Puzzles (3)
Puzzles from London and Russia
IM Malcolm Pein - Friday 1st January 2010
To start the year, a couple of puzzles. The first is a fabulous finish from the Open tournament that ran alongside the London Chess Classic.
To start the year, a couple of puzzles. The first is a fabulous finish from the Open tournament that ran alongside the London Chess Classic. Black to play is a pawn down but has threats to the white king. How did he conjure up a mating net?
R Berzinsh
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Michael Hennigan
Black to play and win
Answer: 29...h5!!
(The immediate 29...Qxf2+?? 30.Kxf2 Re2+ 31.Kxf3 leads nowhere)
30.Qa1
(Sportingly allowing the finish but there was no defence, if 30.g4 hxg4 31.Qa1 Be5! intending 32...Bxh2+)
30...Qxf2+! 31.Kxf2 Re2+
(Now the king must either retreat when f3-f2 is mate or go forward to its doom)
32.Kxf3 Bg4+ 33.Kf4 Bh6
mate
0-1
A nice finish from the Russian Championship
Senan Sjugirov
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Denis Khismatullin
Position after 35...Nc3; Black\'s last move sets up a double attack but how did White finish the game off neatly
Answer:
36.Rxb8! Nxa4 37.Nb6 Naxb6 38.axb6 c4 39.b7 Qb6+ 40.Kg2 1-0
Peter Wells occasionally chides me for missing some of his better games so let's start off on the right foot.
A Slavin - P Wells
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0-0 5.Bd3 d5 6.Nf3 c5 7.0-0 dxc4
8.Bxc4 Nbd7 9.Qe2 b6 Bxc3 11.dxe6 Ne5 12.exf7+ Kh8 13.bxc3 Bg4 14.h3?
14.e4 Nh5 15.Bd5 Qc8 or 14...Qe7 15.Re1 b5!? )
14...Nxf3+ 15.gxf3 Bxh3
16.Re1? Ne4! 17.f4
(Else Qg5+)
17...Qh4 18.Qf3 Rad8! 19.Bf1
(19.Qxe4 Rd6! )
19...Bf5
20.Bg2 Rd6 21.Kf1 Rd2!
Peter Wells
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A Slavin
Position after 21...Rd2!
22.Re2 Rd1+ 23.Re1 Rxc1! 24.Raxc1 Nd2+ 25.Ke2 Nxf3 0-1
