looked at 15.... Qxd2+ 16. Rxd2 Rxd2 17. Kxd2 Bxb2 with dreams of .... Rd8 and a mating attack but realized 17. Kxd2 is not forced and to not recapture leaves white better off than in the game continuation, so I stayed with the actual game line. 3/3 so far, let the real work begin! |
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| Mar-28-18 | | diagonalley: hmmm.... white's kingside are still in bed, so lets pile in and take advantage! good wednesday puzzle |
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| Mar-28-18 | | agb2002: White threatens Nxd6+, Nxd4 and Nxa7+.
The black queen and the rook on d8 x-ray the white queen and the rook on d1. The bishop on g7 also x-rays the bishop on b2. The white king becomes overworked after 14... Nxb3+ 15.axb3 Bxb2+ and Black wins decisive material: 16.Kxb2 (16.Qxb2 Qxd1#) 16... Qxd2+ 17.Rxd2 Rxd2+ + - [r+p vs N] (18.Kc3 Rc2+ 19.Kb4 Rd8 20.Nxa7+? Kb8 21.Nb4 Rd1 wins more material). |
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| Mar-28-18 | | nalinw: There is also
18. K any Rxf2
winning the Bishop. |
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| Mar-28-18 | | AlicesKnight: Found the main line easily enough; after 17.... Rxd2+ the other R will soon be in action even if the White B survives. |
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Mar-28-18
 | | Once: Doing a little bit of retrograde analysis, I presume that white's last move was 14. Nf3-b5. He is trying to free his game with exchanges so he has time to develop his kingside pieces. White is attacking our queen. In puzzle-land (and OTB too) that means that we ought to consider ignoring the threat and doing something aggressive instead. The move that screams out to be played is 14...Nxb3+. It's the most forcing move on the board as it is check and there's only one legal reply. After 15. ab Bxg2+ also demands to be played. That brings us to here: 
click for larger viewHowever white captures on b2, the Black queen will eat something on the d file. Interestingly, Fritzie is saying that 14...Nxb5 also works for Black. I didn't even consider it as the check with 14...Nxb3 seemed more dynamic. After 14...Nxb5 play might continue 15. Bxg7 Qa3+ 16. Qb2 Rxd1+ 17. Kxd1 Rd8+ 
click for larger viewNow material is level but Fritzie is calling it a big advantage to black (-4.3). The naked white king and open lines make it an easy position for black to play. But not, I think, clear enough for a Wednesday. |
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| Mar-28-18 | | groog: Pretty straightforward for a Wednesday |
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| Mar-28-18 | | HoLySmOkE: I like Bh6 more.. |
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| Mar-28-18 | | WorstPlayerEver: I wanted to play 15... Bh6, but unfortunately the Black Queen is under attack. |
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| Mar-28-18 | | razetime: Not too hard of a puzzle.. But a nice game. Black's pieces are more active and well used to win the exchange, while three of white's pieces watch like spectators. |
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| Mar-28-18 | | malt: 14...N:b3+ 15.ab3 B:b2+ 16.K:b2
(16.Q:b2 Q:d1# )
16...Q:d2+ 17.R:d2 R:d2+ 18.Kc3 Rhd8 |
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| Mar-28-18 | | patzer2: Clearing a file and removing the guard solves today Wednesday (14...?) puzzle with 14. Nxb3+ 15 axb3 Bxb2+ -+. P.S.: White's decisive error was castling into Black's attack with 13. 0-0-0? 0-0-0 -+ (-2.45 @ 32 ply, Stockfish 9). Instead, 13. Nb5 Nc2+ 14. Qxc2 = to ⩱ (-0.27 @ 30 ply, Stockfish 9) keeps White in the game. |
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| Mar-28-18 | | gofer: Well we seem to be able to win a pawn and an exchange... <14 ... Nxb3+>
<15 axb3 Bxb2+> 16 Qxb2? Qxd1#
<16 Kxb2 Qxd2+> <17 Rxd2 Rxd2+> <18 K move Rxf2> But is there something even better?! Having seen <16 ... Qxd1#>
is it possible to tie down Qd2 to the defence of Rd1? Perhaps
play Bh6 at some point?! Does <14 ... Nxb5> work? I had already
discarded it due to <14 ... Nxb5 15 Qxd6 Nxd6 16 c5>, but maybe
I was hasty!?!?
<14 ... Nxb5>
15 cxb5? Bh6! -+
15 Bxg7!? Qa3+!
16 Bb2 Rxd2!
17 Rxd2 Qxa2! -+ (Bxa3? Rc2+ 18 Kb1 Nc3+ 19 Ka1 Rxa2#) 16 Qb2 Rxd1+
17 Kxd1 Rd8+ -+
<15 Qxd6 Bxb2+> <16 Kxb2 Nxd6>
<17 c5 Ndc4+!!!> Hmmm, okay there seems to be lots here. OTB I would probably
be chicken and take the simple route <14 ... Nxb3+>... ~~~
Thanks <Once>! I am glad that <14 ... Nxb5> is also possible!! |
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| Mar-28-18 | | TheTamale: Wow, I got this one right, thinking it was Tuesday. Then when I saw it was Wednesday, man, I really gave myself a high five. Truth is, had I known it was Wednesday today, I probably would've lacked the confidence to solve it. |
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| Mar-28-18 | | Marmot PFL: 14...Nxb3+ is a simple forced material win. White plays to get black out of book and loses in 16 moves. |
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Mar-28-18
 | | varishnakov: I saw the game continuation but then spent a while looking for something better until eventually giving up. Then I looked and it turns out it was the moved played. |
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| Mar-28-18 | | messachess: Yes, easy, if you spot black's white square bishop lurking about! |
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| Mar-28-18 | | theArtist: I thought 13.O-O-O is against the rules??? Obviously i'm wrong... |
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| Mar-28-18 | | schachfuchs: A little bit too easy for wednesday.
@theArtist Castling is prohibited if the king has to pass an attacked square. By 13.0-0-0 only the rook goes across b1. |
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Mar-29-18
| | Once: <theArtist> You're in good company. In the 21st game of their 1974 candidates final, Korchnoi had this position against Karpov:
click for larger viewKarpov has sacrificed his queen for two minor pieces and a lot of threats. The main threat is Nf3+ winning the white queen. Most of the squares that the queen can retreat to allow a knight fork on f3 or d3. If white moves his queen to a relatively safe square (say f6), black will gobble up the loose rook on h1. What both Korchnoi and Karpov had missed was 18. 0-0! which cancels out all the threats. With one move he whisks his king out of danger, moves his rook away from the bishop and defuses the knight forks. 
click for larger viewBut before Korchnoi played 18. 0-0 he had to ask the arbiter if it was a legal move. He later said that he had never had that situation before. Full game here:
Korchnoi vs Karpov, 1974 |
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Kibitzing
sac: 14...Nxb3+