| Jul-24-23 | | Brenin: Monday, so h-file sac: 36 ... Rxh3+ 37 gxh3 Rg1+ 38 Kh2 Qg3 mate. |
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| Jul-24-23 | | jrredfield: As <Brenin> said. Took about 15 seconds for me. 36 Re1 would have saved the game for White, at least with 36 ... bxc3 37 Rxc3 Qh6, looking like a pretty even situation. 36 cxb4?? was disastrous. |
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Jul-24-23
 | | perfidious: Classic theme: opposite bishops in a middlegame, and the attacking side is playing with virtually an extra piece. Before Sax' losing blunder, he looked to be grimly hanging on, but this game merely points up how difficult these positions can be to defend. |
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| Jul-24-23 | | Brenin: 32 ... Bf2 is a cheap trap: if 33 Qxf2 then 33 ... Rxh3+ 34 gxh3 (34 Kg1 Rh1 mate) Qxh3+ 35 Qh2 Qxf3+ 36 Qg2 Qxg2 mate. After White declines the B sac with 33 Re2 Black can try 33 ... Rxh3+ 34 gxh3 Rg1+ 35 Qxg1 Qxh3+ 36 Qh2 Qxf3+ 37 Qg2 Qh5+ 38 Qh2 Qxe2 39 Ra1 Qxe4+ 40 Qg2 Qxf5 with 3P for the exchange, but after 41 Qa8+ it looks dead drawn. |
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| Jul-24-23 | | King.Arthur.Brazil: Directly: 36...Rxh3+ 37. gxh3 Rg1+ 38. Qxg1 Qxg1#... Mondays...lol |
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| Jul-24-23 | | Mayankk: Black has massed his troops on the g-file, his Bishop is manning the g1-a7 diagonal unopposed, and so it's time to finish the job. 36 ... Rxh3+ 37 gxh3 (forced) Rg1+ 38 Qxg1 (38 Kh2 Qg3#) Qxg1# I was briefly sidetracked when I thought 38 Kh2 Rxf1 is the way to go. But then 39 Rg2 may be a party spoiler. Soon enough I saw 38 ... Qg3# instead. |
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Jul-24-23
 | | takebackok: No think Monday, |
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| Jul-24-23 | | geeker: Well, it's Monday, the Queen is not on a square from which it can reasonably be sacrificed, and the g2 square is too well-protected.
So it's gotta be 36...Rxh3+!! -+ and mate soon. :-) |
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Jul-24-23
 | | An Englishman: Good Evening: Best part of the game--Black castling King side *after* White ruined the pawns there. A decision both gutsy and foresighted. |
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| Jul-24-23 | | mel gibson: <jrredfield: As <Brenin> said. Took about 15 seconds for me.> Same for me - it's an easy mate in 3. |
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| Jul-24-23 | | stacase: Yes, very easy:
36...Rxh3+
37. gxh3 Rg1+
38. Kh2 Qg3#
or 36...Rxh3+
37. gxh3 Rg1+
38. Qxg1 Qxg1# |
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| Jul-24-23 | | Refused: Ah, Monday. Back to simpler times.
36...Rxh3+ curtains |
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| Jul-24-23 | | Unstable Psychopath: Monday puzzles are where you see masters and better players falling for tactics that you can very rarely even get an 1800 player to fall for. |
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| Jul-24-23 | | agb2002: Black is two pawns down.
White threatens Bxc5.
Black's heavy pieces x-ray g1. Hence, 36... Rxh3+ 37.gxh3 Rg1+ and mate next. |
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| Jul-24-23 | | saturn2: Rxh3 cracks the g-file open
Sax himself was playing the 2...e6 Sicilian often. I got a bit out of fashion later on and recently it has a rivival |
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| Jul-24-23 | | daladno: If only White wouldn't play cb4 one move before. Time trouble, probably. |
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Jul-24-23
 | | Sally Simpson: <If only White wouldn't play cb4 one move before. Time trouble, probably.> That looks correct. (White to play)
click for larger view36.Re1 adding more cover to the g1 square then Rxh3+ does not work. Time trouble is a good guess because it appears Sax played 38.Kh2 on auto-pilot and then resigned. In my 'Informator' days, mid 70's to early 80's I always dug out the games of Sax. I played through this one again G Botterill vs Sax, 1978 from vol 25 a few months back when I was looking for something else. It must have made an impression as I've scribbled notes all around it. It ends with "Queen trapped but White lost anyway." I've added lines why. |
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Jul-24-23
 | | chrisowen: I've dusk tow its v gaff mr q cob penny its hull jazz its Rxh3+ affable its off finish axiom jet afford pad iota its ho bottle tex ia its Rxh3+ fill |
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| Jul-24-23 | | TheaN: Dark square dominance for Black here, so we need access to the one dark square that matters now, g1. Thus <36....Rxh3+ 37.gxh3 Rg1+> and now 38.Qxg1 Qxg1# or <38.Kh2 Qg3#>. Interesting how White's technically quite a bit better here after 36.Re1 ±, though I doubt it's easily convertible: after 36....bxc3 White has to make the right decision to keep connected passers with 37.Rxc3, and then Black's attack stalls a bit. However, White can barely use any pieces to support the pawns or get mated anyway. |
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| Jul-24-23 | | Hercdon: Easy! |
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| Jul-24-23 | | whiteshark: <36...Rxh3+>, and that's it. |
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| Jul-24-23 | | Allderdice83: Easy Monday -- 36 ... Rxh3+. |
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Kibitzing
sac: 36...Rxh3+