Just got back from work, after a lousy 3.5 hours. I took the afternoon off. Just needed it.

Great to hear your reaction and familiarity with <Hesse>.

Back later, good to hear you got energized by what I spontaneously posted this morning!

Normally I would just give up after a few seconds, but I saw the "Black Shot" almost immediately so I figured, well the second part should be easy also--

So then it wasn't and I got madder and madder at myself and then thought "Ok I must be <mis reading> the position somehow"--

And I was.

The "trick" of course is that <Bf4> changes the position SIMULTANEOUSLY in TWO DIFFERENT WAYS.

I don't know why this characteristic makes such moves so hard to spot- but I think it does.

Ever heard of "synchronized breathing?"

This is what I practice with Lars, on set moments, when I decide to let us come together and be almost equal; I of course have to keep an eye on him and make sure he is below me at the picking order.

But that is a relative side issue.

Best meditation ever, and comparible to the tree, and its comforting juices that are flowing from it's smallest and major distributers.

I'm babbling, but it is the synchronicity that is so appealing, intriguing, healing and insightful.

Call me crazy, yet I feel at my best.

May we do!

That would be just heaven!

I went with the 2. Rd8~ first...

Now I see that the Bf4 right away is even more clinical !!

Holy Crappa

Gonna see if more from ;Hesse: is available on the NET.

`The Temptation to Exist.`

No - the 'position' is not a composed one: it is from a German Bundesliga game <Thal-Bönisch>, from 1969!!!!!????

Why are these players absent in the CG database??

Now there's another question for you...

As I said, the way you are able to pinpoint your thoughts, along with the dry facts/technicalities of the 'position', is MOST IMPRESSING and IMO unsurpassable.

Maybe <Dom> could be in there with a SHOT.

heh

Also - you managed to perfectly explain the various differences, re thought processes and 'visualization', involved in 2. Rd8+, and 2. Bf4.

Remarkable how you managed to voice all that.

OK - by replying to your post here, I still have your post as the one showing up at the <recent chessforum activity> page.

Indeed there is the possibilities of a <...h6> and <...g5> to consider, as possible saving moves for Black....

But NOTHING IS SAVED, and Black keeps ending up getting busted, losing at least a full piece, or gets MASTED!!

Funny typo, I intended <Mated> - but hit the A and S right in the middle, almost simultuous.

-ly

Kidding aside - I highly appreciate the quality of your explanatory post, and learn from it, too.

Extra Ironic by the way that a position like this can just originate from a Bundesliga Master level game!

The <participants> do not dictate the level of interest of a game of Chess, a chess position.

CHESS does.

<I don't even like Correspondence chess. I force myself to play as a "visualization exercise." A tough one- because you've got DAYS to make the move- but the limit of visualization is not "increased" by having all this time. You really need to use your board to take full advantage of the time intervals in Correspondence.> Very, very well said. I am inclined to agree 100%.

And brave as well to "offer up" your results and rating through this exercise.

I think I'll put you on my <favorite kibbutzers> list...

Oh, wait - you already appear in "pleasing, light yellow."

Why isn't there an option to doubly "tag" you, as an <extra> favourite?

I think I am entitled to an answer.

<Back- and second Rank exercices> Onto the next! (Although they are scattered over 70 pages = 2 exercises/page -- excellent little book...)

Ex. #1

click for larger view

Black to play wins by

A) Playing Ra2-a1

B) ... a different move

C) Black isn't winning

--------

Ex. #2

White to play

click for larger view

A) Black has survived the worst, and can start concentrating on consolidating his position

B) The move 1. Rd7-d3 will lead to a quick win for White

C) Rd7-d3 must be prepared, in order to not allow an immediate counter punch by Black

-------

Both these exercises involve a former World Champion on one side of each board; one plays it correctly, the other one does not find the solution.

It is as follows:

* Total # of exercises = 140

* Each position is accompanied by multiple choice questions - correct answer being worth 8 points

* By having written down the correct analyses & variations, another 8 points can be gained; according to own judgement, 8, 6, 4, and 2 points can be scored, depending on the (partial) correctness and completeness of the found variations

<*> The Time factor: a maximum of 4 <BONUS> points can be gained by solving the puzzle within 3 minutes; 3 points = within 5 minutes; 2 points = within 7 minutes; 1 point = within 10 mins.

Ergo, a total number of <20> points can be gathered from each exercise; multiply that by 140 (# of exercises), and a score, PERFECT SCORE, can be obtained of 2800 points, wich would correspond to a ELO rating of 2800.

-------

My own experience shows me that I need more than 10 minutes quite often, if I solve them to begin with....

140 x 16 = 2240

My guess is that I have trouble getting over 2000, personally.

First puzzle-

<Ra2-a1> has to be wrong. I think. Ok I'm saying it's wrong.

White queen can just take it- If the other Rook captures <Rb2 x f2+> with check, the king can just recapture <...Kxf2> and Black loses material.

White's queen is not in danger because the White Rook on the first rank on the <f1 square> can stay and guard her from being snapped off by the Black Queen lined up on the <a1-h8> diagonal.

Actually even if White Recaptured with the Rook on the <f2> square it's still just a trade of Queen for two Rooks- even or an edge to White.

So if Black is winning it has to be another move.

The <e3> square looks key since Black's Knight can caputure there with Check and Rook fork- because of the pin on the second rank --except the White Queen defends the <e3> square. So Black can't just play <...Nxe3> straight off.

But <Ra2-a1> is not an adequate deflection move to get the Black Queen to stop defending <e3>-

Ie-

<...Ra2-a1
Qxa1 Nxe3?

Just Kg1

White is up a piece still? I think- pretty sure.

So the first option is WRONG.

I just spent 30 minutes on this and that's all I can come up with- I'm just "eyeing it" and not using my board-

I can't see a winning move for Black at this point- but I suspect <2> is the answer.

so Answer 1 is wrong and answer 3 is wrong- I think Black <is> winning-

There has to be some way to deflect the White Queen off of it's observation of the <e3> square- that's the square that is key to the whole position because if White loses control of that square his position starts collapsing- fast, I think.

I can't see the deflection move that works though. I suspect it is there!!

There are two posts by you that have appeared just now- BEFORE the post you left giving me the second pair of puzzles.

????

They weren't there in my forum two hours ago. How is this possible?

And there is a post from <Tyler> reporting about his rating that WAS NOT THERE TWO HOURS AGO.

????

And all three of these posts are ABOVE your puzzle post?

How is this possible?

That's a heckuva lag time.

I agree that non GM games can show as much brilliance as top level players.

Totally=

I'm having a lot of trouble with the first puzzle you posted for me today.

I have an <idee fixe> that there is a winning move for Black and it is a <Queen deflection move> to get it's eyes off the <e3> square but I can't find one that works and it's driving me insane.

Partly because it might not be there...

heh

<H> I know your "code" so you are saying that Black wins with

<Rb2-b1>.

I looked at that a hundred times and I don't see how it works.

POH MY GOD YOU'VE DONE IT YOU ARE BRILLAINRT

I'm such a dunderhead!!

Yes-

Black wins definitely

<...Rb2-b1!>

Because if

<Qxb1?> NOW

Black plays

<...Nxe3+
<Kg1 Qxf3!> with MATE to follow@

The difference between the two Rook - Queen deflection moves is that if the White queen is on the <a1> square it pins the Black Queen to his king.

But if the White Queen is on the <a2> square, the Black Queen is free to SWOOP IN FOR THE KILL on <f3>!!!

I do not know about lag-time, but I wrote my last two posts about 6 hours ago. 3 PM here now.

The earlier ones preceding Tyler were just a few hours before that.

From exercise #1, it is indeed the rook <B1> that is the winner, and which was MISSED by <M. Botwinnik>!

You have deserved at least 6 of 8 points from posting the correct answer, along with 8 points from the correct lines.

I doubt you *needed* an extra HINT, though Botwinnik, in the game, prolly did.

Excellent work!!

How Treppner spotted this "improvement" still baffles me.

<Bouwmeester> is the author of the most influential tutorials I used as a kid, and he was a famous math- and Chess teacher.

<de la Villa> is very good, eh? As expected, following <Eddy>'s expert recommendation.

Personally, though the format may be very old fashioned, I TOO DO LIKE the Treppner book more with each day passing...

Since last week I have been studiously going through the various exercises; demanding and very well selected, and explained!

It also carries an emotional component with me, as it was edited and compiled without strong engine assistence, and therefore all the more enjoyable to read, also from the writing style that eminates from that given.

Really looking forward to that, as those quality works will grace a book collection, and Chess at that, indefinitely.

The interesting part is that at the end of the section there is a page with <hints> and the <difficulty level> of the problem (1 to 5). the solutions are given on yet another page (accompanied by a diagram to make it easier on the reader).

The problems are mixed by difficulty so you never know what's coming. I haven't gotten that far yet, but so far so good.

Mainly because most would notice that after <Rd3>, if Black's Bishop can ever move with tempo, White's Queen is hanging.

Also, it's not so hard to spot that <c5> is a RELOADER square to deliver a second check on the White King, if it can be determined that the Black Queen sac is viable.

The difficulty in this puzzle is that the solution requires the solver to understand that "finding the solution" over the board does not deliver a won game.

It decides whether or not Black has a chance to consolidate with equal chances or not.

We are used to the solutions to these puzzles yielding an immediately decisive result.

Not so in this case!

It's a question of two scenarios, both of which require plenty of hard work to finish-

1. Black consolidates with equal or better chances

The answer is <Rd7-d3> must be prepared.

Here is what happens if it is unprepared.

1.Rd3? Qcxf2!!!

Now if

2.Rxf2 Rc1+!
3.Rf1 Bc5+
4.Kh1 Rxf1#

if

2.Kxf2 Bc5+
3.Kf3 Rxh7

So in the first variation- it's very bad for White- CHECKMATE bad.

In the second varition- White's unprepared <Rd3?> allows Black to win a pawn and exchange Queens BY FORCE.

Ok so in fact, in the seocnd variation, Black successfully consolidates with an even game or better IMO.

From the wording of the question, Black has just fended off a vicious attack on his Kingside-- and White's unprepared <Rd3?> allows the Black tactic that takes ALL OF THE STEAM out of White's attack.

It's gone, finished.

Black still has plenty of work to do with Two minor pieces against A White Rook- Also, after the second variation stops, White will get his lost pawn back with <Rxf6+> with tempo-

But I think with the Queens off, Black's R + N + B should prove at LEAST EQUAL and probably better than White's R + R in the ensuing endgame.

And White still has Two rooks, so it wil be a struggle, but Black surely has equal OR BETTER chances now IMO.

But if White PREPARES <Rd3> by first getting his Queen off the 7th rank, with tempo (the tempo is necessary since his Rook on <d7> is en prise), then <Rd7-d3> should be winning for White.

Viz-

Qh8+ Kf7
Rd3

And White should retain advantage due to the Queens staying on the board when Black's King is practically naked.

Because then Black cannot play <...Qxf2> since all that does is lose the Queen for nothing.

My solving time here was <8 minutes>.

UNLESS MY SOLUTION IS INCORRECT THAT IS!!!