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25...Qxf1+, 26. Kh2 Qh1+, 27. Kg3 Rc3+, 28. f3! (best) Qe1+, 29. Kh3 (only move - 29. Kg4? Qxh4#) Be5! (forcing mate or White loses his own queen - if 30. Rg4 Qh1#)

In all fairness to you though, you are right in calling out the fact that I didn't type it and therefore you did well in typing it yourself.

LTJ

There's nothing wrong in thinking 1...Qxf1 if one's thought was: the major pieces have gone, his back rank is thereby weakened - maybe a bank rank mate there?

Of course, the king slips out to e2. It doesn't work. However, with the correct identification of a weak back rank, we can start looking for a way to create a winning combination.

FEN:

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Probably everyone would immediately play 1...Qd1 here. Doesn't work in the Euwe game but we can force the rook to the desired side: 1...Rc1 2. Rxc1 and we have our goal position.

On Sunday, I went with 22. a3 which was ok, but clearly not best - as while calculating 22. Nb6 Ne2 I wasn't letting myself loosen up and just have fun.

I think part and parcel of letting one's imagination be free is having fun while one is solving a problem.

Because the position screams out for a back rank mate. If only we could get rid of that Rf1, one or other of our rooks could swoop down and do the dirty on the first rank.

And how do we get rid of the Rf1? We smash it to pieces, blow it off the board, rip it shreds.

Except that doesn't work. When the rooks do their swoopy thing, the white king runs away via e2 and f3.

So then we need to look for other ways to dematerialise the Rf1. And it turns out that the queen sac isn't enough. We need to sac queen and rook.

24...Rc1

Now Q/Rxf1# is the threat.

25.Rxc1

I don't another defence.

25...Qd1+
26.Rxd1 Rxd1#

And mate.
Time to check.

---------

It wasn't a simul, but Dutch competition.
But my solution was right, and that what it's about.

You come in a tad rarely but I like the way you do. Thanks.

<LoveThatJoker> You have used the word <fearless>. Its the <key>, and much more significant than we realize. No matter how much we remind ourselves to guard against fear, it generally (or even invariably ) is our main shackle.

Imagination is something you have and train for to enlarge and enhance, but fear is much, much more innate.

Fear of failure; how ironic! Who ever succeeded without risking failure!

You make a very fair point. In chess it is an aphorism but your reminder throws a fresh light on it. We instinctively jump for any checks available but at times forget them too.

I do so many puzzles everyday and I should be candid enough to admit that this is one aspect I keep forgetting.

In fact I have a placard right in front on top of my desk.

"No 1. Check for any checks. Also check various possible checks with the same piece.

But who reads. Its when I have paid the dear price that I wipe the placard with a cleaning swab.

cheers for the kind words!

Just putting a dot on the i, if you change the position slightly in the puzzle position by the inclusion of a white pawn on e3 and a black pawn on g4

FEN:

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then 1...Qxf1 does work. 2. Kxf1 Rc1 3. Ke2 Rc2 4. Ke1 Bc3 5. Kf1 Rd1

That illustrates another important idea in combinational vision.

If an idea is in the position and our "silly sacrifice" in our thoughts doesn't work, a slight change in the position could make it work. So, what didn't work right away could work next move if we alter the situation. The key is to seeing the idea is in the position.

Aside from the statement you wrote which is highlighted here, I am in total agreement with you!

What I disagree with regarding the highlighted statement is that I think a fully powered and indescribably brilliant imagination is also innate. I think fear is something which has the potential to become a more formidable hurdle for an individual if it is consistently allowed to shackle him/her.

To go on an aside here, even though fear is a hurdle, I think one of life's more important challenges is to know when such a hurdle needs to be respected and allowed to exist, and when such a hurdle needs to be overcome.

As for why we train as chess players, my truth is that we train so as to develop an awareness of the winning procedures that are available within the confines of the rules of the game; and therefore have easier access to them/familiarity with them whenever they need to be employed.

With this line of reasoning then, the role I give imagination in Chess is - to use the analogy of an easily visible field - in being the brilliant background in which the knowledge and familiarity of the winning procedures reside; and therefore to be successful at the game, it is important to study these winning procedures so as to have more of them be both at our disposal and illuminated.

I would like to say that I see now that imagination is free: it's just allowing ourselves access to its loveliness and brilliance by keeping a cheerful/light-hearted disposition (as Lasker would say) and a positive outlook.

Thanks for adding this: I am in agreement.

I was thinking white could play 25 Rb1 as a defense ( instead of 25 Rxc1 ) , but that fails to black playing 25 Qxf1+

White must lose a rook after playing 25 h3 if he wants to play on .....

So, I would say 'symbiosis'.

I think that imagination already comes fully developed/enhanced and the work we put in as individuals, into the things we like to work at, gives the fruit of those labours an easier accesibility and clearer visibility whenever we need of them - thanks to the light provided by imagination.

<24....?>

Material: Black ♗ vs ♘

Candidates: Qxf1†, <[Rc1]>

-ML-
Though the expected move, Qxf1† has too few firepower, for the sole reason Black leaves e2 unguarded, going down a Queen for Rook in the end. Instead, Black should abuse the White back rank and well placed Black Queen.

<24....Rc1!> is destructive. It threatens both Rxf1‡ and Qxf1‡.

/A\
<25.Rxc1 Qd1† 26.Rxd1 Rxd1‡ 0-1> is the backrank abusal.