thanks for the info

eh I've done ok on the Sunday puzzles

I usually get the first couple moves or main idea but don't figure out all the varitations

Any comments on the change?>

1. Sometimes the positions you use for puzzles are unclear; sometimes the move played in the game wasn't the best or the only way to win. Sometimes the loser missed a workable defense in the actual play. Such positions are good candidates for "White (or black) to play" puzzles.

2. But you don't have to be inflexible about it. Some positions -- particularly the easy ones -- are better as "White to move and win" puzzles.

3. I notice that many postings just say the same things: "I solved it in 10 seconds." "The answer is x and then y." "I tried z first then y then x." Many kibitzers repeat previous comments because they didn't read earlier postings carefully. (I've been guilty of this myself.)

White can equalize against 31...c3 with the simple bxc3. However the Fritzy 33. Kb1 would be hard to find over the board.

32. bxc3 c4

(32...Qa4 33. Bxf5 Qxa3+ 34. Kb1 Qb3+ 35. Kc1 Qxc3+ 36. Kd1 (5.94))

33. Kb1 Kg8 34. Kc1 Qa4 35. Bxf5 Qxa3+ 36. Kd2 Qb2+ 37. Kd1= (0.00/14)

Better than 31...c3 was Rb8. White's best defense, the Fritzy 32. Qd1 followed by 33. Qc1, would not be easy to find. However 32. Bxf5 may also hold.

31...Rb8 32. Qd1

(32. Bxf5 Qxf5 33. Qxf5 Rxf5 34. Rxd6 e4 35. Rd7 Rbf8 36. Rd6 a5 37. Kb1 Rxf2 38. Rxf2 Rxf2 39. Rc6 (-1.21/14))

32...Rb6 33. Qc1 Ne7 34. Re6 Ng8 35. Qxc4 Qb5 36. Qxb5 axb5 37. Re8 b4 38. Ra8 bxa3 39. bxa3 Rfb7 40. f3 Rb3 41. Bf5 Rb8 42. Rxb8

(42. Ka2 Nf6 43. e4 Rxa8 44. Kxb3 Kg8 (-1.21/14))

42...Rxb8 43. Rb2 Rf8 44. e4 Ne7 45. Bg4 Ng6 (-0.69/17)

32. b3 is refuted by c4, admittedly another difficult move to find over the board.

Let me advise you about how to write Forsyth-Edwards notation (FEN). You wrote ...b32k... to show that there are 32 unoccupied squares between Black's bishop and his king. However, the FEN convention is to make a forward slash after every line. Thus, your position translates in FEN to the following: 4b3/8/8/8/5k2/5n2/7p/5K1Q.

Now let me try to solve the problem.

1 Kg2 guards h1, so that the queen can leave.
1...Bg6, planning 2...Be4, which would create a permanent blockade. Not 1...Bc6? 2 Qc1+, which wins the bishop.

2 Qc1+ Ke5(!)
2...Kg4 3 Qc4+ Kg5 4 Qd5+ wins the hapless knight. After the text, White cannot take the knight because 3 Kxf3? h1=Q 4 Qxh1 Be4+ draws.

3 Qc3+ Kd5(!)
If White takes the knight, 4...Be4 costs him the queen. White can also win the bishop on g6 via a series of checks, but the moment he does, Black will answer with ...Nh4+. I will keep you posted (no pun intended) if I make progress.

Any comments on the change?>

I much prefer Chess puzzles with a winning solution. Technically, if the solution is just to "play," versus finding a "solution" or "best move," then any legal move solves the puzzle. If I want to study positional chess, I can simply review GM games of players with positional styles (i.e. Karpov).

Perhaps an alternate solution would be to have a day of the week devoted to positional puzzles.