Dec-25-15
 | | Penguincw: 4 stages of life:
1) You believe in Santa.
2) You don't believe in Santa.
3) You are Santa.
4) You look like Santa.
Merry Christmas all, especially to the <cg> puzzle solvers! Also, today is actually the last Friday puzzle of 2015, so can I get it right?! Let's just say, no. I picked the wrong sac. |
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| Dec-25-15 | | Steve.Patzer: Why not 33....Bd8? |
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| Dec-25-15 | | patzer2: For today's Friday puzzle (34. ?), White is up a pawn and about to lose a piece due to the pin of the Knight on a7. To minimize the damage, White figures desperate measures are needed with 34. Rxe6 Qxe6 35. Nxb5, giving the first player a Knight and two pawns for the exchange and a better position. White's combination becomes overwhelming only because of the error 34...f5??, allowing the winning Queen fork 35. Qc8+  (+11.41 @ 20 depth, Deep Fritz 14). Instead, 34...Nb6 35. Qc6  (+0.90 @ 23 depth, Deep Fritz 14) holds the position with only about a pawn advantage for White. Instead of 33. Nxb5, Deep Fritz 14 prefers 33. Rc6! when play might go 33. Rc6 Bd6 34. Nc8 Rxc8 35. Rxc8+ (+1.32 @ 25 depth). For a Black improvement, the Deep Fritz suggestion 18...Rc8 = (+0.05 @ 22 depth, Deep Fritz 14) appears to hold better than the Knight regrouping move 18...Nf8 19. Na2!  (+ 0.50 @ 23 depth). |
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| Dec-25-15 | | Ayaend: Steve patzer i think the same 33...Bd8
Merry Christmas ALL 🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅 |
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| Dec-25-15 | | diagonalley: well <diagonalley> got the first couple of moves and (since it is the season of goodwill) i'll award myself half a point! ... merry xmas guys! (and dolls - if there are any!) |
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| Dec-25-15 | | crazyhead: tme meodays problem baffled me Happy Christnas |
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| Dec-25-15 | | gofer: Are two connected passed pawns worth going down "an exchange" for - probably!?!? <32 Nxb5 ...>
White threatens 33 Rxa8+ (and 33 Rxe6 Qxe6 34 Nxc7 ) <32 ... Rxa6>
<33 Nxc7 ...>
33 ... Raa7
34 Nxd5 (with massive threats from Bc4 coming)
<33 ... Nxc7>
<34 Rxc7 Rxc7>
<35 Bxa6 ... >
click for larger viewWhite has the bishop pair and two connected passed pawn, the best that black can
probably hope for is trading down the rook for one of the pawns and trying to stop
the final pawn from promoting, but black has another weakness, its king is out in
the open. If Pf7 had stayed put and not moved forward with Pg7 and Ph7, there would
be chance for the king to hide, but he is really out in the open and quite vunerable. I would rate white's chances from here...
~~~
Nul Point!
<Merry Christmas!> |
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| Dec-25-15 | | morfishine: I also like <32.Nxb5> Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
***** |
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| Dec-25-15 | | agb2002: White has the bishop pair and a pawn for a bishop and a knight. Black threatens 32... Ra(b)xa7.
The bishop on f1 x-rays a6. This suggests 32.Nxb5 or 32.Rxe6. In the case of 32.Nxb5:
A) 32... Rxa6 33.Nxc7
A.1) 33... Nxc7 34.Rxc7
A.1.a) 34... Rxc7 35.Bxa6 + /- [2B+2P vs R+N], followed by a pawn roll but White should take into account the maneuver Nb6-Nc4. A.1.b) 34... Raa7 35.Rxb7 (probably better than 35.Rc8+) 35... Rxb7 36.b5 is similar to A.1.a. A.2) 33... Rad6 34.Nb5 followed by 35.Nc3 targeting the pawn on d5 and supporting the pawn roll. B) 32... Rab8 33.Rxe6 wins decisive material.
C) 32... Rc8 33.Rac6 wins two pawns.
-----
In the case of 32.Rxe6:
A) 32... Qxe6 33.Nxb5 Bd8 34.Nc3 is similar to A.2 in the 32.Nxb5 line. B) 32... Ra(b)xa7 33.Rec6 and Black is a pawn down without compensation. -----
I'm not sure, but I think I'd play 32.Rxe6. |
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| Dec-25-15 | | agb2002: <patzer2 ...
Instead of 33. Nxb5, Deep Fritz 14 prefers 33. Rc6! when play might go 33. Rc6 Bd6 34. Nc8 Rxc8 35. Rxc8+ (+1.32 @ 25 depth).> I considered 33.Rc6 but didn't find any advantage over 33.Nxb5 directly and didn't see why Black should allow the pin. Merry Christmas to all! |
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| Dec-25-15 | | jith1207: Merry Christmas everyone. As it is holiday here, it felt like Sunday. Even my grandmother mistook today for a Sunday, so that must be real. Then I came to CG puzzle and it confirmed today is Sunday. So I expect to sac a queen and mate in a move or a maximum of two tomorrow. Happy Holidays, everyone. :-) |
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| Dec-25-15 | | patzer2: Correction: Somehow I got the starting move number (32. ?) wrong in my earlier post, so this a correction: For today's Friday, Christmas day puzzle (32. ?), White is up a pawn and about to lose a piece due to the pin of the Knight on a7. To minimize the damage, White figures desperate measures are needed with 32. Rxe6 Qxe6 34. Nxb5, giving the first player a Knight and two pawns for the exchange and a better position. White's combination becomes overwhelming only because of the error 34...f5??, allowing the winning Queen fork 35. Qc8+ (+11.41 @ 20 depth, Deep Fritz 14). Instead, 34...Nb6 35. Qc6 (+0.90 @ 23 depth, Deep Fritz 14) holds the position with only about a pawn advantage for White. Instead of 33. Nxb5, Deep Fritz 14 prefers 33. Rc6! when play might go 33. Rc6 Bd6 34. Nc8 Rxc8 35. Rxc8+ (+1.32 @ 25 depth). For a Black improvement, the Deep Fritz suggestion 18...Rc8 = (+0.05 @ 22 depth, Deep Fritz 14) appears to hold better than the Knight regrouping move 18...Nf8 19. Na2! (+ 0.50 @ 23 depth). |
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| Dec-25-15 | | Marmot PFL: <For today's Friday puzzle (34. ?), White is up a pawn and about to lose a piece due to the pin of the Knight on a7. To minimize the damage, White figures desperate measures are needed with 34. Rxe6 Qxe6 35. Nxb5, giving the first player a Knight and two pawns for the exchange and a better position. White's combination becomes overwhelming only because of the error 34...f5??, allowing the winning Queen fork 35. Qc8+ (+11.41 @ 20 depth, Deep Fritz 14).> This is about how I figured it too. I couldn't see anything but Rxe6 and it didn't look winning. Then black blunders and it's over. |
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| Dec-25-15 | | thegoodanarchist: I didn't even try to solve it. Why?
It is Christmas. Today I want the answer given to me, wrapped in a bow. Merry Christmas everybody! |
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Dec-25-15
 | | Jimfromprovidence: Swindle possibility.
Black plays 34...Kf7 to avoid check but hopes white greedily still plays 35 Qc8. 
click for larger viewNow comes 35...Bh2+.
click for larger viewHappy Holidays! |
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| Dec-25-15 | | King.Arthur.Brazil: I fail to see the move. I though about 32.Nxb5 which, after changes, gives at least one piece ahead to black. Also tried 32.Rxe6 but didn't see what would follow. Yes, white has 2 free powns at the queen side which can be promoted and black has no attack. But I guess that 34... f5??? is a big mistake. Maybe, 34... Nb6! avoid 35.Qc8+ and tries to block these pown with 35... Na4 or Nc4! (preferable). Thus, I understand that white has the best choices, but black could do more... Happy Christmas everyone. |
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| Dec-25-15 | | Pawn Slayer: I'd have played 32 Rxe6 Qxe6 33 Rc6! and whatever black replies, white has a clear (though probably not decisive) edge. 34 ...f5 is just horrible!! |
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| Dec-25-15 | | devere: 32.Rxe6 Qxe6 and now 33.Rc6 Bd6 (...Qe7 or Qf7 or Qf5 34.Nxb5 looks too good for White) 34.Nc8! (not Nxb5? Bh2+)
click for larger view
looks a bit better for White than 33.Nxb5 Bd8.
click for larger view
In either case White has a lot of work left to do to try to win. |
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| Dec-25-15 | | JimNorCal: TheGA: "Today I want the answer given to me"
Yes, thanks to all who re-gifted the winning moves to us! |
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Kibitzing
sac: 32.Rxe6