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| Sep-30-10 | | dzechiel: White to move (55?). Material even. "Medium."
The ONLY problem I have with the graded difficulty of the "Position of the Day" is knowing the rating (Easy, Difficult, etc), which gives information that leads to the solution. Perhaps Chessgames could select seven positions (ranked from "Very Easy" to "Insane"), then randomly present them during the week, with no indication on how hard they will be to solve. On today's position, I started looking at a very involved combination that was going to lead to a complex knight and pawn endgame, when my eye wandered to the difficulty rating, and I saw "Medium" (even before I started typing). At that point I gave up on my complex line and started looking for something more straightforward. It didn't take long to see: 55 Nf6
With the threat of 56 Re8#. Black plays
55...Rxd6
Trying to avoid the mate by running doesn't work, eg: 55...Kc8 56 Re8+ Kb7 57 d7 Kc7 58 Rc8+ followed by 59 d8=Q, going up by at least a rook. 56 Re8+ Kc7 57 Re2
On the knight, and also threatening 58 Ne8+ forking king and rook. Much easier than what I originally had in mind. Time to check. |
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| Sep-30-10 | | unferth: <dzechiel> to minimize the effect of knowing the difficulty rating, I deliberately keep the bottom of my browser window level with the bottom of the board until I've made my choice. of course, it doesn't help much if you pay attention to the day of the week ... but I'm usually hungover enough that that's not too much of a problem. thought today's was pretty straightforward--a forcing mate threat followed by a fairly obvious tactic |
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| Sep-30-10 | | kookoon: I think Nf6 is the first move most everyone would try to analyze further on this position. Forces many black moves. |
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| Sep-30-10 | | patzer2: For today's Thursday puzzle solution, 55. Nf6! combines mate threat, passed pawn, clearance, knight fork and double attack tactics in the clever sequence described above by <dzechiel>. |
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| Sep-30-10 | | rilkefan: I looked at Nc5 covering b7 and e6, with the idea of pushing the d pawn. I take it White actually wins in the game line if he gives up the exchange and pushes the b pawn? |
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| Sep-30-10 | | VincentL: "Medium"
The first thing I notice is that 55. Nf6 threatens mate in one with 56. Re8 However 56.... Rxd6 (or Kc8) stops the mate.
White can simply play Kxg6, probably winning, if he can defend his own pawn on e6. 55. Nc5 may accomplish this. Black cannot play 55... Rxd6 as this runs into the fork 56. Nb7+ 55.... Rd4+ is answered by 56. Re4.
After 55.... Nc4 56. Nb7+ Kd7 57. Re7+ Kc8 58. Rc7+ Kb8. 59. Kxg6. Now, 59.... Nxd6 loses the knight to 60. Rd7.
But if 59.... Rxf4 60. d7 Rf8 and I don't see the win for white. Maybe 55. Nc5 is not the correct starting move.
I´m too tired to consider other avenues tonight, so will check. |
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| Sep-30-10 | | VincentL: I see the idea now. The first two moves of the game line was the first thing I considered. But I missed 57. Re2 and this is the key move here. |
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| Sep-30-10 | | M.Hassan: "Medium" White to play 55.?
Even Materials
The first move that came to my mind was Nf6. It opens up the e file for Rook attack and prevents Black king to approach d pawn. The game likely to have continued as below: 55.Nf6 Rxd6
56.Re8+ Kc7
57.Re2
This move attacks the Black Knight while vacating e8 for futher check and forking by the Knight!
57........Nc4
58.Ne8+ Kc6
59.Nxd6 Kxd6
60.Kxg7 b5
61.f5 Ne5+
62.Kg7 b4
63.f6 Nd7
64.Rd2+ Kc3
65.f6 Nxf6
66.Kxf6
White is to win having a Rook against a pawn.
Let's check see if this has been the actual game continuation or not
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Up to move 57 of White, it was the same but Black did not let himself to be checked and forked. Sacked the Knight to keep the Rook.
NICE |
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| Sep-30-10 | | Ladolcevita: When I though it was vague,
Topalov found a pellucid way.... |
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| Sep-30-10 | | KNIGHTSTALE22: <Dionyseus> Please move into the real world of chess. A comment like "white mates in 23, a proven tablebase win" would indicate to me that you have very little over the board experience. |
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| Sep-30-10 | | whiteshark: Simple but effective tactics. |
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| Sep-30-10 | | gofer: In the longterm Pg6 is lost and Pf4 is threatening promotion, so white is in a good position already!
White would like to play 55 Nf6 ... and then 56 Re8#, but black simply plays 55 ... Rxd6 and scuppers
white's plans, so white's attack needs to be more subtle. 55 Nc5 ...
The rook or king must move to avoid the knight fork on e6, if the king moves white plays d7+ and black
is forced to play Rxd7 Nxd7 Kxd7 into a losing end game, so black must move the rook. 55 ... Rxd6 56 Nb7+ winning
55 ... Re2/Re1 56 d7 winning
55 ... Rc4 56 Nb7+ Kc8 (Kd7 Re7+ winning) 57 Re8+! Kxb7 58 d7 winning Main Line
55 ... Rd5+
56 Re5 Rxe5
57 fxe5 ...
Now the pawn race is on, but white is already in the home straight... 57 ... Nc4
58 Kf6 ...
58 ... Kc8/Ke8 59 d7+ winning
58 ... b4 59 Nb7+ Kc8 (Kd7 e6+ winning or Ke8 Ke6 winning) 60 e6 Kxb7 61 d7 Kc8 62 Ke7 winning Main Line
58 ... Ne3
59 Nb7+ Kc8 (Kd7 e6+ winning or Ke8 Ke6 winning)
60 e6 Nd5+ (Kxb7 e7 winning)
61 Kf7 b4 (Kxb7 e7 winning)
62 d7+ winning
Time to check... |
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| Sep-30-10 | | gofer: :-(
White's attack is far more complex than <"55 Nc5 Re2/Re1 56 d7 winning">. I did find a win against crafty with 55 Nc5 Re2 56 Rb3 Nc4 57 Nb7+ Kd7 58 Rxb5 Nxd6 59 Nxd6 Kxd6 60 Rb6+ Ke7 61 Kxg6 etc etc but its a long hard grind to promote the pawn. "Null Point" today... :-( |
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| Sep-30-10 | | agb2002: The material is even.
Black threatens 55... Nc4.
White can exploit the position of Black's king and pieces with 55.Nf6, threatening 56.Re8#: A) 55... Rxd6 56.Re8+ Kc7 57.Re2
A.1) 57... Nc4 58.Ne8+ Kd7 59.Nxd6 Kxd6 60.Kxg6 + - [R vs N]. A.2) 57... Nd3 58.Ne8+ Kd7 59.Nxd6 Kxd6 60.Rd2 (60.Kxg6 Nxf4+ - +) + - [R vs P]. A.3) 57... Rd1 58.Rxb2 Rg1+ 59.Kh4 Kc6 and White has a knight for a pawn but it seems that there is a long fight ahead. B) 55... Kc8 56.Re8+ Kb7 57.d7 + -.
Another option is 55.Nc5, with many threats (56.Ne6+, 56.d7 and 57.Re8+, 56.Kxg6, etc.) but after 55... Rd5+ 56.Re5 Rxe5+ 57.fxe5 Nc4 Black's passed pawns might create problems. For example, 58.Kf6 g5 59.Ne6+ Kd7 60.Nxg5 Nxd6 61.e6+ Ke8 and Black only needs to give his knight for the pawn to draw at least. |
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| Sep-30-10 | | buchegcc: @Atahualpa: The pawn on g6 actually is more important here than the knight. If black wants a draw, he has to get rid of white's f-pawn somehow, because winning with R+N+K against R+K (without pawns present) is VERY difficult indeed. |
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Sep-30-10
 | | perfidious: Once the subtle retreat 55.Nf6 Rxd6 56.Re8+ Kc7 57.Re2! is spotted, this becomes very easy, as the consequences for Black are nothing short of horrific-he can't even sacrifice the exchange to appease his opponent, as the knight will never get back in time to stop the passed pawn created after the fall of g6. |
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| Sep-30-10 | | Patriot: It didn't take me long to see the line 55.Nf6 (threatening mate) Rxd6 56.Re8+ Kc7 57.Re2, which threatens both 58.Rxb2 and 58.Ne8+. I also looked at 55...Kc8 56.Re8+ Kb7 57.d7 and winning material. It took several minutes of looking for anything black can do for counterplay before accepting the key move 55.Nf6. This seemed so much easier than yesterday's puzzle. |
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| Sep-30-10 | | CHESSTTCAMPS: In this ending, material is even, but the black g-pawn is hanging and the white pieces are better placed than their black counterparts. The immediate 55.Kxg6 is met by Nc4, so it makes sense to look for a finesse given the poor position of the black king on the edge. 55.Nf6! threatens mate, the most forcing continuation available. If now: A) 55... Rxd6 56.Re8+ Kc7 57.Re2 either wins the knight or the exchange. Looking first at giving up the exchange, play might continue: A.1) 57... Nc4 58.Ne8+ Kc6 59.Nxd6 Nxd6 60.Kxg6 b4 61.f5 Kc5 (b3? 62.Rb2) 62.f6 b3 63.Rd2! Ne4 (otherwise 64.Rxd6 wins) 64.f7! (otherwise 64... Nxf6 draws) Nxd2 65.f8=Q+ Kc4 66.Qf6! Ke3 67.Qb2 followed by the approach of the white king wins. A.1.a) 59... Kxd6 60.Kxg6 Ne5+ 61.Rxe5 Kxe5 62.f6 wins A.2) 57... Rd8 58.Rxb2 followed by Kxg6 and the f-pawn wins. A.3) 57... Rd4 58.Rxb2 Kc6 59.Nb4 Kc5 60.Ne5 followed by Nxg6 and the f-pawn wins again. B) 55... Kc8? 56.Re8+ Kb7 57.d7 Kc7 58.Rc8+ followed by d8=Q wins. C) 55... Rd5+?? 56.Nxd5
D) 55... (other)?? 56.Re8#
I'm pretty sure that I saw this position in Chess Life a while back, but only the key move looks familiar. |
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| Sep-30-10 | | CHESSTTCAMPS: Missed the game defense 57...Rd1. IMO, looking beyond the initial combination, this requires much more accuracy than yesterday's puzzle. |
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| Sep-30-10 | | jackpawn: I must be 'on' today, I found the solution almost immediately. |
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Sep-30-10
 | | LIFE Master AJ: <Sep-30-10 Patriot: It didn't take me long to see the line 55.Nf6 (threatening mate) Rxd6 56.Re8+ Kc7 57.Re2, which threatens both 58.Rxb2 and 58.Ne8+. I also looked at 55...Kc8 56.Re8+ Kb7 57.d7 and winning material.
It took several minutes of looking for anything black can do for counterplay before accepting the key move 55.Nf6. This seemed so much easier than yesterday's puzzle.> I found this one pretty quickly ... the game looked too familiar. (Anyone who has visited my websites would know that I used to follow Linares very closely. One example: http://www.geocities.com/lifemaster....) What was yesterday's puzzle? - I must have missed it. |
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Sep-30-10
| | LIFE Master AJ: http://www.ajschess.com/lifemastera... is a newer link/page. |
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| Sep-30-10 | | Patriot: <<CHESSTTCAMPS>: Missed the game defense 57...Rd1. IMO, looking beyond the initial combination, this requires much more accuracy than yesterday's puzzle.> IMO, 57...Rd1 isn't really a defense. It still takes care by white to achieve the point, since black continued on, but is technically losing. |
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| Sep-30-10 | | kevin86: I had no clue on this one-nice way for white to gain a piece. |
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Sep-30-10
 | | OBIT: Looking at this position again the next day, I suppose the objective of the puzzle is to find the "best" line, not necessarily a forced win. That continuation is definitely 55. Nf6 Rxd6 56. Re8+ Kc7 57. Re2. From here, Black's best try to hold the draw is probably 57...Rd1 58. Rxb2 Rg1+ to hold the g-pawn. The alternative 57...Nc4 58. Ne8+ Kc6 59. Nxd6 Kxd6 60. Kxg6 should be an easier win, since the rook can support the pawn advancement much better than the knight. For example, White wins if both sides just decide to push pawns here: 60...b4 61. f5 b3 62. f6 b2 63. Rxb2 and wins. Of course, Black has other options, but the tablebases tell me this position wins, along with all similar positions that can arise if Black sacrifices the exchange. If Black can't turn his pawn into a threat, his drawing chances are probably nonexistent. After 57...Rd1 58. Rxb2 Rg1+ though, hmm..., this position is not easy, for sure. All you posters saying "...and wins" have a lot more analyzing to do before you can say that with conviction, IMO. |
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