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Massimiliano Romi vs Cherubino Staldi
"Angels Fear to Tread" (game of the day Jun-11-2011)
Italian Championship (1954), Trieste ITA, rd 2, May-??
Indian Game: London System (A48)  ·  1-0

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
a
1
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
White to move.
ANALYSIS [x]
1-0

rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1
FEN COPIED

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 3 OF 3 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Apr-01-15  Pi Guy: Spent a while trying to make 51. Qh7+ work. When I couldn't find anything, I looked at 51. f8=Q+ instead. I saw that after 51... Kxf8 52. e7+ Ke8, there was no way to save the e7 pawn - 53. Qb5 was the only realistic try I could come up with but 53...Rfc6 left me without any moves even worth considering and a back rank to worry about. Spent a minute looking at 52. Qh7 before realizing it lost immediately to 52...Rf1+

I went back to 51. Qh7+ and ended up right back at the same lines with the king on g6 and 2 useless checks to give. I finally gave up on it after having an "aha!" moment where I realized the solution must have 52. f8=N+ (which covers that pesky g6 escape square and gives double check) rather than 52. f8=Q+. That moment was short-lived because I then noticed the black king could just retreat to his back rank. At that point I gave up on the puzzle and looked at the game.

I never came up with a move I would actually play in that position, but I did avoid the two trap moves with what I think was sufficiently-thorough analysis to be sure there was nothing for white in either line. I'm counting that as correct - without knowing the puzzle was meant to be a spoiler, I would never choose a safe/standard move as a puzzle solution and it somehow didn't occur to me at any point that this was an April Fools puzzle.

Apr-01-15  TheaN: Darn. Move along, nothing to see here...

I <should> have known something about this position was April Fools. I was thinking promoting with a black piece (there's a study position with a similar discovered check demonstrating that is the only mate in one).

After I saw <51.Qh7+ Kxh7 (Kf8 52.e7#) 52.f8=Q+ Kg6 53.Rg7+ Kf5 54.Rxg5+ with Qxc8 > I thought I was done and discarded Kh6 "because it's double check". Guess that's the power of a double check, it can fool you just as much.

White can try to play on for a draw after <53....Kh6 54.Rxg5+ Rfxf8 55.Rxe5 >, but then <51.c6! > would be better either way.

Apr-01-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  Penguincw: < Happy April Fools' Day! >

I should've known.

I went with 51.e7. :|

Apr-01-15  TheaN: Interesting is that the actual advantageous move for white seems to be Thursday/Friday level:

<51.c6! Rxe6> else lose to the combination of c7 and Qh7+ <52.Qh7+! Kf6!> Kxh7 now is mate in 11 after 53.f8=Q+ Re7 53.Rxe7+ <53.Rd1!> defend against the back rank and threatening Rf1+. <53....Qg6!!> black's defense is precise. Without Qg6, white also has the option of Qg8! <54.Rf1+ Kg5> and now white has nothing better than <55.Qxg6+ Rxg6 56.f8=Q Rxf8 57.Rxf8 Rxc6 58.Kg1 > and the rook endgame is hard to win because the white king is still far away.

Apr-01-15  A.T PhoneHome: Wow! 51.Qh7? seems like something Mikhail Tal would play. Even when it's not the solution to this year's April Fools' Day Puzzle.

Too bad I considered it to be the solution, very ingenious Daily Puzzle; perfectly fitting 1st of July and its harmless, well-spirited theme!

Thank you, <chessgames.com>!

Apr-01-15  Once: Now there is a thought. White played 51. Qh7+ and Black resigned.

He would have struggled to hold the draw if he had played any other move. Does that make 51.Qh7+ a good move or a bad one? It might have been the only move to win in a difficult position.

Apr-01-15  Mating Net: And of course we were set up with today's GOTD and all those Queen deflections.
Apr-01-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  doubledrooks: I couldn't find a way to win after 51.Qh7+, and then I realized today is April Fool's Day.
Apr-01-15  kevin86: I answered the puzzle correctly...too bad the move works like a 1950s cellphone.
Apr-01-15  Errrrrrr: Dangit! I thought that question mark was verrry suspicious...
Apr-01-15  Errrrrrr: 32.Rd6 Rd6 33. Bd6 ed 34.e7 Rf7 35. Qg6 leads to an interesting bind.
Apr-01-15  Marmot PFL: I lose like this in 3 0 a lot, missing Kh6 and so forth.
Apr-01-15  agb2002: White has four pawns for a rook.

The pawns on c5 and e6 are hanging.

White can promote the f-pawn with discovered check with 51.Qh7+ Kxh7 (51... Kf8 52.Qh8+ Qg8 53.Qxg8# or 53.fxg8=Q(R)#) 52.f8=Q+. However, after 52... Kg6 (52... Qg7 53.Qxg7#; 52... Rf7 53.Qxf7+ and mate next) the attack seems to vanish (53.Rg7+ Kh6; 53.Qg7+ Kh5 54.g4+ Kh4 55.Qh7+ Qh6; 53.Qxc8 Rf1+ 54.Kh2 Qf4+ 55.g3 Qf2#).

This suggests 51.f8=Q+ Kxf8 52.e7+ but after 52... Ke8 the attack loses steam.

My only remaining idea is 51.c6 to protect the rook, to promote the c-pawn and to divert a black rook:

A) 51... Rxe6 52.Qh7+ Kf6 53.Rd1

A.1) 53... e5 54.f8=Q+ Rxf8 55.Rf1+ Ke5 56.Rxf8 Qc1+ 57.Kh2 Qxc6 58.Qxa7 + - [2P] and the black king is still exposed.

A.2) 53... Rf8 54.Rf1+ Ke7 55.Qb1 and probably White has compensation for the material (55... Rxf7 56.Qb7+ wins the rook on f7).

A.3) 53... Qg6 54.Rf1+ Kg5 55.Qxg6+ K(R)xg6 56.f8=Q Rxf8 57.Rxf8 Rxc6 58.Rf2 and White has an extra pawn but I don't know whether it is enough to win the rook ending.

B) 51... Rg6 52.f8=Q+ Kxf8 53.Qf1+ Qf4 (else mate in two) 54.Rf7+ wins the queen with decisive material advantage.

C) 51... Rxc6 52.f8=Q+ Kxf8 53.Qb8+ and mate next.

I think 51.c6 is White's best practical option.

Apr-01-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  gawain: Count me among the fooled. Well done, <Chessgames.com>
Apr-01-15  whiteshark: Aah, April's Fools' Day!

<Believe nothing and trust no one.

<Just like any other day.>>

Apr-01-15  stst: To keep the tempo, do a Q-sac:

51.Qh7+ Kxh7
52.f9=Q dis+ Kg6 (only escape sq.)
53.Rg7+ (better than Qg7+) Kf5
54.Rxg5+ Kxg5
55.Qxc8 (already gain material) Rxe6
56.c6 Kf5
57.g4+ Kf6
58.c7 e4
59.Qxe6+ Kxe6
60.c8=Q ... etc rest should be easy

surely other variations after 53.Rg7+ are possible, e.g. Kh5, but after Black RxQ, Black's gain in material would be similar....

Apr-01-15  stst: <<Aah, April's Fools' Day!
<Believe nothing and trust no one. <Just like any other day.>> Like this !! -- Trust NO one at all times!!, including self!!

Be a fool and just fool around happy!!

!? that the POD gives only one move 51.Qh7? (note the ? sign ) and let us (fools?) to ponder what next... for both parties...though a draw is very unlikely...

Apr-01-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  scormus: anyway, a puzzle worthy of the day
Apr-01-15  Prosperus: 51. Qh7+? Kxh7 (51. ... Kf8?? 52. e7#) 52. f8=Q+ Kg6 53. Rg7+ Kh6!
Apr-01-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  Mrcomputer55: People, simple game after Qh7+!

.......... Kxh7

f8Q. Kg6
Qg7+ Kf5
Rf7+ wins the queen!

Or Qh7+. Kh7
f8Q+ Kg6
Qg7+. Kh5
Qh7+. Qh6
g4+. Kg5
Rg7. Wins the queen
On. Kh4 with the same result!

Apr-01-15  Whitehat1963: I considered an underpromotion via 51. Qh7+ Kxh7 52. f8=N (Double check), and ALMOST had it worked out. I thought I was a genius, but it fails to the simple 52...Kg8. I know better than to think I'm a chess genius for long!
Apr-01-15  CHESSTTCAMPS: White has four pawns for a rook, with connected passed pawns on 6th and 7th rank ready to work some kind of promotion. Going by the old adage that 2 connected pawns on the 6th is worth a rook. But a forcing attempt to win results in nasty boomerang: 51.Qh7+(?) Kxh7 52.f8=Q+ Kg6 53.Rg7+? Kh6 54.Qxc8 Rf1+ 55.Kh2 Qf4+ 56.g3 Qf2# Best might be 51.e7 Rxf7 52.Rd8 Rxc5 53.e8=Q Rc1+ 54.Qxc1 Qxc1+ 55.Kh2 Qf4+ with a draw.

OK I'm stumped or fooled - time for review...

Apr-01-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  Bubo bubo: <Whitehat1963: I considered an underpromotion via 51. Qh7+ Kxh7 52. f8=N (Double check)>

Same here! 51.Qh7+ Kxh7 52.f8N++ Kh6 53.Rh7# looks good, at least on April 1st.

Apr-06-15  alfiepa: In the Evans's book " 10 most commons chess mistakes" there is this game and the tarrasch' s esxplanaion ( " sacrifical schock" )
Apr-13-15  ishtiak: What's about this? 51. Qh7+ Kxh7 52. f8=Q+ Kg6 3. Qg7+ Kf5 54. Qxg6+ Kxg6 55. e7 Rf7 56. Rd8 Rxe7 57. Rxc8
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