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| Dec-21-16 | | ciberchess: The beauty of the simple. I didn't see it of course |
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| Dec-21-16 | | mel gibson: I didn't see it.
I must have Alzheimer's.
Should I go & see a doctor? |
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| Dec-21-16 | | WorstPlayerEver: Simple puzzle, now wait.. I did an illegal move! Let's try it again, Rg2 hmm.. that cannot be it... they must be joking. Any way.. |
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| Dec-21-16 | | WorstPlayerEver: <Easier than many a Tuesday POTD I have seen,•••> Sometimes I don't get the Monday's either. |
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| Dec-21-16 | | Rama: morphishine, I did too, in my Averbach "Advanced Tactics..." Rg2 is a nice move, isn't it? |
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Dec-21-16
 | | steinitzfan: I got this but not yesterday's. That makes me feel a little better. The hardest thing is not seeing the idea here but being sure there's not a spoiler. An engine can frequently do amazing things with a free move. |
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Dec-21-16
 | | maxi: Nice puzzle, and simple to crown. I will consider this CG Christmas present to me. |
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| Dec-21-16 | | diagonalley: <The King's Domain> ... totally agree! |
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| Dec-21-16 | | awfulhangover: I feel utterly stupid (well, i am), coz I "forgot" that Qxf3 is answered by Qxf8# |
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| Dec-21-16 | | morfishine: <Rama> Yes, its a devilishly simple move, but Black is down an exchange |
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Dec-21-16
 | | Jimfromprovidence: If 24...Rc4, here is the position.
click for larger view What is white's best move to win? |
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| Dec-21-16 | | catlover: <Jimfromprovidence> Well, 25 Qxh7+ KxQ, 26 Rh3+ check won't work because of 26...Rh4. Looks like an immediate 24 Rh3 will do the trick: then moving the rook to h4 just loses a piece and if 25...Qa8+ 26 Rg2. |
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Dec-21-16
 | | Once: That took a lot longer than I'd care to admit! I developed a blind-spot by not noticing the Qxf8# threat if the black queen moves off the back rank. The funny thing about the final position is that it's our old friend the GOOT (Get Out Of That): 
click for larger viewWhite's threatens 27. Qxh7+ Kxh7 28. Rh3# and there's nothing that black can do to stop it. Black has a free move but can't add another piece to the protection of h7 or find a way to obstruct the g or h files. 26...Qe4 (protecting h7) loses to 27. Qxf8#
26...Qxf3 (stopping Rh3) also loses to 27. Qxf8# 26...Bg7 (creating a flight square on g8) loses to 27. Qxg7# What else? 26...Bf6 is no real defence anyway, but it does allow the mercy killing of 27. Qxf6# and white mates one move sooner. The pattern of the two rooks on f3 and g2 defending against a queen-king pin along the long diagonal looks familiar. I may have seen this game (or one like it) somewhere before. |
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| Dec-21-16 | | YouRang: Following <26.Rg2!>,
click for larger view
I see that <agb2002> offered another interesting defensive try that I hadn't considered: <26...Bg3!?>.
click for larger view
It doesn't really help black, but it may be unexpected enough to make white pause. It blocks one rook's path from f3 to h3 and the other rook's control of the g-file while allowing the black queen to maintain defense of Rf8, but it also leaves f6 unguarded, allowing <27.Qf6+ Kg8 28.Rxg6#>. Good try ;-) |
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| Dec-21-16 | | docbenway: Almost gave up, and then it was Duh, the other rook! |
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Dec-21-16
 | | ChessHigherCat: It was tricky to do all in your head (which is what I usually do, that is to say in my head, not yours!) but once you see the position after Rg2 on the board the Q sac jumps out at you. |
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Dec-21-16
| | Jimfromprovidence: If 24...Rc4, what is white's best move to win?
<catlover> <Well, 25 Qxh7+ KxQ, 26 Rh3+ check won't work because of 26...Rh4. Looks like an immediate 24 Rh3 will do the trick: then moving the rook to h4 just loses a piece and if 25...Qa8+ 26 Rg2.> 25 Rh3 works, but take a look at 25 Ne4!, which blocks the a8-h1 diagonal. 
click for larger view |
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Dec-21-16
 | | Check It Out: I came in determined to solve today's POTD. First I was entranced with the queen sac on h7 followed by Rh3#, but no, the rook is pinned. I kept looking. My mind grazed over the Rg2 interference move briefly, but no, that leaves my f3 rook hanging. I kept looking. I looked at taking the rook on f8, but no, it's protected by the black queen and doesn't lead to anything. I occasionally glanced at the number of stars: two. Surely I can solve this puzzle. So I kept looking. Then the solution clicked: I need to unpin my f3 rook. I can only do that with Rg2. But that leaves the f3 rook hanging; but black's queen is tied down to protecting her f8 rook, so Rg2 leads, finally, to the original mating pattern I saw first. Success! |
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| Dec-21-16 | | ozmikey: Clever! Took me a couple of baffled minutes to get it. A different sort of "overloaded queen". |
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| Dec-21-16 | | Vyrak: Actually that is quite simple if you find that without the pin it is mate after Qh7 or Rh3. Then you find how to break the pin. Rg2. It took me a minute |
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Dec-21-16
 | | Bubo bubo: If not for that annoying pin on the long diagonal Qxh7+ and Rh3 would be mate in two. Since there is no efficient attack in sight w/o the Rf3, we have to un-pin it: 26.Rg2! Now 26...Qxf3 or 26...Qe4 fail to 27.Qxf8#, and 26...Bf4/Bg7 27.Q(x)g7# or 26...Bg3 27.Rfxg3 are also futile. |
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| Dec-21-16 | | MostlyWatch: Sweeping the king with two rooks, I call that the Harvester. Probly there's already a name for it. In the wheat harvest, at least here in the US, the farmers use a combine, which is a combined reaper and thrasher. The reaper has an oscillating blade that cuts the wheat, and a big gadget like an old steamship paddlewheel - boards sweep the wheat onto the reaper. Somehow this pair of rooks reminds me of that. |
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| Dec-22-16 | | Abdel Irada: ∞
Appropriate that this puzzle should come along in mid-Holiday Present Hunt, because it amounts to a forthright logic problem. First, take note of the salient facts:
1) White has a potential mate-in-two starting Monday-wise with 26. Qxh7+, Kxh7 27. Rh3#, but 2) The rook on f3 is pinned by Black's queen on a8. Can we break that pin and renew the threat?
At first glance, the answer would seem to be "no" because 3) The rook on f3 is also undefended.
But then we see that if Black takes the rook *without check*, 4) The black rook on f8 falls with mate.
So, let's see what happens:
<<+> 26. Rg2! ... > And now Black is confronted with a dilemma. White's mate-in-two is now a real threat, and he can't take on f3. So, what is he to do? The answer appears to be: not much.
∞ |
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| Dec-22-16 | | RandomVisitor: After 21.e5
click for larger viewKomodo-10.1-64bit:
<0.00/49 21...Bg5> 22.Qg2 Bxf3 23.Rxf3 Kh8 24.Rg1 f6 25.exd6 Qxd6 26.Ne4 Qe5 27.Nxg5 fxg5 28.Qxg5 Qxg5 29.Rxf8+ Rxf8 30.Rxg5 Rd8 31.Rg2 Rd1+ 32.Rg1 Rd2 33.Rg2 Rd1+ |
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Dec-05-18
 | | GrahamClayton: Is there a name for the tactic where White broke the pin on one rook by creating a pin with the other rook? |
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