I see 15. Nxc6 Qxc6 16. cxd5 Q moves 17 dxe6

White gains a pawn with this, but surely there is more to the puzzle than I am seeing.

Now that I've looked over the posts more completely, I see that <patzer2> first gave the line I proposed parenthetically, so props to him.

And actually, the position after the text 17 Qc3 threatens three pieces, not two as I earlier had implied (It's both of the knights and the b rook.)

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Yet I've always said to myself to always watch out for an opponent's sufficient big threat that would make one's combo collapse. That is, say, if you're threatening his Q, then, can he too threaten your's or, which could be even worse, does he have a nasty check? Obviously, I failed in my thinking process here. Gotta fix it!

16...Nc5 for the defense.>

Funnily I read your comment only after posting mine.

<Yet I've always said to myself to always watch out for an opponent's sufficiently big threat that would make one's combo collapse. That is, say, if you're threatening his Q, then, can he too threaten your's or, which could be even worse, does he have a nasty check? Obviously, I failed in my thinking process here. Gotta fix it!

Peace!>

Hopefully this will help you reseting your own thinking process too!

2) Black has an inferior pawn structure: He has weakened light square pawn complex (b5-c6-d5) and doubled f-pawns

3) White has a slight lead in development and Black king is in the center

4) b8 rook is unprotected and b5 pawn is undefended

candidate: 15 Nxc6 Qxc6 16 cxd5

a) 16...Nc5 17 Qc3 Qb6 (17...Qd6 18 Bxc5 Qxc5 19 Qxf6) 18 b4

This craving for a solution? It is there because we seek answers to our day to day posers to arrive at a measure of clarity, to rid our cluttered minds of the cobwebs that threaten to turn our simple lives into cauldrons of pressure that in turn tend to erode our peace of mind.

Unfortunately, for some of us, brownie points or the need for one-up-man-ship gets the better of us.

We feel compelled to be seen as the 'resounding successes' rather than hapless struggling zombies we actually and more likely are in our humble efforts to gain enlightenment. We forget that 'learning on the job' is a sufficient reward by itself.

I know I'll succeed. The fear of failure does not daunt me or deflect me in my desire to learn and become better.

<Fischer's Game of the Day>

Fischer vs P Lapiken, 1956

This was the first game of Fischer's (from the 1956 U.S. Open) that was ever published in Chess Life. There were no annotations. The annotations here are by Fred Reinfeld.

Bobby took 10 minutes to win.

Fischer – Lapiken, Peter
King’s Indian Attack

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 d5 3.Bg2 Bf5 4.O-O e6 5.d3 c6 6.Nbd2 Na6 7.a3 Nc5 8.c4

<The key move of Reti's system. The pressure on Black's center is strengthened by this flank thrust.>

8...b5?

<A massive positional blunder. By undermining his c-pawn, Black undermines his hold on the long diagonal.>

9.Nd4!

<Excellent. He gains time by attacking the weakened c-pawn. Meanwhile his hitherto passive King's Bishop suddenly takes on a menacing role.>

9...Qd7 10.Nxf5 exf5

<The exchange has further weakened Black's position.>

11.Nb3!

<Now White threatens 12.Bg5, with the further threat of inflicting a tripled isolated f-pawn on Black and at the same time undermining the support of his d-pawn and still further thought the removal of Black's protective Knight. Black has nothing to hope for from 11...dxc4 12.dxc4 bxc4 13.Na5, with a winning positional advantage for White. 11...h6 12.Be3 Ne6 The alternative 12...Nxb3 13.Qxb3 d4 is refuted by 14.cxb5!. This is a good example of White's power along the long diagonal.>

13.Nd4 g6

<The alternative 12...Nxd4 13.Bxd4 Be7 15.cxb5 cxb5 16.Qb3 (threatening to win a Pawn) Rd8 17.Rac1 leaves White with all the play.>

14.Qb3!

<Very strong. As Black cannot go in for 14...dxc4 15.exd4 Nxd4 16.Bxd4 Qxd4 17.Bxa8, he must give his b-pawn additional protection. But this gives Fischer the opportunity for a neat combination.>

14...Rab8 15.Nxc6!

<What makes this sacrifice particularly delectable is that it validates the basic theme: pressure on the long diagonal.>

15...Qxc6 16.cxd5 Nc5

<Black wriggles.>

17. Qc3! Qd6

<A neat variation is 17...Qb6 18.b4 Na4 19.Qe5+ winning Black's Queen.>

18.Bxc5 Qxc5 19.Qxf6 1-0.

15 ?

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15 ♘d4xc6!

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