may 11 2010

For this last "normal" session (the next one will be magical) of the season, we had the pleasure to find Adeline in very good shape and our Grandmaster also in full possession of his means despite a journey in the perfidious Albion.

For the warm-up, an amazing thing with simple equipment.
Pure happiness when you find the solution.

1 - White to play and win

7b/3R3K/2P5/8/8/1r6/2k5/8
W. : Kh7 Rd7 Pç6
B. : Kç2 Rb3 Bh8
+ (3+3)

There is almost nothing, but it is enough to make a magnificent painting.

The second and last (exceptionally) study is a monument.
It takes a HUGE effort to get to a pawn ending.
Great art, as our friend Lagunov would say

Word from the boss

Can a 2# helpmate be difficult? Yes, when the link between the solutions is not clear. Well, you can find one, but what about the other? Or one finds two, but the other two? Here is an illustration. It also happens that the solutions are well connected, but you don't believe them. Then you have a hard time, but you only have yourself to blame! After this specific training, a handful of various 3-moves. And a Gamni that was discussed at the table, a tribute to V. Marin?

A little surprise from Prokes. Then a patented Ryabinin study, where the uncertainty about the 3rd white move is lifted... on the 22nd! Answer to Daniel: the motive to make Qf4 ineffective is pure, because the ending with Pe3 instead of e4 is losing. Finally, a very nice "virtual miracle" in an attack played by a Feoktistov: is he the son of the famous problem player? I discovered this game while watching ("analysing" would be too much to say) the last performance of my life in the Corporate Circles Championship (already eleven years). Which is totally devoid of interest, but still served a purpose. A precision: Qh5 and hxg5 are far inferior to Fxh7+! which confirms that Black's player, in accepting ...fxg5, was not completely mad.

In the game of the day, the Black player decided to " catch the bull by the horns ". It was not 100% correct, but luck, as often, smiled on the bold one. Variation 22...Qxa3: the audience rightly condemns the 29...a6 advised by the monster, while several continuations lead to equality. And on the next move, it seems that 23 Rxb2 is better than the move played but with the continuation ...Bxb2 24 Rxd5 rather than the popular 24 Nxd5.

In a month (June 8) the fairy course.
Have a good feast.

2 - White to play and draw

4B2k/3p3p/pPp1q3/6R1/1P1K3Q/r3P1P1/b7/8
W. : Kd4 Qh4 Rg5 Bé8 Pb6b4é3g3
B. : Kh8 Qé6 Ra3 Ba2 Pd7h7a6ç6
= (8+8)

The following is a short but elegant part that uses a hoover to clean the black position
3 - the first game of the day
1.é4 ç5 2.Nf3 é6 3.b3 (the surprise but nevertheless quite honourable) Nf6 4.é5 (a kind of Alekhine defence) Nd5 5.Bb2 Nç6 6.Nç3 N×ç3 (dxc3 is also playable, but that's another game) 7.B×ç3 Bé7 8.Bd3 0-0 (8... b6 of Mecking is very interesting) 9.h4 (when you have said a (Bd3), you must say b and attack) f6 10.Qé2 d5 11.é×d6 e.p. Q×d6 12.Ng5 (at work) f×g5 13.B×h7+ (2nd sacrifice) K×h7 14.h×g5+ Kg8 15.Rh7 (third and last sacrifice found by Adeline on 15 g6 Qd5 also found by Adeline definitely in great shape) resigns
a short game but rich in lessons

The second game is a fight between the Ukrainian genius who no longer needs to be introduced and who only looks at the chessboard to move the pieces and a man called Lagunov who is not related to one of our friends from Bordeaux.
4 - the 2nd game of the day
1.d4 Nf6 2.ç4 g6 3.Nç3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3 d×ç4 6.Q×ç4 0-0 7.é4 Na6 8.Bé2 ç5 9.d5 é6 10.0-0 é×d5 11.é×d5 Bf5 (Re8 was played, but also b5, which is totally in the spirit of the opening) 12.Bf4 Ré8 13.Rad1 Né4 14.Bd3 Nd6 (there is potentially Nxf2 in the position (Antoni) it is to prepare and to dig for a theoretical novelty to come) 15.B×d6 B×d3 (the right move order to avoid bad pawn structure) 16.R×d3 Q×d6 17.Ng5 (17 Nb5 then d6 is in the tube too) h6 18.Ngé4 Qb6 19.a3! (all for initiative) Q×b2 (not even afraid !) 20.d6 (20 Rb1 b5!) Rad8 21.Rb1 b5 (the normal but mandatory move) 22.Qd5 R×d6!! (blacks are up to the task) 23.Q×d6 R×é4 24.g3! (super GM is back) Qç2 25.N×é4 Q×b1+ 26.Kg2 Bd4 27.R×d4 (the only viable move) ç×d4 28.Nf6+ Kg7 29.Q×a6 Qf5 30.Né8+ and draw was agreed 10 moves later

In Guy's absence, the Master had the opportunity to present 2 interesting works.
First of all, Tritten in Anticirce
5 - h#2 Anticirce 3 solutions

, 4k3/3pp3/8/8/4q1p1/4RB2/5N2/4K1bn
W. : Ké1 Ré3 Bf3 Nf2
B. : Ké8 Qé4 Bg1 Nh1 Pd7é7g4
h‡2 (4+7)
helpmate : Black to play and help White to checkmate
Anticirce : a capturing piece returns to its initial square, if this square is free, otherwise the move is illegal. The captured piece disappears
very nice and pleasant to look for

And finally, a selfmate with Royal Grasshoppers
6 - s#7 with Royal Grasshopper

8/8/3p1N1B/G2P4/p7/b6b/8/g6n
W. : RGa5 Bh6 Nf6 Pd5
B. : RGa1 Ba3h3 Nh1 Pd6a4
s‡7 (4+6)
selfmate : White to play and forces Black to checkmate him
Royal Grasshopper : royal piece moving on the Queen's line with a sautoir behind which she can land if it is free or occupied by an opponent piece