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Later Kibitzing> |
Feb-02-11
 | | OhioChessFan: So a World Championshop contender isn't immmune from spite checking? The theme is the overworked defender. The square in question is f3, and the defender is the King. Once I recognized the crucial square and the only 2 defenders, the rest played itself out. |
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| Feb-02-11 | | Chesschatology: I fell for the superficial charms of the 34... Qf4+ line, which leads to an unclear position, given the dangerous White passed a pawn. I fully believe that if I somehow got this position against Nigel, I would probably play the same move and then lose. The question is- why did I miss the simple Bh4+? Answer: seduced by spurious "brilliance"! |
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| Feb-02-11 | | Eric Farley: The battle of mediocre players. The former Kasparov's lackey and punching bag was beaten by a less mediocre player. |
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| Feb-02-11 | | zb2cr: Found this one. I can't add anything to the comments by <Phony Benoni>, <dzechiel>, <patzer2>, <TheBish>, <Nullfidian>, <knight Knight>, <TheaN>, and <agb2002>. |
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| Feb-02-11 | | Fuegoverde: 34... Bxh4+, 35 Kxh4 or else W loose a Rook ... and then I tried 35...Rf4+ but coudn't find anything against 36 Kg3, so it must be 35... Rxf3, the white rook checks only bring the black King to a better place, so white must play 36 Kg4 Rxe2 wining or 36 Qg2 Qh6+ 37Kg4 Qh5++ |
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Feb-02-11
 | | Domdaniel: Interesting that right after the (highly civilized) debate yesterday between <BOSKER>, me, <PhonyBenoni> and others about the occasional poor quality of the games that puzzles are taken from, today we get a very recent beauty between two world-class GMs. They had another great game in Gibraltar, after Short began with 5/5. |
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| Feb-02-11 | | Patriot: There were quite a few candidates to look at today: Qf4+, Bf4+, Bxh4+, Rxf3+, Qxf3+, Rxf2. With so many, how does one "home in" on the best, or at least a winning candidate, quickly? This is the problem I faced and I think it is one of the keys to becoming a better player. The reason is that during a game we don't always have time to analyze every forcing move in concert. It was obviously more complex than your run-of-the-mill Monday or Tuesday problem, so after testing some of the candidates I decided it was time to do a material count and threat assessment before getting any deeper. After that, I started looking at some of the candidates again and noticed a key pattern called "removal of the guard". For instance, 34...Rxf3+ 35.Qxf3 Bxh4+ in an attempt to lure the king away from defense of the queen. After let's say, 36.Kg2 (not 36.Kg4?? h5+, successfully removing the guard) 36...Qxf3+ 37.Kxf3 Bxe1. This looks appealing, but then I changed the move order and it looked even better. 34...Bxh4+ 35.Kxh4 Rxf3. Now it looks like white's position has crumbled, because of all sorts of threatening moves. But I did fail in the problem in at least several ways. 1) I was inefficient at "homing in" on the right move; 2) I failed to consider all of white's forcing replies (like the simple Rb8+). After 35...Rxf3 for instance, I looked at 36.Qxf3 Qxf3 and just made sure it was winning based on material but after something like 36.Qg2 I thought perhaps 36...h6 was winning without looking at white's checks. It turns out the black king was checked to h6 and now the threat of Rxf1 or Qg5# or Qxe4+ is in the air. |
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| Feb-02-11 | | Marmot PFL: With so many moves this is harder than a 2 star, but Bxh4+ seems to win - Kxh4 (else Bxe1 and Ne2 is also lost) Kxh4 Rxf3 Qg2 Qh6+ Kg4 Qh5 mate |
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Feb-02-11
 | | scormus: I agree with all those who thought it was on the tough side for the day. I thought quite a bit about 34 ... Rxe2, allowing the BQ to come into f4 but (luckily?) I saw that ... Bxa4+ was more positive. Satifying to see the the WR +s on ranks 8, 7 and that they lead nowhwere. I've learnt from previous POTDs that you need to watch out for those spite +s in case they turn into spike +s. |
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| Feb-02-11 | | mastermind7994: Fantastic game from Ivanchuk. I did some of the variations starting with 34...Bxh4+! and 35...Rxf3 .among some other but I wasn't so sure. |
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| Feb-02-11 | | Amarande: It was sufficient to me to see Bxh4+, after which White must capture (to not do so loses a whole Rook to begin with), and then that Rxf3 was safe. I didn't calculate the rest; to me it was a "with the White King in this position, there must surely be mate in the offing" situation. |
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| Feb-02-11 | | CHESSTTCAMPS: White has N+P for a bishop and a very shaky king position on g3, with an insufficient force of defending pieces on the 1st and 2nd rank. Initially I tried to make 34... Rxf3+?? work, but 35.Qxf3 Bxh4+ 36.Kg2 leaves black with no good continuation. Continuing on the f3 attack theme, I turned my attention to 34... Bxh4+!
This finishes effectively against any response:
A) 35.Kxh4 Rxf3 (with multiple threats) 36.Qxf3 Qxf3 37.Rb1 Rxe2 wins. A.1) 36.Qg2 g5+ 37.Kh5 (Qxg5 38.Rh3+ Kg4 39.Qg3#) Rh3+ 38.Qxh3 (Kg4 Rh4#) Qxh3+ 39.Kxg5 Qg2+ wins A.1.1) 37.Kg4 Qxe4+ 38.Kxg5 (Kh5 Qh4#) Qg6#
A.2) 36.Rb8+ Kg7 37.Rb7+ Kh6 38.Qh1 Qxe4+ 39.Nf4 Qxf4# A.3) 36.Qh1 Qxe4+ 37.Kg5 Rf5+ 38.Kh6 Qe3+ 39.Nf4 Qxf4# A.4) 36.N-any Q(x)f4#
A.5) 36.Qg1 Rh3+ 37.Kg4 Qf3+ 38.Kg5 Rh5#
A.6) 36.other Rxf1 or Qxe4+ wins quickly.
B) 35.K-moves Bxe1 35.Qxe1 Qxe2 wins.
The alternative candidate 34... Qf4+ works well against 35.Nxf4 Bxf4+ 36.Kh3 (36.Kg4 h5+ 37.Kh3 Rh2#) Rh2+ 37.Kg4 h5#, but is less effective against 35.Kg2 Bxh4 36.Rd1. Time to verify.... |
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| Feb-02-11 | | gofer: I think we can quickly over-stretch white's defenses... <34 ... Bxh4+>
35 Kg5 Rxf3 36 Qxf3 h5+ winning
35 Kh3 Rxf3+ 36 Qxf3 Qxf3+ winning
35 Kg2 Bxe1 36 Qxe1 Rxd2+ winning
<35 Kxh4 Rxf3>
36 Qxf3 Qxf3+ winning
36 Rb8+ Kg7 37 Rb7+ Kh6 could be played, but we still get to the following decision point for white, except that black's king is in a better position and white's is worse! 36 Qg2 Qh6+ 37 Kg4 Qh5#
36 Kg4 Qxe4+ 37 Kg5 Qf5+ 38 Kh6/Kh4 Qh5#
Time to check when this ended and how Nigel got into this pickle... |
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| Feb-02-11 | | 1.e4effort: After a bit of looking at options I liked 34...Bxh4+ best.
35. Kxh4...Qf4+
at that point I was looking to get the fRook involved - so I checked to see if i was right, but I found I was one move behind in that regard. So I say to myself "Bummer, dude". I find that I'm getting better at making the move asked for in the POTD, but the continuations are not quite clicking all the time. Oh, well - I've heard that tomorrow is another day... |
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| Feb-02-11 | | Marmot PFL: Another nice Ivanchuk win today, against Caruana. |
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| Feb-02-11 | | CHESSTTCAMPS: <agb2002>
<..Another option is 34... Bxh4+ 35.Kxh4 (otherwise 35... Bxe1 and a massacre follows) Rf4+:>Nobody else seems to have noticed 35...Rf4+, a fine option-limiting shortcut. |
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Feb-02-11
 | | Sastre: If 35...Rf4+, White is winning after 36.Kg3. |
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| Feb-02-11 | | CHESSTTCAMPS: <Sastre> Ah, you are right. |
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| Feb-02-11 | | skemup: I think 34..Qf4+ works too. |
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| Feb-02-11 | | weakpawn: I like 34..Qf4+ with following variations
35. Nf4 Bf4+
36. Kg4 h5+
37. Kh3 Rh2++
35. Nf4 Bf4+
36. Kh3 Rh2+
37. Kg4 h5++
Declining Queen scarifies would lead to
35. Kh3 Qh4+
36. Kg2 Bf4 threatening 37.Qh2 mate and Qf3 in case of 37.Qh1 |
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| Feb-02-11 | | WhiteRook48: I got it in the wrong order |
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| Feb-02-11 | | David2009: Short vs Ivanchuk, 2011 Black 34...? Black has the safe shot 34...Qf4+ because the Q cannot be captured:
35 Nxf4 Bxf4+ 36 Kh3 Rh2+ 37 Kg4 h5#. Alternatively 36 Kg4 h5+ 37 Kh3 Rh2#.
Alternative defences are (A) 35 Kh3 Qxh4+ 36 Kg2 and Black has a strong attack; (B) 35 Kg2 and the N is pinned so Black can play Bxh4; (C) 35 Kf2? Qxf3+ 36 Kg1 Be3+ etc.
Time to check how the game went:
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How bizarre - 34...Bxh4+ was played. Have I yet again managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory? Time to see what the regulars have
said.
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<Thean>'s post cheers me up. Time to see how Crafty End Game trainer plays this position. We start one move before the puzzle position and we play 34 h4:
click for larger view Short vs Ivanchuk, 2011 Black 34...?
The EGT replies 34...Bxh4+. Not a good sign for my variation. Link:
http://www.chessvideos.tv/endgame-t... Now we set up the position colours-reversed:
click for larger view (Short vs Ivanchuk, 2011 Black 34...? colours reversed) Link:
http://www.chessvideos.tv/endgame-t... The EGT defends (normal colours) with the variation 34...Qf4+ 35.Kg2 Bxh4 36.Rc1 Rxe2+ 37.Qxe2 Qxc1 38.a6 Qf4 39.Kh1. (To record these moves flip the Chessgames.com board round and play it out against the EGT, moving on the flipped board: this assumes you have enabled the recommended Java viewer). With Black to play we have
click for larger view
which Black can indeed win - but the passed Pawn gives White tremendous counter-play. Enjoy playing it out against Crafty EGT! Conclusion - the game line is an altogether safer winning line - but less fun for the spectators! |
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| Feb-02-11 | | wals: Three cheers, a win at last.
Rybka 4 x 64
White error: d 18 : 5 min :
(=-0.21):7.g4. Best,
1. = (0.16): 7.0-0 Be6 8.Be3 Nh6 9.a3 Nf7 10.Qe1 g5 11.Nc3 h5 12.Nd2 g4 13.h4 Qe7 14.a4 0-0-0 15.a5 Kb8 16.a6 b6 17.Nc4 Nd6 2. = (0.15): 7.b3 Ne7 8.Nc3 Bg7 9.Be3 b6 10.a4 a5 11.0-0 0-0 12.Qd2 Be6 13.Bh6 Qc7 14.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.Qe3 Rad8 16.Rfe1 Qd7 17.Red1 Qc7 At move 18 the game was =-0.58.
19.Ng1, -0.92.
20.a5, -1.23.
22.dxc4, -1.51.
32.Qf1, -2.84.
White making weak moves.
25...bxc5, -2.09.
30...Qd3, -2.47.
Black making strong moves.
White blunder: d 13 : 2 min :
(-7.77):33.Kg3. (Best, Rbb1, Rbb6.)
and
34.h4, -13.91, and 36.Rb8+, -#10. |
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| Feb-03-11 | | kevin86: The king is seperated from the herd and is rounded up by black's army (of rustlers). |
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Feb-03-11
 | | HeMateMe: One man attempted ground Chuck, but Short work was made! |
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sac: 34...Bxh4+