Looks awesome sofar...

Btw upon longer computing time, Rybka even evals 1...Qh4 as approaching the 3.00 already... but I like the way it works its way "towards" a bigger number, while given the same line Shred might be approaching +5.00 ---

Very instructive commentary on the Psychological process of human move selection, and on comp evals.

<Niels>-- my opponent in fact played <Qf6> in the position.

He proceeded to play two curiously static and tentative moves that allowed me to develop my DSB and get my Rook in action--

And to win a game that should have been his, based on that stinking FEN.

BTW I spent a few hours more going over the actual opening of that game today and I found more things than I did yesterday.

In fact I didn't even play a game on <Yahoo> today, as I then got interested in <Woody's> INNOVATION which he didn't play....

Ok back later Oh I almost forgot I wanted to kill that German guy in the Spassky vid, who kept forgetting what he was talking about and interrupting Spassky and not even listening to Spassky's answers...

How could he forget <Radjabov's> name?

He's the 7th highest rated player on the planet for cripe sake.

And I hated how he kept mentioning "I am a GM" etc.

I'm glad I never have to hear him again.

Same here - but then I told myself to CHOOSE to not let that guy get to me, but I failed, and ended up ... well you can guess the rest of the story...

I ENDED UP IN JAIL!!!

I do have to say however that <Susan Polgar> comes across a lot better speaking than she does "blogging."

"Frau Polgar, leider müssen wir Ihre Web-seite schliessen, sogar per Direkt. Wir bitten um Ihrer Verständnis."

(thunderous applause)

Move ----------- Shred eval

<1...Qh4> ------- 2.4

<2. Bxh7>------- 5.0

<2...e4> ------- 6.5

<3. Bg6+ Ke7> --- 7.75

<4 Qe2 Rf8> ---- 8.2

<5. Kg1 Nd3!> --- 11.41

click for larger view

I think we have the sub-"subject" of engine evaluations, illustrated here nicely...

There ARE a few better defenses, but the crushing-procedure is unstoppable, in any variation...

I went to a Doughnut Jam once. I played the Sprinkles.

Good grief I didn't understand a word of that!!

I think you may be spending too much time around me...

A) 1. Nf6+ Kh8
Now it looks as though I have to take the rook to make progress so 2. Rxg7 Kxg7
Now what? Can I play <e7> giving up the knight so as to queen the pawn? Let’s see. 3. e7 Kxf6
4. e8(Q) Nd6+
Uh-oh that‘s no good. Be sure to add “watch out for forks” to the list. I don’t like this line anyway. It trades my active rook for his lousy one and lets the BK back into the game. I may be able to grind out a win after Nf6+ but I will worry about it later.

B1)
1. Nf8+ Kg8
There’s no point in Kh8 because I am going to play
2. Ng6 and bottle up the BK.
Now what? The mathematician in me wants to play a “zero” move to see what I’ve go so let’s let Black play 3…….Ra7
That’s no good—I just play <Ne7+> and clip off the pawn at <c6>. Maybe
3……Rc7 instead.
But now it looks like I can play <e7> and then either penetrate with my King (perhaps after discovering check with <Ne5+> which walls off the BK). 4. e7 Rc8 and now
5. Ne5+ Kh7 I guess
6. Rg6 ought to be good enough to win.

B2)
1. Nf8+ Kg8
2. Ng6 Nd6+
3. Ke5 Nf7+
4. Kf6 This looks too easy.

Overall, I wanted to find a clear win and first looked to see if simplification (exchanging rooks) would do it. It wasn’t clear enough, so I kept looking. Bottling up the BK and letting the knight and then the rook occupy g6 seemed like the best plan. Black got no counter-play at all. Once my king could enter the position the game was over.

In reflection, I think that I may have focused too much on that one corner of the board. Perhaps I should have looked at the possibility of an Arabian mate by swinging the rook to a1 and then a8. It might take too long. I didn’t bother because I think the game is won at this point. (It is 7:48. That’s 34 minutes plus 10 minutes to recognize that this was the time to look for something good.)

You are truly a man of some considerable diligence-- and genius.

And, as with many of the endeavors of men, it is the "flight of fancy" that occurs to some- a select few-- including you, apparently-- that should not be dismissed, but embraced.

Your hard thought line works-- BLOODY GOOD SHOW...

But your flight of Arabian fancy is not only a BRILLIANT FIND-- it is not, as you fear "too long."

Quite the contrary. It is actually the most direct, not to mention sublime, path to the kill.

You have it!!! Ride your Arabian horse on the path you outlined there--

And then find the path to the mating pattern- Black is helpless to stop it once the Arabian forces get to the squares you name at the end of your post.

Show me the finish and I'll give you a <GM norm> for Christmas.

BLOODY GOOD SHOW

1. Nf6+ Kh8
2. Ra1 Nb6 (other moves don't seem any better)
3. Ra6 Rb7
4. Rxb6 Rxb6
5. e7 is a winner.

Did I miss something? or is just the threat of the mate enough?

You have the solution--

The only reason the game solution is shorter, and so beautiful, is that Black makes an Error after

1.Nf6+ Kh9
2.Ra1 <Re7?>

Ok from this position, do you see the Kill shot?

Three moves to mate from here- Black can't prevent the mate except by playing "suicide" moves...

Black resigned after White's 3d move from the FEN...

Seeing too late the mate danger.

It took me over an hour to figure out why Black had to resign from that point--

Easy to miss the mating combo in over the board play (as Black indeed overlooked it!!), as it is counter-intuitive-- involving the willingness to give up material for the forced mate.

Solution is here from Move 54 on--

I Sokolov vs I Rogers, 2007

Very excellent work from you!! You would have won in any of the lines you gave.

I don't think I understood the exact definition of that kind of mate-- Or rather, I misunderstood it ..

I do think that what Kotov (Think Like a Grandmaster) calls "creeping moves" are the hardest to find. Here's an example from his book. Look at Spassky's 26th move in this position:

click for larger view

Spassky vs Korchnoi, 1968

Here's another example (white to move)

click for larger view

from Smyslov vs Reshevsky, 1948

Finally, here's a challenge: find the "creeping move" (White to move) in this position after <46...Qe5>

click for larger view

> he probably meant Grand Mother

But precisely in eg the Smyslov vs Reshevsky "creeping move" type of position, when playing a long 2h time-control, is where I feel most comfortable, getting to know all 64 squares and the remaining pieces personally, doh, but really, I feel I can take on anyone from those (late middlegame) positions. That confidence, justified or not, makes me enjoy chess and probably even has me <looking> for those subtle moves...

Though I did not see the Subtlety of Spassky's move, at first, I now think I know what the pointe is, but I keep it to myself first, no spoilers for other attempts.

<Beauty in Chess for me personally> As the game progresses, (having sailed the, for me, windy waters of the opening--->middle game), unique new positions keep showing themselves to us, each one offering its own subtle secrets that are just beneath the surface, waiting to be unveiled...

Do we keep looking for them?

Have we unlearned what we have learned?

Can we keep a "freshness" in our approach each new postion as she occurs, through-out?

<creeping moves> I LOVE them, and will try and find a few examples myself...