White to move. This was a game between Dzhumaev and Korneev at the 2006 Triesta Open. White is in trouble. What is the best possible continuation for White to have a chance to hold?
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
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why is white in trouble? I see a hanging Black queen. Black’s threat of Nxb3 is easily counterd by Qxp and probably other moves. what am I missing?
Ok, the most serious threat is that black’s rook is in line with white’s king, rendering a pin on the c-pawn. Thus after …Nxb3 or …NxB, the c-pawn can’t capture. If white’s d4 knight were displaced, …Nxb3+ would be a royal fork.
Black also threatens to turn white’s castle into rubble: although the b-pawn is pinned and can’t capture at a3, instead black can proceed with …Nxb3+, NxN QxN, as the c-pawn can’t recapture, allowing black to grab the knight on a4.
Finally, white’s e-pawn is triple-attacked and only defended twice.
The best move I can find, stopping the …Nxb3 threat, is:
Qxb4
This protects the b-pawn as well as the knight, and attacks the queen. Unlike a3xb4? which allows Nxb3+, NxN QxN, instead Qxb4 protects against the knight sack with the queen.
Aha! I just peeked at the game on chessgames.com, and the move played was 15 a3xb4? (And, yes, I wrote the above comments about why a3xb4 is bad before I peeked at the game!)
So in response to adrenaline101a, who asked:
“why is white in trouble? I see a hanging Black queen. Black’s threat of Nxb3 is easily counterd by Qxp and probably other moves. what am I missing?”
You’re missing that QxP may be the only saving move, and that other moves, such as PxP, which was played and which indeed lost the game after Nxb3+, NxN QxN. But yes, QxP is the move.
Black will probably exchange off his knight, exchange queens, and snatch the e-pawn:
15 Qxb4 NxB+
16 RxN QxQ
17 a3xb4 Bxe4
And white is out of danger with an even game after moving the rook away; or white can try the wild 18 BxN exchange sacrifice which looks tempting but complicated, and is most certainly the most fun variation:
18 BxN!? BxR
19 BxB KxB
20 Nb6! undermining the rook which is pinning the pawn attacking the bish (what a mouthful). The rook has no squares on the c-file, as Rf7 allows for Nd5+ since white has the e-pawn pinned. Hence black must give back the exchange and white is out of trouble and ends up materially equal.
Tvtom, I followed your analysis.
One small mistake. You wrote:
“..as Rf7 allows for Nd5+ since white has the e-pawn pinned.”
Instead of Rf7 the correct is Rc7.
You should call your book : Solving Susan Polgar’s chess puzzles.
egaion said…
“Tvtom, I followed your analysis.
One small mistake. You wrote:
“..as Rf7 allows for Nd5+ since white has the e-pawn pinned.”
Instead of Rf7 the correct is Rc7.”
Heh. I must have a case of chysslexia.
“You should call your book: Solving Susan Polgar’s chess puzzles.”
Hey, if a superstar like Susan is gonna donate her time finding these puzzles, why not spend some time working on them and analyzing them?
axb4 Nxb3
Nxb3 Qxa4
Kb2
this is what see when i looked at the problem. the exchange is simple and then the king moves out the pin and protects the knight on b3. the a file is now ready for a white rook on a1. i will add that i think sometimes the king is viewed as defensless animal that is easy prey for the big bad queen. but he can hold his own since he moves in any direction and his power increases especially when the queen runs out space to wreak havoc.
wolverine2121 said…
“axb4 Nxb3
Nxb3 Qxa4
Kb2
this is what see when i looked at the problem. the exchange is simple and then the king moves out the pin and protects the knight on b3. the a file is now ready for a white rook on a1. i will add that i think sometimes the king is viewed as defensless animal that is easy prey for the big bad queen. but he can hold his own since he moves in any direction and his power increases especially when the queen runs out space to wreak havoc.”
Yep, the king is a fighting piece. Not sure if this is just as good as the QxP lines though:
15 axb4 Nxb3
16 Nxb3 Qxa4
17 Kb2 d5 and I think black is better, for if:
18 Ra1 Qxb4 winning a pawn, and if
18 c3 dxe4 also winning a pawn.
In either case black is up a pawn and white’s king is more exposed than in the 15 QxP variations. Or did you see something else?
i meant what i said. i think my evaluation is fine. you can believe whatever you want to believe. my point though is the queen has trouble in tight quarters and thats where the king excels. he can defend and cut off attacks by stepping up, around or wherever he needs to be.
wolverine2121 said…
“i meant what i said. i think my evaluation is fine. you can believe whatever you want to believe. my point though is the queen has trouble in tight quarters and thats where the king excels. he can defend and cut off attacks by stepping up, around or wherever he needs to be.”
Ok, except your move was exactly what was played in the game — and white lost!! D’oh! I’d prefer to have the extra pawn and a safer king — but that’s just me.
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