Black to move. How should Black proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
A note by GM Mikhail Golubev:
Shukhrat Safin 1970-2009
The Website of the Uzbek Chess Federation http://uzchess.uz has published news that makes me very sad. Grandmaster Shukhrat Safin passed away on 20 September 2009. He played on the Uzbek national team on five Chess Olympiads, including Dresden 2008. I knew Shukhrat a bit. In 1999 we played together in the Dutch open in Dieren. In 1987 we met at the Soviet trade union juniors tournament in Izhevsk (Russia), where I performed well, but lost to Shukhrat. The end of that old game is our quiz position today. let’s preserve it for the eternity. (– Mikhail Golubev).
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
1 …Re8+
2 RxR Nd2+
3 Kg2 f3+
4 Kg3 Be5++
I think all of black’s moves are forced
Re1, Nd2 , f3 and Be5
Re1
1. Nh2 Kg2
2. f3 Kg3
3. Be5#
and, if
2. …..Kh1
3. Ng4#
Ooops, the perils of doing this over the board.
My last line fails to Bh5. Back to the drawing board.
Nice.
1. .. Re1+ !!
2. Rxe1 Nd2+ 3. Kg2 f3+ 4. Kg3 Qh4 Mate
2. Kg2 Nh4+ 3. Kh2 Qxd1 4. Qc8+ Kg7 5. Qg8+ Kh6 -+
Also, I am getting too used to the “white to move first” problems that I can’t even get the notation correctly written.
1. …..Re1
2. Re1 Nd2
3. Kg2 f3
4. Kg3 Qh4#
If,
1. …..Re1
2. Kg2 Nh4
3. Kh1 Ng6
4. Kg2 f3
5. Kg3 Qh4#
I think the correct answer would be
1… Re1+
2. Kg2 (2. Rxe1 Nd2+,3. Kg2 f3+, 4. Kg3 Qh4#) Nh4+
3. Kh2 (Kh1/h3 Ng6+ with mate) Qxd1
and black should win.
e.g.
4. Qc8+ Kg7
5. Qg8+ Kh6
6. Qf8+ Bg7
7. Qd6+ Ng6 and black is safe.
Incidently, I wonder if doing these puzzles really help with OTB play instead of learning opening plays. My point is that while I can generally calculate and complete these puzzles when there’s a huge “White/Black to play and win/draw” sign, they don’t really leap out to me if I encouter them OTB (nobody’s there to tell me I can win a piece/pawn/checkmate). Would take it kindly if Mrs. Polgar can comment on this.
1. .. Re1+
2. Rxe1 Nd2+
3. Kg2 f3+
4. Kg3 Qh4#
R.I.P.
Nh2+ Kg2
f3+ Kh1
Nf4#
or
Nh2+ Kg2
f3+ Kg3
Qh4#
1…Re1+
(2.Rxe1 Nd2+
3.Kg2 f3+
4.Kg3 Qh4#)
2.Kg2 Nh4+
3.Kh2 Ng6+
(3.Kh1/Kh3 Ng6+
4.Kg2 f3+
5.Kg3 Qh4+
6.Kxf3 Ne5+
forking the king and queen
7.Kg2 Rxg1+
8.Rxg1 Nxd7)
4.Dh3 Qxd1 wins a rook
1…Re1+ 2. Rxe1 Nd2+ 3. Kg2 f3+ 4. Kg3 Be5#.
RIP Shukhrat Safin
1. Re1+!
2. R:e1 Nd2+
3. Kg2 f3+
4. Kg3 Qh4#
or
1. Re1+
2. Kg2 Nh4+
3. Kh2 Ng3+
4. Kg2 f3+
5. Kg3 Be5#
1..Nh2+
2. Kg2 f3+
3. Kh1 (On 3.Kg3 Be5#)
3…….Ng4+
4. bxh5 Nf2+
5. Kh2 Be5#
Re1+ wins for black. Very pretty!
1. …Nh2+
2. Kg2 f3+
3. Kg3 Qh3#
if 3. Kh1 Ng4#
Pretty, but pretty forced.
Unfortunate,we lost a gm, anyway nice puzzle, RockTicklese1.
1 … Re1+
2 Rxe1 Nd2+
3 Kg2 f3+
4 Kg3 Qh4 mate
The idea was clear but it took me some time to find the (forced) lines though they are not very long. I hope at last I have not overlooked anything.
1. -, Re1+! 2. Rxe1, Nd2+ 3. Kg2.
This is the main line and I was looking at this almost immediately. Only seeing Qf3+ I wondered how to proceed but it is so easy now: 3. -, f3+ (of course) 4. Kg3, Qh4# (or Be5#)
The other line is 2. Kg2!? and took me much time, too. I could not find an immediate mate but in the end black is up a figure and the white king is not very secure (while the black king is secure enough I hope). Perhaps there is a mate that I overlooked or at least an even more convincing line!?
2. -, Nh4+ (of course not Qh2+ which I calculated first: 3. Kxf3, ?) 3. Kh2! (3. Kh1?/Kh3?, Ng6+! 4. Kg2, f3+ 5. Be5#), Qxd1!? (not Ng6+ 4. Qh3, Qxd1 5. Bxg6!) and black should escape the white attack after 4. Qc8+, Kg7 5. Qf8+, Bg7 6. Qd6+, Ng6 while the white king is still in danger and black can simply try to get an end game with a knight plus.
Hmmm, that does not convince me completely. I am looking forward to what the others have found. Interesting one, thanks for posting it!
Best wishes from Germany
Jochen
Nh2+ Kg2 f3+
if Kg3 Qh4++
if Kh1 Ng4++
“Incidently, I wonder if doing these puzzles really help with OTB play instead of learning opening plays. My point is that while I can generally calculate and complete these puzzles when there’s a huge “White/Black to play and win/draw” sign, they don’t really leap out to me if I encouter them OTB (nobody’s there to tell me I can win a piece/pawn/checkmate). Would take it kindly if Mrs. Polgar can comment on this.”
Hallo anonymous,
I am neither Susan nor a strong chess player but maybe you like to know my opinion to your question though?
Of course you are right that it is something different if you know that there is something going on. Sometimes these tactical training postitions are even very constructed.
But it though helps you for your real game:
1) In a real game this “there is a win to find” sign may not be as clear to see as it it at a given exercise but it is there. You do not calculate any tactical lines all the time. This ‘sign’ is given in the position, that may be some material being in a curios position so you can trap or fork (which you have to notice) for example (or any other things). In a real game you have to notice that (or feel that if you are an intiutional player) and then you can take some time and search for a tactical solution. Of course there is not always one and then you have to play on normally.
Puzzles like those given here should improve your ableness to notice these (hidden) signs in a real game.
2) If there is anything which makes you feel there could be something going on it is all about calculating. These puzzles here (or anywhere else) help me to improve my long term calculation and I think so it is similar for you, too. Even in these puzzles (where you know that some move wins) there are often long variations where you have to look out for details. Being able to calculate long lines and find the details (without moving the pieces) is very important for a game.
There are more things you can improve your chess with by solving (some) tactical exercises. And there are many different kinds of these exercises. Even beginner books where you can solve 20 exercises in less than two minutes have there advantage: You won’t learn to deeply calculate but you just sharpen your sight for positional facts that may allow tactics in your real game.
Another example: I am a chess problems enthusiast. Many people are saying that this does not help anything for a real game. But (when I played actively in former times) my positional play was really badly but I was a good tactical player. Problem chess gave me an eye for those things. It helped me to learn how figures work together and so on. And in problem chess the sign is even bigger than here. 😉
I do not know if this helped you. I do not know how long you are playing and how strong and experienced you are. But I am sure it will help you. It helps you learn calculating, it gives you an insight on when there _may be_ something to find and last but not least you just learn how the material is working together. It is hard to put this in words for me so I hope this was understandable.
Best wishes
Jochen
1. …Nh2+
2. Kg2 f3+
3. Kh1 Ng4+
4. Bxg4 Nf2+
5. Kh2 Be5#
Oh I was wrong
‘Incidently, I wonder if doing these puzzles really help with OTB play instead of learning opening plays.’
Of course opening plays will help you more.
Problem with chess openings is they are secret and nobody will tell you how to play correctly, so they can beat you later. So you need to use Fritz.
I was wrong.
1..Nh2 fails
In my previous post I missed
that after 5..Be5+
White can block the check
with 6. Rg3. And White is ahead in material..
Forever peace good man!
As I was not totally convinced by the 1…re1+ line finishing with qxd1 (in fact theres lots of lines giving material for black…), I decided to study further 1… nh2+ 2.kg2 f3+ 3.kh1 qh4 . I didnt find a way to stop blacks mate attack. the idea is that now the discovered check is mortal, and any rook move lead to something like ng4-qh2-qf2++. The best line I found was 4. qxe8+ (to avoid a future be5 idea) kg7 5.rg2 and now 5…ng4+ 6.kg1 fxg2 7.kxg2 (what else?) qxf2+ 8.kh3 qf3++ . there’s a lot of sublines, but thats the main one…
My last line was very beautiful, except I forgot to go a little further in white’s qxe8+ threat… after 1.qxe8 kg7 2.qg8+ kh6 3.qf8+ bg7 4.qd6+ and its all over… so I guess we have to settle for 1…re8+ 2.kg2 nh4+ 3.kh2 ng6+ 4.qh3 qxd1-+
wow, 3…ng6+ is a big blunder! have to go 3…qxd1 straight away…