This was a game between GM Romanishin and GM Ivanchuk. Can you assess this position? It is White to move. What is the best continuation for White?
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Middlegame play
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Nb5
Not only the first but the second move is important. Do you see how to proceed, anonymous?
1. Nb5 is easy to see but how shell white proceed after Bxb5 (this move is forced (I think)) 2. Qxb5?! Qd7? (or Rd7 defending b7 – 3. Bc6 look strong but fails to QxB).
The clew is 2. Bxb7+! which leads to mate.
Greetings
Jochen
well, my thought is to take the queen first,…
then nb5 then Rc1+
looks forced to me…
blacks position is very weak around his king and whites bishops are monsters
Hello anonymous,
your variation won’t work.
1.Qxd4, cxd4
2. Nb5?? Bxb5 and the king escapes via d7 so 3. Rc1+ is no danger at all. White has to play with one figure less.
Greetings
Jochen
Yes, the second move is key.
Nb5 Bxb5 Bxb7+(!) means we recapture with check.
As soon as I saw Nb5 threatened mate I knew it was the solution, but took me a while to figure out what to do against Nb5 Bxb5 Qxb5 Nd5.
Trouble with these over the board is knowing that the combination isn’t flawed, so taking the time to look when it seems not to be getting started.
I think this is quite old game 20 years (1986) which Chucky lost. How do you dig such old games!!
Nb5 Bxb5
Qxb5
Nb5 Qxf4
Qxf4
hard to see how black can respond to prevent the mate of Na7 without taking the bishop or losing the queen.
after nb5 queen x bishop is forced or nxh7 mates
then n x h7 check , king moves and queen x black queen wins
also if after nb5 black plays bxn, white can play bxp check which leads to mate in a few moves
I would like to say ive been studying one of the karpov 1990 world title games and a 2002 rapid match. both games I saw were very entertaining with complex positions. It would be interesting to have a couple of these positions posted and try and do an evaluation of them. specfically 2002 match 2 move 42 karpov forks kasparovs queen and knight. these two were really slugging it out.