Oct-02-08
 | | GrahamClayton: Black missed a pretty finish with 35..♖a1+ 36. ♔a1 c2# Source: Jon Speelman, "Endgame Preparation", Batsford, 1981 |
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Jul-04-10
 | | Benzol: 
click for larger view(An unbelievable position. If asked to guess one might identify this position as one from an encounter between Labourdonnais and Macdonnell, rather than a product of the mid-twentieth Century.) - Ray Keene & George Botterill in "The Modern Defence" 1972. It certainly is extraordinary. |
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Jun-21-12
| | Benzol: Might make a cute Monday puzzle. |
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| Nov-13-21 | | drollere: for all those who fail to notice that the white Q is en prise. |
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| Nov-13-21 | | Brenin: I saw 30 ... Qxa7 31 Nxa7 c3, e.g. 32 bxc3 Bxc3+ 33 Rb2 Rf2 34 Rhb1 Rxb2 35 Rxb2 d2 and 36 ... d1=Q mate, but hadn't enough energy to examine White's various alternatives. |
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| Nov-13-21 | | mel gibson: I didn't see that.
With 26 minutes of processing time finding
30 billion board positions using
an 8 core 16 thread CPU allocated
22 Gig of RAM -
Stockfish 14 says mate in 33:
30... Qxa7
(30. .. Qxa7
(♕f2xa7 ♘b5xa7 c4-c3 d5-d6 ♖f8-f2 d6-d7 c3xb2+ ♖b1xb2 ♗g7xb2+ ♔a1-b1
♗b2-f6 d7-d8♕+ ♗f6xd8 ♘a7-c6 ♗d8-f6 ♘c6-a5 ♖f2-b2+ ♔b1-c1 ♖b2-c2+ ♔c1-b1
d3-d2 ♘a5xb3 ♖c2-b2+ ♔b1-a1 d2-d1♕+ ♖h1xd1 ♖b2xb3+ ♔a1-a2 ♖b3-b2+ ♔a2-a1
♖b2-d2+ ♔a1-b1 ♖d2xd1+ ♔b1-c2 ♖d1-g1 a3-a4 ♖g1xg2+ ♔c2-b3 ♖g2-g3+ ♔b3-b4
♖g3xh3 ♔b4-c4 ♖h3-e3 ♔c4-c5 h7-h5 a4-a5 h5-h4 a5-a6 ♖e3-a3 ♔c5-b4 ♖a3xa6
♔b4-b5 ♖a6-a1 ♔b5-c4 h4-h3 ♔c4-b4 h3-h2 ♔b4-b5 h2-h1♕ ♔b5-b6 ♗f6-e7 ♔b6-c7
♖a1-a7+ ♔c7-b6 ♕h1-b7+) +M33/69 1574) |
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Nov-13-21
 | | perfidious: <....If asked to guess one might identify this position as one from an encounter between Labourdonnais and Macdonnell....> Not having the game mentioned above, I might well have done. An extraordinary position. |
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Nov-13-21
 | | Breunor: White missed the saving move 30 Qc5. |
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Nov-13-21
 | | al wazir: 30...c3.
A) 31. bxc3 Ra2#.
B) 31. Nxc3 Qxa7.
C) 31. Rhf1 Qxf1 32. Rxf1 Rxf1#
D) 31. Rbf1 cxb2+ 32. Kb1 Qc2#.
E) 31. Qxf2 Rxf2 32. Rhf1 cxb2+ 33. Rxb2 Rxf1#. F) 31. Qxf2 Rxf2 32. Rbf1 Rxb2 33. Nxc3 Bxc3 34. Rf8+ Kg7 35. Rhf1 Ra2+ 36. Kb1 Ra1#. |
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| Nov-13-21 | | sudoplatov: For some reason, ...c3 looked good so, 30...Qxa7, 31.Nxa7 c3. Two "immune" passed Pawns on the 6th rank are generally about equal to a Rook. Two pairs should be a winning advantage. This was even easier than Monday's. It probably a matter of familiarity with the important patterns. |
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| Nov-13-21 | | yadasampati: <GrahamClayton> That is indeed a beautiful finish! 35. ... Ra1+ 36. Kxa1 c2# |
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Nov-13-21
 | | Teyss: <al wazir> In your E and F lines White can remove the annoying Ps with 32.Nxc3 Bxc3 33.Rhd1: Black cannot defend the d3 P. After taking it the R will also take the b3 P, the WK will be safe hence White will have 2 Rs + some Ps vs R+B. The first move of the game deflects the WN so c3 becomes possible. For those who are too lazy to find the position mentioned by <Benzol> and <perfidious> (I won't say "who don't know", would be insulting): McDonnell vs La Bourdonnais, 1834 |
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Nov-13-21
 | | chrisowen: Epaulette evict o Qxa7 vis goliath ivory a bluff frazzle a hobble rabble epaulette evict o goofball ivory facsimile ovidy double jeopardy raily v knight thankyou von its won q v its eg suffice v bumpy kilty trams woosh tremendous dio aragorn’s ivory ova blade fraggle magicians iotas diminish axiom bandjob aka v its dub aquakong tooljam grief by poofy add i v fc mumble c i v jo aorta it keys a bah humbug hilly lark a kit info i ooh lib ja befriend quibble ji musket pecky turgid carky racked collaborate ivory fog might can c i v dime its minced meat ivory build gift caged big j man c dice its o ideals v cream pal malady c kid cook croque v monsieur ivory quagmire it gas c o v doctor ac dc jogbull candy lube acid bath enguard don’t be fooled by the rocks dj v gungho i v omits flag up the ladder v i soil mat v caps afford its beck and call reckon a7 cycle around v seed in a7 thought no its v i jig out beats its Qxa7 diminish; |
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| Nov-13-21 | | agb2002: Black has a bishop for a rook and a knight.
White threatens Qxf2.
A quick scan yields interesting lines, for example 30... c3 31.Qxf2 Rxf2 32.Nxc3 Bxc3 33.Rbd1 Rxb2 34.Rxd3 Ra2+ 35.Kb1 Ra1#. Or 30... Qxa7 (30... Qxg2 31.Rhc1 seems to stop the pawns: 31... d2 32.Rd1) 31.Nxa7 c3 32.bxc3 Bxc3+ 33.Rb2 Rf2 34.Rhb1 Rxb2 35.Rxb2 d2 and mate next. Since the first line looks bad after 33.Rhd1, instead of 33.Rbd1, I think I'd try 30... Qxa7. |
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| Nov-13-21 | | johnnydeep: <drollere: for all those who fail to notice that the white Q is en prise.> Sheepishly raises hand. |
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Nov-13-21
 | | Jimfromprovidence: I only saw 30 ... Qxa7 31 Nxa7 c3 as well. Did not consider any other lines. I did not understand 32 Rbd1. I figured 32 Rbe1 in a swindle attempt, hoping for 32...Rf2, then lowering the boom with 33 Re8+! 
click for larger view |
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Nov-14-21
 | | PawnSac: <GrahamClayton: Black missed a pretty finish with 35..?a1+ 36. ?a1 c2#
Source: Jon Speelman, "Endgame Preparation", Batsford, 1981> Indeed! and 13 years later its still just as beautiful! |
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Nov-14-21
| | PawnSac: < Jimfromprovidence: I did not understand 32 Rbd1. I figured 32 Rbe1 in a swindle attempt, hoping for 32...Rf2, then lowering the boom with 33 Re8+! > Rbe1 is no good because black can simply play ..c2 and white can't stop ..d2. White is at least trying to stop one of the pawns with Rbd1. besides, Re1 doesn't threaten black. Black is not forced to move his Rf8. It can sit there, or move to a8 or d8 on the back rank. The pawns are winning the game. |
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Kibitzing
sac: 24...Qxc4