The Giant

Chess Puzzle

Book

Zenon Franco

Translated by Phil Adams

A^BDT

First published in the UK by Gambit PubHcations Ltd 2010

Copyright © Zenon Franco 2010 English-language translation © Phil Adams 2010

The right of Zenon Franco to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

ISBN-13: 978-1-906454-20-3 ISBN-10: 1-906454-20-5

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Tel -1-44 (0)20 8986 4854 Fax -1-44 (0)20 8533 5821. E-mail: orders@Centralbooks.com

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Printed in Great Britain by The Cromwell Press Group, Trowbridge, Wilts.

10 987654321

Gambit Publications Ltd

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Contents

Symbols and Notation 4

Introduction 5

1 The Most Important Tactical Themes 7

2 Elementary Puzzles 16 Answers for Chapter 2 34

3 On the Attack 41 Answers for Chapter 3 56

4 Intermediate and Complex Puzzles 67 Answers for Chapter 4 97

5 Tests 1-5 117 Answers for Chapter 5 128

6 Defence and Counterattack 139 Answers for Chapter 6 153

7 Mundo Latino 164 Answers for Chapter 7 178

8 Tests 6-10 187 Answers for Chapter 8 198

9 The World of Endgames 209 Answers for Chapter 9 221

10 Tests 11-15 233 Answers for Chapter 10 244

11 The Ultimate Challenge 258 Answers for Chapter 11 270

Symbols and Notation

king

queen

rook

bishop

knight

Algebraic Notation

Moves are shown by giving the piece symbol followed by the destination square. For instance, if a knight moves to the square marked in the diagram, this is written as ^f2> in algebraic notation. If two pieces of the same type can move to the same square, more information is given. For instance, if there are knights on gl and e5, then the one on e5 moving to f3 is written as i^^efS.

For pawn moves, only the arrival square is given (for example, e4 means that a pawn moves to the e4-square). For pawn captures, the file the pawn is leaving is also given. Thus exf4 means that a pawn on the e-file makes a capture that brings it to the f4-square.

Introduction

Solving chess puzzles is one of the most enjoyable exercises available; no chess-player can resist trying to find the answers. Thus when my editor Graham Burgess put forward the idea of creating a huge book of puzzles, similar to John Emms's The Ultimate Chess Puzzle Book, I was immediately filled with enthusiasm.

I have to acknowledge that once this initial feeling of pleasure had passed, the task of finding 1001 original puzzles (original in the sense that they have never appeared in similar books or other collections of chess puzzles) appeared to me to be a very complicated task, and the four-figure number was rather daunting. But it didn't turn out that way: the process of research and selection took some time, but it was not as immense as I had feared, partly because I found the task so enjoyable.

In order to exclude any very famihar puzzles, I decided that most of them would have to come from two main sources: either tournaments played in the last two years, or else games of my own, or with which I was familiar because I had observed them, or which had made an impression on me. Nevertheless, the book to some extent took on a life of its own, and sometimes seemed to be taking its own decisions. This is particularly relevant in Chapter 7, which features a wholly different source of top-quality examples that will be unfamiUar to most readers.

The games are mainly taken from Mega Database 2009 and the last few years' editions of The Week in Chess and Chess Today. The analysis was done with the aid of Fritz 11 and Rybka 3.

The Structure of this Book

Now for a brief description of the chapters:

The first chapter deals with the main tactical ideas, as in the above-mentioned book by Emms, together with some additions and my own personal take on how best to present and explain these basic ideas.

Chapter 2 contains 120 puzzles, the majority of them highly suitable for novices, or as warm-up exercises for club players; the first 60 are supplied with hints to help you find the solution, but for the remaining 60 you receive no help.

Chapter 3 is called 'On the Attack' and consists of 100 puzzles, from level 1 to 4 (on a scale where 1 is easiest and 5 most difficult), and the theme is attacking play. There are hints for the first 50.

Chapter 4 is the biggest one, comprising 200 puzzles of levels 1 to 4; for the first 1001 have included hints.

Chapter 5 provides the first of three batches of test positions (Chapters 8 and 10 are the other two). Points are awarded for correct answers, which you can translate into a very approximate evaluation of your Elo rating. It consists of five tests with 16 puzzles in each, i.e. 80 in each of the three chapters, making 240 test positions in total.

Chapter 6 is called 'Defence and Counterattack'. This aspect of our play is unjustly neglected; every player knows that there is just as much pleasure, or more, to be gained from saving a half-point after a successful defence (especially if one has been made to suffer) as from conducting a successful attack. There are 90 such puzzles, with hints for 40 of them.

Chapter 7 is entitled 'Mundo Latino' and is one part of the book which, as I mentioned earUer, took on a life of its own. It comprises 90 puzzles, including 40 with hints; these puzzles are taken from games by Latin players, both European and American, although the majority are from tournaments in Argentina, where there was a great deal of chess activity from the early decades of the 20th century right up to the 1980s. This chapter unexpectedly overflowed into many of the others.

The Giant Chess puzzle Book

since I found such an abundance of good and little-known material. There are clear reasons for the prevalence of such good examples; there were frequent visits and tournament appearances by the world's best players to Argentina, principally to Buenos Aires and Mar del Plata. These visits included World Champions such as Lasker, Capablanca, Alekhine, Smyslov, Petrosian, Fischer, Spassky and Karpov, together with such outstanding figures as Keres, Bronstein, Korchnoi, Larsen, Reshevsky, Stein, Polugaevsky, Olafsson, and many others. Furthermore, in 1939 the chess Olympiad was being held in Buenos Aires when the Second World War broke out, leading to many masters staying on and making their lives in Argentina, thus raising the already good local standard of chess even higher. To quote just one example: it will probably surprise you to learn that, according to chessmetrics.com, the Argentinean player Julio Bolbochan was the 13th strongest player in the world at several times between 1951 and 1955.

Chapter 9 is called 'The World of Endgames' and is made up of 90 endgame puzzles, of levels 1 to 4; the first 40 of these feature hints.

Chapter 11 is the last and the most difficult, comprising 81 puzzles of level 5 and beyond, which even grandmasters will find challenging. The first 30 include hints.

Finally I must thank all my friends, and friends of friends, who suggested material, including Sergio Estremera, Reinaldo Vera, Manel Garcia, Luis Scalise, and many others.

Ponteareas, January 2010

Dedicated to:

"La capital de un imperio que nunca existio"

1 The Most Important Tactical Themes

The learning process in chess is not a rapid one. When we begin to play and we look at games played by masters, the combinations seem almost magical to us. Everything comes as a surprise, based on reasons we are unable to understand, apparently inexplicable, and yet, in master games, it all works!

When we have progressed a little, we see it is not like that; there are in fact reasons for a combination to work and, together with other knowledge, we gradually learn to recognize the features of a position which is ripe for a combination. Nevertheless - and this is one of the great virtues of our game - the fascination evoked by a beautiful combination remains the same throughout our lives.

In this first chapter we shall review the main tactical themes, which will help us get our bearings, because the majority of tactical motifs, in one form or another, come up again and again. We should not forget, however, that often these motifs do not occur in a simple form, but are often combined with others.

Tactical Weakness

One basic concept that we must learn to recognize is that of a tactical weakness, since this is the basis of most combinations.

We can define a tactical weakness as any piece, or collection of pieces, which facilitates a combination; we can say that this is a prerequisite for the tactical motifs to work.

One obvious example would be an undefended (a.k.a. loose) piece. Others might be: having the queen and the king in a position to be forked, having a weak back rank, or having a poorly defended king.

A tactical weakness does not always lose the game, or cause irreparable damage, but it is a defect in the position which deserves to be taken into account.

Other preconditions for a combination to work might include positive elements in one's own position, such as having very active pieces, or outnumbering the enemy in a particular sector of the board, or having a pawn close to the queening square.

Double or Multiple Attack (Fork)

A double attack occurs when a piece attacks two enemy pieces simultaneously; if it attacks more than two pieces, it is called a multiple attack.

One of the ingredients of a double or multiple attack may also be a threat of mate, which is an attack of equal or greater force.

W

Leko - Topalov

Amber Blindfold, Nice 2009

The f7-rook is pinned, which means that it can't move; it would be advantageous to attack it a second time, but then Black in turn would defend it a second time. However, White can create a double attack, on the f7-rook and the black queen, so that there is no time for Black to defend the rook.

24 lf4! 1-0

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

Let's look at another example.

W

Vachier-Lagrave - Landenbergue

Mulhouse 2009

An initial glance at the position shows us that the black king is lacking an important defender, i.e. the a7-pawn, leaving the a-file open. This does not seem serious though, since White can't play 20 #a3, and even if White could somehow bring his queen to a5, Black could just reply ..."4'b8 without any problems. It is possible that at some point during our glance we 'see the light': White does indeed have a way to play #a3, and at the same time carry out a decisive double attack.

There followed 20 4^X67+! and Black resigned, since 20...Bxe7 loses to the double attack 21 l'a3!.

Finally, let us see a rather more complex example:

W

m

'M %^^

■

^ ^ mm

IS

Motylev - Emelin

European Ch, Budva 2009

An undefended piece is always worthy of attention. Here Black's knight is unprotected, but one could argue that this is not serious, because the c3-knight is also attacked.

However, White carried out a double attack, not only threatening the loose knight (no surprise there), but also containing a more hidden threat against the black king.

22 «h5!

This move provoked Black's resignation. The attack on the c5-knight is not so important, because if 23 l^xcS then 23...1'xc3; however, the second threat (23 Ee8-i-) is much more serious, since it leads to mate: 23...Hxe8 24 #xe8-F <i'h7, and now there is a typical mating manoeuvre: 25 l.g8+ "ihS 26 Ml+ 4>h7 27 #g8#.

However, after the defence 22...'4'h7, 23 le8? fails to 23...flxe8 24 l'xe8 Wal-h! (so that the white bishop can't help the queen) 25 M.f\ fcc3, and it is Black who wins.

This defence, 22...'4'h7, brings us to the next tactical motif, the discovered check.

Discovered Check, Discovered Attack and Double Check

A discovered check occurs when a piece moves off a line to reveal an attack by a second piece standing to its rear, which now checks the enemy king.

It is also possible to carry out the same manoeuvre in order to attack some other enemy piece; in this case we call it a discovered attack.

W

l-M M M M

■ i

m '

1 MB

A

This position could be reached from the previous diagram, after the moves 22 Wh5 'i'h7 23 «xc5!*xc3.

The Most Important Tactical Themes

Here White wins by giving a check which is simultaneously a discovered attack with 24 Ad3+, or 24 Ag8+, winning the black queen.

Let's examine a classic example which is slightly more complicated:

W

Reti - Tartakower

Vienna 1910

The situation of the black king, in the centre and with the central files open, is definitely a serious tactical weakness. White exploits this in a spectacular manner by setting up a decisive discovered check: 9 #(18+!! -ixdS 10 l.g5++ and in view of the imminent mate, Black resigned; if 10...4'c7 then 11 i.d8# and 10...'4'e8 is met by 11 Hd8#. Indeed, this was not only a discovered check, but a double check, as the bishop also gave check itself in addition to uncovering a check by the rook. A double check is a very powerful and forcing attacking device, since the only way to reply is with a king move.

The Pin

In Leko-Topalov above, we saw a demonstration of the dangers that can result from having a piece pinned. In general, a pin occurs when a piece attacks an enemy piece along a line, and if the attacked piece were to move away, then a second piece, of greater value, would be exposed to attack along the same line. The following diagram shows a typical case.

The d5-bishop appears to be solidly defended by the c4-pawn. This would indeed be the case were it not for the rook on cl, but the undefended state of this rook allows 27...Sxd5! and Black wins a piece.

B

pie.

B

Doric - Bocharov

European Ch, Budva 2009

Let's look at a slightly more complex exam-

Kotov - Botvinnik

USSR Ch, Leningrad 1939

It would be a difficult task for Black to exploit his extra pawn, but the job can be completely simplified by forcing the white queen to be pinned along the long diagonal, with 37...1'xg2+! 38 fcgl Sxe2, and Black gains a decisive material advantage.

It is noteworthy that seven years later, Kotov himself carried out a very similar combination {see diagram overleaf).

Here too Black forces the white queen into a pin (thus leaving the e2-rook undefended), this time not on the long diagonal but vertically. With 39...Axg2! Kotov won another pawn, as after 40 l'xg2 fixe2. White loses the exchange. After 40 Sxe8 k.eA+ 41 -ihl l'xe8 Black won quickly.

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B

Guimard - Kotov

Staunton Memorial, Groningen 1946

The Skewer

A skewer is similar to a pin; it occurs when an enemy piece is attacked along a line, and if the attacked piece moves out of the way then a piece situated behind the attacked piece is lost, or, as in the cases that we shall examine, there is even greater damage.

W

m M 'm m\ w^. 'm. 'm. 'm.

m.

o^ m^^_my.^^ m,.

Fischer - Forintos

Monte Carlo 1967

In this case White creates a skewer position; the direct 46 flc8+ fleS 47 i.g7+ 'i'e? achieves nothing, but Black's position is so precarious, and the f6-bishop is so strong, that there has to be 'something' in the position, and Fischer reveals what it is in just two moves: 46 Hh3! threatens mate on h8, the sidestep 46..."4'e8 is forced, and now comes 47 Sd3!, and the d5-bishop can't move on account of the mate on d8.

Let's look at another, more spectacular, example.

B

mm

Shirov - Bareev

Novgorod 1994

Black now played 14...4^cxe5? ignoring the threat of 15 AxdS, since the white queen is attacked, and if 15 l'xd7+ then 15...1xd7, with an extra pawn. However, with 15 Sadl! White gains a decisive material advantage, since the pinned black queen can't move aside and if 15...1'xa4 then 16 BxdS*.

Destroying the Defence (Removing the Guard)

Let's suppose that an enemy piece is attacked, and defended by only one other piece. If the defending piece can be dislodged or captured, the first piece is left undefended. Let's look at an example:

W

Siugirov - Cheparinov

European Ch, Budva 2009

The Most Important Tactical Themes

11

Here White has three pawns for the piece, which is reasonable material compensation, but in addition his pieces are very active. In particular, the e7-bishop is defended only by the rook.

White played 33 .&h6!, when the rook can't go to h7 on account of 34 fia8-l- and mate. Thus the rook's defence of the bishop breaks down, and material losses are unavoidable.

When it is the king's defenders that are under attack, the damage caused can be much greater; let's look at an example.

W

Im m mm'm

m m mmmX

• « m, m

^B^

Kramnik - Radjabov

Amber Blindfold, Nice 2009

White can 'physically' destroy the defences of the black king, leaving the position wide open: 25 Axt6l l.xf6 26 lxf6! and Black resigned, since after 26...gxf6 27 WxfeH- *g8 White can bring the other rook decisively into the attack with 28 ld3.

Let's look finally at a slightly different case of destruction of the defender {see following diagram).

Black has two pieces in the attack, but on their own they can't achieve anything (e.g., 31...'2ifl+ 32 igl), so the passive move 31 ...fleS might appear necessary, to blockade the strong white pawn on e7.

But let's not give up on Black's active ideas. How can the rook be included in the attack? There is no direct way, but perhaps after delving deeper into the position we might notice that, if only the h-file were open. Black could play 31...1'h4-i- and 32...SdH-, mating. From there it is an easy step to the solution... 31...^g4+! and in view of the forced mate White resigned.

B

m

^ Hl^ iMJk ill A

m ^ ^ «

wm m

A

m ^ ^

■a

//,'ii'^ '^

Nikolic- HiJbner

World Cup, Barcelona 1989

Deflection (Overworked Piece)

When a piece is performing an important defensive task, forcing it to leave its square or a particular line can have a huge effect. If the defensive task also involves the king, the damage can be even greater, even irreparable.

Let's look at one of the most well-known and brilliant examples.

B

If ^

■

m.

W§ W Wi ?\W% 43, M iJ ^ f3,

m^mi

Vaganian - Planinc

Hastings 1974/5

White is a rook up, so Black needs to achieve something significant, and quickly. The white king is uncomfortable, but there is nothing immediate; if 22...1'c5-l- then 23 ^c3, while the knight check on b3 is defended by the white queen on b7. Perhaps at this moment we notice that if the white queen were not defending b3, then ...i^^bStt would be mate, at which point

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

anyone with any chess training sees the brilliant solution that the Slovenian grandmaster had conceived several moves earlier: 22...1fc7+!! 0-1

Let's look at another, more recent, example:

B

Petovic - Chudinovskikh

European Ch, Budva 2009

The fl-rook is fulfilling the vital role of defending the back rank. If this rook could be distracted from this task, the black rook could give a deadly check on dl; this is achieved by means of the spectacular 20...Wxf3+! 0-1.

Attraction (Decoy)

This tactical theme has similarities to the previous one. The difference is that here an enemy piece is forced to move to a square where it stands worse.

W

White has the open h-file and a pawn wedge at g6, but he needs to exploit these factors quickly, because Black is threatening 29...flxg6.

The direct 29 #h5, threatening mate, fails to 29...fxg6. This should set an alarm bell ringing in the brain and then, by thinking something like "if only I could play #h5 with a gain of tempo, mate could not be prevented" it becomes easier to find the move 29 ShS+l 1-0. There would follow 29...4'xh8 30 l^hS-i- i-gS 31 fh?*.

Let's look at a more complicated example.

W

^ ^^ «^ Mr^i

Mamedov - V. Popov

European Ch, Budva 2009

Anand - Leko

Amber Blindfold, Nice 2009

Here the process would be slightly different. Black has several tactical weaknesses, such as his somewhat exposed king, and another important detail is that his queen is undefended on g5. It is also important that the d6-knight is in such an active position. Thus White is able to set up a knight fork by means of two decoy sacrifices: 35 i.xf7+!! fixf7 36 fhS+I, and White gains a decisive material advantage following 36...<i'xh8 37 ^xn+ and 38 -S^xgS.

If further proof were necessary that combinations repeat themselves, it is worth recalling that both in Petrosian-Simagin, Moscow Ch match (game 5) 1956, and also(!) in Petrosian-Spassky, World Ch match (game 10), Moscow 1966, Petrosian was able to carry out a very similar combination to the one in Anand-Leko.

Vacating a Line or a Square

This occurs when we move one of our own pieces away from a particular square so that

The Most Important tactical Themes

13

another piece can occupy it, with decisive effect.

W

mwm^m

m * m

m4.

rf

A

p. Cramling - Shen Yang

Women's Grand Prix, Istanbul 2009

However, there is no apparent way of sending reinforcements in the manner of the previous example. The b4-rook would not immediately threaten anything serious by moving to h4, whilst the d3-bishop's diagonal is closed and in any case it is threatened with being exchanged.

The beautiful solution is not very obvious, and in fact it passed unnoticed by both grandmasters on the previous move. By means of a tactical manoeuvre, White succeeds in clearing the bl-h7 diagonal and bringing the power of both the queen and the bishop to bear on h7. We notice that another element is lacking, namely the ability to attack an undefended black piece at the same time. How can we arrange this?

30 flg4+!! fxg4 31 ©gS+I "^hS and now the f8-rook is undefended, so that after 32 Whe there is no defence against the twin threats of mate.

There is nothing immediate with 26 Ah7-l-"ihS, since none of the possible discoveries are decisive. 26 Wh7-i- 'i'fS achieves nothing either, because the black king can go to e7.

We must send reinforcements; the al-rook needs to be included in the attack, and this can be done via the g-file: after 26 'i'hl! the gl-square is vacated, and there is no satisfactory defence against 27 Sgl#.

Let's look at a rather different example.

W

m I

I Mwm. i ± fl 1 a i P.^

m m,

A ^ ^ Mf ft fl

Hort - Portisch

Madrid 1973

White stands better; his pieces are more active than their black counterparts, but more im-portandy the black king is weak, and the white queen occupies a dominant position.

In-between Move (Zwischenzug)

An in-between move (we also use the German word zwischenzug for this) occurs when, during an apparently forced or logical sequence of moves, a player makes an unexpected move that breaks the natural flow and alters the situation to his advantage.

W

Fischer - Benko

Bled/Zagreb/Belgrade Candidates 1959

White can win the queen with 20 ^hf6-l- Axf6 21 ^xf6+ l'xf6 22 l'xf6, but after 22...'5ixal 23 Sxal J.b7 the victory is a long way off, since Black has rook, bishop and a pawn for the queen (once the f4-pawn is captured), but with an in-between move the task becomes dramatically simplified:

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20 Sadl!

The black queen does not have many squares from which it can defend g7. 20...«e5 If 20...1'xb2 then 21 c3!, with mate in four.

21 '2^ef6+ l.xf6 22 ^xf6+ Wxf6 23 itxf6

Now comes a manoeuvre similar to the one employed by Hort in the previous example; the c5-knight is undefended, and with another in-between move, White manages to double the number of undefended pieces...

24 WgS+i *h8 25 Well Aa6 26 WxcS i.xfl 27 Ixfl 1-0

Let's look at another example by Fischer on a related theme.

W

m. m. M,

Aij

m M,

Fischer - Petrosian

Bled 1961

The black king is in a very uncomfortable position, but the discovered check with 36 Hxf7+ achieves nothing after 36...'i'xc5. However, there is a preliminary move which prepares the discovery and destroys this defence.

36 '*c4! 1-0

Mate is unavoidable.

Zugzwang

This German word refers to a situation in which any move worsens the position. Zugzwang is very common in endgames, where positions of reciprocal zugzwang can also occur, in which whoever has to move must worsen his position {see next diagram).

Black is able to deprive White of any useful moves by playing 46...h4!. Now the white king

B

m M

^'wm ^^

^,^ ^^ ^, ^

^M

iiiJ

A

m

I ^m m^/, ^

m m^.

Botogan - Vachier-Lagrave

Mulhouse 2009

is forced to move, after which the f4-pawn is lost, and with it the game.

Let's look at a further example of reciprocal zugzwang.

B/W

m^ ^W^^ I

^^ iii

m m

^^ ^^ ^^

R. Reti (end of study) MUnchner Neueste Nachrichten, 1928

Black loses because he has to move and thus give way to the white king, which can then come to the aid of the rook: l..."4'e4 2 "ice! •ici 3 "i-cS d3 4 'i'c4 d2 5 'i>c3 and White captures the black pawn. Similarly if l...^c4 then 2 -i-ee! d3 3 "ieS *c3 4 '4'e4 d2 5 '4'e3, and wins.

In contrast, if it were White's move the game would be a draw. For example, if 1 '4'c7 then l...<i'c5! (I...'4>c4? loses to 2 '^A6\ d3 3 ieS '4'c3 4 'i'e4, much as in the line we examined above) and White can make no progress, since his king can't join in the struggle against the

The Most Important Tactical Themes

15

passed pawn; if 2 "^d7 then 2...'^d5\. 1 ld2 is equally ineffective, since it allows Black to gain a saving tempo after 1 ...'4'e4 2 'i'd6 "teS 3 Hdl d3 4 "icS 'i'e2, and White will have to give up his rook for the pawn.

Zugzwang usually arises in the endgame; positions of 'semi-zugzwang' occur occasionally in the middlegame, when one side has an overwhelming advantage in space. However, there is nothing to rival the 'Immortal Zugzwang Game':

B

B

Samisch - Nimzowitsch

Copenhagen 1923

Here Black played 25...h6!, controlling the g5-square, and White resigned, because in a few moves he will be in zugzwang, with almost all the pieces still on the board!

Black has many waiting moves available, such as ..."ihT-gS, whereas once White has used up all his pawn moves he will lose material. If 26 a3 then 26...a5 and nothing is changed, whilst after 26 'i'h2 the g2-bishop is pinned and Black can win by 26...S5f3.26 g4 also loses, to 26...l5f3 27 i.xf3 lh2#; another possibility is 26 Scl, which loses the queen after 26...Se2. Finally, 26 .^cl leaves the bl-knight undefended, and thus any and every move loses material.

Overload

A piece is overloaded when it has to defend two or more vital squares simultaneously.

1^ ^ ^

■tBAB^^^

Piris - Lipiniks (variation) Asuncion 2009

The white queen's most important task here is to prevent the d2-pawn from queening. White is the exchange up and even threatens 31 Wxd4, because the queen would still be carrying out the task of defending the dl point. Thus White's position does not seem so bad, yet in two moves everything becomes clear.

30...1.a6!!

The bishop is immune because the white queen has to prevent the pawn from queening. The pawn is also safe for now because 31 #xd2 loses to 31...4ixf3-i-!. If 31 Wbl Black could play 31 ..Me3, winning. But what if White captures the knight?

31 l'xd4

Now Black can exploit the overload on the queen by forcing it to defend another weakness, the back rank, specifically al and el, with...

31...We5!!

This beautiful move is decisive; Black's threat is to mate with 32...Wel-i-; if 32 WxeS then 32...dl#+, mating, while if 32 lfxd2 then 32...1'al+is decisive.

For this combination to work, several other factors had to be present, such as a second overload: the f2-rook can't both defend the queen and prevent the fork on f3; another factor was the weakness of the back rank, decisively exploited by 30....^a6!! controlling fl.

With this splendid example we conclude the introductory chapter, wishing the reader the best of luck in solving the next 1001 positions.

2 Elementary Puzzles

This first chapter of puzzles is the easiest; the solutions generally require calculating only two or three moves ahead. The puzzles gradually increase in difficulty, although without exceeding level 1 in complexity (on a scale of 1 to 5). The majority of them are based on winning material, along with some basic mating combinations and a few straightforward endgames.

There are 120 puzzles, the first 60 with comments or hints to help you find the solution, while for the remaining 60 you are on your own.

W

■ m

'W^ • m^ '-M^ w^

3 B

Jk« m

■mm.

m vA

£J

i m.

p ^ ^ « m m m m ^mi. ^

^1

A

Black's king can hardly move; how can this be exploited?

Here it is the white king that is being harried by several enemy pieces; how can Black mate quickly?

4

4,^ ^ ^-S.

l^

kmk

m m . « ■ BA:

mM.m m m i & m

Black is threatening to queen, but White has the upper hand and can simultaneously create two winning threats. How?

If 24 ^g8+, the black king escapes via the d-file; how can the king's escape be cut off?

Elementary Puzzles

17

5 B

•

m M,

■Mmm

W/////. a

#*^

B

^ 3Xm%mwm

• ^ ■ 4 ^i 4 ^ ^ ff r^iirl

^ ^ fol ^.E

White is threatening to queen quickly. However, there is a weakness in his position that allows Black to win on the spot. How?

The white king can hardly move, but to take advantage of this Black needs to open some lines -how?

6 B

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White has an extra piece, but his king is poorly defended. What is the quickest way for Black to mate?

White has a passed pawn close to queening, but it requires support; how can this be arranged?

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How should Black exploit the uncomfortable position of the white king?

With 4...e5 Black could win a piece, were it not for 5 Axe5, but what if we take the calculation a move further?

The Giant Chess puzzle book

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How can White conclude the game quickly, based on the fact that pawn endings with an extra pawn are nearly always won?

This puzzle is similar to number 12; how does Black win material?

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Both queens are attacked, but Black can win by eliminating a vital white defensive piece -how?

If the white rook were not defending the knight, both of White's minor pieces would be lost; make use of this fact!

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The white pieces are disorganized, but one of them is particularly vulnerable; can you highlight this by finding a winning move?

The white queen's defender is highly vulnerable, don't you think?

Elementary Puzzles

19

17 W

m ^

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Is there an undefended black piece? And how Here 61...a2 fails to 62 iihl\ how can this de-about another one? fence be ruled out?

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White's attacking force is small, and just as important as going forward is being able to retreat... What happens here?

19 B

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The concealed pressure of Black's c6-bishop against g2 can help Black win immediately. How?

22

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White threatens to win by queening with check. How can Black use this same idea to win the game himself?

Black's defence is based on giving a barrage of checks. What is White's most accurate move to overcome this defence?

THE Giant Chess puzzle Book

23 B

26 B

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Here the f7-rook is undefended and Black can exploit this. How?

Here White's key defensive piece is his rook, which prevents the black pawn from queening. What can Black do about it?

24

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The only black piece parrying the deadly threat against h7 is the queen; how can this defence be eliminated?

After the previous puzzle, this one is very easy, isn't it?

25 B

m ^

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28 W

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Decide how best to retreat the black queen, taking into account what White's next move will be.

White contented himself with a draw by 64 b5?? elf 65 Sxel V2-V2. What should he have played?

Elementary Puzzles

21

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The white pieces appear to be well placed for defence, but Black has a manoeuvre to make the cl-bishop vulnerable. How?

Black's minor pieces are active, but also... exposed.

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White can transform this rook ending into a winning pawn ending, thanks to his extra pawn. How?

There is an undefended white piece, and to this we can add another advantage.

31

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Here the c2-bishop is the only thing preventing the triumphal progress of White's h-pawn. How can it be neutralized?

Is there some way of attacking two enemy pieces?

The Giant Chess Putzle Book

35 W

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The black king is very cramped, but the d8-rook is standing guard...

How can Black speed up the advance of the h-pawn?

36

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Here, as in the previous puzzle. Black's back rank is not well defended... How can this be demonstrated?

Loose pieces can bring serious problems, as here; how?

37

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White has a winning advantage. What is the quickest way to conclude the game?

Once again there is an undefended piece; which is it?

Elementary Putzles

23

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And here we can ask ourselves: what is defending the e6-rook?

Here we have another passed pawn trying to queen...

42 W

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Black's knight has no safe move...

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The black king is very cramped. How can this be exploited?

43 B

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White is a piece up, but his position is very Black has an extra pawn, but the white pieces loose. What is defending the white queen? are active. How can Black win more material?

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

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White played positionally with 12 b4. Can you Black has one piece which is fatally over-find something better? loaded. Which is it?

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Black played 29...#a6?, overlooking a much If only the e4-pawn could advance with discov-better move. Can you find it? ered check!

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Both sides have loose pieces, but Black has an Here we have another passed pawn which is additional weakness. blocked at the moment...

Elementary Puzzles

25

53 B

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56 B

m

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The white king is unwisely exposed to checks on White has neglected his king and his back rank; the long diagonal. How can Black exploit this? how can Black take advantage?

54

m »

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Black's queen is a long away from his king. How can White break through the black king's defences?

Here Black's tactical weakness is that his king and the undefended rook on a4 are in range of a knight fork.

55

"m ■ '

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Black has three pawns for the bishop, but he also a serious tactical weakness. What is it, and how can White exploit it?

The h6-bishop is indirectly defended since the black queen pins the e3-bishop. How can White get out of this pin?

The Giant Chess puzzle book

59 B

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Here the overloaded piece is the white queen. There are only a few pieces left, but it is always How can Black demonstrate this? dangerous to have any vulnerable pieces. How

can White show this?

61

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63 B

62 B

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Elementary Puzzles

27

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THE Giant Chess puzzle book

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Elementary Puzzles

29

81 W

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82

86 W

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The Giant Chess puzzle book

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Elementary Puzzles

31

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The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

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Elementary Puzzles

33

113 B

m ^ ^

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117

w

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THE Giant Chess Puzzle Book

Answers for Chapter 2

1)

2)

Iturrizaga - Kulakov

World Junior Ch, Gaziantep 2008 30 »d4+! 1-0 It is mate next move.

Cicak - Khruschov

Dresden Olympiad 2008 48 '2^f8! 1-0

There is no satisfactory defence against the twin threats to the queen and the king.

3) Sadvakasov - Molner

Philadelphia 2008 32...^d3! 0-1

There is no reply to the threat of 33...Sel+ and 34...Hcl#.

4)

5)

Vera - Gild. Garcia

Matanzas 1992 24 J.C5+! 1-0 And it is mate next move: 24...flxc5 25 ^g8#.

Janssen - Burmakin

Kavala 2008 57..MgV. 0-1

The threat is 58...Whl#, and 58 g4 fails to 58...hxg4+ 59 'i'h4 #g2.

6)

7)

De Ronde - Michel

Buenos Aires 1945 28...«f2+ 0-1

It is mate after 29 -thl lh6+ 30 ±h3 Hxh3#.

Pachman - Bielicki

Mar del Plata 1962 40...'2^d4! 0-1

The threat of 41...^c2# can only be prevented by giving up the bishop. 40...?ie3 41 l,e2 ^xg2+ 42 'i'fl ^f4 also works.

8) Ja. Bolbochan - Piazzini

Argentine Ch, Buenos Aires 1946 17...Axh3! 0-1

This bishop is taboo, and now the threat is to give a devastating discovered check; here 18 fhS fails to 18...1'xh5 19 ^xh5 l.g4.

9) D. Howell - Hebden

British Rapid Ch, Halifax 2008 58 l.b6! 1-0

To be followed by 59 ±c5+; 58 Ac7! would also work.

10) Garcia Vera - Grau

Rosario 1929 4...e5! 5 ±e3

The point is that 5 Axe5 fails to 5...1'a5+ and6...1'xe5.

5...exd4 6 i.xd4 0-1

11) Lynch-Rauch

Buenos Aires 1945 59 Se5! (exchanging the rooks and simplifying the task) 59...fixe5 60 fxe5 >i'e6 61 "ie2 1-0.

12) Eliskases - Ju. Bolbochan

Mar del Plata Zonal 1951 30...1'xe5! 0-1 Black wins a piece.

13) Cruz - Benko

Mar del Plata 1965 36...^xe3!

This eliminates the defender of the d2-rook and thus wins material.

14) Palermo - Rossetto

Mar del Plata 1965 43...axb4! 0-1

Black wins a piece.

15) Balashov - Mecking

Hastings 1966/7 41...J.b4! 42 J.xe2 (if 42 axe2 White loses both his minor pieces) 42.,.J.xel and Black won with his material advantage.

16) Tan Lian Ann - IVIecking

Manila Interzonal 1976 38...f5+! 0-1 Black wins the queen.

17) Franco - Sanchez Aller

Galician League 2007 16 Wa4! 1-0

The queen attacks both the a6-bishop and the g4-knight, winning a piece.

18) Stamenkovic - Mitos

Sao Paulo 2008 26...g6! 0-1

The white queen is trapped.

Elementary Puzzles

35

19) Bezemer - Landa

Vlissingen 2008 39...1bl+! 40 *xbl dll'+ 0-1 If 41 'i'ba then 41...1'e2+ and 42...1'xb5.

20) R. Schmidt - Ilincic

Timisoara 2008 61...^dl+! 0-1

The pawn queens.

21) Cebalo - Almasi

Reggio Emilia 2008/9 42...1xc5! 0-1

If 43 4ixc5 then 43...Hxg2+ 44 <ihl ae2+.

22) G. Jones - S. Grover

Hastings Masters 2008/9 84 <ib6! 1-0

Now the only check, 84...1fb4+, fails to 85 tt'bS, exchanging the queens.

23) Suarez Real - Naiditsch

Leon (rapid) 2008 30...axc4! 0-1

Black wins a piece after 31 bxc4 J.xc4+ 32 <4'g2 i.xf7.

24) Maderna - Villegas

Mar del Plata 1943 23 J.g7+! (cutting off the black queen from the defence of h7) 23...#xg7 24 Hxg7 1-0.

25) Saadi - Fischer

Mar del Plata 1960 17...#b7! (preventing the only move for White that would not lose material, i.e. 18 Ibl) 18 ±33 ±xal and Black won.

26) Wang Li - Wang Hao

Chinese Team Ch, Wuxi 2008 56...aa3+! 57 <*g2 Se3! 0-1 Black's passed pawn wins.

27) Vokarev - Benza

Nezhmetdinov Memorial, Kazan 2008 The passed pawn queens after 53 Sa6+! 'i>g7 (if 53...*xe7 then 54 axh6) 54 ae6! 1-0.

28) Wang Yue - L. Dominguez

Sofia 2009 White can win with the manoeuvre 64 'i'd3! elf 65 fixel <ixel 66 <i>e3! -i>fl 67 <i'f4.

29) I. Fernandez - Mazzoleni

Villa Gesell 1971

Black wins material by cutting off the cl-bishop from its defender:

29...af3+! 30 <i>g2

Worse is 30 <i'f2? fixfl+ 31 -i-xfl '5^h2+.

30...'£iel+ 31 flxel

If the king moves then 31...Wxg4(+) and 32...axcl.

31...1fxg4+ 32 hxg4 Hxel 0-1

30) Gdanski - Dziuba

Najdorf Memorial, Warsaw 2008 44 f5+! 1-0

The pawn ending is an easy win after the forced continuation 44...flxf5 45 axd6+ "i'xd6 46 4>xf5.

31) Chirila - Ilincic

Timisoara 2008 The white knight blocks the bishop and the pawn queens after 53 ^A6+\ *d5 54 ^f5 1-0. If54...'i'e6then55^d4+.

32) Matamoros - Sanchez Sotomayor

Seville 2007 White won material with 14 f4!, as 14...^d7 is met by 15 #xg4.

33) R. Molina - Valerga

Villa Martelli 2008 26...C4! 27 «f3

If 27 bxc4 then 27...1'xf2, but now the passed pawn wins material by force. 27...C3 28 ±cl c2 0-1

34) Belezky - Suriol

Seville 2008 9 eS! 1-0

After 9...'2^xf3+ 10 ^xf3 the e5-pawn is still defended and White wins a piece.

35) Timoshenko - C. Foisor

Cappelle la Grande 2008 25 l'xd5! 1-0

White wins a rook since if 25...axd5 then 26 ac8+ mates.

36) Fressinet - Macieja

European Ch, Plovdiv 2008 24 *xa8! 1-0

The queen is taboo, since 24...axa8 allows 25 ae8+ axes 26 Hxe8#.

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

37) Agrest - Ax. Smith

Malmd 2008 42 Sxh6+! *xh6 43 itxh4# (1-0)

38) Navara - Kramnik

Rapid match (game 2), Prague 2008 61...Hb5+ 62 *g6 lxg5+! 0-1 The black pawn queens.

39) Berczes - P. Prohaszka

Budapest 2008 20...'ad4! 0-1

Winning the exchange, since 21 WxdT? fails to21...<§^xe2+.

40) Sulashvili - Svetushkin

Kavala 2008 54...^xc3! 0-1 55 lfxc3 is met by 55...«a6+ and 56...Wxc6.

41) Baramidze - Enchev

World Junior Ch, Gaziantep 2008 30 b3! (deflecting the queen and winning the exchange) 30...1'xc3 31 flxe6 ^{6 32 «e5 1-0.

42) Palac - Mogranzini

Trieste 2008 28 4^dl! 1-0

The b4-knight is lost. 28 ^bl has a similar idea, but is less accurate.

43) Grecescu - Nevednichy

Romanian League, Eforie Nord 2008 92...1xel! 93 lg6

93 Hxel loses to 93...«h2+. 93...ln+ 0-1

94 '*e3 WfS*.

44) Akopian - G. Georgadze

Spanish Team Ch, Cala Mayor 2008

34 Sxg7+! 1-0

The pawn queens after 34...'4'xg7 35 c7. Note that 34 lb7? fic2 35 c7 fixcS does not win.

45) Cordova - Shulman

Merida 2008 37 Wxae! 1-0 Now 37...bxa6 loses to 38 Hb8#.

46) R. Leyva - Franco

Capablanca Memorial, Cienfuegos 1997

20...axf2! 21 .^fl (not 21 *xf2? ^g4+) 21...h6 and Black won.

47) R. Szmetan - Nakamura

Buenos Aires 2003 Instead of 12 b4? White could win a pawn with 12 ^dxe4l (or 12 ^cxe4!) 12...'5^xe4 13 ^xe4, since 13...1'xe4? is met by 14 l.f3.

48) Vallejo - Herraiz

Spanish Ch, Leon 2006 Instead of 29...1'a6? Black could continue 29...flxg3+!, winning on the spot.

49)

M.

Bach - H. Schuiz

Hamburg 2007

28 lxe6! h6

After 28...1'xcl+ 29 ±fl there is no satisfactory defence against the double threat of 30 axe5 and 30 ae8+, mating; e.g., 29...'2ig6 30 Se8+, or 29...'Sic6 30 Wxbl.

29 WxeS fccl* 30 -i'h2 1-0

50) Tregubov - Drozdovsky

Odessa 2008 21 fixd2! (winning a piece) 21...&xd2 22

1^X08+ and White won.

51) Fedorchuk - A. Kovaliov

Conegliano 2008 47...i.d2! 0-1

If 48 %1 then48...e3+ and49...#xd4 wins.

52) Nisipeanu - Van Wely

Foros 2008

38 Sb5! (eliminating the defender of the

piece blocking the passed pawn's advance)

38...Hxb5 39 Sxd8 ac2+ 40 <4>d3 Sxb2 41 lc8

(and the pawn queens) 41...Sxb3+ 42 '4'c41-0.

53) V. Elianov - Evdokimov

Elsinore 2008 33...axc4! (33...*d5+! 34 i-gl axc4 also works) 34 Axc4 #€6+ 35 "^gl 1^X04 0-1.

54) Joh. Gomez - Jay. Gonzales

Philippines Ch, Mandaluyong 2008

44 i.xc5!

It is impossible to defend against the attack by White's two remaining pieces.

44...#bl+ 45 <4'g2 #02+ 46 'ih3 Axc5

The resource 46...1'cl? fails to 47 ±.e6+ <i>h7 48 lfh4+.

Elementary Puzzles

37

47 l.e6+ i-fS 48 ffSn-1-0

It is mate: 48...'i'e7 49 Wfl+ <^A6 50 fdTtt.

55) Gonzalez Vidal - Czakon

Barberd del Valles 2008 43 flxfS! 1-0

There is no prospect of defence with only two pawns for the bishop, but after 43...gxf5 44 l.xf5+ lg6+ 45 "i-fS! i-gV 45 Axg6 *xg6 46 "i'e4. White wins the pawn ending.

56) lonescu - Oleksienko

Romanian League, Eforie Nord 2008 34...flxc4!

First the white queen is deflected from the defence.

35 l'xc4 WgSl 0-1

There is no good answer to the threat of

36...Wg2#.

57) F. Peralta - Steingrimsson

Dresden Olympiad 2008 31 Sxe7! (eliminating both defenders of the c5-square) 31...axe7 32 '$^c5+ 'i'c6 33 4^xa4 <i>b5 34 ^icS, and White won.

58) Benjamin - Christiansen

Internet 2008 9 Ad3! #xd3 (the queen can't stay on the e-file; if 9...»e6then 10^xd4l'e5 11 <5ic4) 10 Wxd3 and White won.

59) Inarkiev - Kasimdzhanov

FIDE Grand Prix, Elista 2008 40...'2^bxd5! 41 cxdS l.xd2 42 l'd3 (or 42 Wxdl Hxb3) 42...Ag5 with an extra pawn.

60) Leko - Gashimov

FIDE Grand Prix, Elista 2008 52 lxd7! 'ixd7 53 l'b7+ (the black rook is lost, with an easy win for White) 53...'4'e6 54 lfc6+ «d6 55 «xf3 #36+ 56 *bl «b6+ 57 Ab2 1-0.

61) Falcon - Montiel

Argentine Ch, Buenos Aires 1946 34 flxg7+! (this leads to a forced mate) 34...<4>xg7 35 Wid6+ 4>g8 36 «g6+ "ihS 37 l'xh5+ <i'g7 38 lg6+ "i-fS 39 l'h8+ 1-0.

62) Grinberg - Franco

Buenos Aires 1975

38...J.d2++! (an unusual way to obstruct the protection of the white queen) 39 '4'xd2 »xd5+ 40 *cl Wb3 0-1.

63) Franco - Casas

Mercedes 1975

29...axn+! 0-1

Black wins material after 30 "i-xfl Shl+ 31

4'f2l'f6+!.

64) Stull - Franco

Haifa Olympiad 1976 23...'5:>f2+! 0-1

Winning a piece, and gaining a decisive attack after 24 'axf2 l'xe2+ 25 icl l'xf2.

65) Franco - 0gaard

Haifa Olympiad 1976 44 lxg7! 1-0

If 44...*xg7 then 45 '^^xee-i- and 46 axd4, winning.

66) Vera - DiJr

World Junior Ch, Innsbruck 1977 19 Ixf7+! Sxf7 20 4^e6+ 1-0

67) Nogueiras - Vera

Havana 1982 17...Wxcl! 0-1

18 Wxcl ^xe2+ leaves Black with a great advantage in material.

68) Najdorf - Denker

Staunton Memorial, Groningen 1996 23 flxc6! 1-0

Winning the knight, since 23...Wxc6 fails to 24 '?^e7+.

69) Franco - Granda

Spanish Team Ch, Ponferrada 1997 36...itxf2+! 0-1

37 Sxf2 ael#.

70) Vallejo - Romero

Spanish Ch, Linares 1998 28 fixd4! 1-0

If 28...1'xd4 then 29 ^f6-i- wins.

71) Franco - Gonzalez Bernal

Llucmajor 2000 31 ±h3! Sxc7 32 lxc7 i.xe4? (or 32...1.c8 33 ^xf7! '§^xf7 34 l.xc8) 33 ^e6+ 1-0.

The Giant Chess Puzzle book

72) A. Needleman - Franco

Mar del Plata 2001 26...1xg5! 27 ^xgS Wc5+ 28 l'f2 »xg5 29 #xb6 i.e5 and Black won.

73) Estremera - Geenen

Genoa 2004 42 Sel! 1-0

42...1'xel allows 43 Wxf6#, while 42...1fxc3 is met by 43 lxe8+ i-g? 44 bxc3.

74) Miladinovic - Estremera

Genoa 2004 30...fcc5! 31 exdS (or 31 dxc5 -2^03+) 31...'ffxd5 32 Ac2 c5 with a winning advantage.

75) Kroencke - Albers

Hamburg 2007 30...Hxc7! wins a piece, since if 31 <Sixc7 then 31...Axe4 is deadly.

76) Atri - Albers

Hamburg 2007 22 ^xc6! 1.XC6 (or 22...bxc6 23 l.b4 c5 24 i.xc5! WxcS? 25 #£6, winning on the spot) 23 i.b4 1-0.

77) Faika - Kroencke

Hamburg 2007 18 l'xd7! ^xd7 19 d6! (winning a piece) 19...cxd6 20 l.xb7 1-0.

78) Zierke - Pajeken

Hamburg 2007 53...Hg5! 0-1

After 54 Sxg5+ 'i'f6 the pawn queens.

79) Campora - Mena

Seville 2007 21 ?^h4! (winning material) 21...1'xd6 22

-^xge 1-0.

80) Karpov - Stojanovic

Valjevo 2007 24 fch6+! gxh6 25 lg8# (1-0)

81) D. Adams - Churm

British League (4NCL) 2008/9 52 l'f7+! *h6 53 ^6+ >4>h5 54 g4+ (mating) 1-0.

82) Mirzoev - Redondo

Spain 2008

19 J.C7+! '4'xc7 20 fixe8 and White wins. The simple 19 Hael is also decisive.

83) Ferrer Garcia - Barria

Seville 2008 29...aad5! 0-1

There is no answer to the pin.

84) S. Kasparov - Abatino

Cutro 2008 17 J.XC6! Axc6 18 b4 wins a piece.

85) Babu - Abdulla

Mumbai 2008 25...1xf2!

26 <4'xf2 ab2+ 27 "if 1 #f4+ mates.

86) Timman - Guliev

Baku 2008 31 ^xc7! If 31...'?ixc7, then 32 Wxb6 wins.

87) Navara - Kramnik

Rapid match (game 8), Prague 2008 41 c7+! (and the pawn queens) 1-0.

88) Liascovich - Ricardi

Argentine Ch, Mendoza 2008 23...^e2+ 24 i-hl ^cl! (cutting off the al-rook from its defender and thus winning the exchange) 25 i.b7 Wxal 0-1.

89) Mahia - Salguero

Argentine Ch, Mendoza 2008 46 J.xh6! I.xh6 47 lf6+ *b7 48 lhxh6 (with a won ending, but the struggle comes to a quick end after a crude blunder by Black) 48...Haa8? 49 017+ 4>b8 50 axh8# (1-0).

90) Cherin - Tomio

Conegliano 2008 28 lxf7+! 'i'g8 (28...<i'xf7 29 ^d6-i-) 29 Hxd7 Axe4 30 axe4 1-0.

91) Luch - Bozzali

Conegliano 2008 16 4^xg6! (winning a pawn, and then another) 16...1'xg317 fxg3 fxg6181x66 'i>h719 ^xdS cxd5 20 Sxe7 with two extra pawns.

92) Rombaldonj - Scalcione

Conegliano 2008

27 axd7! 'i'xd7 28 ^xe5+ 1-0

Elementary puzzles

39

93) Zablotsky - Gubazhdullin

Nezhmetdinov Memorial, Kazan 2008 16 ^\e7+\ Sxe7 17 Sd8+ WxdS 18 AxdS 1-0

94) Arsovic - Markus

Serbia Cup, Zlatibor 2008 25...^xb2 261^x52 Se4! wins material.

95) E. Berg - P. Carlsson

Swedish Ch, Vaxjo 2008 33 Hxg7! Hxg7 (33...Wh6+ 34 <4'g3 Wxg? 35 fixg? '^xg? loses to 36 #03+ -i-f? 37 #07+ *f8 38 l'xh7) 34 ae8+ (followed by 35 #03+) 1-0.

96) Jay. Gonzales - Sadorra

Philippines Ch, Mandaluyong 2008 26 Wd3! with a winning position after this double attack.

97) Baklan - Strikovic

Benasque 2008

51 #64+! ag6

If 51 ..."igS then 52 Wc4+ is one way to win.

52 Sd6 1-0

After 52...1'xg2+ 53 «xg2 flxd6 54 #02+ ■i-gS 55 Wc8+ 4f7 56 ^5+ Sf6 57 l'xa5 further resistance is impossible.

98) Willemze - Krivoruchko

Greek Team Ch, Kallithea 2008 47 Wb5! (deflecting Black's queen away from the rook) 47...Hxb8 (if 47...1'xb5 then 48 flxc8-l- *h7 49 axb5 wins) 48 itxa6 1-0.

99) Ivanisevic - Managadze

Greek Team Ch, Kallithea 2008

33 axd5! Wb6

The pawn is unstoppable after 33...Wxg3 34 fxg3 axd5 (34...ac8 35 Hc5 is hopeless) 35 c7.

34 We5+ 1-0

100) Miroshnichenko - Harikrishna

Greek Team Ch, Kallithea 2008 20 £xc6! Sxc6 21 e5 (regaining the sacrificed material with interest) 21...&ac8 22 Axc6 Hxc6 23 exf6.

101) F. Ladron de Guevara - Salgado

Padron 2008 17...fixc2! (exploiting the overloaded white queen) 18 ©fl ^xg4 0-1.

102) A. Graf - Meijers

Kavala 2008 32...Hxh3+! 0-1

33 gxh3 WgS-i- 34 i-hl ^f2#.

103) Pozin - Simacek

Olomouc 2008 30 l'xf7+! 1-0 30...1'xf7 31 SxeS-i- *g7 32 l.xf7.

104) Dziuba - Panocki

Najdorf Memorial, Warsaw 2008 26 '§^xc8! 1-0 26...1fxd5 27 l^tl+.

105) Malakhov - Topalov

Villarrobledo (rapid) 2008

45....^xa6! (the e2-bishop is overloaded) 46

ah2 (or 46 «b2 l'f5 47 l.xa6 *g4+ 48 <i'h2

l'xf3 threatening both 49...'$^xa6 and 49...exf2)

46...exf2+ 47 'i>xf2 #63+ 48 i-H l'h3+ 0-1.

106) Malakhov - Perez Candelario

Villarrobledo (rapid) 2008 33 ^g4! J.xg4 (33...fife6 is answered by 34 lxf4 or 34 ^S^fe-l-! <if8 35 Sxf4) 34 Sxe8+ 1-0.

107) Kravtsiv - Stupak

World Junior Ch, Gaziantep 2008 17 Bxc5! 4^xc5 18 #c2 gaining a decisive material advantage.

108) Zhigaiko - Melkumian

World Junior Ch, Gaziantep 2008

40...1'el! 41 fixc2

If 41 "igl ? then amongst other things Black can win by 41...1'xfl+!.

41,..fca5 42 Sxc4 I'd 43 '2^e3 l'xf2 44 ^g4 l'b6

Black's passed pawn makes much further resistance futile; the continuation was:

45 lf4 Wb8 46 g3 l'xb2+ 47 lf2 d2 48 ^e3 l'b3 0-1

109) Li Chao - Irwanto

Kuala Lumpur 2008

24 l.e8! I'd6

Black has to defend g6, since 24...#d8 loses to 25 «xg6-l- 'i'h8 26 I'xh6-F <i'g8 27 i.g6; e.g., 27...Sf7 28 l.xf7-l- '^xf7 29 l'h7+ 'i>f6 30 «xe4.

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

110) N. Mitkov - R. Burnett

Internet 2008 38 ac7! 1-0

There is no defence for Black after 38...Sg6 (or 38...Sd7? 39 l'g4+) 39 Whl.

111) Guiko - B. Smith

Internet 2008 25 c7! 1-0

Forcing Black to give up control of f6; if 25...Wxc7 then 26 -S^fen-.

112) Van Oosterom - Kasimdzhanov

Dutch Team Ch 2007/8 The king in the centre leads to White's defeat. There are several ways for Black to win, but the strongest move is the elegant 21...fid4! 22 l'xd4? (a blunder, but 22 fbS a6 was also losing) 22...1'xe2# (0-1).

113) Prohaszka - Nyzhnyk

European Under-16 Ch, Herceg Novi 2008 63...Hxf2+! (gaining a second extra pawn, with an easy win) 64 "^xf2 ^e4+ 65 <4'e3 4^xf6, and Black won.

114) Carlsen - Movsesian

European Clubs Cup, Kallithea 2008 76...fla8+! 0-1

Black wins on the spot in the case of 77 'i'f? ad6+, while 77 -^eS ^d6 (or 77...fixe8-l- 78 4>xe8 ^A6+) 78 ae7 Sxe8+ 79 lxe8 -S^xeS 80 ■ixeS g5 81 hxg5 <4'g7 is also winning for Black.

115) B. Socko- Baburin

Dresden Olympiad 2008 39 axe6! 1-0

The passed pawn queens after 39...fxe6 40

c7.

116) Navara - Kveinys

Dresden Olympiad 2008 35 #c6! (with a double attack on the queen and the knight) 1-0.

117) T.L. Petrosian - Redgaard

Dresden Olympiad 2008 39 axd8+! 1-0

118) Papaioannou - Azarov

Dresden Olympiad 2008 32 i.h7+! (winning the exchange) 32...'i'xh7 (32...'4'f8? 33 WeStt) 33 l'xf7 and White won.

119) Parligras - A. Kovacevic

Dresden Olympiad 2008

14 fxe5! ^hS

Black loses after 14...dxe5 15 Wxd8+ Axd8 16 Sxf6 <5^c4 17 af3 ^xe3 18 axe3 l.b6 19 '4'f2; or 14...^c4 15 exf6 ^xe3 and now, for instance, 16 l'd4 4^xc2 17 fxe7.

15 exd6

and White won.

120) Geetha Narayanan - Stocek

Dresden Olympiad 2008 28 axd6! ixde 29 l'd4+ <i'e7 30 «xb4+ *d7 31 l'd4+ icS 32 l'xe5 with an extra pawn and a mating attack.

3 On the Attack

In this chapter we are going to study the attack on the king. There is not always a direct mating attack, but threats to the king always play a vital role in the solution.

There are 100 puzzles in this chapter, the first 50 of which are supplied with hints. The puzzles are in increasing order of difficulty and complexity, ranging from level 1 (the same as the puzzles in the previous chapter) to level 4 (the most difficult level you will find in this book, with the exception of the final chapter and some of the test positions). In puzzle 171 (the first without a hint) we return to level 1.

121 B

A

WW,

lAi

m M

tr^.

w////, m

123 ^m^. mm-s^m^. mm

^ km m\

y/////// ■— y//////, y

mMvyyyyyy W& WM W^4 A 'M&

ft ^ WM Wi- e,W>

A m m m ts &

The white king is very weak; can you find the How can White mate the black king quickly, quickest win? exploiting the fact that it can't retreat?

122 B

M

W% 1

mM'M ■ ■

mm fg mm wm

4y A My^My

mmWyk

"^S'""'^^""^

124

m Wy

\^\

M

m A mm

Wyt^my

Wy • » 4 ^f

HI • s * ii

Wyi

m m^~^-^y

1

A

i^ ,^ My^^ ^^ B^

White's king is incarcerated and there are latent 26 fixh6 would lead to mate, were it not for mating threats on g2 and the back rank. How 26...^xf6. Therefore... can Black smash through?

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

128 W

mm-'<m.

k ^

m

^^ ^^

A

A

W/.'^m^/.

It is mate in three moves; how?

How can White mate in a few moves?

126 W

m Wa

ism ^*

m, 'm.

W% W %^

129 W

ttm"''m. ^n ^

^

m

The black king is in a dangerous position; how White has a forced mate. How? can White exploit this?

130

mm.

m A:

m.

AB fc

9 Wy Wfy

There is a way to bring the game to a swift end; White gains a decisive material advantage, what is it? thanks to the precarious position of Black's

king. How?

On the Attack

43

131 W

■ i

m^m^.

H ■ Ha

*^ti

^«^

J

m ^ ^

754

a^ ^ ^ ^

m. m.

Ai

i.

ABA

A

The black king is poorly defended, but how can White feed more pieces into the attack?

It is not easy to attack the black king just by manoeuvring, but there is a direct way of doing it; how?

132

m m m m

i

IB m

kmpmfmf

W/M WM ^^

How can White break down the defences of the apparently safe black king?

'Opposite-coloured bishops favour the attacker'. How can White demonstrate the power of his unopposed d4-bishop?

133

w> w • * ^

mrmrm

IBAHAB

m f^, A p

.^1

H^

^^ ^p ^p s ^ ^'

136 B

is^

m ^

A

AB

There are several ways to win, but only one killer blow - which is...?

After 35...tta8-i- the white king easily escapes, but what if...

The Giant Chess Puzzle book

137 W

^

m 1 J

740

P 4 • Wy k.9

a///, w.

How can White cut off the black king's escape-route?

A bishop hke the one on f6 arouses great hopes of an attack; how can White make use of it?

758

m

ii

iJLB«B ■ 1- *

m ^m.

m » ABAt

m <Mi

141 W

Exploit the overload on the black queen.

White played 40 Hf7 and won the endgame; is there a quicker way?

139 W

W^/ W^- P^ W^/ X

m m MJ €i%

^1 W^y

The move ...h5 didn't make Black's king's position any more secure; how can this move be exploited?

142 B

mm '''^'"^W/ \

^» '^mm. Wfm'/, %?%??

'A

mm

ti

ff P

AP «iAl

V/,

After 30...1.xg34- 31 'i'e2 Black won the exchange, but not the game. Can you find something better?

On the Attack

45

143 W

vm

^ m//, — y////M

''m,^'m^. -mm

A

W^ 'WM W^/'" WW/

l-m, m, M. m. "mm, wii

146 B

mm, mMM !■*

m ^1

"m W %m

IP A^ 9 W%

Ai

m.

m.^Wy.

White played 43 fig4. Can you find a stronger continuation?

The white king is not as safe as it looks on the long diagonal. How did Black gain a decisive material advantage?

144 B

^ i

WW. m^, w^/ i.m

mMM ill * ^Z^ Z i

4,^my

mf/ ^ww

mw.^wm Wy

147

Wy Wm

mf

Emm. • my, .

i

a^<g :^

A

%^?^ yyyyyyy^^ ymm ^ y.

y//, r. VM<'/

%^l

y t^y

^^AB

^ ^

m 'Wi

Black played 25...^xa4 and the game ended in a draw; can you find something better?

The black queen exerts pressure down the long diagonal but it is decentralized and the black king is poorly defended...

145

W/

■^y^M

4 4

^ mi €M g^^

j bahab'

if ■ s ii

^ ^

J5^S^ 5fc7*|

748

1

ym^/.

^P 'W

W/ f\ ^P'

m(^my

m ^

ff

^

jy^m^^my

Play continued 43 l.c6? Sf? 44 ±e8 Hxf6 and Black won in the end. Can you find what White missed?

Although White's pieces are more active than Black's, his king is weaker and it is this that decides the struggle; how?

The Giant Chess Puzzle book

149 W

^m '-(^y, '■f^z *=a y/zm

L :^^ ^M :^^ ^

i P

A

i »

152 B

rnkm.'

'1

I Hi mm

W% W% y//////y y//////, fj O ■ • ,

""f Wy^W if

^ .«X^^^^^^

i ^

H ^ h

m^'m.

The black king is in a bad way; how should White coordinate his attack?

Even with limited material, king safety is very important. How can the unsafe position of White's king be demonstrated?

Zi

m

755

I ■ ■ iSi mm, 'm^y wm.

Why is the typical sacrifice 11 J.xh7+ unsound here?

White played 39 i'xf6, which is a good move, but not the best. What was a stronger continuation?

151

Wy ^Wy kW k.

■tfc

After 22 Sdl? Hxdl+ 23 ^xdl Ac5 Black stood better. What was the winning line that White missed?

Almost all White's pieces are attacking, but he needs to find a way to break down the black king's defences. How?

On the Attack

47

155 B

Mm, m^.

• A • • ^

i If

i iJ

=:5^^;^ <=3S= %L^^

;5s

1

111

mk'wm.

Sift

^

<^/. %^^

ABi.B BA

s^ ^P WM "^ ^P

A

White could defend if he were allowed time to regroup. Find a quick way for Black to conclude matters.

Black is threatening to play both 27...#xf6 and 27...1'g5. Show that White's attack is far from over.

156

%? ■'/^y.

159 W

l2 ^BHg

g

#Hi

■ ■

WW I

m a

^ i^^^^^..

*J

The black king is stuck in the centre, but energetic measures are required to exploit this. How?

White played 26 Hal+? and after 26...'4'b3 27 f3 l'xc7 28 .i.xc7 ^xf6 29 l.xd8 IxdS Black won. What did White miss?

757

m, ^ mm, :

4 WW

A

'M!/. Mm. MM.

160 W

i A ^^^ A ill m^M mm m

-AHA

m mXmism

m mm'

White opted for 36 WxcS-l- <i>b5 37 #68+ WxeS 38 Sxe8 and won the endgame. Find a quicker win.

Show that White has a winning kingside attack based on his superior forces, the half-open f-file and the f5-square.

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

161

w

m m-.^Wx, HI

^^M m^^M,

li m.

■ ■ HA

164 B

^ IP P

m m

ABA

A

A

A

The accumulation of forces against Black's king's position indicates that White's attack is coming to a head; how?

Black played 23...1'a3+? 24 "ibl c3 but his initiative then began to dissipate. How can Black's attack be improved?

162 B

m^.'sM

W4

MM A WM MM

■ „^BiHAH^

■ Ak^H^HA

m.

165 B

m m i

M VMfSc

I m Si

ff 4 ^ « ^

^^ ^^ ^^ ^ ^^

Black is under unpleasant pressure here, yet he has a way to move onto the offensive. How?

White has an active queen, but his king stands very badly; how does Black win?

163

2 '^^i«C<g

Ji'Bi

W kWyy

m

Ai

w/yM m^.

li

9"" '^^^""

766

li li ft • 4

SI m I

W¥y

^ »

White gained only a slight advantage after 23 White dominates the centre and has active ^e8+ -ibe 24 I'd? Wb? 25 a5+ *a7 26 WxhTH- pieces. Can you find a way to eliminate one of ixb?. What did he overlook? the enemy's best defenders?

On the Attack

49

167 W

T ^ ^ ^1

i ■ IP M

i

»«k^i

i

m M m

AB

ff

#^ ,„^^.'^;?

769

M^^^f.m

wm.

w

m

'im, mm

A WW/ A ■

m.

I ^/. ^ ^

'^ ^^ ^^ A ^

^m. m m

mi mm

^■r?

Here we have another king which has advanced The safety of the black king is an illusion; how rashly. What is the best way to attack it? can this be demonstrated?

765 B

jL 'm^ • mm •

m.

m m.

w^/, '•m W& "m.

AH » ,„

-ymk mm 'mM ^

170

IP A IP 9 A Ik

A

ABAB^BAI

After 27...2xc3+?! 28 l^xcS lc8 29 J.c4 White 33 Se3 #d6 34 ffS I'd? 35 Wf4 »d6 led to a was able to defend. Can you find a more prom- repetition of moves. What opportunity did White ising line for Black? miss?

777 B

m mm

li

Ai

^A^

y/c V/////A

Al

Bg^ 'y///.

172 W

m. m

m I

lAi

mm.

The Giant Chess puzzle book

173 W

177 W

■jm, awig

m '"w.

A;

A

m

""'^'■m"^'m.

174 W

A:

^ M

''w^,'

A

m a^^

178

:li

/m

m iii«»^ mm, ^A ^"' ^ ^

i« 1—' V//////,

AI

%b77K: i?^*

775

779

776

780 5

On the Attack

51

181 W

185 B

182 B

186 B

m

'm^, xm

m

ABl

m W, wfy ^%

^^ m ^iJJ^i

183 B

',^i; v//////.

w^'wii

m

m i

m

A

A«,

% mm.

mkM,

187 W

vM mmm

Hi

:A:

A;

m4

mj-^ «^ ^^ , %W;i1

1 i^

m M,

184

m

y//, v//////.

m

m m, t3,

The Giant Chess puzzle book

189

w

193 B

WM WJ^, ^

■ !■ !■ ■

mm. ''im.

m ^litevi

190 B

m mMi

i 1

lei

1

AS

794

M

aB±BAB

m^. '■iim. m^y. m.

K,

191

795

792

796

1« » «^

^ A i

A

%? !*77*;

On the Attack

53

197 W

mm, k.'m.

kMk\

m§ ^ ^

i.1

A

i "^''mi

201 B

198 W

202 W

iWm m

A

w%&m

A

A

^ g^

799

■a'

fc

■ 'm^i

203 W

wm, A. ^ M^

1^1

wm

mm m

m\'W. 'W'. E

■ AB^ :ABAi

IW.^ CI

200 B

1

\km,k

'///, ^ i«5m5

HI A£

A

A^

^ ^

204

The Giant Chess Puzzle book

205 B

i m

(S ill wi;S.

^ei

^Wm, o

m, ^

m^\

209 W

II

wm

^m, m.

AHA:

ei"^

:Ai

206 W

9 • 4 IP A

m ■ * ill *

m

A

^^ #^ #^

270 B

■JLBWBl AB HA

AilA^

A« i ^^ABI

207 W

■ ■ i S^

A:

a:

51^121

2i7

208 W

m m.

9"ik W, "k

ft ^ ft • ^f MU/ijsa

mMm,

212 W

On the Attack

55

213 W

m

l±

^'wm. "^^f ""m.

y//, i^^K;

A:

? '-md' 'w^';

217

214

218

'///, ii^?

AB#to

275

ill wMm.J^'M^^

^P^ ^

f^ A fi

A:

279

II

iB±BlBi

^^ a ^

' '""^^ "^^

■ ■&:

216 W

ll^

aBaB ■ i

220

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

Answers for Chapter 3

121) Rossetto - Ju. Bolbochan

Mar del Plata 1956

se-.-Wfa! 0-1

122) Wexler-Bazan

Mar del Plata 1960 25...adl! 0-1

25...fie5! is also effective.

123) Szabo - Guimard

Mar del Plata 1962

26 Sb3! 1-0

27 lcl+ follows.

124) Rombaldoni - Iturrizaga

World Junior Ch, Gaziantep 2008 26 WxdS! 1-0 26...1'xd5 27 Sxh6 and mate.

125) An. Rodriguez - Contin

Buenos Aires 2008 30 Ixf 7+! 1-0

30...^xf7 (30...4'g8 31 -2ie7#) 31 ^ee+^gS 32 ihc7#.

126) Kramnik - Short

Dresden Olympiad 2008 4,1 Ihl! 1-0

47...'?;ixc6 is forced, after which 48 flal+ ^a5 49 Hba2 wins.

127) Zhukova - Peptan

Dresden Women's Olympiad 2008

28 ^t6+\ 1-0

There follows 29 l.h6#.

128) Nepomniashchy - Salgado

Pamplona 2008 45 fxcS+l 1-0

45...'^xc8 46 ae8+ <i>b7 (46...^d7 47 ad8#) 47 flb8#.

129) Moskalenko - Panelo

Badalona 2008 37 fixb7+! '4'xb7 38 l'd7+ Sc7 39 WdS+l ac6 40 ad7+ 1-0

40...>4'b8 41 k.al+ <ia8 42 fxce*.

130) Kurnosov - Agdestein

Tromso 2008

37 axf6! ®xf6

It is mate after 37...axh7? 38 axf7+ Bxf? 39 axf7#.

38 Wh8+ 'ie7 391^X68+ 1-0 White remains a piece up.

131) Hirneise - T. Hansen

Budapest 2008

26 l.xf7!

Bringing two fresh pieces into the attack and threatening 27 aa8+; another way is 26 #xf6.

26...#c6

26...axf7 leads to mate after 27 aa8+ 'i'g7 28 %4+.

27 d5 1-0

After 27...1'b7 28 l'xf6 'i'h7 29 ^g4 the mate is delayed but is unavoidable.

132) Hou Yifan - T. Georgescu

World Junior Ch, Gaziantep 2008

28 WxgSl fxgS 29 axf8+ -ig? 30 aif6! 1-0 The quickest way, preventing 30...'4'h6 and

threatening 31 h6#.

133) Safari! - Durarbeyli

World Junior Ch, Gaziantep 2008 26 itxg7+! 1-0

It is mate after 26...>4'xg7 27 '§if5+ <if8 28 ah8#.

134) Semcesen - Palac

Schwarzach 2008

36 axh5+!

Not 36 l'd2? I'e4. 36...±xh5

This loses decisive material, but there was nothing better. 36...'4'g7 is met by 37 l'd2, while if 36...'i'g8 then amongst other things there is a win with 37 Wxe5 dxeS 38 ah8+ and the a8-rook is lost.

37 l'd3+ 1-0

135) Dumitrache - Baratosi

Romanian League, Eforie Nord 2008

38 axg6! 1-0

Deciding the game, since it is mate after 38...4'xg6 39 Wg5+ 'i>h7 40 l'xh5+ A-gS 41

136) Valeanu - Bachmann

Bucharest 2008 35...b3! (eliminating the king's escape-route) 36 433 b2 0-1.

On the Attack

57

137) Bischoff - Buhmann

Austrian Team Ch 2008/9

29 ±a3+! ^d6

Not 29...-i>e8? 30 %8+ mating.

30 i.xd6+ ©xde 31 ^fSl

There is no satisfactory defence to the threats of 32 'Sixde and 32 l'h8+ followed by mate. 31...'?^f4+ 32 ^dl 1-0

138) Almasi - Babula

Dresden Olympiad 2008

35 i.e2! 1-0

A possible continuation is 35...1'c6 (35...1'a4 36 Axc5 Hxc5 37 #f8+ and 38 #xc5) 36 i.xc5 with an extra piece for White and a winning advantage.

139) LB. Hansen - Z. Rahman

Dresden Olympiad 2008

21 '2ixg6!

Black's exposed king can't be defended. 21 ^xfl\ was also effective.

21...fxg6 22 Axg6 Se7 23 WxhS Ig? 24 ad3 ^e8 25 flel lxg6 26 ®xg6+

with a material advantage and the attack.

140) L. Vajda - Zagorskis

Dresden Olympiad 2008

31 WxhSl Hxg2+ (31...gxh5 32 fixhS leads to forced mate, after a few spite checks by Black) 32 l.xg2 1-0.

141) Bojkovic-ZhaoXue

Dresden Women's Olympiad 2008 40 l'g5! leads to a quick mate: 40...Sg8 41

^e5.

142) Franco - Paunovic

Zaragoza 1991 30...J.d2! wins more material; e.g., 31 #b6 (31 ^c3? hxg3+! is worse) 31 ...#xg3+32 igl «xel.

143) Topalov - Ponomariov

Leon (rapid) 2003 43 axg6+! I.xg6 44 WfG Wxe5-i- 45 dxeS wins.

144) Sax - Gaponenko

Balatonlelle 2008 25...Axb2! is devastating; e.g., 26 fixa5 (or 26 *xb2? Sxb3+!; after 26 Bb5 fixbS 27 axb5 J.c3 28 We3 l'c7 followed by 29...a4, defence

is practically impossible) 26...J.d4! followed by 27...fixb3+ and a quick mate.

145) Amin - D. Boros

World Junior Ch, Gaziantep 2008 White overlooked a win by 43 ^5! I'xf6 (43...«f7 44 axh6+ ^xh6 45 l'xh6+ <i'g8 {45...<*xh6 46 Sh3#} 46 2xg6+) 44 Sxh6+! ^xh6 45 l'xf6.

146) Beikert - Vallejo

Bundesliga 2008/9 37...'5ixe5! 38 AxbS?! (38 dxe5 ±xe5 39 J.el b4 is more stubborn, although ultimately insufficient) 38..,'5^g4 0-1.

147) Timofeev - Svidler

Russian Ch, Moscow 2008

18 l.xf6! gxf6

The g-file is now open and Black intends 19...Bg8, but... a tempo is an eternity in this position.

19 axh7+! 1-0

White mates the black king, thanks to the opening of the g- and h-files; Svidler resigned in view of 19..."4'xh7 20 ©hS-^ ^g7 21 l'g4-i-*h8 22 ae3 i.e4 23 flh3-H l.h7 24 ^4.

148) Naiditsch - Dao Thien Hai

Beijing (rapid) 2008

31...ac3!

Ehminating the last pawn defending White's king.

32 -2^X03 #xb3+ 33 4al bxc3 34 l'f2?!

After 34 a5d2 ^c7 the black pieces reach the queenside surprisingly quickly: 35 Ha2 aa8! 36 add2 axa2+ 37 axa2 ^e6.

34...C2 0-1

149) L. Dominguez - Morozevich

Blitz World Ch, Almaty 2008

24 l.e5!

Freeing the queen from the defence of the bishop, so as to be able to invade the kingside.

24...ad7

24... J.d6 loses to 25 .^xd6-i- Wxdb 26 *a8+ ■i>g7 27 ^f5-h 'i'f6 28 itxg8 '*xf5 29 Wxh7-h.

25 WhS!

Threatening 26 l'xh7,26 Wh6+ and 26 ^f5.

25...d3?!

More tenacious, although insufficient, is 25...1'b6 26 i.f4! d3 27 ±d2 ^6 28 ^3, followed by 29 '2^f5, with a decisive initiative.

THE Giant Chess Puzzle Book

26 Ifhe+I -i-eS 27 Wxhl lf8 28 ^hS! faS 29 ^afen- -ids 30 ^xd7 'i'xdT 31 l'xd3+ -i^cS 32 #f5+ 1-0

150) Charbonneau - H.A. Hussein

Dresden Olympiad 2008 White played 11 i.xh7+? '4'xh7 12 ^g5+ ■igS 13 #h5 and now Black can defend with 13...Wa5+! 0-1 followed by M.-.l^fS.

151) de la Riva - Ermenkov

Dresden Olympiad 2008 White wins by 22 l.h6!, threatening 23 ±g7 and Bh8#. Against the resource 22...Axg2 23 l'xg2 Wi5 the prettiest line is 24 l'xf2! (24 ±g7 ^4+ 25 'i'bl also wins) 24...1'xf2 25 ^g7 with mate in three.

Less clear is 22 lh8+?! i-xhS 23 «h3+ •igS 24 #h6 fegS+l 25 ©xgS i.d4, with advantage to White but nothing decisive.

152) Naiditsch - Nisipeanu

Dresden Olympiad 2008 51...f5! 0-1

The threat is 52...f4+ 53 l.xf4 Sf3-l-, winning the bishop. Now 52 fif7 unprotects the bishop, so Black has 52...Sf3-i- and the next rook check wins the white bishop. If 52 ^g5 instead, then 52...f4+! 53 ±xf4 (53 4'h2 Shl#) 53...Sf3-F wins as indicated.

153) Kramnik - Aronian

Rapid match (game 5), Erevan 2007 There was a forced mate with 39 flf 7-I-! i-gS 40 le7! Ic8 41 Sg7-l- -i-fS and now the key move is 42 "ih?!, controlling gS, when there is no defence against the threat of ^f7#. There is also the simple 42 ^xcB.

154) Perelshteyn - Mikhalevski

Lubbock 2008

35 '§ig4!

With the inclusion of this fresh attacker, there is no defence for the black king.

35...1.C4

If 35...Hxd6then364:ih6-(-! wins: 36...'Sixh6 (no better is 36...<i'h7 37 4^xf7 Sxd2 38 l'h4-l-"ig? 39 «h6-H i-gS 40 #h8#, or 36...'i'f8 37 l'h8+ <i>e7 38 Se2-i-) 37 Hxd6 with a decisive advantage for White.

36 «xf7+! I'xf7 37 ?^h6+ *g7 38 ^xtl Axfl 39 d7 l.a6 40 dxc8#

with a winning advantage.

155) Hillarp Persson - Geetha Narayanan

Dresden Olympiad 2008 36...1'el+! 37 <i'g2 ±h3+! (D)

W

i

1%

The bishop is taboo on account of the mate on hi, so the white king has to come out into the open and be exposed to danger.

38 i'f3 l.g4+ 39 *e3 Wcl+l 40 <i'e4

Or 40 'i'd3 l.f5-t- 41 5ie4 WbH-.

40...*d2 41 l.xg4 hxg4

Threatening 42...Wd4#.

42 «^b5 «e2H-

and mate in two.

0-1

156) Caruana - Korchnoi

Dresden Olympiad 2008

22 e5! '4'd8 Or:

a) 22...gxf4 23 exd6 is clearly hopeless for Black; e.g., 23...'4'd8 24 dxe7-h 4'c7 25 l'xf4+ 4'b7 26 l'xd4.

b) 22...h5 23 I.xf7-F! 'idS (or 23...4-xf7 24 l'xd7 and there is no defence; if 24...gxf4?! then 25 exd6) 24 exd6! i.f6 25 Ve6 gxf4 26

23 exd6 l.f6 24 l.g3

Stranded in the centre, the black king can't survive in view of the wedge at d6 and the open lines.

24...h5 25 We4 Ae5 26 ±xe5 ae8 27 ^5 ^xe5 28 d7 1-0

157) Cheparinov - Pavasovic

Dresden Olympiad 2008 The escape-route can be blocked with 36 a4! We4+ 37 <4'h2 and mate soon follows; e.g., 37...'2:\a7 38 Wde-F -4'b7 39 Sb8-^ *a6 40 lfxb6#.

On the Attack

59

158) Lupulescu - Ki. Georgiev

Dresden Olympiad 2008

27 ^tS+l "ifS

27...4>xf6 is met by 28 l'h4+ *e6 29 Wel+ -^dSSOladH-.

28 «h4 h5

Or 28...gxf5 29 Hael i.e4 30 J.xe4 (or 30 fxhen- first) 30...fxe4 313x64 WgS 32 ^h7+.

29 »g5 gxfS 30 fiael -S^ce 31 3xe5 ^xe5 32 Sel 1-0

159) Franco - Korneev

Dos Hermanas 2003 After 26 b3+!! there is no hiding place for the black king:

a) 26...cxb3? exposes Black to a decisive attack; e.g., 27 aal+ *b5 28 la5+ 'i>c4 29 acl+ '4'd4 30 ±e3+ <i'd3 31 lfd6+, and White wins.

b) 26...'4>b5 27 bxc4+ and now:

bl) 27...*xc4 28 fifcl+ <^b5 29 Sxb4+! 'i'xb4 (29...cxb4? 30 l'c4+ *a5 31 SaH- 4b6 32 Wxb4#) 30 abl+ *a4 31 axb7 l.xb7 32 #xb7 with a decisive advantage.

b2) 27...<i'a4 28 Hal+ and the king can't survive; e.g., 28...'4'b3 29 fifbl+ *c2 30 Icl-i-*b3 31 aabl+ 4-34 32 Wxbll i.xb7 33 ac2 "iaS 34 Ac7+ and mate next move.

160) Ovod-ZhaoXue

Russian Women's Team Ch, Dagomys 2008 15 i.xh6! gxh6 (D)

W

E'/myy/, JL. -Mti ess ;

m 4 ^ifev^ k

m

'm^//.

AHA

¥^.

16 'ars!

Threatening mate with 17 Wg3+. 16...'af8

If 16...<ih7 then White wins with 17 l'h3! ^gS 18 ^x\\.6\ 4^xh6 19 axf7+ '^g8 20 Wxhe '4'xf7 21 afl-H ^i6 and it is mate after 22 «h7+ -i>f8 (22...'i'e6 23 k.gA+\ ^xgA 24 »?+

*d6 25 c5#) 23 i.h5 Ae6 24 lai8+ ^tl 25 ^7+ -i>d6 26 c5#.

17 %3+ ^g6 18 ^xh6+ 'i>g7 19 ^xf7!

•5^X64

19...<i'xf7 is answered by 20 M5! ag8 21 dxe5.

20 Wd3 »d7

20...'B'h4 loses to 21 g3, regaining the piece and maintaining the attack.

211^X64 exd4 22 fdS! BeS 23 Wd2! c5

Now White resumes the attack, and this time it can't be parried.

24 Ah5! ^M 25 mi »e7 26 «f4! ^f5 27 ^4+! >i>f8 28 ^h6 1-0

161) D. Khamrakulov - Yuldachev

Uzbek Ch, Tashkent 2008

28 ag6+! fxg6 29 4if6+!

The correct order of moves. Not 29 .^c4+? because of 29...'i'h8!, winning.

29...i.xf6 301.C4+! 1-0

White regains all the sacrificed material with interest after 30...axc4 31 l'xe8+ 'i'g7 32 fxge-h <4'f8 33 «xf6+ *e8 34 #66+ and »xc4.

162) Granda - Fedorchuk

Conegliano 2008

37...±e7!

...BgS is coming, and the action of the rook combined with the c6-bishop will be very dangerous. Other black forces can also join in, as we shall see.

38 h4?!

White should try 38 f4 BgS 39 l'f2, although 39...d4! leaves the c7-knight in surprisingly serious danger; e.g., 40 Axc6 (or 40 ±.n d3! with the idea of 41...1fh5 and ...l.h4) 40...4^xc6 41 exd4 ^xe5 42 fxe5 axc7 43 d5 J.g5 with advantage to Black, but White can still fight.

38...ag8 39 l'h3 ag4! 0-1

If 40 l.g3? then 40...axc7, while Black's initiative is overwhelming after 40 'igl d4 41 f3 axh4 42 «g3 BhS, or 42...1.g5.

163) Adhiban - Movsziszian

Sort 2008 23 ^b5+! is decisive: 23...'i'b6 (White's task is simpler after 23...axb5? 24 l'd7+ ^b6 25 »xb5+ 4c7 26 I'd7-F 4'b6, and now the key idea is 27 a5-M BxaS 28 l'd8+ >4'c6 29 M5+) 24 a5+\ -ixaS 25 S.al+ "i-be 26 axa6-h!! 4xa6

The Giant Chess Puzzle book

(after 26...fixa6 27 #(18+ it is mate in three) 27 ^d4+ <4>b6 28 ^xfi, and wins.

164) Nolte - Laylo

Philippines Ch, Mandaluyong 2008 Black can exploit the weakness of White's back rank by 23...Se5! 24 «xc4 (24 bxc4? I'a3+ 25 Ha2? »cl#) 24...1fel+ 25 Hbl (25 <4>a2? Sa5+ is worse) 25...Ha5+ 26 'i'b2 l'd2+ 27 «c2 Sa2+ 28 '4xa2 «xc2+ 29 lb2 Wdl, followed by 30...1f8 and ...flxf7.

165) Yusupov - Wang Yue

Amsterdam 2008

Not 47...fi2g5?, which only draws after 48 ^8+ ag8 49 l'xf6+ S8g7 50 *f8+ Sg8 51 «f6+.

47...ag8!!

Ruling out White's key defensive idea, and now there is no satisfactory defence against 48...a2g5.

48 #36 H2g5 49 le2 5^xe4! 0-1

166) Vila Gazquez - Krejci

European Under-18 Ch, Herceg Novi 2008

29 HhS!

The e8-rook is vital for the defence; with its exchange, the absence of the other rook on h4 means that White's attack is winning.

29...axh2 30 AaS

30 Wxf6 Wxfe 31 Sxe8+ <ic7 32 i.xe5+ was also strong.

30...<Sia4+?!

This loses, but there is no satisfactory defence against the threat of 31 J.xb6.

31 bxa4 b6 32 lxe8+ 1^x68 33 i.c3 e4 34 WTd6 1-0

167) Aronian - Volokitin

European Clubs Cup, Kallithea 2008 28 HhS!! ^xh5 29 ae5+ And White forces a speedy mate. 29,..<i>g4 30 l'xg5+ i-fS 31 «xh5+ -i-xf 2 Or 31...*g2 32 «g4-i- i-fl 33 We2+ "i'gl 34 ag5+ 4hl 35 ^5*.

32 l'e2+ 1-0

168) Sashikiran - H. Leyva

Dresden Olympiad 2008 Black's idea was fine, but the correct move-order is 27...d4! 28 exd4 (after 28 l.xg6 hxg6 29 axd4 #65 30 Hhdl BbcS the f6-pawn is lost, there is pressure on the white king and

White has insufficient compensation for the piece) 28...HXC3-I- 29 #xc3 l'd5, attacking the hl-rook, and threatening 30...ac8.

169) Harikrishna - Svidler

Dresden Olympiad 2008

25 axe6!! aab8

Not 25...fxe6 26 Ax&6+ "4'h8 27 «f3! M4 28 Wh3+ 4>g7 29 l'h6+ -4'f6 30 if5, with a decisive initiative.

26 Wt3 '2ic4?! 27 ae7

With several threats, such as 28 ac7, 28 J.e3, etc. 1-0

170) Skripchenko - Zatonskikh

Dresden Women's Olympiad 2008 White missed 33 ^xh6+!:

a) 33...4'f8 fails to 34 ag6 *fd7 (or 34...4^f6 35 axg7! 'ixg7 36 ?^f 5-i- and the black queen is lost) 35 axg7! 'i'xg7 36 'SifS-i- *f6 37 g4 with the threat of 38 l'h6#, winning.

b) 33...4'h7 34 ^xf7! ^xg3 35 fxg3 «el-i-(35...1'd7 36 axd8 l'xd8 37 l'f5-h <4'g8 38 g4 c6 39 g5 with a winning endgame) 36 i'h2 Hf8 37 I'f5-F 'i'g8 38 h6! Ixf7 39 h7-i- -i-hS 40 «xf7 <i>xh7 41 Wh5-i- "igS 42 fxdS-H 4'h7 43 #f5+ and White captures the c7-pawn with a decisive endgame advantage.

171) D.G. Petrosian - Arutinian

Armenian Team Ch, Erevan 2008

Black's material advantage is only temporary, but he can exploit the bad situation of the white king.

31...'2ig3+! 32 <i'h2 «f4! 33 -4?h3

33 Wxc5 loses to 33...^e4+.

33...af5 34 Wei ±(2 0-1

35 l'xf2 #xe5 gives Black an extra rook.

172) Cornette - Lazic

Mulhouse 2008 29 WdS+l 1-0 If 29...*h8 then 30 fcfS, winning.

173) Smikovski - Tuzhik

Tomsk 2008

After any 'normal' move, the white queen would remain out of play, but now it can receive support:

23 ^g6! 4^h7

After 23...fxg6 24 hxg6, mate is unavoidable.

On the Attack

61

24 ^xeS 4^xe5 25 Axf7+! 1-0 Strongest; the queen regains the piece and gets out of jail after 25...^xf7 26 l'g6+.

174) Zhumabaev - Nechepurenko

Tomsk 2008

There are three white pieces attacked, but the main element in the position is the weakness of the black king.

28 Wa3\ (D)

B

Threatening to mate or win a lot of material with the discovered check.

28..,b4

After 28...^xe2+ 29 -i-fl ±h3+ 30 'i'el there is no defence.

29 l'xb4 *e8

Now if 29...'S^xe2+ all three king moves are winning.

30 'ag8 1-0

There is no defence; mate on e7 is threatened, and if 30...i.f8 (or 30...'5::)c6 31 Wbl) then 31 '2^gf6+ wins.

175) Hector - E. Berg

Swedish Ch, Vdxjo 2008

40 Sxh4!

Eliminating the dangers to his own king, while maintaining terrible threats against the black king.

40...1xh4?

40...1xf5 41 lxh7 lf4 42 b3 does not save the game either.

41 le7 1-0

176) Kariakin - Short

Rapid match (game 1), Kiev 2008 37 Wxfe! 1-0

37...1'xf6 38 g4#.

177) Bhat - Burmakin

Benasque 2008 33 Wxc7! 1-0

If 33...1xc7 then 34 SdS-i- mates, while after 33...h3+ 34 "igl the dl-square is covered.

178) Ubilava - N. Mamedov

Benasque 2008 26flc3!fig8 27^g3

and White won. 27 ^gl\ is quicker, with mate in four.

179) Meijers - Halkias

Kavala 2008 28...1xb6!

The weakness of the back rank allows Black to win a pawn and bring a fresh piece into the attack. If the white rook moves aside, then 29...Hb2 is possible.

29Wdl

29 flxb6? allows a forced mate by 29...1fel+ 30 ^h2 Agl+ 31 -ihl Af2+.

29...1.e5 30 *gl Wh2+ 31 '4'f2 i.d4+ 32 *f3 e5! 0-1

180) Kuhn - Motylev

Mainz (Chess960) 2008

21...axg2!

The white pieces are unable to come to the aid of the king, which will be mated.

22 ■i>xg2 %4+ 23 4>hl l.xf3+ 24 i.xf3 «xf3+ 25 -igl ^h4 0-1

181) Ju. Bolbochan - Rossetto

Argentine Ch match (game 5), Buenos Aires 1948 44 *d3! 1-0 There is no satisfactory defence against 45

<ae7#.

182) Gorini - Ju. Bolbochan

Remedios de Escalada 1949 54...fic8! (another incarcerated king) 55 aa7+ <if6 56 axd6+ ^f5 0-1.

183) Rossetto - Najdorf

Mar del Plata 1955

28...He3!

The rook is taboo, while Black's threat is 29...axg3+.

29 4>h2 f4! 30 f3 fxg3+ 31 *g2 Wed!

Black continues to play with great energy and the attack is unstoppable.

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

32 hxgS Hxe2+ 33 '^g3 Wd6+ 34 f4 ag2+ 35 *h3 «e6+ 36 f5 SxfS 37 Sel Bf3++ 0-1

184) Bronstein - Marini

Mar del Plata 1960

40 '?^g5! 1-0

Threatening mate on h7, and if 40...Wg? then the simple 41 l'xg7+ '4'xg7 42 ^xe6++ leads to a winning endgame. Even worse are 40...1'xh6 41 ^f7# and 40...1fe7 41 ^xhl Wxhl 42 «f6+.

185) Guimard - Najdorf

Mar del Plata 1962 31...^e2+! (incarcerating the white king on the h-file) 32 <4>h2 af4 0-1.

186) Goldsztejn - Degraeve

La Fere 2008 23...'S^dxe3!

23...Wh2+? 24 'i'fl achieves nothing tangible and now if 24...^dxe3+? 25 IxeS lxd4 26 .&.xd4 Hcl+ 27 'i'e2 Black even stands worse.

24 fxe3

Here 24 Sxe3 Hxd4! 25 l.xd4? acl+ leads to mate.

24...1'h2+ 25 "ifl l'hl+ 26 <i>e2 #xg2+ 27 *dl Wxe4

with an attack and a material advantage.

187) Gozzoli - Meijers

La Fere 2008 35 i.e4+!

Beginning a fierce attack. 35...*g7 36 Sxf6! *xf6 37 l.e5+

37 Wd5 was another way to win. 37..."i>xe5 38 «d5+ "*f6 39 WfSn- *g7 40

fgSH-1-0

After 40...<4'h8 41 ^6+ igS 42 lfh7+ White mates.

188) Staniszewski - A. Grigorian

Najdorf Memorial, Warsaw 2008

23...^f3+!!

Decisively weakening White's castled position, after which the white king will be unable to survive the attack.

24 gxf3 Sxe2! 25 Wxe2 «g3+ 26 *hl l'xh3+ 27 <i>gl ±c7! 28 f4 ^g4 0-1

189) Ab. Gupta - Caspi

World Junior Ch, Gaziantep 2008

38 WxhS+l

The only move, but it wins. If 38 ^5? then 38...1'xe4, while 38 'Sif4? is harmless after 38...1'e8 39 WgS i.xe3 and 40...«e5.

38...'*xh8 39 l.xd4 Wxe4

Or39...'4>g7 40'§ixf6.

40 Sc8+ 4'g7 41 i.xf6+ Sxf6 42 Sc7+ 4'h6 43 lh7+ '4>g5 44 ^xf6 1-0

190) Ronchetti - Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son

World Junior Ch, Gaziantep 2008

31...4^xg2! 32 Sxg2

Or 32 Wdl 4^e3 33 l.xe3 Wh3 34 leb2 fxe3 and Black wins.

32...axg2 33 '4>xg2 ag6+ 34 ■4>f2 Wh3 35 l.xf4 lfg2+ 36 "4>e3 Wgln- 0-1

191) Can - Leon Hoyos

World Junior Ch, Gaziantep 2008

32 fSW+l

The quickest, forcing mate.

32...1.xf8 33 l'xf8+ ^xf8 34 axf8+ *g7 35 af7+ 1-0

35...*h8 36 ah7-^ <i'g8 37 ^f6+ -i-fS 38 af7#.

192) Amin - Sengupta

World Junior Ch, Gaziantep 2008

25 axe7!

Sacrificing an exchange in order to expose the black king even more. 25...fxe4 25...Wxe7 is met by 26 WxfS.

26 ^4+ if 7 27 lfg6+ ^xe7 28 l'g7+ *e8 29 l'xh8+ mm 30 #xh4

and White won.

193) Brkic - Amin

World Junior Ch, Gaziantep 2008 47...'S^g3+!

Black is a rook down, so he has to act very quickly. Not 47...ad2? on account of 48 Bgl!. 48 axg3 ad2 0-1

194) Nedev - Stojcevski

Macedonian Team Ch, Struga 2008 44...±xg2+! 45 axg2 l'al+ 46 Bgl Wxgl+I 0-1

The endgame is an easy win for Black after 47 ixgl ^f3+ and ...^xe5.

195) Charbonneau - Kudrin

Internet 2008 47 axe4!!

On the Attack

6i

Eliminating a vital defender. 47 Ah5? ^d6 is better for Black.

47...1'xe4

If 47...dxe4 then 48 Ac4 We? 49 Idl! (the threat is 50 Axf7 and 51 Sd8+, winning the black queen) 49...Sa8 and now 50 Bd6! is an elegant way to bring the rook into play with decisive effect. A possible continuation is 50...Sc8 51 Whe-i- *e8 (or 51...'i'g8 52 Hxf6) 52 l.xf7+ «xf7 53 Hxf6 «g8 54 ae6+ *d7 55 2g6.

48 l.h5 Sc? 49 Wxf6+ 4g8 50 «d8+ i-g? 51 «xc7+ ^he 52 l'd6+ 1-0

196) Erenburg - Sammour Hasbun

Internet 2008

22 ld3!!

Heading for h3. 22...Af8

22...Ac8 gives up control of d5 and is punished by 23 'SidS Wdl 24 ±xe5 dxe5 (24...fxe5 25 ldg3 i.f8 26 J.d3 also wins) 25 l.h5!, while 22...^xd3-i- 23 Axd3 leaves Black defenceless; e.g., 23...1.d8 24 ^7-^ >^f8 25 «h8-l- <i>e7 26 Af5!.

23 lh3 He? 24 Wxffi

With the f-file now also open, the attack is easier.

24...«d7 25 »h6 WfS 26 l'h8+ *f 7 27 flfl 1-0

197) Dudzinski - Mielczarski

Ustron 2008

24 ^xg6!

A typical demolition of the castled position, followed by a swift invasion.

24...hxg6 25 l'h4 ^fS 26 «h8+ 4>f7 27 J.xg6+! 4'xg6

21...^xg6 28 lh7#.

28 «h5+ 1-0

28..."ig7 29 Hg3-i- leads to a quick mate.

198) L. Dominguez - Buhmann

Dresden Olympiad 2008

39 J.xh6+!

Another way to win was 39 4^hf5+! gxf5 40 i.xh6+ i'xh6 41 l'xf6-i- -4h7 42 exf5, bringing the b4-rook into play.

39...*xh6 40 l'xf6 *h7

Or 40...Hg8 41 ^hf54- '&h7 (41...'axf5 42 ^xf5-l- '4'h7 43 Bb7 mates quickly, since the black queen has to stay on dl to defend against l'h4+) 42 l'h4-i-.

41 Hb7 ad7 42 ^f3! 1-0

Threatening 43 'S^g5+ and mate in three, and if 42...1'cl then 43 l'f7-l- ^h644 ^e2! Wc5 45 l'f8-i- 4'h7 46 ag5#.

199) Navara - Gi. Hernandez

Dresden Olympiad 2008

49 h3! I'xb5

Or 49...gxh3 50 I'f5-F ag5 51 g4-^ 'i'h4 52 Ag3#, while 49...Wxd6 does not defend against the main threat of 501'f5-F lg5 51 hxg4#.

50l.e5

Renewing the threat.

50...Hg5 51 hxg4+ Hxg4 52 itf5+ Sg5 53 l'h3+ 'i'g6 54 «e6+ *h5 55 l'f7+ lg6 56 g4+! 1-0

200) Stefansson - A.R. Salem

Dresden Olympiad 2008 26...W. 27 J.xe6

If 27 g4 then 27..Mel, followed by ...Wxg5, is good enough.

27...fxg3+ 28 'i'gl

28 <i'h3 is met by 28...Sxf2! (with the threat of 29...ah2-i- and ...l'f4#) 29 ^d5 (or 29 AfS gxf5, with a material advantage and the attack) 29...Sh2-F 30 '4'xg3 Wf2-^ 31 *g4 lh4#.

28...Sxf2 29 Hd3 ah2 0-1

It is soon mate; e.g., 30 Bfl ahl-l-.

201) Bagheri - Stevic

Dresden Olympiad 2008 12...aa3!

With the threat of 13...axg3. 13 e3?!

13 ^f3 «c3-H 14 4^d2 Wxb4 was better, but still unpleasant.

13...'?^xe3! 14 fxe3 axe3+ 15 ±e2 l.a6 with a material advantage and the attack.

202) Mamedyarov - Adiy

Dresden Olympiad 2008 23 J.xh7!

White opens the h-file and Black soon has to give up material to avoid mate.

23...>i'xh7 24 J.f8+ "i-gS 25 l.xe7 fS Worse is 25...1'xe7 26 ^4+ 4f8 27 Sh8#. 26 l.xd6 Axd6 27 l'xf5 and White won.

203) Bacrot - Leko

FIDE Grand Prix, Elista 2008 31 «h7+! 1-0

THE Giant Chess Puzzle book

Black is mated after SL-.^xh? (or SL-.^fS 32 l.b4+) 32 hxg7+ 'i'gS 33 fih8#.

204) Moskalenko - L. Rojas

Montcada i Reixac 2008

The c8-rook joins in the attack and there is no satisfactory defence.

36 Hf 2 ah8+ 37 ^gl Sh4

Winning a pawn, and allowing the knight to assist in the attack.

38 Wcl ^xf4 39 e6+ <^xe6 40 Wc6+ "i>e7 41 #07+ *f6 42 Sc2 ^h3+ 43 <4'fl? Wdl* (0-1)

205) S. Kovacevic - Granda

Benasque 2008 48...±xf3+! 49 ^xf3

49 'i>f2 is likewise met by 49...Wh3.

49...1'h3+ 50 *e2 lfxh2+ 51 4'el

Or 51 *f3 lfxd2 52 ^xc4 W4+ 53 *g2 lfxe4+ 54 i-gS '2^xc4.

51...±h4+ 52 idl Wgl* 53 4>e21^2+ 54 <4dl ®f3+ 0-1

If55We2then55...ad4+.

206) Franco - Pogorelov

Albox (rapid) 2001 1 lxe6!

1 ^t51 Whl achieves nothing. I...g6?

Weakening the king, after which the attack will be decisive. Instead, l...fxe6 brings about an endgame: 2 «xe6+ *h8 3 ^c5 h6 (3...Hf8 4 ^fl+ lxf7 5 l'xf7 is similar) 4 '5^f7+ <i'h7 5 ^xd8 fcdS 6 l'd5! (6 l'f5+ *h8 7 *fl is another favourable endgame) 6...#b6 (6...tfxd5 is not playable: 7 cxd5 <i>g6 8 f4 'i'f6 9 <4'f2 <ie7 10 'i'f3 ide 11 'i'e4) 7 <i'g2, with an extra pawn and a great advantage. White's c-pawn is stronger than Black's d-pawn, and the white king is safer, as well as able to come into play.

2 mm fxe6 3 Wxe6+ Even stronger is 3 ^g5!. 3...-i'g7

No better is 3...^f8 4 ^e5 l'a7 5 ©fe-l- *e8 6 fhS-F -467 7 lfxh7-(- or S.-.-i-hS 4 M6+ i-gS 5^g5.

4 #67+ -^he 5 -SieS Sg8 6 'Sig4+ 1-0

207) Marin - A. Graf

Spanish Team Ch, Sanxenxo 2004 24 e4!

Opening the d-file, after which all the white pieces can join in the attack.

24...^c3

If 24...hxg4 then 25 WdS l'xe5 (or 25...Sxc5 26 Sxc5 'gibe 27 Sxc7 Wh5 28 ±.gl, winning) 26 MA\.

The retreat 24...^b6 is refuted with 25 Axb6 axc4 26 l'd3 i.xa4 27 l.e3 #e7 28 #xc4 Axdl 29 WhS+I 'i'f8 30 k.c5.

25 Sxd7!

Stripping the black king of all his armour.

25...'i'xd7 26 l^xf 7+ *c8 27 l.e3 Wxe5

27...1'g8 loses to 28 lfxg8+ Sxg8 29 axc6 hxg4 30 Ac4 and the extra piece is decisive.

28 axc6 hxg4 29 i.f4 ^t2+ 30 i.xe2 #31+ 31 flcl! 1-0

Avoiding the last trap: not 31 Afl? fihl-i-! with a draw.

208) Svidler - Vitiugov

Russian Ch, Moscow 2007

21 &xb6!

Queen and knight are a fearsome attacking force. The rook is sacrificed to weaken the defences.

21...1e4

If 21...axb6 then 22 I'b5-H >i'd8 23 l'xb6+ <^d7 24 #b7-t- "iee 25 ^fA+.

22 Sb7+ <i'e6 23 f3 fld4 24 l'xd4

24 ^U+\ is faster: 24...Sxf4 25 l'e3+ i'd5 26 l'b3-i- -i-eS 27 SbS-i- -ixfe 28 fcS-F <i'e7 29 flel-i-, mating quickly.

1-0

Although Black could struggle on for a few more moves, there is no hope after 24...#xfl-i-25 'i'd2 J.h6-l- 26 f4! «g2-F 27 'i'cl Se8 28 ae7+ flxe7 29 l'e3+.

209) Sashikiran - Ponomariov

Zafra (rapid) 2007

28 Sel!

The queen is defending two key points, preventing the entry of the white queen on f7, while also controlling e5. Now it has to give up the defence of one of these squares.

28...Wxc4

28...Wc6 and 28...1'd6 are both met by 29 ^7! with the unstoppable threat of 30 M.gl+ followed by Se84-.

If 28...Wd7 then the main idea is 29 ^e5! fxe5 30 W\&5+ flg7 31 ®f6! with threats of 32 ae8-i- and 32 l.xg7+, followed by Se8-l-.

29 ^e5! 1-0

On the Attack

65

210) Santiago - Milos

Brazilian Ch, Rio de Janeiro 2007 18...5xc2! 19 f4

19 ^xc2 is met by 19...1'a4+ 20 -4(12 4^c4+ 21 'i'el ^\€i.

19...1'a4 20 fxeS Sfc8 Threatening 21...Sxb2+.

21 Icl dxeS

Now the e7-bishop comes into the game.

22 J.gl b3! 23 axb3

23 a3 fails to 23...axb2+!.

23...1xcl+ 24 ^xc\ i.xe4+ 25 Sd3 Hxcl+! 0-1

If26*xclthen26...1'al+.

211) Van Ketel - Sandipan

Leiden 2008

25...'S^h5!

With a few accurate moves. Black succeeds in activating all his forces against the white king.

26 ±xh5 Whl+! 27 "462 WxhSt 28 i'el l'hl+ 29 4'e2 ±h4! 30 axg7+ i-fS 31 Sxh7

After 31 l.d4, the simple 31...#13+ 32 *fl Sxd4 is good enough.

31...1'f3+ 32 *fl Sdl+ 33 i.el fhlH- 34 4-62 l^xel* (0-1)

212) Valerga - Lemos

Argentine Ch, Mendoza 2008

21 ^e4! i.g7

White is better after 21 ...fxe4 22 i.xe4 flfeS 23 fxhV-l- ifS 24 4^xe6+ flxe6 25 dxe6 Hxdl 26 Hxdl Axe4 27 #xe4, with a material advantage and the initiative.

22 ^gS h6 23 dxe6 hxgS 24 e7 i.xg2 25 Wxg5

and White won. 25 exfS^-l- ixf8 26 -S^xfS is even stronger.

213) Brenjo - Ivanisevic

Zlatibor2008

25 Hxg7+!

The shortage of black defensive pieces, such as the queen, means that White has many attacking resources and will at least recover the sacrificed material.

25..."4'xg7 26 i.xh6+! 4g8

More complicated, although equally advantageous for White, is 26...*g6 27 l'e5! ixhe 28 l'xf6+ ■i'h7 29 #xf7+ '4'h8 30 l'f6-l- 'i'h7 31 b3!! (to force the queen away from the control of d7) 31...«b4 (31...1'd4? 32 Sc7-f) 32 mi+

4h8 33 lli5-f- <i?g8 34 l'g64- <i>f8 35 ffe-l-4g8 36 fce6+ -ifg 37 ffS-l- <i>g7 (37...<4g8 38 k.d5+) 38 lc7-h ld7 39 lxd7-h Axd7 40 #65-^ and the b8-rook is lost.

27 l'xf6 l'd4 28 «g5+ <i>h7 29 WhS 29 lc7 ad7 30 axd7 ±xd7 31 ^5 *g8 32 .^14, followed by 33 Ae5, is quicker. 29...<i'g8 30 Hc7 AeS 31 Sc4! 1-0

214) Fedorcliul< - Guilieux

Paris 2008

17 ^e6+!

Opening Unes against the black king, to the benefit of White's very superior development.

17...fxe6 18 l.xf6 gxf6

Or 18...1.xf6 19 2d7 WcS 20 «h5 «e8 21 l'xe8-h Hxe8 22 lxb7 ad8 23 fxe6.

19 Sd7 #b6

If 19...itc8 then 20 l'h5 h6 21 ^6 regains the piece with a decisive advantage; for example, 21...Ac6 22 fxe6 «e8 23 Wxe8+ HxeS 24 i.xc6.

20 l'h5 Ac8?

Equally hopeless is 20...1d8 21 Wh6-i- '4'f7 22 lxe7-i-! <i'xe7 23 %7-(- 4d6 24 Hdl-h ±d5 25 fxe6, while 20...h6 21 %6 Hd8 22 lxe7! is similar to the game.

21 l'h6+ <i>f7 22 Hxe7+! 1-0 22...<i'xe7 23 Wg7+ idS 24 Sdl-h.

215) Vera - Garcia Martinez

Cuban Ch, Las Tunas 2001

20 2x16!

The security of the black king vanishes with this typical exchange sacrifice.

20...^xb2

20...gxf6 is met by 21 ^h5\ 'i'h8 22 ^xf6 #d6 (or 22...1'c6 23 fifl with the idea of l'h5) 23 e5 '^cl 24 Scl! (not 24 #h5? I'c2!) 24...1fxcl-l- 25 Axel Sxcl-F 26 'i'f2 with the ever-present threat of Wh5.

21 ^K\ #68?!

Black could have avoided mate with 21...g6, although after 22 Wxb2 gxf5 23 Sxf5 ac2 24 #b4! White retains a valuable extra pawn.

22 an ac4 23 ^4 g6 24 ^\i6+ <ih8 25 ^xf7+ -i'g7 26 4id6 1-0

216) S. Vega Gutierrez - Bellon

Leon 2006 22 Wxf6+!?

22 ag4!, setting up deadly threats on the fourth rank, is even stronger. Then 22...tt'b7 23

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

Wxf6+! leads to a forced mate, which your analysis engine can show you, while 23 Wa3+ foUowed by Wd6 is a strong and more 'human' choice.

22...'i'xf6 23 ±g5+ <4>g7 24 ±e7+ -i-he 25 l.xb4 exd4 26 lxd4

with a winning advantage that White converted in 53 moves.

217) Akopian - Kuzubov

Gibraltar 2007

18 -g^xcei!

It is surprising that this sacrifice is so effective. White manages to strip the black king of his defences with a lightning attack, based on a few tactical points.

iS-.-i-xce

It is more tenacious to accept the loss of a pawn with 18...SxdH-19 Sxdl WcS 20 '2^d4.

19 ^d5!

The occupation of this square with gain of tempo is possible because the knight is immune from capture. The knight will have a decisive influence.

19..MeS

Not 19...1.xd5? 20 exd5-(- <^d7 21 l'b5+, mating.

20 «a6!

This is the second key move; the black king will be unable to find a way back to safety. 20...1.f8 Other unsuccessful defences are:

a) 20...Ah6 21 i.xh6 4^xh6 22 l^xa? I.xd5 23 exd5+ IxdS 24 Hxd5 *xd5 25 fxbe and the black king is defenceless.

b) 20...Hxd5 21 exd5-l- Axd5 22 lxd5! -i-xdS 23 Idl-l- *e6 (23...<i'c6 24 l'a4-h "ib? 25 Bd7+) 24 #c4-l-! -ie? 25 l'b4-i- "iee 26 We4+ 4ie5 and here there are several ways to win, such as 27 l'd5-l- <ie7 28 J.xe5 fxe5 29 m6+ '^fl 30 lfl+ i.f6 31 fxfe-H *g8 32 Idl.

21 Wxa? Acs 22 b4! I'd? 23 Wa6 1-0

218) Fluvia - J. Garcia

Spanish Team Ch, Melilla 2008

40 f6!!

Clearing the f5-square!

40...Ixf6 41 Hxh6+! Sxh6 42 Wf5+ fig6 43 Sh3+ *g7?

43...'i'g8 is better, although White is winning after 44 fixh8+ "ixhS 45 l'xe5+ "i'h7 46 We7 l.c6 47 l'xf7+.

44 l'xe5+ 1-0

219) A. Evdokimov - Volokitin

Aeroflot Open, Moscow 2008 17...'axh2!

Black has already sacrificed a piece and now with this pseudo-sacrifice he decisively weakens the white king.

IS-^lgS

Obviously not 18 'i'xh2? «h4#. If 18 Sdl then 18...Wh4 19 g3 l'h3 20 ^g5 «xg3, while after 18 g3 -S^xfl 19 l.xfl M5 20 l.d3 l.xe4-i-21 Axe4 f5! the black pieces decisively invade White's camp: 22 ±f3 fiel-i-23 4'h2 ^8!; this is the other strong way to bring the queen into play.

18...^xfl 19 l.xfl flel 20 ^d2 ffS! 21 Ia3«h6+22flh3

Or 22 ^h3 i.xh3 23 lxh3 l'xf4, followed by ...HaeS, with a material advantage and the initiative.

22...Axh3 23 <axh3 «h5 24 *h2 Wdl 0-1

220) Kramnik - Anand

Amber Rapid, Nice 2008

The tempting 42...1hl+? 43 l.xhl l'h2+ 44 'in WxhlH- 45 'i'e2 l'e4+ 46 *d2 l'd4+ 47 <i'e2 #e4+ only yields a draw.

42...1'f3!! 43 cxb7+ *f5!

Not 43...<4'g5? 44 J.xf3 gxf3 45 lfd8-i-! fixdS 46 Sc3! and White manages to draw; for example, 46...Sdh8 47 lxf3 Ihl-^ 48 '4'g2 Ixcl 49 a5 Sxc5 50 a6 la5 51 Bc3! axa6 52 Sc8.

0-1

4 Intermediate and Complex Puzzles

This is the longest chapter, with 200 puzzles, with hints or other instructions for the first 90. For the remaining 110 you are just given the position and told who is to move, presenting you with the 'real-game' situation of simply deciding what you should play next. Choose carefully, as the result of the game may well be hanging in the balance.

From 221 to 310 the puzzles increase in difficulty from level 1 to level 4. In puzzle 311 (the first without a hint) the level goes back down to level 1 and then begins to rise again, up to puzzle 420.

221 W

i 1

y/w///, • 2**

'""'''Wy W/' Wy ^W§\

223 W

m

m ^

i uy

t^Wy.^

i Wy

'm.M^im\m 'm

WMm

The e3-knight is lodged in White's camp, but Black is short of space, and this can be ex-what is protecting it? ploited immediately.

222

A IP

y/y, WM ^ WM

mm A ^p 4 m^ I H B

*) m

m. My t.

i

AH

m, 'my

Wy my

A

224

"Wy W^' P^l 4 W WykW

A

%^'—' W/yyy W/y/y ^ v//yyy, hWyWM ^'M'iWy

(-^mMmy ti^y^m, 1^ ^ ^ ^

What is the quickest way to finish off the black The black king is boxed in. How can this be king? used to force checkmate?

The Giant Chess Puzzle book

225 W

■ I

km

Mm\

m

^ ,.„„•*

m m^Mj, m

ff 4 « ^ ft ^ ft

228 B

I H

ii

■ ABAbi iii A" «

AH Bi-HA

PI ^

How can White take advantage of the dominant There is one particularly weak square in the position of his queen? white king's position... namely?

229

m

M A fefJ MM WM X.

iifll m ■!

^ « #f ^

The black king is vulnerable to many different mating patterns. How can this best be demonstrated?

What is the quickest way to convert White's great advantage?

227 B

I m

m M. M. M.

W^. WM, W% A W^

■ I ■ All

.Jl

A

m m m

230 W

m ^ %^;

mxmtmx

■IB ■*■

W/ ft ^

Al

Here it is the white king whose position is fatally weak on the light squares. How can Black exploit this?

Black's kingside is weakened and White has two tremendous bishops aimed in that direction. How can White exploit this?

Intermediate and Complex puzzles

69

231 W

^m m

mrm bab mm mm

234

fc A ^ ilP ^ A

^--iS

11

« «

B BWB B

White is two exchanges down, but the black king is curiously henuned in. How can White take advantage?

How can White exploit the fact that the black king is still in the centre?

232

^ « Mf mi

mi>, ^m, mf ^

j^ fMMW

1

AHi-HA

White wins material by making the black queen a tactical weakness.

The way in which Black is defending the key invasion squares, such as f8, d8 and g7, seems artificial, don't you think?

233

i«

±i

AHi

S-g Va

lAHAB

A

A|

2J6

^ X ^p ^ X ^P X

A

f*,J

fi

t.^

e^«

There are three white pieces attacking the black king, and very few defenders. How can White take advantage of this?

The white king lacks adequate shelter; prove that the black king is even worse off.

The Giant Chess puzzle Book

237 W

A ^ A ij m m ii #f « ^ 61^ ij^ m^^ m^^,^^

240 W

1

Pf A ^ ^ ft :

M

m m^ m>.

There is a black piece which is overloaded; which one is it?

Something extra is needed to break down the black king's defences. How can White add another attacker?

238

p

li

? ^

J

247

m ^

m.

Mf W A ^ ft ^ ft ^# MM ft ^#

^

^ ■—' =*r7^;>

How can the inadequate defence of the black king be exploited?

The black king has no moves - a motif with which we are now familiar. How can White exploit this?

239 W

m^

^1

wm

IP A ^

Aii»

m UJ',M.Wm ^/,(-^

ABA!

m

lAI

How can White make use of the tremendous force he has accumulated on the kingside?

How can White demonstrate that the black king is poorly defended?

Intermediate and Complex Puzzles

71

243 W

1

^1 ^ ?m4 WS

mm

i

ii-P

246

«i

i±i

■ AHABWisi

A « W • ^1^

There are several tempting continuations for White, but only one of them wins on the spot. What is it?

How can White forcefully occupy the g-file with a rook?

244

^AB^,,B » A

A

^

^ ^ w%i^m&

247 B

f Ba

■ ■

^ ^

i iP

A

OAt

Once again there are many attacking pieces and few defenders. Demonstrate a way to win.

There are two tactical weaknesses in White's camp; what are they?

245 B

Em

i

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^p f*

Ai

m:mM'm

mcsm.

^■^1 P

24S

^^1

m

m

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^^^^„J^ ^ A ill A

HI

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■a

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^ ^;

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n'

1

White is the exchange up and has many threats. Speed is essential, before Black rallies his de-What would you play here as Black to make fence, sure your attack strikes first?

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

249 B

^ i ^Ifc^i

"mimimi

M ■ BAB

m

1

252

mXm m.

1

ii

m ^

We have another poorly defended king; how can this be exploited?

We have a powerful bishop on c5, and White's kingside is very weak. How can we take advantage of this?

253 B

iSA

m — ^!ffW/.

wm, X fM IP p

A

tf P

fi

It is true that the black queen is defending the king, but can you demonstrate that this defence is inadequate?

The g5-bishop is undefended and is a tactical weakness. How can this be demonstrated?

254 B

WM X 3M 3M e W3 A

'^- BAB

AB^ ^

^«^ mm, wm///, mm;i

m

m

Black's kingside is only sparsely defended, and White has some half-open files... How can White exploit this?

How can Black show that the white king is the weaker of the two? Must he attend to his own defence first?

Intermediate and Complex Puzzles

73

255 W

m

^ ^ 'W^/,

-^m

y/Zri

i

W-

^^1

258

y/mki'^'"^' '666'

ft ^ iiU^ A

p

_ lAl

Black has three extra pawns, but this doesn't matter as White can create unstoppable threats to the black king.

Now 20Sdfl?Se421 l.d3 ad4?! 22 g5?! #66 23 -i-bl «d5 24 Sdl Sa4! left Black on top. How should White defend?

256

t'9 9/

m.

&

ft 'm i

259

m

m Hi , ■ ■ ■

:^^ ^•^ ^i^

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A

White played 28 Hxd3? and after 28...1'xd3 29 f6 a4, Black gained counterplay. What better option did he have?

Black's queen is far from the kingside and the b7-knight needs a tempo to reach d6. How can White exploit these fleeting advantages?

257

m

kW/ k.i

^ji^^g^^

m.^m,

i w.kM

■ BA I B ff

260 B

mti

m mm. mm.

wg

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■

Ha

^1

e^„,„^^ M;

After 33 fidl i.e6 34 ^cS l.xc5 35 WxcS ±d5 the game soon ended in a draw. What strong continuation did White miss?

Now 38...±f4? 39 l'e4 l^aS 40 legl l^c? gave White the better prospects. What better continuation did Black miss?

The Giant Chess puzzle book

261 W

m m

m ^

W^/,

mm,' '"w^y.

m mmm

264 W

1» I 1^ ^ <m%>

w^' m mi} m

t

1

^^ ^^

T i

Here 33 i.xg7+ i-xg? 34 #(14+ left White only a little better. How could he have done far better?

White has a lot of pieces aimed at the black king, and Black has a loose piece. How can White exploit these elements?

262

■i.g| Bill m m ■"■"ii

m

^1 1^1

^ ^^

iri 'm.hm.

^<iA^B

265

I iii m%MX

#*^ ^

■ HAH I

White played 21 WxaV? and after 21 ...Axg2? 22 'i'xg2 #c6+ 23 e4 went on to win. How could Black have refuted 21 Wxa??

White's lead in development and the poor state of the black king allow White to deliver a devastating blow. What is it?

263

m^m.

m^m

IMii

A WW, JL. i

w^A m.

W/r ^

A^^i

"m.

As

Al

AB

a p^

Black's defence is based on the pin on the c-file. How can White defend the cl-rook in an aggressive manner?

266

m

m.

*y, ^

m ^ ^x.

'km m m

What is the quickest and most effective way for the white rook to come into play?

Intermediate and Complex Puzzles

75

267 B

m.

n** ^

^1

m M, m

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270

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Pins generally exert unpleasant pressure, but can sometimes prove a liability for the pinning side...

You might be wondering whether the black queen is in danger, so deep in White's camp. Can you prove it?

268 B

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■

271

m 'm.

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Black is a piece down, but the white king's defences do not appear to be very trustworthy. How can Black exploit this?

White appears to be losing material, and with it the game, but the opposite is the case. Why?

272 B

■

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m.

if S if 9^

w^. (*

How can a pin and a back-rank mate be combined?

A king in the centre and facing open lines is not usually a good sign. How can Black demonstrate this?

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

276 B

^

y//, ^fc^^

HA

1

The endgame would not be pleasant for Black; what alternative is there?

What does Black have that is better than 32...Sc6?! 33 Wbl ^gS 34 WdS Wee 35 i.d2 Wh3+ 36 i'gl 4ie4 37 i.el here?

274 B

6 •ei

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277 B

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We have a typical winning combination here; are you familiar with it and/or can you work it out?

Which white piece is overloaded?

W.

mwm iB

A knight on f5 combined with control of the long diagonal looks very promising. Turn this into something tangible.

Another very advanced pawn, but it is not a passed pawn...

Intermediate and Complex Puzzles

77

279 W

m

m mm.

li

iBil

» M.

%.

282 W

m i

rf

After 35 i.d4 We6 36 ^£7+ '^tl 37 fche White won only a pawn. What stronger continuation was there?

The game went 40 g4 Wh3! and ended in a draw. How could White's play be improved?

280

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m. w^, m(^. m^y.

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The e6-pawn is a powerful wedge and Black's king's position has been weakened. How can White take advantage?

White has a strong bishop on b2 and a lot of pieces in attacking positions. How does White win?

281

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284 W

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White played 44 WfS-F and after 44...1'xf5 45 Sxf5 'S^f4 Black won. What opportunity did White miss?

White has a material disadvantage, while in compensation the black king is weak. Show that the latter is more important.

The Giant Chess puzzle Book

285 W

m

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m

288 B

B B H Hi

■ ■ BWBA AB ■ BAB

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The game ended here, prematurely, in a draw. What was the great opportunity that White missed?

Is the zwischenzug 19...'£lxh3+ sound?

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Now 24 f3 ite2 25 i.xf7+ *xf7 26 »f5+ "ieV led to perpetual check. How could White have gained a huge advantage?

The ending after 42 #xd5 is a long way from being a white win. How can White reach a more favourable endgame?

290

iff ^ A »

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m^m.

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Black played 27...B.xe2 28 l'xe2 fidS 29 igl, which gave him no advantage. What stronger possibility did he miss?

Evaluate 27 Sxe5. Is it winning or losing, or does it lead to an ending where Black can draw with accurate defence?

Intermediate and Complex Puzzles

79

291 B

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mi^ iP ^P m$

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With 31...f5 32 Ac2 f4 33 af3. Black gained a slight advantage which gradually disappeared. What was a better way to play?

How is it possible to exploit the weakness of White's king?

292

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295 B

^P

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White played 34 "ihl? and with 34...<ad4 Black gained an advantage. Find a better move for White.

The game concluded in perpetual check after 31...'5^b3+ 32 -ibl ^d2+ 33 "i-al ^b3+. How could Black's play be improved?

293

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296 W

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White has the advantage; is 27 ®xe4 a way to crystaUize it?

The game went 24 hxg3 Hxd2 25 ^e2 Had8 and Black won in the end. How could White have defended better?

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

297 W

W

i mm

m

m^ mm A

300 B

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White has various moves that should lead to Is it better to take on d3 immediately or to ex-victory. Is 45 A.g2 one of them? change queens first?

298 W

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White played 51 a7 and after 51...flxf3 a draw was agreed. How could White have won?

Here 45 e7 e2 46 flfS ell'+ 47 "i-aa Hh8 48 mi Wxel 49 i.xe7 IxfS only led to a draw. What should White have played?

299 W

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The white king is facing strong threats, but the black king is not as safe as it appears. How can White demonstrate this?

Black's position deteriorated rapidly after 36...Sd7 37 Ael! SbS 38 ±xa5 bxa5 39 lxa5. How can Black defend better?

Intermediate and Complex Puzzles

81

303 B

m

m m. m. m^.

mm mm . m^, •

AHA

m A

W, 'W,^Wy,

306 B

m, M

m

mm// mm/, /////// 5«az;

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B

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Black is four pawns up, but is not substantially better, since White's passed pawn is dangerous. How should Black defend?

After 26...flf6+ 27 Af3 Sxc4 28 >*g2! Scc6 29 We4 the worst was behind White. What better line did Black have?

304

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White is in the lead in the race to attack. What is the most effective continuation?

The position is a critical one, with the a3-pawn about to drop off. What trumps does Black have here?

305 B

^ » » ^

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308 W

mm i Wi^/,\\iii'^

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Black played 36...'S;if5, but then his advantage started to dissipate. How could Black have played better?

If Black can safely play 20...flag8, he will be on top. How can White create counterplay before Black secures his king?

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

309 B

i.

mm. xmd%'mi ^i

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310 W

It

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White has active pieces, but one great problem, There are several unusual features in the posi-which is...? tion, but a vital one is not obvious - what is it,

and how can it be exploited?

311 B

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313 B

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314

Intermediate and Complex Puzzles

83

315 W

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319

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316

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322 B

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THE Giant Chess puzzle Book

323 W

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527

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324 B

328 B

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529

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326 W

330 B

Intermediate and Complex Puzzles

85

331 W

wwy/ ^S wy/m

mm', ^ WM

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m^y. w^y mm. jL

iBi

■^hTTT/, y//////, ^ V/////A

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335

'///, y///////.

» m\

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m,

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332

m. ■

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A

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556

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333

lAi

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A

557

334 B

MM M,

mmm mm

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m »

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The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

339 W

kmi

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343 W

340 W

m w, w, w^y

344 B

341 B

345 W

342 W

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m, mm, f\'m4,

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346

Intermediate and Complex Puzzles

87

347 W

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557

li

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H^ H^ H^ I AH I

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552

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The Giant Chess puzzle Book

355 B

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359 B

356 B

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A:

560

557

361 B

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Intermediate and Complex Puzzles

89

363 B

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367 B

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364 W

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368

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366 W

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The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

371 B

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'///, w/////,

375 B

W4

lli

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372 W

mm 'm^

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373 W

377 B

374 W

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378

Intermediate and Complex Puzzles

91

379 B

WM y///.

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585

1^ ^^^m^ «A^ J

A

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A

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384 B

1 il

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m, m AB ■ Ai

585

»l

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m p

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382 B

386 W

wm, w.

m ^m.

The Giant Chess Puzzle book

387 B

wMj^m

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y//, ''/m^/.

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391 W

388 W

392 W

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389 W

111

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393 W

A W

W. 'i^Z

y//, v//////,

390 W

i mj

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394 B

Intermediate and Complex Puzzles

93

395 W

■AH HABA

S!i* ^ %m^

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A

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399 B

396 B

400 W

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597

m, m m mi

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407

398

402 W

m 'Mm,.

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a a ■■^'Bi

a

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

403 W

P^

m mm.

407 W

m

%L\

WM ^

»x #,^;

^ mMm €3, f^

404

■ w/M 'm», y/m, s^

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kMkmkmk

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408 W

im^%.

iMk

VA ^ W////,

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405

w

A

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409

i^m mXm

W> W, Wy k%

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406

11

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470

^1

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I 01

Intermediate and Complex Puzzles

95

411 B

1

^B B B f*

#,'77775? V//////,

\ m. i

475

412

47(5

11 1

^

VA ^ i^^.

m w%>,^

413 B

417 W

414 B

ml.

m

■ Ai

A

m m

475

gg?^ jk 'win ^ ?m?? _A_ ??%

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ABABA;

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

419 B

i

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'///, v//////.

420 W

nik-

A

Intermediate and Complex Puzzles

97

Answers for Chapter 4

221) Maderna - Dodero

Argentine Ch, Buenos Aires 1954 29 l.b4! 1-0 The queen can't defend the knight.

222) Vera - Lesiege

Montreal 2003

28 Sxg6+! 1-0

28...fxg6 29 l.xe6#.

223) Ju. Bolbochan - Shocron

Mar del Plata 1953 32 aS 1-0

After 32...1b7 33 ^a6! Black loses not the exchange but a piece.

224) Ju. Bolbochan-Rocha

Rio Hondo Zonal 1966

29 lg8+! 1-0

White mates after 29...fixg8 30 #c3+. 29 Wc3 is also very strong, based on the same ideas, but 29...Sf6 prevents a checkmate any time soon.

225) Vera - Becerra

Capablanca Memorial, Cienfuegos 1996 yi -S^hS! 1-0 37...gxh5 allows 38 flgl#.

22f) Radjabov - Anand

Blitz World Ch, Rishon Le Zion 2006 16 ^t6+\ 1-0 It is mate in two: 16...^xf6 IV^cT+'ie? 18

Wde*.

227) Wiese - H.J. Schuiz

Hamburg 2007 23...Edl! 24 flcl ±d5+! 25 f3 (if 25 -igl then 25...#h3 wins) 25...±xf3+ 26 <4>gl H8d2 27 '?^xf3 »xf3 0-1.

228) Deshmukh - B. Thipsay

Mumbai 2008

15...axf2! 16 i^xf2

It is better to accept the loss of the pawn with 16 Sfl, but White's position is difficult after 16...1f5 17 lxf5 exf5 18 ?ifl J.g5.

16...Wxh2

Black's position is already winning, with the threat of 17...1f8+. 17 Ihl? i.h4+ 0-1

229) Ju. Bolbochan - Dantas

Mar del Plata Zonal 1951 32 lff6! 1-0

There is no defence against the threat of 33 ^xf5+ 'i'hS 34 *g5#.

230) Franco - Alawieh

Seville 1992

21 Se6! (there is no satisfactory defence against 22 axg6+) 21..,d4 22 i.xd4 4^e5 23 ^xe5 Hxd4 24 Sxd4 1-0.

231) Vallejo - Gomez Esteban

Elgoibar 1997

37 fcS!

Threatening 38 l'f8+ and mate. 37 e5 is also strong. 37...C3? Also losing is 37...1.a6 38 e5 i-b? 39 exf6.

38 l'f8+ 1-0

232) Milos - Kudrin

Buenos Aires 2003

39 Hxe7+! (preparing the discovered attack) 39...4xe7 40 l.c5+ OcxcS 41 l'xf3 e4 42 Sg7+ "i-ee 43 «h3+ IfS 44 nxa7 and White won.

233) Vallejo - Van der Stricht

French Team Ch, Mulhouse 2005 26 4^f6+! gxf6 27 Mxm 1-0

234) Arencibia - Bruzon

Cuban Ch, Santa Clara 2005 19 ±xc6+! 1-0

With this move White makes two enemy pieces loose and wins the game on the spot: 19...flxc6 20 tfeS, with a double attack.

235) Sammalvuo - Maki

Finnish Team Ch 2006/7

22 4^f6! 1-0

White threatens 23 Sg8# and if 22...i.xf6 then 23 »xf6+! axf6 24 ld8+ mating.

236) Franco - Guerra Bastida

Galician League 2007 26 J.xf7+! 26 Sgl is another way.

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

26...'i'h8

26...<i'xf7 is decisively met by 27 WhS^-■igg 28 f7+.

27 ±xe8

and White won.

237) Estremera - J. Cisneros

Palma de Mallorca 2007 The overloaded piece is the black queen: 38 SxbS! WxbS 39 «xh7 (now the whole of Black's kingside is annihilated) 39...5^e7 40 Axe7 axe7 41 mx%6+ "id? 42 l.xf5+ -idS 43 mA6+ ^eS 44 i.g6+ *f8 45 ^£6+ 1-0.

238) Caruana - Majer

European Ch, Arvier 2007

35 axf6!

Forcing an entry at h7, and taking advantage of the fact that the black queen is undefended. One loose piece can decide a game, especially if that piece is the queen.

35...gxf6 36 *h7+ i-fS 37 ^xe6+ Sxe6 38 Hxe6 fxe6 39 l'xc7 1-0

239) Pruijssers - Kabos

Leiden 2008 22 l.xh7+! 1-0

After 22...<ixh7 23 Hh4+, forcing 23...1'xh4, White wins easily (if 23...<i'g8? then 24 lff7#).

240) Critelli - Boulahfa

Leiden 2008

28 g4!

This little pawn move ends all resistance; the simple threat is 29 gxhS. 28...'5^xg4 29 l'xg4 '4>g7 29...1'h6 fails to 30 fdl Wg5 31 Shf4. 301^4 1-0

241) Stefanova - M. Gurevich

Gibraltar 2008 31 ag8+! 1-0

White forces mate after 31 ..."ixge (31 ...HxgS 32 Wf6+) 32 l'g3+. 31 M61 was another way.

242) Topalov - Shirov

Morelia/Linares 2008

30 i.xg6! hxg6 31 «xg6+ 4>h8 32 #£6+ <4'h7 33 W7+ *h8 34 '?^f4! 1-0

Once the defenders have been destroyed, the inclusion of a fresh attacker terminates all resistance. After 34...1g8, 35 «h5+ *g7 36 *g6+ leads to a quick mate.

243) Kleijn - Jaracz

Deizisau 2008 28 flxc4!

28 WfS Axd3 is less conclusive; 28 bxc4 is the second best option, winning material after, e.g., 28...fxe5 29Sxf8+Axf8 30'S^f7+-4'g8 31 ^xe5.

28...bxc4 29 #£5! 1-0

It is mate in three.

244) Ponkratov - A.N. Panchenko

Nezhmetdinov Memorial, Kazan 2008

26 i.b6!

Forcing the queen to move in range of a fork. Also good is 26 axf6! gxf6 27 Ab6. 26...«d7 27 Bxf6 Ael 28 S6f5 Black's position is hopeless.

245) Gosic - Bogosavljevic

Zlatibor 2008 46...1.g2+! and Black forces mate: 47 '4'xg2 Sxc2+ 48 Se2 Hxe2+ 49 'i'fl Sf2+ 50 <4?el #31+ 0-1.

246) Letetier - Najdorf

Buenos Aires 1964 18 i.xh6! 1-0

This move, opening the h-file and preparing Sgl, is absolutely crushing; e.g., 18...'i'xh6 (if 18...Sg8 then 19 l^hS) 19 «h4+ ^§7 20 Hgl+ and mate in two.

247) A. Rivera - Vallejo

Capablanca Memorial, Havana 1999

26..Mm\

The double threat against b2 and g3 wins material.

27 ae2 ?^g3+ 28 -4>el ^xe2 0-1

248) Estremera - Bruned

L'Estartit 2006 33 axd4!

The clearest and most and convincing move; 33 ^h6-l- was another way.

33...cxd4 34 4if6+! gxf6 35 l.h6 1-0 Mate is unavoidable.

249) Rodi - Milos

Sao Paulo 2008 27...Axh3! 28 l.xd5

28 ^\\ii is met by 28...1xh3+! 29 gxh3 ae2-l-.

28...1'xd5 29 axh3 ae2 30 Igl «xb5 0-1

Intermediate and Complex Puzzles

99

Material is equal and there are no immediate threats, but White is lost. He is paralysed and will be unable to tolerate the rook on the seventh rank or defend his king against ...#£5, followed by ...S8e3. For instance, 31 c3 M6 32 cxd4 WS 33 <4?hl S8e3 34 Wfl «d5 and now the prettiest finish comes after 35 4^g5 Wxg5! 36 fxg5 Hh3-f-! 37 gxh3 lh2#.

250) Molchanova - Raeva

European Women's Ch, Plovdiv 2008

33 lxf6! gxf6 34 ^hS

The natural 34 lxf6 %5 35 -^ifS is also very strong.

34...1d6 35 ^Jd6+ lxf6 36 Hxf6

Now White has a material advantage as well as an attack.

36...»g5 37 h4! ^3 38 h5 ld6 39 lf4 1.C8 40 »e5! Wxe3+ 41 <4>h2 He6 42 «f5 WcS 43 Wf 7+ <i-h8 44 Wf8+ 1-0

251) A. Ivanov - L. Kaufman

USA Ch, Tulsa 2008

29 lxh7!

Opening more lines, even though the immediate cost is very high.

29...'5^xh7

29...*xh7 30 ahl+ 4^h5 31 AxhS does not change the situation.

30 Wxg6+ <i>h8 31 Ad4+ le5 32 fxeS c5 33 l.xb2 c4 34 flgl 1-0

252) Zablotsky - Ponfilenok

Nezhmetdinov Memorial, Kazan 2008 19...<axg3! 20 ^xg3

Black wins material in a similar way to the game after 20 "ixgS l'g5-l- 21 'ih2 l'h4-i- 22 i.h3 fixfS 23 «g2 mi.

20...#h4+ 21 l.h5 axf3 22 Wg2 ttf2 0-1

253) Lafuente - Shirov

Leon (rapid) 2008 17...^xt2l 18 ±xf6

Or 18 '4'xf2 ^xe44-19 i-fl -SixgS. IS.-.'axdl 19 Ixdl gxf6 20 ^tS l.f8

with a decisive advantage.

254) Zhou Yang Fan - Gordon

Hastings 2008/9 35...flxf2!

Here it is essential to strike first. The timid 35...hxg6? loses the advantage after 36 Wg5!

«xg5 37 lxg5 Hxf2 38 Sxg6-F *f7 39 S.g3, followed by 40 ^b5.

36 gxh7++ <i'xh7 0-1

White resigned in view of 37 Wxf2 axf2 38 <4>xf2 ^2-^ 39 ag2 ^4+ and 40...Wxcl.

255) Inarkiev - Shirov

Poikovsky 2009 31 Wm is the only move, and wins due to the threat of 32 Hxh7-i- and 33 l'h3#.

256) Marini - Ju. Bolbochan

Argentine Ch, Buenos Aires 1946 28 exf7+! 'i'g7 (no better is 28...'i'xf7 29 fxg6++ "^xg6 30 l.e4-(-) and now 29 fxe8'5^-l-SxeS 30 nxd3, winning a piece, is one way to win.

257) P. Martin - Ju. Bolbochan

Argentine Ch, Buenos Aires 1946 33 ^d2\, hitting the rook and the b6-bishop, wins the exchange for insufficient compensation. White secures a decisive advantage after 33...1,xd4 34 4^xe4 l.xc3 35 4^xf6 J.xf6 36 Hb6.

258) Marini - Gadia

Mar del Plata 1960 Black's pressure on the long diagonal is very strong, but a pawn on the seventh is not something to be spumed without a very clear reason, and after 20 cxb7! Ie4 21 l,b3 lxf4 22 Ihel White would have a reasonable position.

259) R. Sanguineti - Bielicki

Mar del Plata 1962

35 axg7!

A devastating blow.

35...<i>xg7 36 ^f5+ *g8 37 l'xh6 ad7 38 ae3!

Powerful reinforcements arrive.

38...'ah7

38...ac8 39 ag3+ >^f7 40 ag7-^ -A-eS 41 Sxfe is winning; e.g., 41...axg7 (41...Wxc3 42 ae7-i-! -i-dS 43 axd7+-i- <i>xd7 44 l'e7#) 42 S^xg7-l- 'i'd7 43 l'f7-l- 'i'd6 44 '2if54- <i'c5 45 Wxb7.

39 ag3+ ^g5 40 l'xf6 1-0

260) Behrensen - Cruz

Mar del Plata 1965 38...axf3! is devastating and the counterattack 39 ^6 is ineffective: 39...axh3-i- 40 ah2

The Giant Chess puzzle Book

axh2+ 41 ■4>xh2 #(14 (or 41...e4) 42 «xh5+ ■ig?. No better is 39 <ih2 i.f4+ or 39 l.d7 «d4 40 «dl «xdl 41 fixdl afl+ 42 Ixfl axfl+ 43 ■4>h2 J.f4+ 44 'i'h3 ahl+, mating.

261) Matamoros - Perez Candelario

Capablanca Memorial, Havana 2001 33 fxd?! wins, since 33..Mxdni allows 34 axf8#. If 33...Scl+ then 34 i.fl Sxfl+ 35 ixfl «cl+ 36 -i'g2 Wxal 37 Wf?! with a quick mate.

262) Gretarsson - R. Alonso

Capablanca Memorial, Havana 2002 21...Ac6! cuts off the queen's retreat and threatens 22...fla8, winning material.

263) F. Peralta - Estremera

Las Palmas 2005 23 We3! 1-0

Threatening both 24 khl+ and 24 cxd5, against which there is no defence.

264) Motylev - Humpy Koneru

Wijk aan Zee 2006 16 l.xe7! fce7 17 «h6! There is no satisfactory way to defend both g? and h7. 17...f5

17...^f6 loses to 18 Hxg7+! ^xgl 19 Igl. 18 WxhS 1-0

265) Estremera - Souleidis

Baleares Team Ch 2006

25 #63! i.xf3

After 25... Axe3 26 Hxc? White wins a piece.

26 gxf3 i.xe3 27 axc7 1-0

266) Van der Weide - Kroencke

Hamburg 2007

21 J.a3!! ^xa3

Or 21...«xa3 22 afl+ "ieS 23 «xg7 Wc5+ 24 i-hl l'e7 25 «g8+ '4'd7 26 Hf7.

22 afl+ -i-eS 23 «xg7 1-0

There is no defence against 24 #g8+ and 25 af7(+), with an easy win.

267) Wilms - Atri

Hamburg 2007 14...'?^e4! 15 AxdS

After 15 Axe4 #xh4 Black threatens mate and the bishop, and if 16 f4 then 16...Ac5+ wins. 15...axd2 16 AaS ^xfl 0-1

268) Quesada Aguilera - Campora

Seville 2007 30...1.g4!

Threatening 31...1.xe2, and 31 l'd2 fails to 31...Af3+!. 31axg7+

31 l.xg4? Wn+ 32 4^xfl axfi#. 31...'4'xg7 32 ac7-rf

Also hopeless is 32 l'c7+ af7 33 «c4 l.xe2 34 «xe2 l'xe2 35 'axe2 afl+ 36 ^gl aaf8, followed by 37...e4.

0-1

White resigned without waiting for 32...'i>h8.

269) Aronian - Gelfand

FIDE Grand Prix, Sochi 2008 26 «e5! 1-0

If 26...axd7 White mates with 27 l'e8+.

270) Therrien - Baburin

British League (4NCL) 2007/8 23 ±xh3! ±xh3 24 aibl «c2 25 aa2 1-0

271) Inumerable - Pasalic

Chicago 2008

32 «xh5!! gxh4

32...^xh5 allows mate in four: 33 axf7+ "ihS 34 af8+ "ig? 35 fllf7+ *h6 36 ah7#.

33 «xh4

with a decisive advantage.

272) Flores - Felgaer

Argentine Ch, Mendoza 2008

19...^xe3!

The white king is forced to take a walk.

20 dxe3 axe3+ 21 4'd2 axc3! 22 fxdS

On 22 >4'xc3 there follows 22...ab3+ 23 '4'c2 «d4.

22...ac5 23 «d3 ab2+ 24 -^dl l'a4+! 25 *el l^aS+I 0-1

26 -idl is met by 26...ad5.

273) Genna - Inkiov

Conegliano 2008 40...axd3!

This exchange sacrifice leads to a winning attack; the white king is short of defenders.

41 cxd3 «xd3+ 42 *al

42 Hc2 .4.a4 is no better. 42...1'b5! 43 afe2?!

After 43 -ibl i.xe4+ 44 axe4 *'d3+ 45 ac2 l'xe4 46 #xa6 Hc7 47 l'e2 the simplest is 47...«xc2+ (47...1fhl+ is also good) 48 #xc2

Intermediate and Complex Puzzles

101

Sxc2 49 'i'xc2 '4'g7, stopping White's b-pawn, with a winning pawn endgame. 43...i.xe4! 44 Wde ±.63 0-1

274) Inkiov - Jovanic

Conegliano 2008 18...^xg2! 19 ^xg2 i.h3+! 20 ^g3 20 *xh3 loses to 20...1'f3+ 21 >4'h4 Ad8+. 20...1.d8! 21 f4

Now it is mate in three. If 21 Ag5 the correct move is 21...hxg5!.

21...1'h4+ 22 i-fS #g4+ 0-1

275) Naumkin - Vezzosi

Conegliano 2008

20 ^xg7! Ixe2 20...'i'xg7 is met by 21 lxd7. 21«cl

21 «c4! Ixb2 22 ^hxtS also wins. 21...H8e5 22 AxeS HxeS 23 ±h3l -i-xg? 24

l.xd7 1-0

276) Papin - Deviatkin

Kavala 2008 As we have seen several times, queen and knight make a fearsome attacking team; after 32...#e4! Black is threatening to win with a double check or 33...Hc2. White is not saved by 33 1.XC7 'ah4++ 34 *fl (or 34 ihS f5 35 f4 l'f3 followed by mate) 34...1'hl+ 35 ^e2 ^3+ 36 *d2 (or 36 <iel 4^g2+ 37 -if 1 '5^e3+, mating) 36...1'xf2+ 37 *c3 l'xa2 38 gxh4 «xa3.

277) Paunovic - Topalov

Villarrobledo (rapid) 2008 44...C3! 0-1

278) Z.Rahman - Myo Zaw Min

Kuala Lumpur 2008

30 W\^(Sl

Inconclusive is 30 'S^xf6+?! gxf6 31 lxd8 l'xd8 32 WxcS m3.

30...1xd5

Or 30...bxa6 31 b7 ffbS 32 ^xf6+ gxf6 33 lxd8.

31 IxdS 1-0

279) Gajewski - Lenic

Dresden Olympiad 2008 35 «g7+! <i'e7 36 i.f6+! 4e6 37 ±d4 wins material through the double threat of mate on f6 and capturing the rook.

280) D. Fridman - Suba

Leon (rapid) 2008

19 %3! ^xe6

Losing material, although there was scarcely anything better. After 19...4^e4 20 flxe4 dxe4 21 l.d6 WeS 22 i.xf8 'i>xf8 23 l'h3 *g8 24 Wf5 Black's position is untenable due to White's huge pawn on e6 and the many weaknesses in the black camp. If 19...1d8? then 20 5ic6.

20 l.d6 Wf7 21 i-xfS ^xfS 22 h4 h6 23 hxgS hxgS 24 f4 g4 25 f5

and White won a few moves later.

281) A. Hoffman - Timman

Leon (rapid) 2008 44 fixe3! is possible, creating unanswerable threats. The rook is taboo because Black would be mated (44...1'xe3? 45 l'f5+ "*g8 46 Wge-i-, etc., or 44...Sxe3? 45 #xd7+) and if 44...*2i3e5 there are several ways to win, such as 45 Sxe5 ^xe5 46 Wf5+ "i-gS 47 Wm+ '^h7 48 lf6.

282) Stihiberg - Lynch

Buenos Aires 1945 There is a win with 40 fixa3! fidl+ 41 Ael SxeH- (41...'i>h7 42 l'b4 fgS {42...1'h4 43 le3} 43 '4'fl with an extra piece) 42 <4'f2 l'h4+ (if 42...1bl or 42...1dl, then 43 la8+ *h7 44 fgS-i- ige 45 lfe8+ wins; for example, 45...-4'g5 46 f4-H -i>g4 47 \ii+ '&h4 48 g3+) 43 g3 lfxh2-i- 44 'i'xel l'xg3-i- 45 4'd2.

283) Harikrishna - Mamedyarov

Foros 2006 25 ^h6+! gxh6 26 l'd4

Threatening mate in two with 27 #h8-(- and Wg7#. 26...<2ie6

26...ae5 27 agxe5 dxe5 28 Wxe5 only delays the end.

27 ith8+

27 Sxe6 hxg5 28 Hel also wins; for example, 28...fle5 29 flxe5 *f8 30 lei l'f7 31 flfl i.f5 32 g4.

27...'i>f7 28 Sxf5+ AxfS 29 i»f6+ i-gS 30 «xf5 ^f8 31 WdSH- mi 32 le7! 1-0

This ends all resistance; after 32...'ttxd5 33 flg7-l-! "i'h8 34 cxd5 the discovery is deadly.

284) Elianov - Inarkiev

FIDE Grand Prix, Elista 2008 39 l'g4+!

THE Giant Chess puzzle Book

39 ^3+ "i'f? 40 Wb3+ (not, of course, 40 Hxd2? Ifxf4!) 40..."4'f8 41 Sh4 is also strong.

39...<i>h7

Or SQ-.^f? 40 l'h5+ <i>g8 41 l'g6+, transposing to the game. With 39...4'h6 we have a familiar situation of a king trapped on the edge of the board, allowing 40 Hf5 ±g5 41 h4 and if 41...flh7?! then 42 lxg5! mates.

40 WhSH- -^gS 41 ^6+ Sg?

After 41 ...ifS 42 lh4 flf7 it is finally possible to play 43 Hxd2.

42 #68+ -S^f8 43 Sxf6 We? 44 l'xf8+ l'xf8 45 Sxf8+ 'i'xf8 46 flxd2

with a winning endgame.

285) Ja. Bolbochan - P. Martin

Argentine Ch, Buenos Aires 1946 White gains a decisive advantage with 24 i.c2!:

a) 24...h6 25 SgS! I.xe5 (if 25...*h8 then 26 Hxg7! wins: 26...*xg7 27 WgS-F -ihS 28 «d3 mating) 26 lfxh6 f5 27 lfxe6-^ af7 28 i.b3!.

b) 24...g6 25 Whe! ±xe5 26 Sh3 ae8 (after 26...±xh2-l-? Black loses more quickly: 27 Exh2 ae8 28 ±xg6! fxg6 29 l'xh7-h -i-fS 30 l'xg6! i.d5 31 flh7) 27 dxe5! opening the d-file, and postponing #xh7+ so that Black is unable to strengthen his defences by playing ...Wg5. Now the attack is irresistible; for example, 11..Mel 28 Wxh7-i- *f8 29 i.xg6!, with two extra pawns and a very strong attack.

286) Ja. Bolbochan - Rossetto

Argentine Ch, Buenos Aires 1946 White gains an overwhelming advantage with 24 WcS!!, when Black has nothing better than 24...Wxg2-i- 25 l.xg2 axc8, but after 26 J.xh3 White is two pawns up in an ending and has a winning position.

287) Maderna - Marini

Argentine Ch, Buenos Aires 1946 With 27...#e6! Black attacks both of White's minor pieces and after 28 Af3 Axd5 29 Hxd5 (or 29 i-gl He5) 29...«xd5 30 ±xe4 #xe4-(-. Black is very close to winning.

288) Golombek - Ju. Bolbochan

Amsterdam Olympiad 1954 Yes, 19...axh3+ wins: 20 "4'h2 (20 -ihl loses to 20...i.g4!; e.g., 21 «e3 Wxe3 22 fxe3 ^i2+ 23 4gl ?^xdl, followed by 24...axe4)

20...#xe5+ 21 #g3 ^xf2 and Black, two pawns up, won.

289) Franco - Larrosa

Galician League 2007 " White wins by getting rid of the opposite-coloured bishops and also the knight, which might become a strong blockading piece: 42 axc3! WxfS 43 i.h6+ 'i'xh6 44 flxf3 White's passed pawn is decisive, since the black king can't effectively join in the defence. 44...<4>g5 45 dS f5 46 d6 ^e8 47 SxfSH-4-xg4 48 Sf8 l.c6 49 *f2 1-0

290) Emma - Rossetto

Mar del Plata 1959 The third option is correct: with best play. Black is fighting (successfully) for a draw. However, after 27 SxeS! axe5, the game ended 28 f4?? ad5! 0-1. White should play 28 #03!, when in the pawn ending after 28...b4! 29 Axe5 bxc3 30 l.xf6 gxf6 31 b4 cxb3 32 axb3. Black's counterplay in lines like 32...f5 33 '4'e2 'i'g7 34 'i'd3 '4'f6 35 g3 f4 36 g4 'i'g5 37 >i>xc3 i'h4 38 4'd4 'i'xh3 39 >i'e4 &g3 40 b4 ■4>f2 41 <i'xf4 '4'e2 is sufficient.

291) Rossetto - Franco

Mercedes 1975 31...J.xg3! leads to an ending a pawn up: 32

axg3 Bxg3+ 33 <i'xg3 I'e5-F! 34 4>h3 (34 ^f3? I'h5+) 34...#xe4.

292) Franco - Letelier

La Falda 1977 Instead of remaining with the h2-bishop 'dead'. White can gain the advantage with 34 l.xf4! gxf4 35 Wxf4, and after, e.g., 35...fle6 36 SdS-^ leS 37 Bxe8+ ^xe8 38 «'xf7-H ■i'xf7 39 g5 he has a winning endgame.

293) Panno - Franco

Los Polvorines 1980 No, after 27 «xe4? ±f5 28 «f4 g5 29 l'd4 ^f3+ Black has the advantage.

294) I. Ivanov-Vera

Capablanca Memorial, Cienfuegos 1980

25...1'h5! 26 f3

This prevents 26...1'f3+. If 26 l.e3 there are several favourable moves, such as 26...#f3+ 27 <4gl 4^c5!? (27...1'xe4 28 Vxel ^xb2 is also good), seeking to eliminate the e4-knight which

Intermediate and Complex Puzzles

103

is preventing the transfer of Black's rooks to his third rank; e.g., 28 l.xc5 ±xc5 29 Hael Sd6! 30 <§ixd6 Axf2+ 31 fixf2 l'xf2+. 26...^el+ 27 *hl ^xf3 28 h3 IfS 0-1

295) Bruzon - Franco

Linares 2001 31..5c2! gives Black a decisive advantage: 32 l'e3 (or 32 -ia2 ld3, with the idea of 33...1'd5+) 32...'S^b3+ 33 «xb3 lxdl+ 34 flxdl l^xdlH- 35 'i'a2 Hcl and wins.

296) Barrero - Matamoros

Dos Hermanas 2001 24 Sfdl! is a better defence. After 24...Axdl 25 Sxdl White wins material, since the g3-knight has no good move: 25...'S^xe4 26 ^xe4 ld7 27 i.e3 lxdl+ 28 Axdl.

297) Franco - Paunovic

Orense 2005 No, after 45 i.g2? Black has 45...*xa7! and White loses his biggest trump, since 46 ^xa7 ^g3+ 47 'i'h2 ^f 1++ 48 i-hl ^g3+ is a draw.

298) Illescas - Ibarra

Spanish Ch, Ceuta 2008 51 ^4! (threatening 52 a7) 51...1'a7 52 ±d5! Hb8 (or 52...Hb6 53 itxf7+! I'xf7 54 i.xf7 lf6 55 J.d5 lf2 56 Sxf2 i.xf2 57 'i'g2 Ac5 58 g5, followed by the transfer of the king to b7, winning the black bishop) 53 lc2! flf8 54 lc7. ,

299) Malakhatko - Perez Felipe

La Laguna 2008

20 ld5+!! *g6

20...exd5 loses to 21 lfh6+ *f5 22 Hh5+ <ie4 23 f3+ <i>d4 24 ^6+.

21 i.d3+! 1-0

Winning the queen, since 21...cxd3 leads to mate after 22 #§3+ <i'f6 23 ^5*.

300) Van Wely - Shirov

Fows 2008 The game went 25...»xc6? 26 lxc6 Sxd3

and here by playing 27 f3! (instead of 27 f4?) 27...fia3 28 ^c3 White would have been only slightly worse.

Instead, with 25...1'xd3! Black threatens to capture the knight, as well as to play 26...flc8. Black wins after, e.g., 26 ^c3 (26 ^g3 ficS) 26...ac8 27 Wbl Hxc3 28 «b8+ Ac8!.

301) Bernasek - Talla

Brno 2008 White could have won with 45 lf8! I'xf8 46 l.xf8 Se5 47 e7 e2 48 ^8! elit+ 49 "4'a2 a6 50 ±g7+ *a7 51 Axe5 l'xe5 52 e8«.

302) Ju. Bolbochan-Lipinlks

Argentine Ch, Buenos Aires 1946 Black could have broken out by 36...Sxd6!, after which the advantage lies with him; e.g., 37 Ael SfdS! (37...Sd7 38 i.xa5 bxa5 39 axa5 2c8 and now 40 ^el! leaves the g7-bishop very passive - but not 40 Bxc5? Af8 41 Ha5 ±M, followed by 42...Ac5) 38 i.xa5 (no better is 38 flxaS fld3! 39 axd3 Sxd3 40 Hxa7 l.xf3 with a winning position) 38...Axf3 39 i.xf3 ad3 40 Hxd3 axd3 41 l.e2 He3 42 i'f2 axe5 and Black regains his piece and remains several pawns up.

303) Corte - Piazzini

Argentine Ch, Buenos Aires 1946 The game continued 32...Axd4? (this allows White to shield the c-pawn) 33 axd4 Sb2+ (or 33...Hc2 34 ac4) 34 <i'c5! ab8 35 c7 IcS 36 *c6 g5 37 'i>b7 axc7+ 38 i>xc71-0. The black pawns are not dangerous.

Black should have played 32...ab2+!:

a) 33 'Sib3 a5-l-! 34 axa5 puts the rook on the el-a5 diagonal, which suits Black: 34...ac2

35 <i>b5 (35 'S^c5? i.c3+) 35...J.e5 and only Black can play for a win.

b) 33'i>c5l.e7-i-344c4ab4+35<i'd3ab8

36 ad7 <i'f6 37 c7 (37 1x37?! I.c5 38 axa6 <4'e7) 37...ac8 (intending 38...±c5 and ...l.b6)

38 <i'c4 i.d8!? (38...a5?! 39 4b5 a4 40 i-ce)

39 axdS axc7+ and Black's problems are over.

304) Pachman - Pilnik

Mar del Plata 1959

25 Axf6!

Eliminating the biggest obstacle to White's kingside attack. 25...1.xf6

After 25...axb2 the most elegant win is 26 Mh6\ i.xh6+ 27 axh6 ^7 28 J.xg7 4>xg7 29 ah7+ 'i>f6 30 g7 ±f7 31 g8l' i.xg8 32 BxgS.

26 i.h3!

26 g7 ^xg7 27 .^h3 was another way.

26...1.d7

26...Sxb2 can be met by 27 i.e6+ <^f8 28 g7+! i.xg7 29 Hh8-i- i.xh8 30 Sg8+ <i'e7 31 #g5+ M6 32 ag7+, mating quickly.

The Giant Chess Puzzle book

27 wn

There are other wins, such as 27 Wh6 Axh3 28 g7 ±.\gJ 29 Sxh3.

27...1f8 28 g7! i.g5+

Or 28...i.xg7 29 Sxg7+ *xg7 30 Sgl+, mating quickly.

29 2xg5 lxf2 30 J.e6+ 1-0

30...1.xe6 31 Sh8+ '^fl 32 gSW+ followed by mate.

305) D. Byrne - Penrose

Mar del Plata 1962 Here 36...g5! is very strong: 37 fiel (37 hxgS IfhSH- 38 -igl 'S^e2+ 39 <i'f2 J.d4+ 40 i-el 1.C3+) 37...1'g4 38 l.b8 (38 hxg5 Hxf4! 39 gxf4 ^f3! 40 ±xf3 Wh3+ 41 *gl ±d4+) 38...gxh4 39 ae4 Hfl+! 40 l.xfl l'xe4+ 41 Ag2 ^f3 42 ±xf3 #xf3+ 43 *h2 hxg3+, with two extra pawns and the white king very exposed.

306) Foguelman - Cruz

Mar del Plata 1965 Reversing the move-order with 26...&xc4!!

wins:

a) Now 27 ^xc4 is answered by 27...Sf6-l-!

28 J.f3 1.XC4 29 «xc4 axf3-l- 30 '4?g2 Sf2-M 31 l.xf2 l'h2-(- 32 'i'f3 ^e5-l- 33 '^e4 'Sixc4, with the plan of ...f5+. Black has a material advantage, two connected passed pawns and a strong attack.

b) 27 l.f3 ac3 (or 27...Hf4) 28 Wbl ^e3+

29 .&xe3 fixe3 followed by 30...g4, winning.

307) Rublevsky - Grishchuk

Candidates match (game 7), Elista 2007 29...4^xh4!

Black captures a vital pawn, so that in many lines the black h-pawn can become passed. The tactics favour Black, thanks in part to the activity of his rooks and the weak position of the white king.

30 Bxb2

This makes it easy for Black. Let's examine some other lines:

a) 30±xa3axbH-3lSxblHxbl-l-32'i'xbl ^xg2 33 ±c5 ^xf4 34 "i'c2 h4 (this pawn is decisive; the white king is too far away and the bishop is helpless to stop it) 35 J.f2 h3 36 Ag3 ^&2 37 Ma ^d4-(- 38 'i'c3 ^f3, queening.

b) 30 g3 ^f5 31 Axa3 SxbH- 32 Bxbl Sxbl-i- 33 'ixbl ^xg3 34 i.c5 h4 35 l.f2 ^f5 36 a4 h3 37 ±gl ^AA (or 37...'5ih4) 38 a5 ^fi

39 a6 ^xgl 40 a7 h2 41 aSV+ "ih7, with an extra piece soon.

c) 30 Sbgl ^xg2 31 fixhS ae2! 32 ah2 (if 32 ±d4 then 32...^el!) 32...abb2 33 l.xa3 Sxa2-h 34 -ibl axa3 35 agxg2 axg2 36 axg2^ axd3 37 ac2 af3 38 axc7 axf4 39 ae7 ab4-h

40 *c2 2b6.

30...axb2+ 31 i-bl ^xg2 32 fS ^f4 33 fxe6 ^xd3 34 Aa3 ^xe5 35 <i>c2 ^cA 36 AcS ad2 37 a4 bl^H- 38 Bxbl 'S^xbl 39 a5 ab5 0-1

308) Bromberger - Kremenietsky

Gausdal 2008 20axf6!!*xf6

Now a storm hits the black king, but just accepting the loss of the pawif was not satisfactory either. After 20...Bhf8 there are several interesting hues, such as 21 ah6 or 21 #d3, but the simplest one also seems very good: 21 Bxf8 axf 8 22 l.g5-h "i-f 7 and now after 23 Wc 1, with the plan of i.h6, ^4-1- and Bfl, the attack looks very strong. Let's not forget that there are three somewhat useless black pieces on the queenside.

21 Wn+l -ig?

21...<4'e7 leads to mate with 22 ±g5-l- 'i'e8 23 l.h5-h.

22 ±h6+! <ig8 22...'4>xh6 23 lff6#.

231^6 ±e4 24 BH! 1-0 There is no satisfactory defence against 25 l'f8+.

309) Kasimdzhanov - Gelfand

FIDE Grand Prix, Nalchik 2009 25...ad8!

Suddenly White can't get out of the pin.

26af2

No better is 26 Axh6, to which the simplest reply is 26...^xd5!. The simplification 26 Axe5 #xe5 does not help either. Finally, the resource 26 i.g5 hxg5 27 l'h5 leaves Black with only one move, but it is sufficient: 27...1'h6! 28 '2^e7-i- <i'h8 and everything is defended.

26...C3!

Controlling the d2-square; not the immediate 26...Axd5? on account of 27 Bd2 and White hangs on.

27 af3 l.xd5 28 ad3 «^xd3! 0-1

Black escapes from the pin with the threat of 29...'2^f2-l-, retaining an overwhelming material advantage.

Intermediate and Complex Puzzles

105

310) Radjabov - Cheparinov

FIDE Grand Prix, Sochi 2008

35 f3!!

The crucial element here is the passed pawn that will be created on a6, after a fresh sacrifice of material. Not 35 Hxb6? axb6 36 a7 in view of 36...1'e4!, which is the move that 35 f3!! is designed to prevent.

35...»h5 36 axb6! «hl+ 37 ?igl Hxd6 38 exd6 1-0

The pawn can't be stopped after 38...axb6 39 a7.

311) Lynch - Ju. Bolbochan

La Plata 1944 47...Sxc5! (the simplest, liquidating to a winning endgame) 48 fxcS lfc8+ 49 l'xc8 Sxc8 0-1.

other defects in the position. With 26...Ag4! Black gains the advantage: 27 fxg4 (27 ^d2 allows the g7-bishop to become active after 27...1.h3 28 Ifcl and now 28...e4 or 28...1.f6 followed by 29...i.g5) 27...axn+ 28 *g2 %6 29 ±n Sal with advantage to Black.

318) Eliskases - Letelier

Mar del Plata 1960 31...b3!

Exploiting the passed pawn is more important than saving the bishop.

32 fxg6 hxg6 33 lxc4

33 fiel b2 34 Ae4 does not help, since Black can win by hounding the white rook: 34...#b4 35 fidl l.b3! 36 Sfl i.a2 37 Abl l.c4! 38 Hdl Ae2.

33...b2 34 i.e4 «xe3+ 0-1

312) R. Garcia - Averbakh

Mar del Plata 1965 26...?ib2! (with a double attack, winning an exchange) 27 Sxb2 (if 27 '5^d6 then 27...l8c6) 27...Axb2.

313) Cvetic - Andonov

Senta 2007

Owing to the bad position of the white king and the lack of coordination between the white pieces, there are several favourable lines for Black, but this is definitely the best. The threat is mate in two with 18...'2if2-l- or 18...^g3+.

18 lxe4 l'xe4 0-1

314) Nayer-UIko

Moscow 2007 43 Sg8+! axg8 44 WxcSh- 1-0 44...ag7 45 l'b8-i- leads to mate.

315) Grau - Guimard

Buenos Aires 1935 18 l.xb5! l^xbS 19 Wxe6 feS 20 Wxa6 with an extra pawn and the better position.

316) Emma - Ja. Bolbochan

Mar del Plata 1959 29 lxe8+! 1x68 30 fla8 1-0

317) Wexler - Fischer

Mar del Plata 1960 One very well placed piece, such as the white knight on e4, is not enough to compensate for

319) Gheorghiu - Behrensen

Mar del Plata 1965

16 ^dS! fxel

If 16...1fc5 then 17 «f2.

17 ^xe7+ <i>c7 18 Axel UdeS 19 l.b4 and White won.

320) Rubinetti - Uhlmann

Mar del Plata 1966 24...1.xf3! 25 i.xf3 g5 and White loses a piece: 26 *h2 <^h8 27 Sgl flg8.

321) M. Garcia Garcia - Martin Gracia

Catalonian Ch 1982 20 Sxg6!

Not the only way to win, but definitely the strongest.

20...'i'xg6 21 AxfS+I fxfS 22 Sgln-1-0

322) Zijger - Estremera

European Ch, Dresden 2007

30...He7!

There is no adequate response to the threat of 31...ae2+.

31 g3

31 Hel ismetby 31...^d3+.

31...Se2+ 32 «xe2 l'd4+ 33 *fl Axe2+ 34 Hxe2 «dl+ 35 Sel l'd3+ 0-1

323) Gutman - Bakker

Leiden 2008 19 h4! (and there is no satisfactory defence against 20 h5) 19...1'c8 20 h5 f6 21 hxg6 fxeS 22 dxe5 ^b5 23 l'b3 ^cl 24 l,h3.

The Giant Chess puzzle book

324) Karim - Paunovic

Seville 2008 35.,.i.e4! 0-1

There is no defence against the threat of 36...g4; e.g., if 36 g4 then 36...f5 37 <i'g3 f4+ 38 >i>g2 h5 39 gxh5 g4.

325) Steingrimsson - Kritz

European Ch, Plovdiv 2008 34.,.Hcl+! 0-1

There are other ways to win, but this is the most convincing. The d7-pawn will never become a queen. There would follow 35 ^xcl (or 35 -^igl l'xa4) 35...1'fl+ 36 i.gl Wxg2#.

326) Ivanchuk - Kramnik

Dortmund 2008

49 lf4! 1-0

There is no way to defend f7, since if 49...f6 then 50 l'd5+ wins.

327) Kariakin - Mamedyarov

FIDE World Cup, Khanty-Mansiisk 2009

50 f4! (White seeks to create some cover for the king, freeing his rook with lethal effects for Black's king) 50...af2 (after 50...gxf4 51 le5! Black has no checks and there is no defence) 51 ld5+ "icS 52 -i-e?! 1-0. Black is mated after 52...1e2+ 53 ae5 Hxe5+ 54 fxe5 g4 55 e6 g3 56 4>f8 g2 57 e7 gl* 58 eSf*.

328) Gaponenko - A. Graf

Kavala 2008 33...See8!

Defending the rook on d8. 34 ledl i.d4! (D)

W

35l.f3

Or 35 lacl 2x62 36 Sc4 Se4.

35....^xal

Black has a decisive advantage.

329) Luther - Brunner

Chambery 2008 47 *d4+! 1-0

Winning the exposed bishop after 47...'i'b7 (or 47...<i?b8 48 '2ixa6+) 48 We4+.

330) D. Boros - A. Gupta

World Junior Ch, Gaziantep 2008 21...1xd4! 22 lxd4 l'xb2 23 Hadl fxcS with a decisive advantage.

331) I. Sokolov - Strikovic

Leon (rapid) 2008 30 ^xe4! Not 30 i.e2? axb3 31 axb3 ^xb3, nor 30

30...»xd2+ 31 ^xd2 axb3 32 axb3

with an extra pawn.

332) Bareev - Timman

Leon (rapid) 2008 30 <?ig6+! 1-0

After 30...hxg6 31 l'h3+ White forces mate next move.

333) Bareev - Granda

Leon (rapid) 2008 38 ld8+! 1-0

A decisive liquidation, forcing 38...'i'h7 39 «d3+ We4 40 l'xe4+ l.xe4 41 Hd7 with a winning endgame.

334) Montiel - Lipiniks

Argentine Ch, Buenos Aires 1946 35...i.d3! (preparing 36...1'al+, to which there is no good reply) 36 J.xf7+ 'i'g7 37 g3 lfal+ 38 "i'g2 cl« 39 »f3 l'hl+ 0-1.

335) Rossetto - R. Sanguineti

Mar del Plata 1962

28 Hxg4!

The e6-bishop proves to be surprisingly overloaded. 28,.,f2 Not 28...i.xg4? 29 I.b5-F.

29 l.xf2 Sxh2 30 figSt 'i>d7 31 feS 1-0

336) Cruz - Palermo

Mar del Plata 1965 20...1.xb2!

Intermediate and Complex Puzzles

107

This bishop is taboo because there is an unexpected mating-net. 21i.g5

21 fixb2? ^c3+ 22 'i'el ldl#.

with a decisive material advantage.

337) Khalifman - Vaganian

Bazna 2007

19 mgv.

Threatening both to capture the e5-knight and to play 20 ±g5. 19...'5^ef3+

If \9...^gA+ then 20 hxg4 g5 21 Axg5! fxgS 22 le5 ffe 23 flael (or 23 g5 WhS 24 '4'gl), with an extra pawn and a crushing position.

20 gxf3 4^xf3+ 21 *g2 1-0

338) Milos - Sunye

Sao Paulo Zonal 2007 24 fixe6! 1-0

A possible Une is 24...Hxe6 25 WxfS Sg6 26 AxdS-i- l,xd5 27 l'xc8+ ffS 28 fefS^- *xf8 29 flxdS, with a decisive material advantage.

339) Pogonina - Godena

Solin 2007 28 ±a4! with the threat of 29 ^b3 winning the exchange, against which there is no defence.

340) Tomashevsky - Svidler

Russian Ch, Moscow 2007 30 ^aSl (exploiting the lack of an escape-square for the black king) 30...'2ixa5 31 Bxc7 1-0.

343) Almasi - Seyb

Mainz (rapid) 2008 42 Sxf7+! 1-0

A striking combination of a pin, a knight fork and a double attack. If 42...1'xf7 then 43 ^gS-i-.

344) Senador - Dzhumaev

Kuala Lumpur 2008 23...1'al+! 24 *d2 l'a5+ (winning a piece) 25 ^c31.XC3+ 26 bxc3 fxbS 0-1.

345) Ki. Georgiev - Jobava

Barcelona 2008 59 le8+! <i>f7 60 figf8+ 1-0

Black resigned in view of 60...ig? 61 Sxf6 ^xf2-l- 62 "igS, with a decisive material advantage.

346) Guseinov - Ezat

Dresden Olympiad 2008 30 «e7+ <ig8 31 *e8+! 1-0 31...^f8 32Wxc6.

347) Ju. Bolbochan - Hounie Fleurquin

Mar del Plata 1947

32 l'xb3! #f4

After 32...cxb3 33 Sxc7 there is no defence against 34 Sc8.

33 axc4 Sxc4 34 #xc4 1-0

348) Panno - Najdorf

Buenos Aires 1965 26 Sxd6! 1-0

26... J.xd6 27 k.xf6+ i-gS 28 l'h6 and White mates.

341) Le Quang Liem - Nepomniashchy

Moscow 2008

63...1b2+!

White will be unable to cope with two hostile passed pawns on the seventh rank and therefore Black will win material.

64 Sxb2 cxb2 65 '*c2 f 2 66 Sc7+ i.xc7 67 h8l' bl»+! 68 i-xbl fll'+ 0-1

342) Jepson - Hillarp Persson

Elsinore 2008

33 e5!

Did you spot the tactical weakness of the two black rooks? 33 -SigS-f 'i'g7 34 e5 was also good.

33...dxe5 34 ^g5+ *g8 35 ^e4 1-0

349) Revilla - M. Garcia Garcia

Catalonia Ch 1982 33..M{3+1

Making good use of the passed pawn. 34 4>xg2 Ixcl 35 Ixcl If35Axclthen35...'5^el-t-. 35...^xd2 0-1

350) Gelfand - Morozevich

World Ch, Mexico City 2007

29 l.h3!

White will emerge the exchange up and with a passed h-pawn - a decisive advantage. Not 29 Bxf6?? Sxg4 and the g2-bishop is pinned.

29...axg4+ 30 ±xg4+ *d8 31 Sxf6 i.xd5 32 a3 b5 33 h4

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and White won. Even better was 33 Bf4, pointed out by Gelfand.

351) M. Garcia Garcia - Marull

Catalonian Team Ch 2007

16 l.xd6! exd6

16...a4 17 ®b4 does not change the situation.

17 Sxd6 «c7 18 Hd7 1-0

18...Wxd7 is forced (18...1'c6 19 ^d6+ *f8

20 Sxd8+ Sxd8 21 #xf7#) but after 19 .^xd7+ <i'xd7 Black's king can't be defended owing to the passivity of his pieces, and he will suft'er serious loss of material; e.g., after 20 Bdl-i- "ieS

21 Wb6 Black is practically in zugzwang.

352) Bente - Estremera

European Ch, Dresden 2007 24,..Sxg3! 25 Sxg3 M6

This bishop dominates the position, and the main victim will be the white king.

26 Sgl?!

The relatively best move, 26 He3, is met by 26...1.f4 27 ■i'e2 ±xe3 28 *xe3 l.xd3+ 29 ■ixdS '2ic4 30 ^g2 '§^b2-l-.

26..,±f4+ 27 'i'e2 J.xd3++ 28 <i'f2

Or28*xd3 4ic4!.

28...1.e2 29 Hbl Ae3+

with a decisive material advantage.

353) Estremera - Galiana

Magaluf2008

15 e5!

The position will be opened up and the black king will be unable to reach safety.

15„.l.xf3 16 exd6 i.d5 17 ael+ ±e6

After the miserable move 17...'i'f8 White could play 18 Aa.3, followed by He7.

18 Wc6+ ^d719 l.g5! #08 201^64 4^c5 21 d7+! ^xdl 22 Had

If Black could only castle, he would escape the worst, but this is not going to happen.

22...1'b8 23 M4 WdS 24 l.c7 «c8 25 M6 «d8 26 i.c7 fcS 27 Ae5 «d8 28 ±xg7 lg8 29 #xh7 4>e7 30 2x66+! fxe6 31 l.e5+

with mate in five.

354) Sakaev - Timofeev

Russian Ch, Moscow 2007 15...^b4!

This wins material, but in fact in just a few moves he will have to give up the exchange, although for tremendous compensation.

16 ^d4 '2^xa2+17 'i>d2 0-0-018 "i-el flxd4! 19 lxd4 ^b4

Threatening 20...4^c2+.

20 Adl ae8

The three white pieces on the open e-file are too much of a weakness. After 21 Sgl Axc4 22 f4 '5^bd5 23 Sxd5 '5ixd5 Black soon won.

355) Beliavsky - I. Khamrakulov

Pamplona 2007 27..Mxe4l 0-1

White resigned in view of 28 fxe4 Bcl+ 29 <i'f2 fifl-F.

356) Ignacz - Estremera

Pamplona 2007 19...Wb6!

Surprisingly, although White is the exchange up, he is unable to hold the position after this double attack on f2 and b2.

20«c2

Or 20 4'h2 l'xb2 21 J.d3 ?ic3.

20...1.xf 2+ 21 Sxf 2 #xf 2+ 22 'i'h2 Axh3

22...1fg3-i- 23 'igl '2if2 is another way to win.

23 i.d3 i.xg2 24 fxf 2

Or 24 l.xe4 l'xc2 25 i.xc2 l.xf3, with a decisive advantage.

24...'axf2 25 ad2 ±xf3 0-1

357) Butti - Kropff

Paraguayan Ch, Asuncion 2008

11 i.xe6!

This sacrifice is thematic; the e6-square needs to be well protected by Black, which is not the case here.

Il...l,xg5

ll...fxe6 loses to 12 ^xe6 Wa5 13 «d5.

12 Axf7+!

An attractive sacrifice to expose the king.

12...Hxf7?

12...'4'xf7 is a slight improvement but after

13 ^e6\ (or 13 #h5-l- -igS 14 l.xg5, and White is a pawn up with an attack) 13..."^xe6

14 fdS-i- <ie7 15 l.xg5+ ^f6 16 l'xa8 there is no defence.

13 'Sie6 J.xe3?

If 13...1'a5 14 ^xg5 af6? then 15 «d5+ wins. Or 13...We7 14 ^xg5 and the rook can't retreat because White has 15 #d5-l-.

14 'S^xd8 i.xf2+ 15 '4'e2 ^e5 16 ^xf7 i.g4+ 17 ixf 2 1-0

Intermediate and Complex Puzzles

109

358) Kononenko - Zhao Zong Yuan

Seville 2008 The game went 44 g4? c4 45 gxfS hS! and

Black was able to defend.

44 Hf3! is an improvement, threatening to capture the d3-bishop as well as to play 45 Hg3+; then if 44...c4? White wins with 45 Sg3+ *h6 46 ^4+ -i-hS 47 i.f3#.

359) Kononenko - Korneev

Seville 2008 26...'af4!

Not only is the white queen a long way from the centre, it is also a tactical weakness.

27 exf4

If 27 ^4 then 27...h5!, while on 27 fhl comes 27...^d3.

27...1'xd4+ 28 i>fl l'xd2

with an extra pawn and the attack.

360) Golubev - Buchenau

Internet 2008

18 ^fl!

The pin on the e-file wins. 18...±c5

The alternative was 18...1'f4, but after 19 %xe3 d4 20 ^c4! axel+ 21 Ixel Wxd2+ 22 <2ixd2! dxc3 23 Be8+ ±f8 24 ^e4! it will end quickly in mate.

19 «:)dl! winning a piece.

361) Inants - Batsanin

Russian Team Ch, Dagomys 2008 22...^d5! (exploiting two pins) 23 d4 l'xd4 24 fi4f3 lxe4! 0-1.

362) Kariakin - Inarkiev

FIDE Grand Prix, Baku 2008

42 AxbS!

Better than 42 WxeS f6 43 l'g3 ^e6, which allows Black a degree of activity.

42...Sdl

42...i.xb5 43 l'xe5 f6 44 lxb5 is hopeless for Black.

43 ^e3 1-0

363) Gladyszev - Naumkin

Cutro 2008 28..Md2+l

After the exchange of queens. Black can invade the seventh rank and paralyse White. 29 l'xd2 'Sib3+ 30 "ibl flxd2 31 i.dl Ad3

31...1xg2!? 32 e4 '5^d2+ is also good.

32 e4

Or 32 Hgl af2 and White is almost in zug-zwang.

32...axg2

and Black wins material while retaining a positional advantage.

364) Ivanchuk - Bu Xiangzhi

Sofia 2008 9 i.xb5+! axbS 10 ^hxbS

And there is no satisfactory defence against Il4ic7-I-. 10...e6

Not 10...^a6? 11 fcen- ^dl 12 %xdl. 11 ^c7+ <i>e7 12 ^xaS with a decisive material advantage.

365) Strobel - Saltaev

Hamburg 2008 29...C5!

In contrast 29...1xa7? 30 WcS+ <i'h7 31 lff5+ g6 32 Wxfe is nothing special, and 29...»xa7? is inferior on account of 30 Be8+!.

30 l'd7 J.e6

This does not lose the whole of Black's advantage, but 30...cxb4 is better, as is 30...Axf3! 31 gxf3 Wal-H! (to defend the f6-bishop) 32 'i'g2 Sxa7 33 le8+ *h7 34 «f5+ g6.

31 lxe6 «xe6 32 ^7 WcS 33 l'xc8+ Sxc8 and Black won the endgame.

366) Rowson - Granda

Palau 2008 28 b4! 1-0

Now 28...^d7?! loses to 29 Sc8+ AdS 30 Axg6-l- <i'e7 31 I'h7-H, mating. On the other hand, 28 Axg6-F is less convincing, although still better for White, after 28...<i'd8 29 b4 ^d7 30Sfcl.

367) Salguero - F. Peralta

Argentine Ch, Mendoza 2008 The game went 33...'5^xf4+? 34 gxf41'ee 35 d5 and the strong centre pawns provided good protection for the white king; White went on to win.

The tactical weakness arising from White's queen and king both being in range of a knight fork could have been exploited with 33...®xbl! 34 fixbl ^xd4+, or even in the reverse order 33...'S^xd4+! 34 lxd4 Wxbl, with an overwhelming advantage for Black in both cases.

The Giant Chess Puzzle book

368) Flores Rios - Zambrana

Santos 2008

28 -5^x65!

Surprisingly, the d4-knight constitutes a tactical weakness.

28...'i'xe5

There is no time for 28...4^b5 on account of 29 ^ed3 -S^cS 30 ^acS+I, while 28...'axb3? 29 cxb3 'i'xeS 30 ^d3+! costs Black material.

29 ^d3+ >i>d6 30 e5+ ^e6 31 ^xb4 -2^x02 32 axa6 flxa6 33 exf6 1-0

369) Ikonnikov - Cherin

Conegliano 2008

19 -^^e?!

This simplification displaces the black knight and leads to a win, since White is now able to exploit his domination of the e-file and his ability to invade on e7.

19...'?id8 20 ±xb7 ^xb? 21 ^dS fif 7 21...Sac8 loses to 22 He? Hf7 23 Sxf7 *xf7 24 He7 and 25 l'd4+.

22 ^xcT. Ig8 If22...Hxc7then23ae8-^.

23 ^e8 1-0

370) N. Mamedov - Kovaliov

Sort 2008 34 Se7!!

Black's queen and bishop are overloaded. 34...ag6 35 axe6 fixg2 36 Hxg2 d5 37 le8 1-0

371) Rozentalis - Lalic

Paris 2008 29...axe6!

Winning a piece; if 30 Wxee then 30...f5! and the e4-rook can't retreat in view of 31...^f4+.

372) Ipatov - Cuartas

Barberd del Valles 2008 Black is almost paralysed; neither the rook nor the knight can move, so all White needs to do is attack them.

43 e4! dxe4+ 44 'i'xe4 gxf4 45 ^e5 and White gains a decisive material advantage.

373) Miezis - Wells

Trefforst 2008

20 ^xe6l

Opening the e-file and the h3-c8 diagonal, which will prove fatal.

20...itxe6

If 20...flxg4 then 21 -^excS-l- "i'c7 22 hxg4 bxc5 23 gxf5 l.h4 24 f6! J.xf6 25 l'h5.

21 axc5+ bxc5 22 1x66 *xe6 23 We2+ i-de 24 ±xf5 1-0

374) E. Berg - Rozentalis

Najdorf Memorial, Warsaw 2008

38 WeS! 1-0

The threat of 39 WbSH- enables White to remain a rook up. Other moves such as 38 #g5 or 38 Wd5 would also win in the long run, but are much less effective than the move in the game.

375) Euler - Almasi

Mainz (rapid) 2008 21...^fe4! 0-1

Winning a piece, since if White plays 22 ?ixe4 or moves his knight away then 22...^f3-l-wins.

376) Ovetchkin - Pushkov

Sukhumi 2008 17...ac4!

There is no good way to defend d4 because of problems with the white queen. 18 b3

Not 18 'af3? '?:ic7 19 »b3 Ac2. 18...^c7 19 bxc4 <?ixb5 20 cxbS Wc7 with a winning position.

377) Laznicka - Hou Yifan

World Junior Ch, Gaziantep 2008

52...«c3+!

With this precise manoeuvre. Black wins quickly. 52...1'c6 53 cSf WxcS 54 abb7 is less clear.

53 'i>h4 «h8+ 0-1

It is mate after 54 ■i>g5 l'f6+ 55 -i>h6 g5+ 56 *h5 «g6#.

378) Nakamura - Altounian

Internet 2008 31 f5!

Decisively opening up the black king's defences.

31...exf5 32 »c4+ -i-g7

Now instead of the move played, 33 ^e5, which was quite good, even better is 33 ^e7!, threatening to mate by 34 Wg8+, and winning more quickly than in the game, since 33...Axe7 is met by 34 axe7-l- i-hS 35 ^7, mating.

INTERMEDIATE AND COMPLEX PUZZLES

111

379) Hou Yifan - Kosteniuk

Women's World Ch match (game 1), Nalchik 2008 37,..i.xg4!

A beautiful blow which regains the piece, leaving Black ahead on material.

38 «f2 dlW 39 ^xdl Axdl 40 ffel ±f3+ 41 i-gl fS!

As well as the extra pawn, Black has an attack, and the rest was easy.

380) Arizmendi - I. Khamrakulov

Ceuta 2008 14 fel!

Now the a7-pawn is lost. 14...1'xel 15 Saxel Ad7

Not 15...a6? 16 -5^07 Hb8 17 l.a7.

16 ^xa7 Sfb8 17 a4

White is a pawn up for nothing.

381) Nakamura - Vachier Lagrave

Cap d'Agde (rapid) 2008

24 ScS! fS?

24...f6 is more tenacious but after 25 Ab4+ d6 26 ac7+ l.d7 27 ±xd7 '2^xd7 28 '4'f2, although Black has avoided loss of material. White's two passed pawns on the a- and b-files will be decisive.

If 24...^f6 then 25 f4! aeg4 26 l.b4-l- d6 27 Sc7+ i.d7 28 i.xd7 ^xd7 29 0-0 (or 29 *d2), intending 30 SeH-, and 29...<4'd8 is met by 30 i.a5!.

25 i.b4+ d6 26 SxfS

26 leS-F!'i>f7 27 Sxf8-h. 26...*xf8 27 i.xd6+ -i-f 7 28 AxeS

and with two extra passed pawns, the rest was easy.

382) Godena - Akopian

Dresden Olympiad 2008 31...±xg3+! 32 "4'g2 Not32'±>xg3?flxe3+!. 32...»xc4 33 ^xc4 l.h4 34 fld6 fle4 35 ^e3 aa4

and with an extra pawn, Black won.

383) Svetushkin - S. Kristjansson

Dresden Olympiad 2008

39 ^d4!

A beautiful move. 39...axd4

39...#e5 loses to 40 <5:ic6+ i'c7 41 fxeS+l l.xe5 42 ^xe5.

40 axf6

Threatening deadly discovered checks. 40...fidl+ 41 i'h2 1-0

After 41...1'e7 42 ^8+ White wins with a deadly pin: 42...'i'c7 43 flf7 or 42...1'e8 43 flfS.

384) Kveinys - Nisipeanu

Dresden Olympiad 2008 33...«dl+! 34 «el

Or 34 'i'g2 Wd5-i- and 35...1'xf7. 34...1'd3+ 35 Wei WdSl 0-1 Attacking the rook as well as threatening mate on hi.

385) Topalov - Zhigaiko

Dresden Olympiad 2008 39 IxdS!

A beautiful way to unblock the position. 39...exd5 40 e6 1-0

If 40...af8 then 41 l.xc6-l- «xc6 42 *e7+ wins. 40...Sf6 is no better; e.g., 41 ^xc6+ l'xc6 42 We7+ 4'c8 43 i.xf6 gxf6 44 WfS-i-<i'b7 45 l'f7-l- '^b8 46 e7.

386) Shulman - Baramidze

Dresden Olympiad 2008

32 Sc2! 1-0

Exploiting the weakness of Black's back rank. White launches an attack which will either mate or gain a decisive material advantage. 32...«b4 is met by 33 lc8-h IfS 34 flxf6, mating quickly; e.g., 34...J.xf6 35 lfxf6 flxc8 36 l.g6! flxeS 37 «f7+ 'i>h8 38 l'h7#.

387) Aleksandrov - J. Polgar

Dresden Olympiad 2008

30..Mg4l

Better than 30...'i'xe4; in order to defend the e2-rook White has to clear the d-file, which proves fatal.

31 Ael ^t4\ 32 exf4 fixdl 0-1

388) Zhao Xue - Hagarova

Dresden Women's Olympiad 2008

53 Sbl?

The right way to try to penetrate with the rook was via the e-file with 53 lfh4+! <i'g7 54 Eel when, in order to put a stop to the mating attack. Black has to exchange queens. After 54...#f2 55 l'xf2 Axf2 56 Sal "i'f6 57 BxaS the white king is a long way from the queenside, but since Black is unable to take advantage of this, the

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

white king has time to become centralized, after which the material advantage decides the game; e.g., 57...'ie6 58 g3 (58 Sa2 l.d4 59 i-gS and 58 g4 are the alternatives) 58...c4 59 -i'g2 i.c5 60 Ha6+ <i>d5 61 -t-fB 'i'd4 62 "^62 l.b4 63 lb6 i.a3 64 <i'd2. 53...®e4 54 Bfl

54 ®h4+ "ig? 55 Sel is now answered with 55...1.e3!.

54...a2

This leads to a forced repetition of moves.

55 «f8+ Ag7 56 Was i.d4 57 IffSH- ±g7 58 «d8 V2-V2

389) Spraggett - Komljenovic

Seville 2007

18 ^bl!

Now the black queen can no longer defend d6.

18...^c4 19 «f2!

And now White's queen makes a decisive invasion of the black camp, exploiting the awkward placing of Black's forces.

19...1'b2 20 #37! Sc7 21 «b8 1-0

30 cxb6! Sxe2 31 Ixf8+ AxfS 32 bxc7 Sxe4 33 cSW 1-0

393) Short - Timman

Staunton Memorial, London 2008 White played 19 l'b3? and after 19...1'xb3 20 axb3 icS 21 fixa7 was somewhat better, although he didn't win.

With 19 '5^d6!! cxd6 (or 19...1'xd6 20 ^f7-i-) 20 ^xc6-l- White can secure a decisive advantage.

394) A. Horvath - Erdos

Harkany 2008

27...flf5!

Threatening to win with 28...Bh5.

28 WhS?!

28 'ifl was better, although after 28...1h5 29 Wgl I'b5-H 30 -iel a3! 31 bxa3 l'c4 32 ^g3 #xc3 White is lost, since his king is exposed in the centre and his pieces are poorly coordinated. Black's centre pawns will decide the game.

28...1'f7 0-1

390) Tahirov - J. Houska

Hastings 2007/8 32 lxc5! bxc5 33 l.d3 cxd4

If 33...#e8 the two bishops show their power with 34 ^xg7! Wdl (or 34...<i'xg7 35 ^f5-l-*h7 36 ±xf6 with a mating attack) 35 ^df5.

34 ^xe4 dxe4 35 ±xd4 1-0

391) Medina Carrasco - M. Roder

Seville 2008

36 Sxg7+ *f8

Not 36...<i>h8? on account of 37 Hxel W\el 38 Sg8-(-, winning.

37 ag8+ <4>f7 38 ad7+!

Of course, the best that White can hope for now is a draw, and this he duly achieves.

38...H8e7 39 flg7+! <i>f6 40 fidxe7 lxgl+ 41 <^xgl fhS 42 *g2 #05 43 Sgf 7+ <4'g6 44 Sg7+ <i>f6 45 lgf7+ V2-V2

392) Naumkin - Codenotti

Conegliano 2008

29 c5!

With this unpinning move. White gains a decisive advantage. In contrast, 29 #xg4 flxf 2 30 Sxf 2 We3 does not work.

29...1xf2

29...dxc5? loses to 30 axf5.

395) Najdorf - Luckis

Argentine Ch, Buenos Aires 1949

18 ^f5!

Black is forced to capture this piece to prevent 19 ^h6#. 18...gxf5 18...Af6? fails to 19 l.xf6 ^xf6 20 4^e7-l-.

19 WhS!

Taking advantage of this newly available square.

19...'ag7

Defending against 20 Axf5; it loses, but there was nothing better. I9...#c6 fails to 20 l'xf5 Whe 21 Wd7, regaining the piece with a decisive advantage.

20 i.xg7 'ixg7 21 i.xf5 *d8 22 l'xh7+ *f6 23 «h6+!

It is forced mate. 23...<i>xf5

If 23..."i'e5, then amongst other things White has 24 '5^d4 l.g5 25 f4-l- l.xf4 26 exf4#. 24 ^d4+ ^64 25 lff4# (1-0)

396) Visser - Bosboom Lanchava

Staunton Memorial, London 2006 18...&d8!!

Setting up a winning discovered attack. The order of moves definitely matters in this case:

Intermediate and Complex putzles

113

18...J.xh3? 19 Axh3 ladS 20 Ml is still better for Black, but not so decisive.

19 WxdS

If 19 Wcl then 19...Sd2 20 Sgl M4, mating quickly.

19...i.xh3 20 .i.xh3 Sxd8

and Black won.

397) Van Wely - Yakovenko

Foros 2007 25 c5! (D)

B

34...h6 35 ^g2!

and White won.

^^33 36 ^h\

399)

Cutting oif the black queen (and the bishop) from the defence.

25...*g8 26 4^e7+!

Another way is 26 l.xf6 gxf6 27 ^e.l+\ if? (or 27...axe7 28 ^6+ Sg7 29 SdS*) 28 l'h7+ ■iee 29 ld6+ i-eS 30 f4#.

26...1xe7

Or 26...*f7 27 i.xf6 Sxe7 28 k.c3+.

27 l.xf6 Hd7

27...1'xc5 is met by 28 fidS+l 'i'f7 29 i.e5#.

28 «g6! 1-0

398) Shirov - Yakovenko

FIDE World Cup, Khanty-Mansiisk 2007 White has an extra piece, but problems with the coordination of his forces.

29 Sedl!

The correct choice of rook is important here: not 29 fiadl?! fideS 30 l'xh3 axel+ 31 fixel #xd2.

29...1fxb2 30 Wxh3 l'xd4+

If 30...axd4 then 31 -^ifl is possible.

31 i^hl Sd5 32 #fl IfdS 33 Sacl «d3 34 Wei!

With this series of precise moves. White succeeds in unpinning and is able to exploit his extra piece.

Brkic - Stefanova

Solin 2007 26...5ixe4! 27 Sfl

271^x64 is met by 27...Sxc3! 28 lfxe6 fxe6, attacking the f5-rook and thus retaining the extra pawn.

27...d5 28 axf7 ±d6! 29 l,h4

Or29Acl4ig34-.

29...'2^d2

and Black won.

400) MovszJszian - Ledn Hoyos

Salou 2008

21 axd5! I.xf4

After 21...exd5 22 Axd5+ Ae6 23 «xe5 .^xd5 24 WxdS-i- White wins back the exchange and remains two pawns up; for example, 24...'i'g7 25 fixes fixeS 26 l'd7+ -i-fS? 27 i.h6+.

22 lxd7 i.h6 23 h5

With an extra pawn and an attack. 23...i.g7 24 hxg6 hxg6 25 i.h3 Sf7 26 J.xe6 1-0

401) Ivanchuk - Anand

Leon (rapid) 2008 Here a previous game had gone 15 ^xd5?! and after 15...#xe2 16 4^xf6-l- gxf6 17 ±xe2 White stood only a little better.

15 ad4!

Loose pieces require care. With this move White is exploiting the fact that the b4-bishop is unprotected, which, combined with the threat against the a8-rook, decides the game.

15...Wg6

15...1^x62 16 Axe2 costs Black material.

16 4^h4! 1-0

After 16...1'h5 17 WxhS ^xh5 18 ±xd5 White wins a piece.

402) Truskavetsky - Shvyriov

Alushta 2008

White played 29 #e7? and the game ended in a draw.

He missed a winning shot with 29 .^d5+! and if 29...cxd5 then 30 l'xd4 (threatening 31 l.c3) 30...%7 (30...1'xc4ismetby 31 l'f6!) 31 He5! (preparing 32 ±.c3 and 33 le8-l-) 31...h5 32 i.c3 IffS (32...fif8? fails to 33 fixfS! I'xd4 34 Sxf84-) 33 cxd5, with a decisive advantage, as

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

White threatens to mate by 34 BeS fixeS 35 l'h8+ i-fV 36 fhyH-.

403) Volokitin - Kariakin

Foms 2008

30 e5+!!

In contrast, 30 l.xb3? cxb3 31 e5+ idV! was nothing for Black to fear.

30...'4'd7

Forced; if 30...4'xe5? then 31 i.xb3 cxb3 32 4id3+, while 30...<i'c7? loses to 31 l.xb3.

31 i.f3!

With a double threat. 31...1xb2 32 i.xb7 1-0

404) Lalic - Trent

British Ch, Liverpool 2008

21 Wxc7!

Winning a pawn for nothing. At first sight it looks as if it loses the exchange, but White has seen a move further.

21...abc8?!

It was better to accept the loss of a pawn with 21...^xe4 22l'xd7.

22 itxd7 Sxcl 23 fixcl l'xcl+ 24 *h2 Winning the knight.

24...1'xb2 25 ^xA6 Sf8 26 ^xhl "9% 27 Wcfi 1-0

405) Akshayraj - Le Quang Liem

World Junior Ch, Gaziantep 2008 White found nothing better than perpetual check with 35 lf7+ <i'e5 36 le7+ V2-V2.

Instead, 35 b4!, breaking the coordination between the black rooks, even at the price of granting Black a pawn on the sixth rank, is very advantageous: 35...axb3 (35...Bc8? loses to 36 g7 Sg8 37 Sf7+ 4e5 38 Hf8) 361x63 BcS 37 g7 Sg8 38 He7, with a big advantage.

406) M. Rodshtein - Lin Chen

World Junior Ch, Gaziantep 2008

24 eS!

This thematic break is stronger than usual because ...h5 has weakened Black's king's position.

24...dxe5 25 f5 ^m

If 25...4^e8 then 26 fxg6+ fxg6 27 '2ie4 k% 28 Sgl! *h8 29 ^xf6 lxf6 30 4^h4 ^f8 31 Bxe5 and White's domination of the position is crushing.

26 fxg6+ fxg6 27 ^h4 e4 28 #§3 ^ce8 29 l'xg6+ *h8 30 ?^xe4 1-0

407) L'Ami - I. Sokolov

Staunton Memorial, London 2008

White played 26 itxa3?! but after 26...1'xe4 27 fi6d4?! #e5 he had achieved very little.

Instead White gains a decisive material advantage with 26 ^f6+! "&e7 (26..."i'f8 is met by the simple 27 l'xa3) 27 ^\\5 and now 21...^Al fails to 28 l'b7-i- mating, while after 27...b4 28 l'b7+ "ieS 29 «d7-H *f8 30 l'd8+ White forces mate.

408) Dreev - Galic

European Clubs Cup, Kallithea 2008

29 Sxe6! '4'xe6 30 le2+ <if 7 31 He7+ 'igS

31...'i'f8ismetby32^h4.

32«e3

Even a rook down and with the g2-knight out of play for the moment. White is winning, because Black is almost completely paralysed.

32...Hh7 33 l'e6+! i-hS 34 '5ih4!

Now White's numerical superiority on the kingside is just too great.

34...ag8 35 '5ixg6+ lxg6 36 le8+ 1-0

409) B. Socko - Naiditsch

Dresden Olympiad 2008 Black didn't succeed in converting his advantage into anything tangible after 32...Ad4? 33 Hxd2 ±e5+ 34 '4'h4 exd2 35 Ifl g3 36

"i'g5! f4 37 -i-fS! f6 38 *e6, when the white king was able to assist the defence and the game was drawn. Instead, 32...f4+!, creating a tactical weakness based on a possible fork on d3, wins; e.g., 33 *xf4 (33 <ih2 g3-l- 34 "i-gl '5id3!) 33...1xe2! 34 Sxe2 -^dS-i- 35 '4'xg4 ^xcl 36 Bel ^xa2.

410) Cmilyte - J. Houska

Dresden Women's Olympiad 2008 51...Be3!

51...Be4 is also good.

52'i'd6

After 52 gxf4 Black wins with 52...Sd34- 53 ■ice Bc3-i- 54 'i'd5 gxf4 55 4'd4 Bel as she emerges the exchange and a (passed) pawn up. The rook move has the idea of replying to 52 c8l' with 52...Bd3-h 53 *c6 Bc3-^ 54 *d7 Bxc8 55 <4'xc8 f3 56 i.b6 a4 and a black pawn queens; 52 cS^ f3 53 ^66+ '4'g6 is no good either.

52...Bc3 53 l.xg5 f3 54 ±e3 Bd3+ 0-1

Intermediate and Complex Puzzles

lis

411) Landa - Leon Hoyos

Reggio Emilia 2008/9 30...i.c4! 31 «e3

31 H7xc4? loses to 31...1.el+!. 31...»xc7 32 axb4 WbS with an extra exchange.

412) M. Rodshtein - T.L. Petrosian

Dresden Olympiad 2008

23 '5^xe4!

The priority is to open lines against the black king.

23...1'xd4+ 24 ^h2 f6

If 24...dxe4 then 25 f6! wins; e.g., 25...<i'h7 (or 25...«xal 26 Hxg5+! "ihS 27 flg8+ '^xg8

28 Wg4+ and mate next move) 26 hxg5 Sg8 (26...«xal 27 g6+ 4'g8 28 l'xh6 forcing mate) 27 J.C4 Wxal 28 l.xf7, threatening 29 g6+, is similar to what we have already seen.

24...#xal also runs into mate: 25 Bxg5+ *h7 26 f6 ag8 27 <2ic3+ ag6 28 flxg6 fxg6 29 l'c7+.

25 hxgS hxgS

25...fxg5 loses to 26 m6\ mi 27 ©xhe «h8 28 axg5+ Hg7 29 Sxg7+ #xg7 30 «e6+ '*f8 31 'ad6 l'h8+ 32 <i'g3 ^7+ 33 'i>f3.

26 ^xf6+ l'xf6 27 Sxg5+ "if? 28 «c7+ 1-0

413) Rossetto - Euwe

Buenos Aires 1947 25...agl+?!

It is tempting to win the queen, but in fact this dissipates a great deal of Black's advantage. It is much better to play 25...Wh3!, threatening a quick mate with 26...fixh2+ and 27...#xc3+. Then:

a) Not 26 *el? lgl+ 27 4'd2 #xc3#.

b) 26 lxa5 Sxh2+ 27 -i-el Shl+ 28 <i'd2 Sxbl leaves Black the exchange up and threatening 29...Sb2+. Now if 29 «e3 «fl 30 ^3 the simplest is 30...cxd6 31 exd6 Se8 with a decisive material advantage.

c) 26 J.b4 fidS and the white king can't escape.

26 i-xgl 1^X62 27 flxaS ^4+ 28 -i-H ©04+

29 i-gl ^4+ 30 in #e4! 31 ab4 Whin- 32 *e2 cxd6??

The lack of an escape-square will lead to disaster. Black can retain the advantage with 32...h6! 33 Hc5 axb7 34 flxb7 l'xb7 35 axc7 «e4-l- 36 i'fl f6.

33 Ha8! 1-0

Black overlooked that 33...Hxa8 is met by 34 b8W+ axbS 35 axb8#.

414) Franco - Sanchez Aller

Mondariz 2003 The game went 30...1'd6 and after 31 #66! White gained a winning passed pawn: 31...Wxe6 32 dxe6 '5^df6 33 ad7+! '?:ixd7 34 exd7.

In contrast, after 30...af8!! the pressure on f2 allows Black to defend; e.g., 31 lfxd7-l- af7 32 lfxf7-i- <4'xf7 33 d6 ^^fe 34 d7 ^xd7 35 axd7+ 'i'g8 and the struggle goes on.

415) Haba - R Nikolic

Bundesliga 2004/5

28 Wxffi!!

A brilliant way to recover the sacrificed piece. 28 We8-H?! '5^xe8 29 Hxe8-l- is unclear: 29...±f8 30 ^h6-H *g7 31 ^x{5+ gxf5 32 Ae3 f6.

28...'S:^b7

28...i.xf6? allows mate by 29 He8+ 'ig7 30 ±h6#, while 28...1fxf6 is punished with 29 aeS-i- AfS 30 4^xf6-F <i>g7 31 '2^g4.

29«e7

White is three pawns up with an attack, so the rest is easy.

29...h5 30 4^h6+ Axh6 31 ±xh6 ad8 32 aeS! 1-0

Forcing the black queen to give up control of f6; now if 32...1'c2 then 33 «f6 wins.

416) Kotronias - S. Grigoriants

European Ch, Budva 2009

The position is chaotic, with several white pieces attacked.

20 l'b3!!

A brilliant proof that the most important factor here is the bad position of the black king. After this knockout blow, the result is never really in any doubt.

20...Ad6

The queen is immune, since 20...Axb3? allows mate by 21 ^c6-F ic? 22 d8l'-i-+ 4'xc6 23 Wd7#.

If 20...5^xg2 White executes one of several threats with 21 ^t6+\ ±xe6 22 Wxe6 l.c5-l- 23 ^xc5 I'xc5-F 24 "i'xg2, threatening 25 b4, and the black queen will soon be forced to give up control of b6 and e7; after both 24...1'c2-l- and 24...1'xg5+ White plays 25 ^hl and Black is defenceless. 24...af8 is met by 25 axf8+ »xf8 26 Hfl l'c5 27 We8-H 'i'c7 28 «xa8.

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

The most convincing reply to 20...Axf7 is 21 #xf7, threatening 22 ^c6+ and 22 ^e6#.

21 WxeS

Here there is more than one way to win; 21 2c 1 is also sufficient.

21...1'xa4 22 ^e6+

It is more convincing to bring the al-rook into play with 22 Scl!, but the bad position of Black's king is irreparable in any case.

22...1.xe6 231^56+ i.c7 24 l'xe6 l'd4+ 25 i-hl WeS 26 mi3

Black has avoided a snap checkmate, but has no way to improve his position substantially.

26...&b8

26...Wxg5 offers White a wide choice of winning continuations, such as 27 ^xe4 Sb8 28 Safl, with an extra pawn and the attack.

27 San M6 28 g6 1-0

28 Scl is more direct, but this move does not affect the outcome.

417) Kamsky - Ponomariov

Sofia 2006

36 e6!!

The queen transfers to the kingside with gain of tempo, and the defending forces find themselves badly outnumbered.

36...1'bl+ 37 <4'h2 fxe6 38 fhS!

Threatening both 39 WxeS-l- and 39 «f7+.

38...'2^d6

38...1f8 loses to 39 «g4.

39 i.xd4 ±xf3 40 Sxg7+ -ifS 41 Wh6 1-0

418) Movsesian - Short

Sarajevo 2007

27 fal!

A move in the style of Reti, whose purpose here is to induce an important weakness in Black's kingside.

27...f6?!

Black is understandably reluctant to weaken the long diagonal with 27...g6, since after 28 Ag4 Black has to open up his king's position even more with 28...f5 (28...S6e7 loses a pawn after 29 AhS! f6 30 ±xf6) 29 exfS Sxe2+ 30 ±\s2 gxf5 31 ±f3 (even better than 31 ±hS He7 32 ±f3, with advantage) 31...fixel 32 Ifxel ^^fe 33 l'c3 with stifling pressure.

If 27...^f6 then 28 f5! (28 'i'g2 is also interesting) and the best that Black can do is sacrifice

the exchange by 28...^e5 29 ^xe5 fixeS 30 Axe5, with advantage to White.

28 e5!

There is no satisfactory defence against the threat of 29 Ad5, winning material. 28...dxe5 Worse is 28...'i'h8 29 exd6 Hxe2-i- 30 l.xe2.

29 i.d5 <^h8 30 ±xe6 lxe6 and White won.

419) Sachdev - B. Savchenko

Elsinore 2008 32...^xd4!

After the disappearance of the pawns, the white king will be exposed to a very strong attack, which will prevent him from exploiting the passed h6-pawn.

33 cxd4?!

More complicated and more tenacious is 33 h7 ^xe2 34 hSl^H- '4'a7 35 Axe2, although Black's attack is very strong after 35...e3! 36 axe3 M&V., threatening 37...I'd-!-; e.g., 37 Sef3 Wcl-K 38 <i'f2 Hxf3-f- 39 l.xf3 m&2+ 40 i.e2 Se4 41 l'h5 *e3+ 42 -tel Sxa4, and Black wins.

33...Wb4+ 34 «d2

34 idl is answered with 34...#bl-h 35 '±'d2 lfb2-h 36 "idl flxfl-h 37 ®xfl lg2, forcing 38 l'xg2, when Black wins by 38...#xg2 39 i.e6 e3 40 axe3 WhU- and 41...1'xh6.

34...1'xc4 35 Bflil

Or 35 Hxf4 Igl-i- 36 "4'f2 WfH- 37 'i>e3 lfxh3-l- 38 'i'xe4 SelH- 39 Wxel #e6+ 40 *f3 Wxel41*g4l'e7.

35...e3 36 lxe3 Hxd4 37 Mci WdS 0-1

420) Antunes - Flear

Pau 1988

24 «a8+! <^{1 25 fxe6+

Not 25 ^g54-? 'i>e7 26 f6+ gxf6 27 exf6-l-"i'd7 and Black wins.

25...'i-e7

25...<i'xe6? walks into mate: 26 #e8-i- '4'f5 27 <i'xe3 nW 28 Wfl+ <i'g4 29 Wf4-l- *h3 30 %3#.

26 '±'xe3 nW 27 l'g8! 2el+ 28 'i'f4! 1-0

After 2S..Mc4+ (or 28...g5-i- 29 '4>g3 and there is no adequate defence against 30 ®f7-i-, mating) 29 "igS Wxe6 30 Ifxg7-F, White has an extra piece.

5 Tests 1-5

This chapter contains the first set of five tests (there are five more tests in Chapter 8 and a further five in Chapter 10). Each test is of roughly equal difficulty, and contains 16 different puzzle positions. Of these positions, two are of level 1 difficulty, four are of level 2, six are of level 3, two are of level 4 and two are of level 5.

Your task is simply to find the best continuation. The number of points available varies from puzzle to puzzle, depending on the difficulty level. 1 point is the maximum for a level 1 puzzle, 2 points for a level 2 puzzle and so on until 5 points is the maximum for level 5. Therefore each test has a maximum number of 46 points on offer.

The number of points given for each puzzle depends on how much you have discovered. Generally if you are able to spot the first move of the solution then you will receive at least half the number of points available for that puzzle. However, more credit will be given if you have seen the key variations to the very end.

I have tried to minimize the number of alternative solutions and have endeavoured to point them out when they exist.

There is no specific time limit for these tests. You should continue until you are satisfied that any more thought will not be of any benefit. As a rough guide, I would say that each set of 16 puzzles should take between one and two hours. In order to obtain realistic test conditions, you should not, of course, move the pieces or use the help of a computer.

Below there is a points score to Elo rating conversion table. To obtain a fairer reflection of your performance, you may wish to take your average mark over a few tests.

Test Score to Elo Points Conversion Chart

THE Giant Chess puzzle book

Test 1

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434 B

435 W

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436

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

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437 B

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441 W

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The Giant Chess puzzle book

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453 W

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459 W

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The Giant Chess Puzzle book

Test 4

469 W

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477 B

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480

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The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

Tests

485 B

486

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489 W

490 B

487 B

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491 B

488 B

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492

TESTS 1-5

127

493 B

494 W

495 W

497 W

498 W

499 W

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496 W

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The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

Answers for Chapter 5

Test 1 Answers

421) Ja. Bolbochan - Grau

Argentine Ch match (game 7), Buenos Aires 1936 33 Whei 0-1

Unfortunately for White, just as he was making this winning move, he lost on time. 33...Se7 is forced, when 34 Hxe? #xe7 35 fia7! wins. 1 point for 33'^h6!.

422) Piazzini - O'Donovan

Buenos Aires Olympiad 1939

48 ac7!

There are several winning moves, but this is the quickest. A player must never lower his guard; here the nonchalant 48 h6?? would walk into mate in two: 48...Sh5+ 49 "igl Hdl#.

48...axc7 49 flxc7 f3

Or 49...Hd5 50 SxcS flxh5+ 51 lh3 Sa5 52 Sf3.

50 g4 fld2 51 -i-gS axa2 52 axc3

and White won.

1 point for 48 Uc7!.

423) Grau - Gudmundsson

Stockholm Olympiad 1937

35 Wb3!

Continuing to dominate d5.35 l'xg4-l-? Sg5 36 #f3 exd5 gives no advantage, but it is tempting to play 35 ±.xh7+ "i-fS (35...'i'xh7? 36 «e4-H lf5 37 dxe6 wins for White) 36 l'xg4 ^f6 37 l'e2, which is also good for White, but not as strong as the move in the game.

35...exd5 36 i.xd5+ ihS

After 36...cxd5 37 2xd5 i-hS (if 37...1.e6 one way to win is 38 fixh5 Axb3 39 Sxh6) 38 l'c34- ^7 39 «xg7+ ^xg7 40 Hxd7 White is a pawn up with a winning position.

37±f7

and White won.

2 points for 35 'Wb3!; if you chose 35 ^h7+, you receive 1 point.

424) Grau - Palau

Buenos Aires 1939

57...fig5+!

Not 57...*g6? 58 Sg8+ 'i'h5 59 flxg4 i'xg4 60 '±'d6 h5 61 e5 h4 62 e6, and White queens first, with a winning endgame.

58 *d6 <i>g6?

White can't win after 58...Sa5!; for example, 59 2xf7-l- >4'g6 60 Sf8 Ia6-F 61 'i'e7 Sa7-l-62 <i'e6 Sa6-i- 63 i'e5 Ia5-H 64 <i'f4 Sa4!.

59 e5 lh5 60 lg8+ 'ifS 61 e6 *xf6 62 e7 and White won.

1 point for 57..Mg5+! and 1 point extra if you found 58...Sa5.'.

425) Maderna - Rebizzo

Argentine Ch, Buenos Aires 1953

27 ±b7!

Forcing the black rook to leave the back rank.

27...1c7 28 l.c6! 1-0

Now there is a double threat of back-rank mate and capturing the c4-bishop, so White wins.

1 point for 2 7 ^b7! and 1 point for 28 Ac6!.

426) Bronstein - Alvarez del Monte

Mar del Plata 1960 44 h6!

First White creates a passed pawn. 44...gxh6 45 c4!

And now he prevents the black bishop from coming back to defend; the threat is 46 g7.

45...<i'e7

After 45...bxc4 46 ±xc4 White can't be prevented from queening.

46 d5 <i>f8 47 d6 ±c6 48 ±e4! 1-0

If the bishop retreats, then White continues 49 c5, while after 48...±xe4 49 d7 <i'e7 50 g7 the pawns can't be stopped.

1 point for 44 h6! and 1 point for 45 c4!.

427) Maderna - Luckis

Mar del Plata 1942

33 -S^eS+l

The queen infiltrates the black camp, and the missing white pawn becomes less important than the weakness of the black king.

33...'axe5 34 l'h7+ <i>f6 35 SxeS #h5

35...1h8 36 l'xa7 Sc6 (or 36...ace8 37 «xb6) 37 «d7 lhc8 38 Whl #h5 39 f4 is no good either.

36 Wxa?

and White won.

With 36 f4! White could have won more quickly; for example, 36...Wf7 (it is important that 36...He7? is refuted by 37 Sf5-i-! exf5 38 l'xe7-t-) 37 fxg5-l- hxg5 38 Ifl-l-.

3 points for 33 ^e5+!.

TESTS 1-5

129

428) L. Camara - Najdorf

Buenos Aires 1948

29...<S^g4+! 30 hxg4 '^M+ 31 *g3 axg4+ 32 <i>f3 fhS!

and White is facing a great loss of material.

2 points for 29...^g4+!, and 1 point for 32..Mh5!.

429) Maderna - Shocron

Mar del Plata 1953

36 ^f5!

A strong zwischenzug which wins material. The black queen has to move to a square from which it still defends both the rook and the knight. Instead, if White 'routinely' retreats his queen with 36 Wbl or 36 l'b2, then Black plays 36...dxc4, with equality.

36...*c7

After 36...axb5 37 ^xA6 flc5 38 cxd5 Black is a pawn down without compensation.

37 Wbl!

The point of his previous move: as well as defending the c2-rook the queen attacks g7. 37...d4 38 ^xd4 and White won. 2 points for 36 ^f5! and 1 point for 37Wb2!.

430) Lundin - Ju. Bolbochan

Amsterdam Olympiad 1954

28...f5!

The white knight is a tactical weakness which does irreparable harm to White's cause.

29 e3

29 'S^c3 *?^b3 and Black wins material; e.g., 30 i.c6 (30 axd7 loses to 30...axd7 31 Ibl ^A2+) 30...1xdl+ 31 Sxdl ^d2+.

29...^b3 30 Hxd7 axd7 31 Sbl Sd3!

Terminating all resistance.

32 bxc5 bxc5 33 -4>gl fxe4 34 ±xe4 BcS

and Black wins.

2 points for 28...f5! and 1 point for 31...Ud3!.

431) Panno - Spassky

Gothenburg Interzonal 1955

28 ^xe5\

The distant white queen finds a way to join in the attack. Reversing the move-order with 28 J.xe4! and 29 ^xe5! also works.

28...fxe5 29 i.xe4! Axe4 30 flxg7+ 'i'hS 31 axh7+ -i-gS 32 flh8+! *xh8 33 WxeS+ 1-0

2 points for 28 ^t^xe5! and 1 point for 29 ^e4; making the moves in the reverse order also receives 2 and 1 point(s) respectively.

432) Ju. Bolbochan - Miranda

Rio Hondo Zonal 1966

23 'axf 7!

The most energetic way to take advantage of White's superior dynamism. The black king is very poorly protected, and this is not the only way through; another possibihty, just as strong as the move in the game, is 23 e6! and then, e.g., 23...hxg5 24 Sd7 WcS 25 exf7+ i-fS 26 ±xe7+ *xf7 27 l'd3.

23...<i'xf 7 24 e6+ '4g8

Or 24...<i'f8 25 l'd3 ^c5 26 ±xc5! bxc5 27 l'xg6 -igS 28 l'h7+ -^fS 29 i.g6 followed by 30 Af7, with forced mate.

25 ad7 l'c8 26 #d3 ?ic5 27 J.xc5 bxc5 28 axe7 1-0

3 points for 23 ^t^xf?!. Also 3 points if you chose 23 e6!.

433) Spielmann - Mieses

Match (game 8), Regensburg 1910

32*07!!

Allowing a piece to be captured with check! White threatens to mate with 33 Wa5# or 33 «xb7#.

32...1'fl+ 33 i>a21^x04+ 34 b3 WbS 35 a4

Forcing the clearance of the f l-a6 diagonal.

35...1'b6 36 i.d3+ '4'a5 371^65+ c5

If37...'4'b4then38fld4+.

38 Hxb7!

Deflecting the white queen once again, this time from the defence of c5. 38...axg2+ 38...Sf2+ is similar.

39 *a3 Sg4

39...c2 is hopeless; amongst other things White has 40 axa7+ forcing mate: 40...1'xa7 41 b4+ -i-be 42 #xc5+ -ib? 43 l.e4+ 'i'b8 44 WxfS-l- "i'c7 45 Mq1+ 'i'cS 46 Af5+ -i-bS 47 Wd8+ 'i'b7 48 Ae4-i- 436 49 b5#.

40 axb6 1-0

Winning material and soon mating: 40...axb6 41 Mel aa8 42 l'c6 and mate next move.

4 points for 32 Wc7!!.

434) Grau - Teller

The Hague Olympiad 1928 39...d4?

It was essential to exchange with 39...axd2+!, and after 40 »xd2 it is safe to play 40...1fa8!, since 41 Wh6 can be met by 41...ac2+ 42 '4'h3 (not 42 "igl? #a7+) 42...1'f8. If 41 'i>h3 then 41...flc3, while 41 ah4 gives Black time to

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

counterattack by 41...d4+ 42 ^\\2 d3 43 fxda Scl, with advantage to Black.

40 «h6!

There is no way for Black to get his queen to f8.

40...1'a8+

After 40...Hxd2+ 41 -ihS Black can't prevent mate.

41 *gl 1-0

If 41...1cl+ then 42 "i>f2! wins.

2 points for 39...Sxd2+! and 2 more points for 40..Ma8! (after 40 Wxd2).

435) Grau - Bensadon

Argentine Ch, La Plata 1938

49 fcl!!

This is the only move that defends against perpetual check and yields a decisive advantage, since it prepares a winning attack. Queening the pawn does not win; after 49 b8#? Black draws by 49...1'el-l- 50 *g2 We4+ 51 i-fl Whl-H 52 4>e2 lff3-i- (or 52...%2+) 53 <^el *hl+ 54 <id2 ^2+ 55 idl IffH 56 <ic2 «d3+.

49...af3+

It was important to calculate the consequences of 49...d3; once again White has only one good continuation, 50 Vh6-l-! (forcing the knight to retreat; not 50 b8#? when White gets mated after 50...'2^f3-l- 51 <4>hl 4^h4-F) 50...^g6

51 «d2! andif,e.g.,51...1'd4+(after51...'ae5

52 bSW ^f3-i- 53 i'f2 White soon mates) 52 *f 1 fbe then 53 lxh7 (threatening 54 l'xd3) 53...«b5 54 Sd7! wins; 54 h4 is also good.

50 '^n ^gS 51 b8« lff3+

51...'2^h3-l- loses to 52 -i-fl «hl-l- 53 "i>e2 l'e4+ 54 *d2 l'e3-l- 55 *c2.

52 <i>el We4+ 53 <idl l'hl+ 54 i-cZ d3+ 55 ■ibl 1-0

3 points for 49 WcL', and 1 point each for seeing 50 Wh6+! and 51 ^d2! in the line with 49...d3.

436) Shirov - Yakovenko

Foros 2008

4lWg2!!

Defending against a possible entry by the black rook, but it is also an attacking move, as we shall see. Objectively 41 'i>c2! is also favourable to White, but not as strong as the move in the game; Black has to play 41...b5 (41...Hh2-l-?! 42 lld2 lxd2-l- 43 Sxd2 {threatening 44 l'h4 and Sh2} 43...fle8 44 Wdl! Hd8 45 WaR <4'g8 46 lh2 leads to mate) 42 i.xb5

5h2+ 43 a5d2 axd2+ 44 '4>xd2, and Black can try to hold this position.

41...a6

There is no hope for Black after 41...1'c6 42 Ihl Sxhl 43 fchl ae6 44 l'h6+ *g8 45 f5 gxf5 46 g6 fxg6 (if 46...1xg6 then 47 l'xg6-h fxg6 48 Sxd6+) 47 ad4 'i>f7 48 #h7-l- '4'f6 49 WhS-l- i-e? 50 ah4, nor after 41 ...SeeS 42 <4'c2 Sd8 43 "ibl, as Shirov pointed out.

42 #b2+!

This is one of the points of 41 ^2!!; the queen is very effective on the long diagonal.

42...<4'g8 (D)

W

43 "i>c2!

A beautiful retreat, which completes the transfer of the king to a safe position, and threatens the d6-bishop.

43...ah2+

Or 43...b5 44 Ixde Sh2-h 45 S6d2 lxd2-h 46 axd2 bxc4 and now both 47 IhZ! and 47 ^6! win; e.g., 47...cxb3-i- 48 '4'b2 c4 49 ah2 c3+ 50 <i>bl C2-I- 51 <i>cl b2-i- 52 l'xb2.

44 I5d2 Sxd2+ 45 Hxd2 b5 46 «f6! 1-0

5 points for 41 Wg2!!. 3 points for the prosaic but effective 41 ^c2!.

Test 2 Answers

437) Villegas - Grau

Mar del Plata 1928 52...d4! 0-1

Winning a piece, since on any move of the knight, 53...d3-i- wins. 1 point for 52...d4!.

438) Grau - Balogh

The Hague Olympiad 1928 47 4^g6+!

131

Not 47 4^h7?, which would be a serious error on account of Al...^fl with equahty.

47...^xg6 48 hxg6 <^m 49 h7 '^gl 50 <td2 1-0

Heading for e6, followed by h8l'+ and -i-f 7.

1 point for 47 ^g6+!.

439) Mecking - Joksic (variation)

Vrsac 1971 26 Hxh5! (this typical sacrifice, followed by another one, wins) 26...gxh5 27 ^f6+!.

1 point for 26 SjchS! and 1 point for 27

^f6+.'.

440) Bilek - Panno

Palma de Mallorca 1972

61...1.C3+! 62 -ieS l.xg7!

The dangerous white pawn is eliminated, and the black h-pawn is decisive.

63 Seines axg7+ loses to eS-.i-fl 64 flh7 ^gl 65 ag7+ Hg2.

63...i'h3 64 axg7 axc4 65 'Sid3 He4+! 66 '4'xe4

If 66 'i'd2 then one way to win is 66...Sg4! 67 ^f2+ i-gS 68 axg4+ <ixf2 and the h-pawn queens.

66...hl«+ 67 *e3 #al

and Black won.

1 point for finding 61...M.c3+! and 1 point for62...Axg7.'.

441) Mecking - Timman

Bazna 2008 40 WxhSl

Creating a passed pawn on the queenside. 40...cxb5 41 c6 1-0

Black resigned since after 41..."4'e8 42 g5! White creates another passed pawn on the king-side.

1 point for 40 WxbS! and 1 point for 42 g5!.

442) Galic - Minasian

European Clubs Cup, Kallithea 2008 34...1.g3+?

This move should lose; 34...#g3+! is essential and after 35 *e3 axd5! 36 d4 f2-l- (after 36...Af4-^ 37 <id3 f2-H 38 'i'c2 figS 39 d5 White can defend) 37 <4'e2 ^4+ 38 &xf2 W{4+ 39 <i>e2 l'xe4+ 40 'i'd2 l.xd4, the game ends in a draw with 41 l'f8+ 4'h7 42 l'f7-i-.

35 -i'eS #g5+ 36 ^f4??

The capture 36 i'xfS! wins; f8 is covered and if, e.g., 36...1.d6 then White has 37 fgl, among other things.

36...1'xf4# (0-1)

1 point for 34..Mg3+! and 1 point for 35...nxd5!.

443) Zuckerman - Pomar

Malaga 1968 21...1'b5! 0-1

White is mated after 22 c4 l'xc4! 23 #xc4 i.xf3-M 24 Hxf3 agl#.

Both 21..Mb5! and 21..Ma6! receive 3 points.

444) Lautier - Illescas

Linares 1995

32...'?^xe2! 33 <4'xe2 J.d5!

The key move, complementing the previous one. The threat is 34...b6, and if 34 b5 axb5 35 axb5 <i'd6 36 'i'd2 b6 37 ^c6 l.xc6 38 bxc6 '4'xc6 Black wins easily.

0-1

2 points for 32...^hxe2! and 1 point for 33...Ad5!.

445) Gelfand - Illescas

Madrid 1996 18...'5i6g5!

Beginning a fierce attack and threatening 19...'ah34- and 20...^exf2-i-.

19 *hl 4^113! 0-1

Black wins a lot of material.

2 points for 18...^6g5! and 1 point for 19...^h3!.

446) J.P. Gomez - Heberia

Calvia 2006

21 «bl!

Forcing a serious weakening. 21..,h6

The alternative defence with 21 ...g6 is impossible on account of 22 l.xg6! hxg6 23 l'xg6-i-<i'h8 and now, e.g., 24 ^e5 fxeS 25 Hxe5, with a decisive attack. 21. ..g5 does not lose material right away, but weakens the position irreparably, and White could then play 22 ^f5 followed byh4.

22 l.h7+ i'hS 23 4^h4! Exploiting the hole created at g6. 23...g5

This loses, but there is nothing better. 24 '?^g6+ ^g7 25 ^m

The Giant Chess Puzzle book

Note the important role played by the b4-bishop.

25...Hxf8 26 ^6+ 4>h8 27 i.xf8 Wxh? 28

«xf6+

winning quickly.

2 points for 21 Wbl! and 1 point extra if you saw 23 ^h4!.

447) Magalashvili - Lajthajm

Kavala 2008

68 i-fS?

After this move the game should end in a draw. Instead, 68 '4'e6! wins; it is important that 68...ah6+? loses to 69 i-fV! %?+ (69...1xd6? 70 ah5+) 70 flxg7 axd6 71 flg5. Also losing is 68...1'e3+ 69 l'e5+ #xe5+ 70 lxe5 Hh6+ 71 4'd7 c3 72 d6, followed by 73 lc5.

68...1'd3+ 69 <i'e6?

69 4'g4! WdR 70 "ifS draws. 0-1

White resigned without waiting for 69...Bh6+ 70 >id7 Sxd6+ 71 "4>xd6 c3.

2 points for 68 '&e6! and 1 point for 69 <4?/7.'.

448) Navara - Svidler

FIDE Grand Prix, Sochi 2008 48 h3! (preparing the stalemate) 48..."4'e8 49 2xb3! Sxb3 V2-V2.

2 points for 48 h3! and I point for 49 ^b3!.

449) Villegas - Pulcherio

Mar del Plata 1928 29...dxc3?

Now White wins. Instead, 29,..fxg6! is an adequate defence: 30 f7+ i-fS 31 fxeSW+H-■ixeS 32 b3 #07! (the only good way to protect f7, so it is important to have seen this) 33 Wm+ '4'd7 34 lf7+ 'i'e6! 35 Sxc7 lxf8 36 Hxb7 dxc3 37 Sxg7 (if 37 Hc7 then 37...af3) 37...fld8 38 Hxg6+ "^eS, and Black's active king, plus the threat of 39...Sdl+ followed by 40...Sd2-i- or 40...aal, depending on White's next move, gives him good drawing chances.

30 lxg7+ -i-hS 31 Sh7+! "ixh? 32 lff5+ *h6 33 l'h3+ i'g6 34 %3+ <4'h6 35 %?+ 1-0

3 points for 29...fxg6! and I point extra for 32..Mc7!.

450) Bronstein - Bazan

Mar del Plata 1960 37 fS! Forcing a winning pawn ending.

37...Sfe8 38 fxe6+ 1x66 39 1x66 1x66 40

*f3ae7

After 40...axe3+ 41 '4'xe3 ie? 42 ^e4 <ie6 43 a4, followed by 44 d5. White is able to advance his king, and after playing b5 to deflect the black king. White's king can invade the kingside and capture the black pawns, as would have happened in the game had Black not resigned.

41 axe7+ '4'xe7 42 4e4 4-e6 43 a3 -if 71-0

Let's look at a few lines to illustrate the above commentary: 44 d5 cxd5+ (or 44...'i'e7 45 d6-l- skee 46 '^f4 <i>f7 47 4'f5 and 48 4>g6) 45 i-xdS '4'e7 (45...g6 is met by 46 a4 f5 47 gxf5 gxh5 48 b5 h4 49 "4'e4) 46 a4 *d7 47 b5 axb5 48 axb5 '4'e7 49 c6.

4pointsfor37f5L

451) Rossetto - Pitnik

Buenos Aires 1947

46 ad3! 'Sic2+

46...'4'xe5 is not a worry, since White can then play, for instance, 47 axa3 'i'd4 48 BaS g5 49 c6.

47 <4'b3?

Here 47 "i'c4!! equalizes, as after 47..."i'xe5 48 ac3! the knight can't escape: if 48...^d4 or 48...^el then 49 ae3-l-, while 48...^al is met by 49 aa3.

47...'4'xe5 48 '4xc2 Sxc5+ 0-1

White didn't want to defend the difficult ending a pawn down after 49 ^b3 (49 'i'd2? ad5) 49...g5; with his king over on the queen-side he has little hope.

3 points for 46 Ud3! and 2 points for 47 '^c4!!.

452) Foguelman - F. Olafsson

Mar del Plata 1960

The game continued 35 l.h7+? "i'f8 36 ab3 and with 36....^xg2! Black gained a decisive advantage and went on to win.

Instead 351x66!! wins, stripping away the black king's defences; then 35...fxe6? loses to 36 fxee-l- 'i'h8 37 «e8+, mating. And if 35...f5, then after 36 ae8-(- 'i'f7 (or 36...axe8 37 1.C4-I- le6 38 Axe6-l- 'i>f8 39 lfh8+ i'e7 40 ±xf5-l- <4d6 41 l'd8-l-) 37 k.cA+ Ad5 38 Axd5-i- lxd5 White has many winning moves, among which the most convincing is 39 af8-i-! <i-g6 (39...'i'xf8 loses more quickly: 40 Wh8-l-<4'f7 41 Ife8-F 4'f6 42 le6#) 40 ae6-l- l'f6 41 aexf6-i- gxf6 42 ag8-l-.

5 points for 35 Sxe6!!.

133

Test 3 Answers

453) Ju. Bolbochan- Iliesco

Mar del Plata 1941

19 AgS! ^xf7 19...»b6?losesto20Af6#.

20 l.xd8

and White won. 1 point for 19 Ag5.'.

454) Maderna - Villegas

La Plata 1944

14 ^hSl cxbS

Black is forced to give up his queen, since M.-WhS is met by 15 -Sixde l^xde 16 ±M.

15 Sxc?

with a decisive material advantage.

1 point for 14 ^b5!.

455) Reca - Palau

Buenos Aires 1921

18 #e6!

Since White is a piece down, 18 tfxd7? sbxfl would be a bad deal. 18...h5 Not 18...*f8? 19 '2:ih6! gxh6 20 l,xh6#.

19 ^e5+ <i>h8 20 Wxd7 AxgS 21 ^f7+ "i-gS 22 ^xg5

with two extra pawns and an attack.

2 points fori 8 We6!.

456) Da Cunha - Grau

Montevideo 1925

14...'aa5! 15 c5

15 ^d5? ^xd5 attacks the e3-bishop.

15...'5ib3 16 T^dl -Sixal 17 cxb6 '2ic2 18 M2 axb6 19 Ad3 Axd3 20 Wxd3 ^xa3 21 Balh6

with a material advantage; 21...b5! 22 bxa3 b4 was even stronger.

2 points for 14...^ha5!.

457) Rauch - F. Benko

Buenos Aires 1945

20 ^e7+!

Not 20 4^xh6+? "ig? 21 l'h4 fihS, with advantage to Black. 20...>4'h7 21 WfS and White soon won. 2 points for 20 ^e7+!.

458) F. Benko - De Ronde

Buenos Aires 1945

22 i.xf7!

The quickest; 22 Sh3 and 22 Wxf6+ are also good but not as strong as the move played.

22...«xf7 23 mxh6+ Mhl 24 mxS6+ Sg7 25lh3

and White won.

2 points for 22 ^f7!. 1 point for 22 UhS or 22 '§lxf6+.

459) Najdorf - Frenkel

Lodz 1928

18 e6!

Threatening mate. 18...axg7?!

18...J.d5 offers more resistance, although after 19 exf7+ ±xf7 20 WgS axg7 21 Sadl fc?

22 Whe lg8 23 l'h7, the black king stranded in the centre will be hunted to death by the white pieces. 18...hxg4 loses to 19 exf74- "id? 20 fiadl+, followed by 21 flxd8 and White queens.

19 Sxf 7! hxg4

If 19...Sxf7 then one way to win is 20 #xg6 Wd6 2iafl.

20 Hxg7 i>f8 21 Hxg6 1-0

White mates after 21...Wb6 22 l.xb6 i.d5

23 lfl+.

3 points for 18 e6!.

460) Ju. Bolbochan - Villegas

Mar del Plata 1944 31 l'xe7! 1-0

It is mate after 31...axe7 32 flxf8+ ixfS 33 ad8+ He8 341.c5-F. 3 points for 31 Wxe7!.

461) Ju. Bolbochan- R. Sanguinetti

La Plata 1945

41 miei 1-0

The f6-pawn is decisive; after 41...®g6 42 l'xf8+! White wins a rook.

2 points for 41 Wh6! and 1 point extra if you saw 42 Wxf8+.'.

462) Beretta - Lipiniks

Argentine Ch, Buenos Aires 1946

23 k.m 1-0

Not 23 Whe? on account of 23...f6. In contrast, now there is no defence against 24 #h6.

3 points for 23 ^f6!.

463) Ellskases - Najdorf

Buenos Aires 1947

45...ab6!!

The Giant Chess puzzle Book

The rook defends Black's third rank and threatens 46...Bf6+.

46 agi+

46 SxeS? loses to 46...Wxd3+. 46...*h7 47 <4>e2

47 i-gZ fixdS 48 fxdS lg6+ 49 "i'h2 Sxgl 50 'ixgl Ae6 leads to a winning endgame.

47...flbe6

and Black went on to won.

Better was 47„.lxb2+! 48 '4'e3 lh2! 49 Wg3 (49 Wxh2 SxdS is easy for Black) 49...Hxe4+! 50 '4'xe4 l'c4+ 51 <^e3 Hh3, with a decisive advantage; e.g., 52 WxhS i.xh3 53 IdgS «d4+ 54 "i'e2 c4.

3 points for 45...Ub6.'.'.

464) L. Camara - Stahlberg

Buenos Aires 1948

23 «xb5??

White has a big advantage after 23 J.xf7+! axf7 (if 23..."i>h8 then simply 24 l^bl) 24 *'xf7+ <i'h7 25 #f5+! "ig8 26 Wbl.

23...1el+ 24 Ixel l'xel+ 0-1

25 ff 1 l.h2+ is winning for Black.

2 points for 23 ^f7+! and 1 point for 25 Wf5+!.

465) Ju. Bolbochan - Reinhardt

Argentine Ch, Buenos Aires 1960

57 l.xd4!

This exchange is the start of a winning manoeuvre to exploit the extra pawn.

57...^xd4 58 i.dl!

Zugzwang: Black has to move either the g-pawn or the king; in the latter case White plays 59 <4'g6 and g5, winning easily.

58...g6+ 59 'i'hfi!

But not 59 fxg6+?? *g7 60 g5 f5, and now it is White who is in zugzwang; if 61 Aa4? then 61...'2ie2 and mate next move!

59...gxf5 60 gS!

The passed pawn wins.

60...fxg5 61 hxgS f4 62 g6+ ^f6

If 62...i'g8 then 63 l.g4 f3 64 J.e6+ '?^xe6 65 dxe6 f2 66 e7 f if 67 e8l'+ »f8+ 68 «xf8+ 4'xf8 69 <4'h7.

63 l,g4! f3 64 g7 f2 65 gSW ^f5+ 66 J.xf5 1-0

3 points for 57 M^d4! and 1 point for 58 k.dl!.

466) Amado - Scanavino

Buenos Aires 1963

18...1xc3!

White has an extra piece, but his king is very exposed. All Black's pieces are active, and there is a devastating finish.

19»el

19 l'xc3 is met by \9...^&\+. 19...axe3!

19...1'xe3+?! 20 "ifl is a less convincing continuation.

20 -i-fl l'f6+ 21 Ml Hxe2! 0-1 22 <4'xe2 Wa6+ and mate.

2 points for 18...Uxc3! and 2 points for 19...Uxe3!.

467) Tukmakov - Panno

Buenos Aires 1970

21 e6!! 1-0

The uncomfortable position of Black's king and the aggressive deployment of the white pieces combine to produce this elegant finish. If 21...exd3 then 22 ±xd3 '5^f6 23 gxf6 J.xf6 24 lxh7-i- "igS 25 flgxg7+! I.xg7 26 Sxg7+ *h8 27 flh7-l- <i'g8 28 ah8#, while 21...i.xe6 is punished by 22 l.xg7+! '4'xg7 23 Wd4+ Hf6 (worse is 23...<i'f7 24 ±h5#) 24 gxf6+-i- ^f8 25 fxe7+, with a decisive material advantage and an attack.

Also winning was 21 Sxh7+! <4'xh7 22 *xe4+ ±f5 23 «h4+ ^h6 24 ^xsT

5 points for 21 e6!! and 4 points for 21 Uxh7+!.

468) Fischer - Garcia Palermo

Buenos Aires (simul) 1971

12...^xe4!!

An amazing winning move; Black's deadly threats of 13...Wf2# and 13...1.h4+ are unanswerable.

13 Ml+

13 l'xe4 allows I3...i.h4-F 14 g3 J.xg3-h 15 "ifl lff2#, while if 13 i.xb7+ there is only one move, but it wins: 13...'i'b8!.

13...axd7 14 «xd7+ i.xd7 15 ^xe4 l.c6 0-1

5 points for 12...^^xe4!!.

Test 4 Answers

469) Ju. Bolboclian- R. Sanguinetti

La Plata 1944 21 Hxe6! 1-0

With a decisive material advantage. 1 point for 21 'Uxe6!.

135

470) Falcon - Guimard

Buenos Aires 1945 24...axe2! 25 fxel f3 0-1

26...#h3 is coming next.

1 point for 24...Sjce2!.

471) Maderna - Najdorf

Buenos Aires 1945 28...af4! 29 lfd3

The capture 29 gxf4 leads to a win for Black after 29...«g4+ 30 <i'h2 l'xh4+ 31 '4'g2 Sxf4. 29...e4 30 I'd?

30 ^d4 offers more resistance but after 30...1.xd4 31 l'xd4 e3! 32 gxf4 ^4+ 33 *h2 exd2 34 «xd2 Wxh4+ 35 -igl axf4 Black has an extra pawn and an attack.

30...1'xd7 0-1

31 fixdV is met by 31...Sxf2+.

2 points for 28...M.f4!.

472) Czerniak - Hand

Buenos Aires 1945

41 Sxf7+? only draws.

41 «h4+! 1-0

White's attack is quicker: 41...'4'e6 42 #e7+ i-dS 43 fxe4+ *c5 44 l'c7+ i-bS 45 a4+ 4b4 46 *b6#. No better is 41...«g5 42 axf7+, while if 41...g5 then 42 l'xe4 threatens both 43 Hh6+ and 43 We7+, and now, for example, 42...He3 43 ah6+ '4'g7 44 «h7+ "ifS 45 WhS*.

2 points for 41 Wh4+.'.

473) Maderna - Michel

Buenos Aires 1945 30 l.xd5+!

Not only winning a centre pawn but also bringing another piece into the attack and opening lines against the black king.

30...<4'f8 31 e4 c3

3I...Axe4 32 i.xe4 l'xd4+ 33 *fl does not help, since g7 is still under attack, while 31...i.h7ismetby32l'h4.

32 bxc3 bxc3 33 «h4 g6 34 Wf6+ 1-0 2 points for 30 ^d5+!.

474) Ju. Bolbochan - Rossetto

Argentine Ch match (game 7), Buenos Aires 1948 35...Bxe2! gains a decisive material advantage: 361^X62 WxdSH- 37 #£3 l'xf3+ 38 Sxf3 ±xd4 0-1.

2 points for 35...Zxe2!.

475) Najdorf - Guimard

Argentine Ch, Buenos Aires 1949

31 ah5+!

It is forced mate; 31 ^e8+! also wins. 31...axh5

31...gxh5 is met by 32 l.h6-l- Sxh6 33 W8#, while if 31...'4'h7 it is mate in seven, as Najdorf demonstrated after the game: 32 Wf?-!-! fixf7 33 Uxn+ -igS 34 Sg7-F i-fS 35 fifl-F l.f6 36 Sxf6-H "ieS 37 l.xg6-h ^dS 38 lf8#.

32 #f8+ *h7 33 Hf7+ Sxf7 34 l'xf7+ 4'h8 35 We»+ 1-0

It is mate after 35..."i'g7 36 l'xg6-i- -ifS 37

afi+.

3 points for 31 ^h5+!; also 3 points if you chose 31 ^e8+!.

476) Najdorf - de Souza Mendes

Mar del Plata 1959

28 Sh3!

With the elimination of Black's most effective defensive piece, all resistance is brought to an end.

28...Sxh3 29 Wgen- <if8 30 gxh3 ^dl

Or 30...±c7 31 «h64- ie? 32 Wgl Hf8 33 ?ig6+.

31 ^xdl+ 1-0

3 points for 28 M.h3!.

477) R. Sanguineti - Pachman

Mar del Plata 1959 68...Sd5!

Preparing to force the white king away; now 69 axe3? loses to 69...Sf54- 70 '4'e4 He5-(-.

69 fla8 af5+ 70 <i'g2 Sf2+ 71 "A-gl ln+! 0-1

The quickest way.

3 points for 68...S.d5!.

478) Ju. Bolbochan-German

Sao Paulo Zonal 1960

37 ac8!

White seems to have problems, but with this move he begins a winning manoeuvre. If now 37...'i'xe4 then 38 axc4-F wins the exchange.

37...a5 38 S.c7\ l.f8?

38...Ad8 loses to 39 ac5-H! 4>xe4 40 axc44-.

39 'S^fe* (1-0)

2 points for 37M.c8! and 1 point for 38 M.c7!.

479) Van Ketei - Pavlovic

Leiden 2008 35...^g4+!

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

Much less appropriate is 35...#al? since after 36 #xb4! matters are far from clear, but 35...1'e5+! is also good; e.g., 36 Wxe5 Sxe5 37 Sxe5 (or 37 flxf6 ±xf6 38 flxf6 lc5! and the black pawns are much more advanced and will prove decisive) 37...^g4-i- 38 hxg4 i.xe5-i- 39 g3b3.

36 hxg4

If 36 'i'gS then 36...i.e5+ 37 <i'xg4 l'xf3+

38 'i'xfS Axd6, and Black wins. 36...1.e5+ 37 flxeS l'xe5+ 38 fxeS SxeS

39 Sf6 lc5 0-1

Once again the black pawns will have the final say.

3 points for 35...^g4+!. Also 3 points if you chose 35..Me5+!, which has a similar outcome via a different move-order

480) Roktim - Vishnu

Indian Ch, Chennai 2008

19 Sd4!

Black has an extra piece at the moment. However, this move threatens to win material and also prepares an attack on the black king, and it is not possible to parry both threats. 19 ^t6+ '4'e7 20 Hd4! is also good, but not as strong.

19...Ae7

If 19...b5 then 20 fihdl, winning at least a rook: 20...f6 (20...i.b7?? walks into a mate: 21 ^f6-F -i-e? 22 Id7#) 21 ±xf8 ±xf8 22 ld8+ <if7 23 Ixf8-F 'igJ 24 Sdd8.

20 AxfS Ml 21 ±xe7 <ixe7 22 Exc4 with a decisive advantage.

3 points for 19 Ud4.'. 2 points if you chose 19 ^f6+<^e7 20lB.d4!.

481) Najdorf - R. Garcia

Mar del Plata 1965 39...1xel+?

There is no hurry to take the queen. Black can gain the advantage with 39...c3!:

a) 40 ^c7? is bad, because it puts the knight out of play. Therefore Black plays 40...c2 since now 41 Afl does not threaten anything and Black continues 41...cll' 42 fie8-l- 'i'g7 43 We5+ <i'h6!, when his mating attack strikes first.

b) 40 iS^de c2 (threatening to queen) 41 .if 1 and now Black must take the queen, but the bishop is loose after 41...Sxel (this time 41...cl#? walks into mate after 42 Se8+ "igl 43 We5+ sthe 44 WhS+ ^K7 45 ^xf7#) 42

Hxel Sb3! 43 Scl Sbl 44 Sxc2 fixfU 45 '4'g2 Sf4, or 45...Sdl, and Black can play for a win.

40 Ixel c3 41 ^c7 c2 42 Scl ^xh3 43 Sxc2

and White won.

4 points for 39. ..c3!.

482) Mecking - Kavaiek

Sousse Interzonal 1967

52 #37+!

It is the right moment to counterattack. 52..,<i'h6

If 52...*g8 then 53 Wb8-^ 'i>g7 541'c7-H and Black has to play 54...<i'h6, since 54...^gS 55 #d8-F is winning for White; for example, 55...*g7 56 #e7+ '^g8 57 Wxfe, with a mating attack.

53 We?! 1-0

The knight can't be defended, and 53...^g4-l-loses to 54 Sxg4!, in view of 54...hxg4? 55

2 points for 52 ^a7+! and 2 points for 53 me7.'.

483) Mahia - Quinteros

Los Polvorines 1980

24l.g6!!

Two pieces down(!). White finds this brilliant move, which prevents the black queen from defending the h7-square. The continuation is forced.

24...#xg6 25 axg6

Threatening 26 »xh7-l-.

25...^e7 26 Sxf7!

Not the only way to win, but definitely the prettiest and the quickest.

26...'i'xf7 27 gSW+l ^xg8 28 l'xh7+ 1-0

It is mate in three.

4 points for 24 ^g6!! and I point extra for 26nxf7!.

484) Dreev - Mukhutdinov

St Petersburg 1993 39 Hxc3!

At first sight this appears to lose; 39 Axd6!? cxd6 40 axc3 Wd\+ 41 %! should also win, but Black can still fight.

39...#dl+ 40 Ifgl an 41 AeS+11-0

This is the point: White will mate with 42 Sh3-i-.

4 points for 39 'Sxc3! and 1 point extra for 41 ^e5+!. 3 points choosing 39 M^d6!?.

137

Test 5 Answers

485) Lynch - Michel

Buenos Aires 1945 25...i.b4! This pin is decisive. 26 SxcS Axc8 27 fidl Sxd2+ 0-1

; point for 25...±.b4.'.

486) Najdorf - Hand

Buenos Aires 1945

34 lb8+! Sd8

Losing the a7-pawn, but there is no alternative; 34...i'e7? loses to 35 ^c6+ '^e6 36 le8+ -i-fS 37 ?id4-l- <i'f4 38 g3#.

35 axd8+ *xd8 36 ^c6+ i-c? 37 'axa7 ^e6 38 g3 <i'b6 39 '?^c8+ 'i'c7 40 ^e7 1-0

7 point for 34 B.b8+.'.

487) Guimard - Najdorf

Buenos Aires 1948 41...Axf3! 0-1

After 42 gxf3 l'xh3-i- 43 -i-gl Black has the typical mate 43...i.h2-i- 44 -i-hl l.g3+ 45 i-gl Wh2+ 46 4f 1 Wxf2#.

2 points for 41...Axf3!.

488) Iliesco - Guimard

Buenos Aires 1948 27...h5!

Threatening 28...Hf8#. 28 e5 Hf8+ 29 *e4 ^d2+ 30 *d3 'S^xfl 0-1

2 points for 27... h5!.

489) Maderna - Garcia Vera

Santa Fe 1948

34 l'd3!

There is no satisfactory defence against the queen invasion at h7.

34...^d2

34...g6 loses to 35 ^xf7! 'i'xf? 36 Wxge-l-"^fS 37 ad7.

35 l'h7+ i-fS 36 lfh8+ '^e7 37 ^c8+ Hxc8 38 l'xc8 1-0

2 points for 34^(13!.

490) Agdestein - Aagaard

Dresden Olympiad 2008 76...1'f3+!

The pawn ending is won. 77 WxO gxf3 78 '^^iSi *h6! The only way to win. 79 "ig4 >4g6 0-1

1 point for finding 76...Wf3+! and 1 point for 78...'i/h6!.

491) Panchanathan - Sundararajan

Badalona 2008 17...'2ixe4!!

The most elegant and most convincing way. 17...1.g6!? is also strong, while 17...^g4!? had been played successfully in an earlier game.

18 Axe4 lfh4 19 l,g2 i.g4!

19...Sf2!, with the idea of 20....^g4, was also strong.

20 d5 Sf2 0-1

The threats of 21...^xh3 and 21...Sxg2+, with a quick mate, are unanswerable.

3 points for 17...^e4!! and 2 points for 17...kg6!?orl7...^g4!?.

492) Dziuba - Onishchul(

Najdorf Memorial, Warsaw 2008 38...Axh3! This should win. 39'^gl

39 gxh3 loses to 39...1'xh3-i- 40 i-gl Hxc3 41 l'xc3 lfg4+.

39...Ag4?!

There is a win with 39...i.xg2! 40 ■ixg2 %4+ 41 'i'f2 axc3 42 l'xc3 itxdl.

40 Sn l'g3?!

Black's best at this point is 40... J.d7!.

41 ihxhS

with complications.

2 points for 38...^jch3! and 1 point for 39...Axg2!.

493) Xiu Deshun - Laylo

Kuala Lumpur 2008 51...Sd3+!

Setting up the next move.

52 'i'a2 fxg3!

And the passed pawn decides.

53 ^eS Sdl 54 1x63 g2 55 le4 gll^ 56 Hg4+ l'xg4 57 fxg4 'i'f4

and White resigned a few moves later. 2 points for 51...S.d3+! and 1 point for 52...fxg3!.

494) Laylo - Sermek

Kuala Lumpur 2008 27 ^xA6\

Winning material, but White has to see the follow-up. 27...Sd4

The Giant Chess puzzle Book

27...1exe4 28 ^xe4 i.xe4 fails to 29 WcS! ■igS 30 g3, with a decisive advantage.

28 ^dfS+l gxfS 29 '5:^xf5+ 4>g8 30 4^xd4 cxd4 31 ±xe6

White has a big material advantage and Black's king is left weak.

2 points for 27 ^d6! and 1 point for 28 ^df5+!.

495) Cmilyte - Boric

European Clubs Cup (women), Kallithea 2008

23 4^X06! bxc6

23...J.xal is met by 24 ^d8!, planning a deadly discovery by the d5-rook.

24 ad7! 1-0

After this elegant move there is no defence; 24...fcb3 leads to mate after 25 lxg7+ -i-hS 26lxg6+.

2 points for 23 ^^xc6! and 1 point for 24 Ud7!.

496) Jankovic - Trent

Harkany 2008

41 a6!

The first task is to create a passed pawn. 41...bxa6

After 41 ...HfS 42 axb? BbS 43 -i'c4 Hxb7 44 "icS, the b6-pawn wins the game.

42 b? SfS 43 <ia4!

Now White needs to bring his king to the aid of the passed pawn; not 43 '4'c4? IbS 44 flbl '4'd6! and White's king can't get through to support the pawn.

43...flb8 44 Hbl 4^e5

Seeking to counterattack against the white pawns. Passive defence fails: after 44...'4'd6 45 *a5 <4'c7 46 -S'xae Sf8 (46...h5 47 Hfl!) 47 ■ia? BbS and now one way to win is 48 Sb6, threatening 49 Sxc6+.

45 <4>a5 464 46 'i'xa6 'i'xe3 47 <4>a7 Sf 8 48 b8* lxb8 49 lxb8 4>f3 50 lb3+ 4'g4 51 *b6 g5 52 4>c5

The king arrives and White wins easily.

52...h5 53 <4d4 c5+ 54 <i>e4 c4 55 ac3 h4 56 gxh4 gxh4 57 <i'e3 "4'g3 58 <4'e2+ <ig2 59 flxc4 h3 60 Sg4+ ■ih2 61 4'f2 1-0

White mates after 61...'i'hl 62 "i'g3 h2 63 Sa4.

2 points for 41 a6! and 1 point for 43 '^a4!.

497) Toran - 0'Kelly

Palma de Mallorca 1967

24 g4!

Threatening 25 Hh3 ^f% 26 fhe, mating.

24...ag8 25 l'xh7+!!

This was another of the ideas behind 24 g4!.

25..."*xh7 26 lh3+ ^h4 27 Hxh4+ ige 28 ah6+ 4>g5 29 f4+ 1-0

2 points for 24 g4! and 2 points for 25 Wxh7+!!.

498) Puiggros - Pedrosa

Buenos Aires 1972 14 ^xg6!

First it is necessary to weaken f7. 14...hxg6 15 Axf7+! This is the idea.

15...-*xf7 16 Wc4+ 4'f8 17 ^h6! 1-0 And this is the final blow.

2 points for 14 ^g6!, 1 point for 15 kjcf7+! and 1 point for 17 ^h6!.

499) Gi. Hernandez - Guiko

Torre Memorial, Yucatan 1999

24l'd6!±xg2+25<i'gl!

This move prevents Black's queen from coming to the aid of the king by means of a check on d5. If 25 <i>xg2? then 25...fie8 26 «f6 »d5+ 27 4'g3 (27 4>f2? loses to 27...Sxe2+! 28 <i'xe2 l'g2+ and the h6-bishop is lost after 29 "idS {or 29 "idl Wgl-i- 30 '4'd2 l'xh2-i-} 29...#h3+ and 30...1'xh6) 27...*e5+ 28 l'xe5 Sxe5 29 4^xd4 f6, with advantage to Black.

25...Se8 26 ^6 «al+ 27 ^cl! Hel+ 28 4'f2! Hn+ 29 <i'e2 d3+ 30 cxd3 1-0

3 points for 24 Wd6! and 2 points for 25 ^gl!.

500) Zapata - de la Paz

Capablanca Memorial, Havana 2001 37...Sh5+!

Here 37...1'h5+? loses to 38 Hh4, among other things.

38 ^g\ #63+??

Black achieves equal play with 38...f6! and the white queen is trapped; a possible continuation is 39 H4f21'xf2-H 40 Hxf2 Hxh6 41 lxf6, with an equal endgame; e.g., 41...a5 42 'i'f2 '4'xg7 43 af7+ 4>xg6 44 axb7 ahl. 38...f5! is similar.

39 a4f2! 1-0

Black overlooked this move, after which 40 gxf7-i- will win.

3 points for 37..Mh5+! and 2 points for 38...f5.'or38...f6!.

6 Defence and Counterattack

This chapter consists of 90 puzzles on the theme of defence and counterattack. The first 40 are supplied with hints.

As in Chapter 3, the puzzles increase in difficulty from level 1 to level 4, dropping back to level 1 in Puzzle 541.

501 B

m

■

'/,Twr/._ , <Mi^ ^^ ^

^^1

AB

7//, ' ' 5*77*

IHi

503 B

m wd'

m. m i

There is just one good move for Black, but it What is the best defence against the threats on promises a winning counterattack. the long diagonal?

502 B

i

m M,

■

I I

i

Black has several tactical ideas available; how Does Black have to think about defending, or is can he end the struggle immediately? it possible to counterattack successfully?

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

505 B

m m%>, m%>, ^M m4, m^.. w^A

Lsw^,iswm,^m-'<m,

508 B

M A WW/'

■fi^^,. ^ ^

m, m-.

m.

^M A

White has a strong and direct threat; what is the best defence?

'Opposite bishops favour the attacker', especially considering the clumsy g3-bishop. How can Black take advantage?

509

%h9/ ''Wy ^W^'

m ^

i ^ A

t' Wy h I

»^ 'wm, m.\m.

w3.

m <m>.

.^eg

Is it the right moment for White to use his king aggressively, or is it preferable to retreat?

Can White play for a win?

507 B

mW m%

m

A mW A Wm

^ m.

A

570

^ Wy,^m>y. m.

1 ^2te.P

l«r^;^ ic«m

m%m.

^ ^^^ W/yy/yVili ^y%y&

W 'WW/"'"WM ^^^

White's three pieces are all working with maxi- Black's position is on the verge of collapse; mum energy; it is essential for Black to reduce how can he save the game? White's attacking power.

Defence and Counterattack

141

514 W

M mWm m

p & <m», m& WM A

» ^

White is threatening 63 <§ig5#, but Black has three pawns for the piece and is close to a draw; how can he achieve this?

You need to be more cautious than the player with the white pieces was here; where does the king have to go?

512 B

m^.

km

m

m » m,, m>.

The black king is under attack from several white pieces, but discovering a key idea enables Black to repel the attack.

Black's a5-bishop is out of play, and White threatens 30 ttxa5; is there anything better than 29...Sf8?

516 B

m

Wy M

#1 m.

m% ^ ^^^ yyyyyyy -i^y

m m iJ •

A

B B B

«

The white king is uncomfortable on the h-file; how can Black exploit this to win material?

After 37...fxe5? 38 ^c4! We? 39 '2^xe5+ ihG 40 a4. Black was in difficulties. Find a better defence.

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

517 B

m

mri A ^P ^p siffi

iSA

' 'b a'

520 B

IM

i

HAB^B

fl

White's attack looks very strong, but what is Is the counterblow 23...e5 correct? wrong with his position?

51S

tm/m

^^„^»^ I

^ ^ ^

AB mm.

m ^

527

mSLm.'

■II

iBi

■ ■ , ABAB ■

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White chose 36 Sel?, allowing the black queen Does the combination 15...4^fxe4 work? to protect her king following 36...#d2+. Find a better defence for White.

519 B

AW/ A

m

H -m.

ml

m M,

522

w

m

m m

kW W/ kW/ k

i«A

f Sf

A

'm.

m »

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After 34...1e7? 35 Hg3 le8 36 lhg2 Black Black's pieces are active but his king is ex-lost quickly. What should Black play instead? posed. How can White exploit this to defend

successfully?

Defence AND Counterattack

143

523 B

mkm

■ BA A«AB

mW^

A

m

526 B

m i

m M,

^m

i Hi wMm,

mm w

A^ ^ ■ AB

^HAB^ ■ ■

1

After 27...#(16? 28 ±d4 c5 29 l.c3 Hxc4 30 Sg3 Black's position collapsed. How could he have defended better?

Should Black defend with 53...He7, exchange the rooks, or go over to the counterattack?

Is the capture 26 J.xa6 advisable?

527 B

m M,

, mXm

After 34...'4'e6? 35 ^c5+ 'if? 36 l.xb4 Black was lost and resigned. How could he have defended better?

525 B

i

Wy ^ W.m'm Wy

^m. m.

e^^

What is the best move for the black queen?

52S B

mi

■ I

m m J

AP

3

Black played 31...1.b4 and after 32 lxd3 «e4 33 #dl he resigned. How can his defence be improved?

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

529 B

W^ » ^p mm

mkmmm m,

m ^

■ABA^

532

^^ ^

ii » iP * ^ ii ^ m-Xm.

i

Should Black become active with 23...1'f2, or should he think about defence first?

White is a rook up. Can he play for a win or does he have to content himself with a draw after 23 *g2 Wh3+ 24 *f3?

530 B

i

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!■ i

A

■ &i

n^ ^

Ami

^i^

b'aI

mm/.

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533

,,/ 1 B

^^ ^p ^«^ ^p

Al

;^<: 'A±r,

The game went 23...<5^xe5? 24 Axe6 f5?! 25 Sg?!! J.e4 26 #h6 f4 271'fe! 1-0. How could Black have improved his defence?

White gave perpetual check with 37 #d8+ "if? 38 #d5-H i-fS 39 WaS-h '*f7. What better continuation did he have?

531 B

1 cj^ m^,,^^_^^^

AH :

^^,,,,^'&\

534 B

AH^BWBAa

^

27...1'f6? ran into 28 ^4!, threatening both Exe6 and mate on h5. How can Black defend better?

Black lost quickly after 23...flg8? 24 J.xh4! axg2 25 #xg2 l.xg24- 26 '4'xg2. What should he have played?

Defence and Counterattack

145

538 B

mm mm ^^ _* #

m

White's king position is very weak, but there is How can Black defend against the multiple a way to escape unscathed; how? threats against his king's position?

536 B

m

m

AW4 - m

iP ^ ^ i .H^ m^^ •^ i

I, » B B

^mMM

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^

^ ^ ^;^j

White exerts some pressure on the kingside, which was shown by 25...Se5? 26 ^6! 1-0. How should Black defend?

White has a material advantage but his king is exposed, and his queen is a long way away. How should White defend?

537

mm, m

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m

^

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m.

mmmk,

XI

PI

wm""' m

-//, -mm/, ^ mm

K;

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540 W

m m.^vmm

Aid

r^ wm.

I B ! «jm.

^

m m. m.

White is a pawn up, but the black pieces are very active and White's king position is weak. How should White defend?

Your task here is to find a highly plausible but disastrous move for White, and show what is wrong with it.

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

541 B

m

'///, ^ W/M '

a^ H,„,B®i

545 B

542 B

546 B

543 B

547 B

544 B

A:

m Br

m ml

548 B

Defence AND Counterattack

147

mm

549 B

■ ABA

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AH

553 B

550 B

554 B

li

m

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551

555 B

m

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552

556 B

, ■//////// Y/////// ■//////// •^— ^^^

iaB fc

AHA:

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

mm

557 W

A:

e*»

lAl

m.

561 B

^11

mkmkm

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WM M

wm. m

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55«

562

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559

565

560

564

Defence AND Counterattack

149

565 B

569 B

m

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566

m

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570 B

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567

II

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571

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568 B

km m

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572 B

W ^''W> ^iP' ^iP

•:%% %%c% C^Ml//. y/mi4.

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^ ^ ^77^ ^^

The Giant Chess puzzle Book

573 B

kmx

f 1.

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W A^ A

m.

577 W

574 W

■mm y/m; -mm/, ^ 52»g? _A_

m m m^mm » mMm%m

A^ M, m>, M,

■ • • •mut « ^ ^ ^®

57S

AB

A

575 B

579 B

576 B

580 W

Defence AND Counterattack

151

581 B

585 B

582 B

586 B

«e»2 m

583 B

k\

AH

^A

5S7

: M '^m #m (^''' ^ » Hi A

^ fj Hi *

S

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■^ ■illA

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5SS

The Giant Chess puzzle Book

589 B

li ft?

m

lA

A:

m M,

m, mm

HAB^HAJ

1^1

590

1 mm:^wm

i

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5*777!? ii*S*«

■ B

Defence AND Counterattack

153

Answers for Chapter 6

501) Alvarez del Monte - Spassky

Mar del Plata 1960

24..M2\ 0-1

This threatens 25...Bel+ as well as the f5-bishop, and if 25 g4 then, amongst other things, Black has 25...Sel+ 26 Hxel l'xel+ 27 *g2 bxc3 28 bxc3 Sb8.

502) Nalditsch - Anand

Dortmund 2003 33...ae8! 0-1

The queen has no escape.

503) Carlstedt - Bracker

Hamburg 2007 36...±n+l 37 *xfl WhS+l 38 4^g2 Hxc3 0-1

504) Gomez - Lorenzo

Monforte de Lemos 2008

3S..Mt2l

Counterattack! The black king does not need extra protection.

36 Sh8+ -i-ge 371^X04 l'xf3+ 38 *gl ^g4 39 Wd4 axb4 40 Sg8 f6 41 axb4 Sa2

and Black won quickly.

505) Caruana - Sashikiran

Pamplona 2008

30...i.d5!

Deahng with the threat of 31 l'd8+. Black's great advantage in material is now decisive.

31 SxdS

If 31 i-xhS Black can play 3 \..Mc5, simplifying.

31...exd5 32 We5+ 4'f8 33 ±xh8 l'd4+ 0-1

506) Konguvel - Abbasov

La Fere 2008 62i>c5?

Walking into a mating-net. Necessary and satisfactory was 62 <i'c3! J.c6 63 lf5. 62...fig6! 63 bS aS! 64 lf5 Or 64 b6 Sc6+ 65 'ihS Sd6+ and 66...fixd3. 64...1d6! 0-1

42...>4'xg5? loses to 43 Sxf7 Axf? 44 We5+. 43 #xal 1^x07 44 ®f6+ ^g6 45 Sxg6+ hxg6 46 #xe6 Wcl+ 47 4>h2 Wf4+ 48 "i-hl d4 with a slight advantage to Black.

508) Donaldson - Becerra

Internet 2008 32...1'c6!

Threatening not only to capture on g2 and then invade on f3, but also played with the idea of infiltrating via c4.

33itd7

33 b3 Ihl 34 l'd4 loses to 34...b5! planning to take on g2 but first preventing #c4; this is better than 34...^xg2 35 l'd3+ g6 36 e4 ±xe4 37 l'c4.

33...#c4 34 fie2 M3 35 b3 l'e4 0-1

509) Bahamonde - Corte

Argentine Ch, Buenos Aires 1946 Both sides should be content with a draw, but the game went 36 l'b8+ "4'h7 37 Wxb7? axg4+ 38 ^g3 Hxg3+! 39 fxg3 «xg3+ 0-1.

White should have played 37 #h2+, when Black's best is to acquiesce to the draw with 37...*g8 38 lfb8+, but not 37...'i'g6?, which allows White to defend and create a winning counterattack by 38 '2^h4+ <4>f6 39 '%6!6+ fie6 40 #d8+ Se7 41 #xb6+ See 42 l'd4+ He5 43 Sbl.

510) Pachman - Pilnik

Mar del Plata 1962 55...1xg7! 56 axg7 l'd4+ 57 <i'fl itxg7 and after a long struggle the game ended in a draw.

511) Hector - Brynell

Swedish Ch, Vdxjo 2008

The game went:

62..,l'f5?

Black can draw by perpetual check with 62...#c2+! 63 ^g3 #c7+ 64 A-hS #d7+ 65 4'h2 l'c7+ 66 g3 «c2+, since 67 4>h3?? loses to 67...1'f5+.

63 1^X33 #02+ 64 i-gl Wbln- 65 'i'h2 l^bSH- 66 g3 l'd8 67 #37+

and White was able to play for a win, which he achieved in the end.

507)

42...aal!

Berczes - Ilincic

Budapest 2008

512) MIlov - Arnold

Philadelphia 2008 21...Ad6!

The Giant Chess Puzzle book

Preventing White's key move. 21...fxe6? 22 tfeS J.f6 23 l'xe4 achieves nothing tangible. 22 ^f4 lxe6 23 ^xe6 fxe6 with a material advantage.

513) Pap-Asis

Barberd del Valles 2008 29...1xg5! 30 ^xgS axh4+ 31 <4'g2 ±xgS with material superiority.

514) Inarkiev - Wang Hao

China vs Russia, Ningbo 2008

43 4'g3?

Letting a whole point slip away. White wins with 43 <i'e3! fle2+ 44 <4'd4 Sd2+ 45 "icS, followed by 46 flb8-i- or 46 Bxh7.

43...Sxb3+ 44 <4'f4 If 2+ 45 ^f3

If 45 'i'g5 then 45...Sg2+! 46 4^g4 (or 46 'ih4 g5+ 47 "thS lh3#) 46...1xg4+ 47 '4'xg4 l.e2+.

45...1fxf3+ 46 i-eS Ad7 47 f7+ 4-67 48 f8l'+ -ixfS 49 axd7 lf7 0-1

515) H uschen beth - Al bad ri

Dresden Olympiad 2008 Yes, 29...f6! wins a piece: 30 ^g6 e5 31 ^xeS fxeS 32 AxeS fcS 33 l.d4 i.c7 34 lfg4 «g5.

516) Hoang Thanh Trang - Le Thanh Tu

Dresden Women's Olympiad 2008 More tenacious was 37...Wd3!, attacking the c2-rook, and after 38 Sxc6 (38 #xc7 #xc2 39 'axc6 bxc6; 38 Scl? *d2!; or 38 ^2 WxaS) 38...Sxc6 39 ^xc6 bxc6 40 «xc6 Vf5 Black can still fight.

517) Pilnik - Guimard (variation)

Mar del Plata 1962 The problem is not 22...-^ge? 23 lh3 -S^fS 24 Wxf6+ 'i'g8, and now there is a choice between 25 Wh6\, 25 bxa3! and 25 l^gS-t- ^^ge 26 #h6!, all of them winning. The snag is 22...1'xf 2+! 23 '4'xf2 i.c5-i- and Black regains the queen with a winning material advantage.

518) Strikovic - Franco

Cadiz 1991 There is a draw by 36 ^g6+! hxg6 37 #h3+ "bgl 38 #d7-h and the king can't escape with 38...*f6 in view of 39 «xd6-i-! <4'g5 40 ^3+ '4>h6 41 l'h2-l- 'i'g7 42 l'c7-i- and White secures a draw.

519) Milos - Krush

Buenos Aires 2003 Black wins with 34...ftxg5!. The double check is not to be feared, since after 35 4^f7+-t-'i'g7 36 '£ixg5 Black wins with 36...1g4+.

520) Putzbach - Kempinski

Hamburg 2007 23...e5! is correct; the gain of material gives Black the advantage, viz. 24 fxeS #xh3 25 l'xf7+ 4-h8 26 «xb7 (26 e6 is refuted by 26...Axd4-i- 27 '5^xd4 #e3-(- 28 i>hl l'xd4 29 e7 ad7 30 exdSW Sxd8 31 «e7 ^c6) 26...axd3 27 cxd3 dxe5 with a decisive material advantage.

521) Ignacz - Estremera

Pamplona 2007

No, there is not enough compensation after 15...'2^fxe4? 16 ^xe4 ^xeA 17 l'xe4 f5 18 Wc2 f4 (if 18...e4 White can simply play 19 ^e\) 19 ^g5\ g6 20 ^e4! I.f5 (20...fxe3 21 l^%+ "if7 22 fxe3!) 21 ^%+ 4'g7 22 <axe8+ flxe8 23 #c3, with a material advantage.

The game went 15...a4! 16 Axc5 l.xc5 17 4^X34 axa4! 18 «xa4 ^xe4 19 Iddl «b6!, as we saw in Puzzle 356.

522) Zawadzka - Ushenina

Dresden Women's Olympiad 2008 The game went 32 «xg6+? <4'd7 33 %7 '5^xe4 34 Sf? Wbe* 35 4>hl «d6 36 In '2ig3+ 37 -igl «b6+ 0-1.

It is possible to defend with 32 flbl! ^xh3-F (not 32...Wxc3? 33 «g8-i- <i'd7 34 lb7-h <4'd6 35 l^dS-i- <ie5 36 *h8-H and White wins) 33 <4>hl! ^f2-l- 34 -i-gl Sdl+ 35 flxdl ^xdl 36 Wh8-H <i>d7 37 l'd4-i- <ie8 38 l^hS-i-, drawing. The move-order 32 l'h8+! *d7 33 flbl! also works.

523) Najdorf - Czerniak

Buenos Aires 1945

Not 27...gxf6? because of 28 «xh6, threatening 29 Hg3-(-, and if 28...ag4, then 29 Sh3 wins.

27...Se2! is very strong: 28 Wf4 (staying on the cl-h6 diagonal; if 28 l'c3 Black can defend with 28...gxf6! 29 l'xf6 «d6 30 Sg3-^ *f8) 28...l8e4! 29 «g3 i.h5! (threatening the rook as well as 30.. .Ig4) 30 If 2 (if 30 i-f 1 one way to win is 30...Hg4! 31 «h3 *e8 32 Ac3 flexg2, and Black gains a decisive material

Defence AND Counterattack

155

advantage) 30...axf2 31 4'xf2 #xf5+, winning.

524) Franco - Romero

Spanish Team Ch, Matalascanas 1993 Yes, in fact 26 J.xa6! is the best move; the game continued: 26...'ah3

After Ze.-.'axgZ 27 'S^e2! gxh2 28 l.xh2 Ag4 29 ^gi White has enough defenders and an extra piece.

Overprotecting h2.

27...Sxn

If 27...'2^f2+ then 28 l.xf2 is playable.

28 tfxn ^xgl

2%..Ml+ 29 lxf2 is no better.

29 Wxgl Axafi 30 h3 with a decisive advantage.

525) Visier - Franco

Canete 1994 2l..Mxhl\

This sacrifice of queen for rook and piece is winning, since the passed c-pawn is very strong. 22 af6+ Axf6 23 i.xb7 flc7 24 i.g2 c3 0-1 The c3-pawn costs White at least a piece.

526) Sandipan - Simutowe

Leiden 2008

Black lost after 53...Hd2? 54 Wc»+ iaS 55 #c6 a6 56 l'xe4, although here 56 lg6! leads to a quick mate.

53...«xgl ? loses to 54 «xd7 (threatening 55 l'd3+, amongst other things) 54...#e3 55 f5 and Black can't both defend his king and prevent the advance of White's passed pawn; e.g., 55...1'f4 56 WcS+ <i'a5 57 ^7 a6 58 «xe4! I'xe4 591.C3-I-.

It is essential to defend the second rank with 53...Se7!, when White is better but Black can still fight; e.g., 54 Wc8+ (54 flcl is interesting) 54...Hb7 55 l'e8 (not 55 flg7? ^d6) 55...«id6 56 fge l'xf4!? 57 fee l'd2 58 Hg6 l'xc2 59 Wxd6 c4 60 Hg3 cxb3+ 61 fixbS ac7.

527) Hector - Lindberg

Swedish Ch, Vdxjo 2008 After 34...fie2! Black is even a little better;

e.g., 35 Sc5-l- <4'e4 36 ac4+ i-dS 37 Bd4-F 4'c2 38 flc4-i- (better than 38 'ac5? axd2 39 ac4+ *dl 40 axb4 {40 ^xb7? b3} 40...Ag2+ 41 'i'g3 a3) and instead of repeating moves Black

can play 38...*bl 39 lxb4 axb3 40 Hxb3-i-'i'xa2 41 Hxb7 Sxd2.

528) Tiviakov - Jepson

Elsinore 2008

Not with 31...Sb4?? 32 WqS+.

It is essential to defend the d3-pawn and control e8 with 31...'ffe4!, when Black has a good game; e.g., 32 Safl (betterthan 32 h3?! Sb4! 33 l'a7 l'xd4+ 34 l'xd4 axd4 35 hxg4 hxg4 36 Hf8 ±c3, with advantage to Black) 32...1.e3+ 33 Sxe3 ^xe3 34 lf6-t- -igS 35 l'a5+ ^d5 36 «d2-K ^f4 37 h4-F (not 37 axf4? I'xf4 38 h4-H {38 i.e3?? HbH-} 38...>4'f5 39 I'xd3-F »e4, when Black wins) 37...4'g4 38 Hxf4-F «xf4 39 #xd3, when the most probable result is a draw.

529) B. Savchenko - Aagaard

Elsinore 2008

Black played 23...Wf2?, which walked into 24 Axe6+!, with a decisive advantage to White: 24...<4'xe6 25 «h3+ *e5 26 Hd5+ '4>xe4 (no better is 26...<i'f6 27 axg5 *f4+ 28 ^d2 »xg5 29 «xc8) 27 l'd3+ ■i'f4 28 ah4+ «xh4 29 Wt3# (1-0).

Black needs to overprotect e6 with 23...'2id8! 24 lfd3 (24 axh6 allows 24...agc5!, showing another virtue of 23...4^d8) and now one possible Hne is 24...1'f2!? 25 Hd2 WgS with a balanced game, since 26 axh6?! can be answered with 26...1'xd3 27 i.xd3 ag7!, followed by 28....&g5, winning the exchange.

530) Werle - Wells

Staunton Memorial, London 2008 With23...1'xe5!:

a) If 24 Axe6 it is now possible to play 24...4^c5! and Black is not worse; e.g., 25 #h6 ^xe6 26 4ixe6 Wal+ 27 'i'e2 I'xa2-F 28 *fl af7 (or 28...1'bl-F) 29 ag7 Wbl-H 30 i>e2 «f5 (or 30...1.d5) 31 *fl with a draw.

b) 24 ±g6 l.e4 25 i.xe4 l'xe4 26 ae3 l'xh4 27 ^5^X66 ac8 28 «xd7 BcU 29 4>e2 ^4+ 30 af3 l'c4-h 31 ad3 tt'e4+ with a draw.

531) Tkachev - Svidler

Blitz World Ch, Almaty 2008

Black can resist by expelling the e5-rook

from its strong position and bringing the knight

across to defend with 27...4^d7!. After 28 a5e4

ab6! (not 28...1'f7?, which loses'to 29 d5!

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

exd5 30 Se?) 29 h5 Wfl Black has no serious problems. Things are easier for Black if the white rook releases its pressure on e6; e.g., 28 Sb5 lb6!? (or 28...^f8) 29 h5 ^6 30 l'e3+ "ih? 31 Sg5 SfS, or 28 Sg5 WfT

532) Buhmann - Shirov

Dresden Olympiad 2008

White should be content to draw. The game went 23 '4'e3? and Black's attack won:

23...1'xe4+ 24 4'd2 l'xd4+ 25 -402 #xf2+! 26*dl

No better is 26 'i>d3 fffSn- 27 ^c3 '£ie4+! 28 Sxe4 Af6+ 29 Sd4 l'f3+ 30 "i'c2 «xb3+ 31 i-xbS .^xd4; neither is 26 i.d2 axb6! 27 lxe7? I'c5+.

26...1'd4+ 27 i.d2 axb6

Black has four pawns for the exchange and furthermore the white king is in difficulties.

28 Sxe7 flhl+ 29 *c2 Bxal 30 «c3 S.a2+ 31 *cl Sxd2 0-1

533) Fedorov - Wang Hao

Dresden Olympiad 2008 37 Wb3! is practically winning:

a) After 37...1'xel+ 38 fbl the black queen is unable to protect the b4-bishop, and following 38...1'xbl-i- 39 *xbl e4 40 i.d4 White will soon win another pawn, with a won ending.

b) It is more tenacious to play on a piece down, although after 37...1.c5 38 l.h4! I'xg4

39 «b8+ (or 39 i.g3 l.d4 40 'i'bl l'e2 41 a4 e4 42 ^c2, when White should gradually be able to exploit his material advantage) 39...^7

40 Wh7+[ -4'g6 41 ^2 i-hS 42 l'xg4-l- '4'xg4 43 ±g3 e4 44 '4'bl White should win.

534) Caruana - Kveinys

Dresden Olympiad 2008 Black should reduce White's attacking potential with 23...±xe6! and after 24 i.xh4 l'd7 25 l.xe6 Wxe6 26 2hf3 ^d7! the greatest dangers have disappeared and Black is fine.

535) Halkias - Arakhamia

Dresden Olympiad 2008 White can defend successfully, retaining his material advantage, with 28 l.f7+! 'i'xf7 29 l.g3 Wh5 30 5id2 i.xc3 31 bxc3 WxdS 32 Bxf3-i- "i'g8 and now he has a choice between 33 Sf2, 33 ±f4 and 33 cxd6 #xd2 34 dxc7, which looks the most promising. Instead he lost after 28 Ag3?lf8!.

536) StShlberg - Guimard

Match (game 1), Buenos Aires 1945 25...'i'h8? 26 flxg7! (or 26 ^f5) 26...'^xg7

27 4^f5+ is not the right way.

Instead Black can prevent ^f5 and make life difficult for the attacker with 25...Ac8!:

a) If 26 h3 Black can play 26...*h8 27 Sf 1 (27 Sxe4 Sxe4 28 ^xe4 is strongly met by 28...We7! 29 i.d5 f5 30 ^il l'xe3) 27...1'd6!

28 Bg5 We7!, evicting the white rook from the kingside.

b) 26 lh4 Wee 27 If I l.e6! (neutralizing the power of the a2-bishop) 28 ^xe4 f5 29 Axe6-f l'xe6 30 ^f2 ^xfl 31 Sxf2 #xe3, with a big advantage to Black.

537) Palac - Agrest

Dresden Olympiad 2008 35 Wdl? (bringing pieces to the defence is a good idea but it has to work tactically, and here the punishment is immediate) 35...Bxg2+! 36 &xg2 «g4+ 37 <ifl l'h3+ 38 -462 «g2+ 0-1. If39'4-d3then39...^f2-l-.

Instead White can play 35 Sfl! since this creates pressure on f7 which helps him defend successfully. If now 35...4^g3 then 36 e4!? is interesting, deflecting the black pieces; e.g., 36...'§^xe4 (or 36...Wf4 37 Sel Sxb2 38 e6! fxe6?? 39 l'd4-l- #f6 40 e5, or 36...«xe4 37 l'f6-i- 4'g8 38 WdS^- with a draw) 37 ^d4 «c8 (37...axg2-(- only draws) 38 WxcS Sxc8 39 fiel. Worse is 35...1'g4?! 36'?^el Se2 37lfe7! #66 38 fxee fxe6 39 ^d3, with a good endgame for White.

538) Gajewski - Maze

Dresden Olympiad 2008

37..Mn+l

By counterattacking! Black exploits tactical weaknesses in White's attacking set-up, such as the potential fork on the white queen on h5 and king (after a future ^xg2).

38 4'h2 l.xg2! 39 ±gl

If 39 fixg2 then, as mentioned. Black has 39...#xg2+ 40 "i'xg2 ^xf4-t- and this constitutes the main point of this exercise. Black had no better way to defend his position than by counterattacking, and now he has the advantage.

39...1.C6 (D)

39...J.d5! seems better, although at the board it would be almost impossible to grasp the difference. Let's examine a sample variation: 40

Defence AND Counterattack

157

^fl lxe6 41 ^h6+ *h8 42 Ad4+ He5 43 ^il+ "ig? 44 ±xe5+ dxeS 45 «h6+ i-fe! 46 fxe5+ ^e7 47 l'g5+ 'i'xf? 48 «f6+ -teS and Black wins. But with the bishop on c6 this line would fail to 49 l'xc6+.

W

PA iff

¥1

40 -Sixh??

40 'Sl^fV gives White much better practical drawing chances. Although after 40...Bxe6 41 '5ih6+ 4g7 42 ±d4+ the move 42...Sf6! seems to favour Black to some degree, the variations are messy, and anything could have happened if this had arisen over the board.

40...1'e2+! 0-1

White resigned in view of 41 #xe2 Bxh7+ 42 Hh3 flxh3+ 43 'i'xh3 ^xf4+.

539) Campora - Safin

Dresden Olympiad 2008 The game went 37 ^f2? #62! and White was lost - the mismatch of forces on the kingside is too great. 38 4ih2 (38 n)3 Wxf 1 39 l'xb7+ Sf7 is no improvement for White) 38...Shf8 39 l'b3 Sxf2 40 Wc3+ i-h? 0-1.

With 37 iHbl! helping out the defence. White could hold on; e.g., 37...1'b3+ 38 ^3 ff? 39 fixfS gxf5, and here it is reasonable to seek a draw with 40 «dl (better than 40 I'd #67 41 ^f2 bxc6, or 40 4^f2 bxc6, and in both cases only Black can play for a win) 40...fxg4 41 itxg4+ <i'h7 (41...%6? loses to 42 c7! Sc8 43 ^d5 l'xg4+ 44 4'xg4 <^f7 45 "4>f5) 42 lfh4+.

540) McNab - Mastrovasilis

Dresden Olympiad 2008 The game went: 38 ±e2?

Here 38 '4>g2 «xe4+ 39 l.f3 WfS 40 b5, 38 "igl, or even 38 i'el, all lead to a balanced

position, but not the move in the game, on account of...

38...1'h3+ 39 •i'gl

39 iel is met with the same response.

39...Sc8!

and Black wins.

541) Bielicki - Wexler

Mar del Plata 1960

37...&h7! 0-1

Taking on h6 loses, but now there is no defence against 38...Sxh2#, among many other threats.

542) Bahamonde - Piro

Argentine Ch, Buenos Aires 1946

61...1fxb4??

A serious miscalculation; instead, the passed pawn is very strong after 61...c3, and White should give perpetual check with, for example, 62 %3-h '4>f6 63 l'g5+ *e6 64 ^5-^ 4>d6 65 I'cS-K <i'd7 66 l'a7-^. Black can also simply retreat his king with a move such as 61..."ig7, making ...l'xb4 a real threat. Then White may also have nothing better than giving perpetual check.

62 itb6+! Wxb6 63 axb6 c3 64 *e3! ^g5 65 b7 c2 66 >id2 1-0

543) Wilms - Fraas

Hamburg 2007 43...1.g3!

Defending against the mate threat and preparing a decisive counterattack. 44 lxg3 mn+ 45 <^h2 Sxa2+ 0-1

544) Jacoby - Faiita

Hamburg 2007

54..ic6!

In order to advance the b-pawn quickly; the game continued:

55 '2ie4 b5 56 axb5 axb5 57 ^d2 Hc3 58 ^A lc6 59 4f3 b4 60 ^d2 b3 61 ^xb3 Sc3+ 62 *e4 Sxb3

with an easily tenable endgame that ended in a draw.

545) Kuran - Estremera

Cesenatico 2007 21...adl!

Exchanging a pair of rooks reduces White's pressure. 2211)5

The Giant Chess Puzzle book

White is a pawn down, so the endgame after 22 «xe6 axfl+ 23 ixfl fxe6 is worse for him.

22...Sxn+ 23 i-xn

Or 23 Sxf 1 d5 mobilizing the centre pawns.

23...'4'g7

Returning the pawn in order to go over to the counterattack.

24 fxb? #04+ 25 ^e2 ^dS 26 l.d2 AgS 27 ficl «d3 28 i.xg5 hxgS 29 h3 Hh4!

and Black's greater activity proved decisive.

546) D. Cramling - Mekhitarian

Santos 2008 42...±xc5!

Equalizing the game; the discovered check is nothing to be afraid of. In contrast 42..."^e?? loses to, among other things, 43 Hd4! a5 44 a3.

43 l.b3+ <i>c6 44 l.xc5 i.xb3 45 i.xf8 Axdl 46 <4'g3 i?d7 V2-V2

547) Azarov - Sharafiev

Nezhmetdinov Memorial, Kazan 2008 After 37...<i'xf7? 38 #€4+ <i'g6 39 Hxd4 it

was White who had a big advantage.

Instead, 37...fixf7! is both necessary and

good. After 38 WcA i.b6 39 lxd8+ ±xd8

Black has a sUght plus.

548) Banikas - Kosic

Dresden Olympiad 2008 61...Sg4+! 0-1

Preventing 62 ^g6#. Now Black queens and wins after 62 l.xg4 hlW or 62 'i'xg4 dll'+.

549) R. Garcia - Mecking

Rio Hondo Zonal 1966 27...4e8!

The c7-rook is trapped. 28 i.a3 ^d» 29 kxcS '4'xc7 and Black won.

550) Zelcic - Franco

Montecatini Terme 1998

40...fig6! V2-V2

The only way to save the game; after the forced move 41 #xg6 Black draws by perpetual check with 41...1fxh4+ 42 *gl Wel+ 43 4'h2 l'h4+.

551) Franco - Amonatov

Turin Olympiad 2006 46 'i>h2!

'Playing to win' with 46 'i'fl?? walks into a surprise mate with 46...flel+! 47 "ixel Bgl#.

46...Sg5 47 i.xd3 ah5+ 48 <4'g2 Sg5+ 49 4>h2 ah5+ 50 <4'g2 lg5+ 51 *h2 V2-V2

552) Van der Weide - Engelbert

Hamburg 2007

In the game, 22...1'g6? 23 Axel gave Black no compensation for the piece, and he lost after 23.,.«xg3 24 5ixg3 1-0.

Instead, 22...'4'xf8! was both necessary and good: 23 5ixd6 l'g6 24 l'xg6 (24 itf4?! '§ixc2 sacrifices another pawn and if 25 ^c4 flb7 26 ^e5 then 26...1'g8!, followed by ...'ad4, is good for Black) 24...hxg6 25 ^xc8 fixc8 with a slight advantage for Black.

553) Jaracz - Estremera

Porto San Giorgio 2006

16...'5^e4!

Not 16...^e8? 17 l.xe7 ©xe7 18 ^d4 with advantage to White; the e8-knight stands badly.

17 fxe4 dxe418 l.xe7 Wxel 19 Bh3?! exd3 20 lfxd3 SfdS 21 ^63 axdl+ 22 -ixdl Sd8+

with advantage to Black.

554) Huerga - Estremera

Melilla 2008 18...bxa4!

Retreating with 18.. .?^d6?! is better for White after 19 ^c5!.

19 fxe4

19 bxa4 is met by 19...^c4.

19...fxe4 20 la3? exd3 21 l'xd3 g6

Black has an extra pawn; furthermore the white pieces are badly coordinated.

555) Sega - Bachmann

Santos 2008

27...^xd3!

The black knight's entrance into play refutes White's attack.

28i.e3

Intending to meet 28 J.xg7? with 28...'5^xf2+ 29 <i>g2 <5if4-i-, while 28 ^xgl ^xi2+ 29 <i>g2 fla2 is no better than the game.

28...'5idf4 29 i.xf4 ^xf4 30 l'h4 itc4 31 «ig3 l'd3 0-1

556) Coelho - Zambrana

Sao Paulo 2008 25...gxh5!

Forced, but winning.

Defence AND Counterattack

159

26 «xh5 Hxf6! 27 gxf6 We3! Controlling the vital squares g5 and h6. 28 <S^d5 fce4+ 29 if 2 l'd4+ 30 i-el le8+ 31 ^e7+ nxe7+ 32 fxe7 #63+ 0-1

557) Epishin - Cherin

Conegliano 2008

26 l'h6!

This counterattack is decisive. 26...Sxd4

Also insufficient is 26...'4'e8 27 Wxh7! 'SicdS (not 27...axd4? 28 ^8+) 28 ©xgen- #f7 29 Wh6! and Black is the exchange down without any compensation and, with a weak king as well, his prospects are bleak.

27 l'xh7+ '4'f6

Or 27...<i'e6 28 WgS+ <i>f6 29 l'h8+.

28 Wh»+

White wins another exchange.

558) SantacaterJna - Lavric

Conegliano 2008

After 20 *n? axf2+! White resigned in view of 21 4'xf2 l'g3+ 22 -ifl If8+ 23 Af3 g4 24 ae3 #h4!, with ideas of 25...Af4 or 25...1.g3.

20 '4'hl! is necessary, with good play after 20...Sae8 21 J.xe6+ fixee (not 21...<i>h7? 22 «g4 ^f6 23 l'h3+ ^h5 24 g4) 22 lxe6 Hxf2 23 Se2.

559) S. Sokolov - Kharlov

Nezhmetdinov Memorial, Kazan 2008 The game featured 30 4^d4? ^xd4 31 cxd4 flc8! followed by 32...b5, winning material.

30 i^saS! is better for White, with the idea of ^c2 and developing the cl-bishop; for example, 30...?^e5 31 l.e2 ^gA+ (31...Shi 32 -i'g2 Sel 33 Ml Idl {33...Sd8 34 '2ic2} 34 ^c2 g5 35 Ae2 and the cl-bishop will be able to emerge) 32 4>g2 lei 33 l.f3 ^e5 34 ^c2! '2ixf3 35 <4>xf3 Ihl 36 '4>g2 fidl 37 l.e3. 30 Ae2! is also quite good for White.

560) Bogner - Wirig

Mulhouse 2008

27 l'b2?

It was essential to protect the back rank by 27 Wcl!, with a playable position after 27...1'xb4 28 i'g2.

27...^g5l 0-1

Black wins after 28 ^xg5 lel-l- 29 <4'g2 Ml+.

561) Kliuner - Gutman

Dortmund 2008 38...'ab3!

The c4-pawn is lost and White's position collapses.

39fle4

Or: 39 Wxdl ^xd4 40 »xd4 l'xc4; 39 Ixd? I'xc4 leads to mate.

39...^d2 40 h5 'Sixe4 41 '?^f6 l'xc4 0-1

562) Franco - Rossetto

Vdla Gesell 1980

21..Ma4\

A winning zwischenzug, attacking the c4-bishop. In contrast, the immediate 27...'i'xf7? allows White to seize the initiative with 28 f5.

28 l'd3 ixf 7 29 ld7

Now if 29 f5. Black has 29...1.h6-M 30 "i-dl Ibl-l-31"4e2^f4-i-.

29...'i'f8! 30 g5

30 i.xe6 loses to 30...1'xf4+ 31 <i>dl (worse is3ll'd2«fl-^32fdl ±h6+)31...Hbl-hwith a decisive attack.

30...^d4 1-0

563) Jonkman - Estremera

Cesenatico 2004

35...1.C6! V2-V2

An elegant way to defuse the strong threat of 36 4^xf6; a possible continuation is 36 ^xf6 lxf3+ 37 ^g2 Ixf6-H 38 Hxc6! axc6 39 lxb7 5c4 with a drawn endgame.

564) Estremera - Tregubov

Gibraltar 2005

37 AeS!

This counterattack solves White's problems; in contrast, 37 l'xb6? I'xc2 38 Hfl l'xe4 is better for Black.

37...«xc2

37...Wg4+? 38 '4'f 1! is better for White, who will win the b6-knight.

38 i.xg7+ <i'xg7 39 We7+ It's a draw by perpetual check.

39...<i'g8 40 #66+ i'f8 41 #£6+ ■ie8 42 #66+ <if8 V2-V2

565) Franco - Miljanic

European Ch, Saint Vincent 2000 21...ag7!

21...^xc4? is bad because of 22 l'c3 %6 23 lfxc4 d5 and now 24 Mel, intending to meet 24...Hg7? with 25 *e6-H.

The Giant Chess puzzle book

12 U

22 dxeS is met by 22...axg2+ 23 "4'xg2 Wg4+ 24 'i'hl itff3+ 25 i-gl Wg4+.

22...'Sixc4! 23 #c3 Wf?

and Black is slightly worse, but he held out successfully.

566) Franco - Mateo

Capablanca Memorial, Havana 2001

29..Mc5+l

After 29...5xc3! the game ends in a draw by perpetual check; White has nothing better after 30 lxe7+ "ifS 31 l'h8+ -iPxe? 32 «xf6+ i'd?

33 Mgl+ 'i>d6! 34 W6+ 'id?!.

30 *hl flfS

If 30...Sc7 then one way to win is 31 Aal; e.g., 31...1'd6 32 Sxe7+! fixe? 33 Sxf6! Wxfe

34 l.xf6+ "ixfe 35 l'h4+ *f7 36 *gl.

31 I'd?! I.xg2+ 32 'i'xg2 #xc3 33 lxe7+ 1-0

567) Svidler - Shirov

Leon (rapid) 2004

10 Wd2?

This allows Black to regroup. Instead, 10 c4! (threatening 11 c5) is very strong, and Black then has to find the best way to give back some material; e.g., 10...^c6 (10...dxc4? 11 '2^a3! a6 12 ^\cA #37 13 'S^d6+ i'e7 14 l'd2; 10...^h6 11 .ixh6 gxh6 12 c5 l'xb4 13 ■ixf 2 and the piece outweighs the pawns) 11 c5 ffxb4 12 <i?xf2 with advantage to White after 12...ah6 13 i.xh6 gxh6 14 g3.

10...^h6! 11 i.d3?

The position is still complicated after 11 a4!?, when 11...^g4? loses to I2a5l'c7(12...1'e3 13 h3) 13 ^5!; similarly after 11 c4. But now White is lost.

11...5^g4! 12 WgS AbS! 13 c4 i.g3! 0-1

After 14 lfd2 dxc4 15 hxg3 ^ch 16 ^c^ cxd3 White's position is in ruins.

568) Guerra - Franco

El Ferrol 2009

Black is a rook up, but the threats on f6 are so strong that he has to find a way to save the game.

35...^d3?

This returns the material but does not enable Black to escape. Also insulFicient is 35...'4'f8? 36 l'a3+! 1^67 37 ±xe6, when White has a strong initiative and soon regains all the sacrificed material with interest. The only satisfactory way is 35...1.xd5! 36 axf6 (36 cxd5?

allows 36...fle5) 36...<i'f8! 37 af4 (not 37 ag6?? ^f3-l- 38 '^g2 ^e5+) 37...^f3+! 38 flxf3 i.xf3 39 l'xh8+ '4'e7 40 l^fe-F "id7 41 l'xf3 -i-cS 42 l'xf7 fiel-l- 43 'i'h2 l'xa5, and the most probable result is a draw.

36 l'xd3 ±xd5 37 ag4+! 4>f8 38 Aa3+ le? 39 cxdS

The material is left equal, but the strong passed pawn and the bad placing of the black king make defence impossible.

39...<i'e8 40 Axe7 '4'xe7 41 d6+ 4'f8 42 d? 1-0

569) Ivkov - A. Kovacevic

Zlatibor 2008 18...exf5!

Not fearing ghosts!

19 -^^dS dxeS!

The extra pawns form a wall, so White has to make further sacrifices.

20 2xf5

Or 20 ±xf5 gxf5 21 l^xfS 'Sid6 22 l^hS f5 23 i.g5 Sd7 24 i.xe7 Sxe7, and Black retains a material advantage.

20...±c8! 21 ±h6 i.xf5 22 AxfS gxfS 23 Sfl f4 24 ^d2 #08 25 WhS «e6

and now White has no compensation.

570) Hebden - H0i

Oslo 2008 42...J.C6?

It is more important to contest the g-file and prevent White's following manoeuvre with 42.,.'i'h8! 43 Sc7 (the idea is to answer 43 Sg3? with 43...ag8) 43...1fh7 44 axb7 ±c6 45 2b6 (45 Sc7? I.b5) 45...Sc8 46 Wcl ±bl 47 Wf4, with a possible draw.

43 ag3+ ih? 44 ag4 1-0

571) Brunello - Elianov

Elsinore 2008

28 #€4?

It is essential to restrain the strong d4-knight by pinning it with 28 #63!, and if 28...±a5 then29±bl.

28...1.xel! 29 axel

29 «xel is met by 29...'Sixb3. 29...^fS 30 ±e2 Wxf 2

with an overwhelming advantage for Black.

572) Kariakin - Short

Rapid match (game 9), Kiev 2008 41...d4?

Defence AND Counterattack

161

Black can stay in the game with 41...g6! 42 fxgeH- l.xg6 43 fixb2 a4 44 Hb8+ -if? 45 Sa8 Ac2, and the struggle continues.

42 Hxb2

The simplest; the artistic 42 .^dS! also wins.

42...Sxf5 43 ab8+ <i>h7 44 l.e4

and White wins.

573) Salgado - Camacho Collados

Padron 2008 44...1e6?

Almost equivalent to resigning; 44...'i'g5? is no good either, since 45 h4+! 'i'xh4 46 J.xf4 threatens mate with 47 Bh6#, but after 46...h5 47 gxh5 the passed pawn on h5 is decisive.

The best defence is 44...f6!, solving the problem of the unsafe king, and after 45 k.\fA+ '4'g7, followed by ...Bdl, Black has excellent defensive chances.

45 ±xf4+ <i'g6 46 axc6

White has two extra connected passed pawns; the rest was easy.

574) E. Lund - Tiviakov

Renne 2008 The game ended 62 <ig3? ±xe5+ 63 WxeS d2 64 Wd5 (64 «e2 «el+ 65 4'h2 ae7! changes nothing) 64...f4+! 65 i'f2 Wel# (0-1). White should play 62 i.h2! fife 63 #63, when Black can draw with 63...1xb6 64 l'xb6 d2 65 AeS ^hS 66 WbS <i'h7 67 l.xg6+ 'i'xg6 68 «d6+ Af6 69 lfxd2 i.e5 70 f4 l.f6 or 63...d2!? 64 Sxf6! dl© 65 axg6 <i'xg6 66 me6+ l.f6 67 l.e8+ <i'h7 68 ^7+ ±g7 69 WxfS-l- "ihS 70 l'xh5+ *g8 71 l.c6 «xh2+ 72 ^xh2 l'd6+.

575) Oleksienko - Margvelashvili

Kavala 2008 38...h5?

Missing a good chance: 38...^f4+! 39 l'xf4 e5 40 We3 exd4 41 l'xd4 ac4 42 l'd7 a4 and Black is not worse.

39Sd2

With a big material advantage to White.

576) Navara - Kamsky

FIDE Grand Prix, Sochi 2008

37..Mc3l

Putting pressure on the e3-bishop, which leaves White with little room to manoeuvre.

38 ^h6+

38 ^2 le6 39 'i'h2 is met by 39...1'g7, guarding for now all the squares to which the

g4-knight might jump. Then after 40 #xh4 axd6 (or 40...f5!?) White has insufficient compensation for exchange and pawn. Or if 38 '?if6-i-then38...4>h8!.

38...*h8! 39 ^xf7+ <i>g7 40 l.h6+

Or 40 ±g5 i.b5 41 lff4 lel-K 42 'ih2 WgS-F 43 l'xg3 hxg3+ 44 4xg3 <i'xf7.

40...4^g6 0-1

There is no satisfactory defence against 41...ael.

577) Vehi - Mufioz Pantoja

Badalona 2008

41 b7?

'The king is a strong piece'; White must play

41 *f2! Hcl 42 axd2 ±c3 43 b7 Sbl 44 aa2 'i'f6 45 aa3 and it is White who is playing for a win.

41...Scl 42 bSW Sxdl+ 43 <i'g2 Sgl+! 44 ■i-xgl dll'+ 45 'i'g2 «f3+ 46 *h3 h5 0-1

578) Sandipan - S. Ernst

Vlissingen 2008 18...1.h4?

Preventing 19 Sg3-t-, but straying too far from the squares f6 and g7. It is possible to defend with 18,..±f6! 19 IgS-l- (not 19 ^e4? J.g7 20 Ig3 f5 followed by 21...±d7) 19...i.g7 20adl Se5 21 figS f5 and the most probable result is a draw after, e.g., 22 f4 l'c7 23 ^b5 l'e7 24 b4! I.d7 25 ad3 af6 26 axd7 l'xd7 27 Wxfe #dl-i- and perpetual check.

19 ^e4!

Threatening both to take the h4-bishop and to play 20 ag3-H Axg3 21 ihf6+.

i9...ad8

After 19...f5 20 l'xh4 fxe4? comes 21 «e7!, threatening 22 ag3+ 'i'h8 23 ah3+ mating.

20 l'xh4 fdlH- 21 ael

With an extra pawn, an advantage in development and the black king exposed.

579) Dziuba - Deszczynski

Najdorf Memorial, Warsaw 2008 41...itf6?

Instead, 41...®e3! is decisive, threatening both to queen and to play 42...#xgl-l-, mating. If 42 l'f8-^ then 42...*h5 43 Bel #f2, while

42 axg6-F!? is met by 42...'ih5! 43 ah6-l-#xh6! (and not 43...'i'xh6? 44 WfS-l- <4'h5 45 Mfl+ with perpetual check) 44 feS-l- l'g6, winning.

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

Or42...1,fl 43«e8!#xd444«f8+l'g7 45 ^4+! g5 46 l'xd6+ fge 47 «e7 ffS 48 lg3, with the idea of <4'gl-f2.

43 V{S+ <ih5 44 We7! 1-0

580) Y. Vovk - Gritsak

Najdorf Memorial, Warsaw 2008

27 exd6?

White can draw with 27 *h6+! 4>g8 28 *e6+ -ihS (after 28...<i'h7?! the black king remains exposed, so 29 exd6! and now 29...#h3-l-? 30 "i-hl lc2 loses to 31 l'e4-i-) and then 29 fce-l-, but not 29 exd6? transposing to the game.

27...1'h3+ 28 i-hl lc2

Now White has no satisfactory way to meet the threat of 29...Wg2#.

29l.f2

29 Sf2 loses to 29...axf2 30 ±xf2 l'f3+.

29...1'f3+ 30 A-gl fixfl! 31 flxf2 «xdl+ 32 i>g2 Wxd6

with an extra piece.

581) Tomczak - Ragger

Worid Junior Ch, Gaziantep 2008

62,..<i>a7!

Before moving his queen onto the long diagonal, Black evades a possible check on c6. Not 62...#e5? right away in view of 63 l'c6-l- 4-37 64 #d7-l- i-bS 65 WhS^-, drawing.

63 l.g6?

Black pays the price for his bishop being loose on e8 after 63 #c2 feS 64 I'd *xe8, with advantage to Black.

63...1'd4

Now it is forced mate.

64 b4 axb4 65 <4'b3 1^03+ 66 <ia2 b3+ 67 <4'a3 l'b4# (0-1)

582) Jobava - Hernandez Carmenates

Barcelona 2008 34...#f6??

It is necessary to move the king away with 34...*c8! and then if 35 h7 «f6! 36 *g8 Black can remind White that his own king is not safe either by playing 36...a3.

35 Wxf8+! 1-0

583) A. Rasmussen - Postny

Dresden Olympiad 2008

5i..Mni

A strong zwischenzug which deflects the white queen. After 51...exd4? the e3-bishop is

activated and there is no more than a draw: 52 Axd4+ f6 (not 52...<i'h7? 53 l'f6) 53 »xf64-*g8 54 Wi8+ 4>f7 55 Wh7+ <i>e8 56 Wxh6 I'D 57 ni8+ *d7 58 Wg7-l-, etc. 52«g3

52 "^^fS-l- is not dangerous either: 52...gxf5 53 #g3-l- "ifS, or even 53...'if6, and White has no serious threats.

52...exd4

Now this is winning.

53 l.xd4+

53 l.xf4 l.xf4 54 Wxf4 also loses after 54...^e2 55 ^4 «xf2+ 56 ^2 «f4-^ 57 i-hl fcl-h.

53...<i'h7 54 1.XC3 ^^62 55 l.d3 ±U 56 l'xf4 Ifgltt (0-1)

584) Leko - Carlsen

Morelia/Linares 2007

28 g4!!

This surprising move prevents the check on h3, which is the priority. Even though it weakens White's king position (which is missing the d3-bishop) and looks inadvisable, it gives White the advantage, mainly thanks to Black's weak back rank, not forgetting that White is also a pawn up.

28...1xel+ 29 flxel Hf8 30 h3

Now White must solidify his pawn-structure.

30...1'd8 31 J.e4

The bishop returns to g2 to guard the king.

31...1'b6?! 32 i.g2 g6 33 "4>gl 'i'g7 34 Wd7!

and White combined his extra pawn with an attack on the king.

585) R Carlsson - Timman

Malmo 2007 23..Mh4V.

A decisive counterattack, attacking the rook and covering the e7-square, so that he threatens 24...Bxf2. Now 24 '5^e7+? is no use because 24...1'xe7 defends h7. histead, 23...hxg6?? leads to mate after 24 l'xg6-i- i-hS 25 l'xh6-l-<4'g8 26 '$^f6-F lxf6 27 l'h7#.

24 flxe6?

24 Se2 is better, with the possible continuation 24...J.b5! (but not 24...axf2? 25 'Sigf4! with advantage to White), winning material after 25 '2^xf8 l.xe2 26 l'xe2 IxfS.

24...axf2! 25 Wdl

25 fcf2 Ixf2 26 'i'xf2 «xb2+ costs White more material.

25...Hfl+! 26 *xfl *xd4+ 0-1

Defence AND Counterattack

163

586) Kogan - Babaev

Sort 2008 42...>4'f8?

A losing blunder, whereas with 42...Af6! Black is better. After the forced line 43 Sxg7+ J.xg7 44 l'xd8+ i.f8 45 l'g5+ he can play for a win with 45...4>f7 46 fxe6+ Wxee.

43 J.c5! Ie8 44 f6! f2 45 i.xe7+ *g8 46 f7+! <4xf7 47 i.c5+ 1-0

587) Nijboer - Diamant

Vlissingen 2008

38...1'xa2+?

It is necessary to play 38...©a4+! to prevent the white king from escaping via d3 and e2: 39 •tcl (not 39 ^d3? «dl+ 40 "ie4 fleS! and Black wins) 39..*a3+ 40 'ic2 (40 i-dl? c2+) 40...#34+ with a draw.

39 -ids #51+ 40 'i>e2 #02+ 41 *el l'bl+ 42 'if2 #52+ 1-0

White plays 43 '4'g3 and there is no answer to the threat against the two black pieces.

588) Caprio - Tahirovic

Conegliano 2008 17...h6?

The right move is 17...fld8!, preventing mate and defending the d5-square:

a) After 18 l'xh7+ <if8 19 fhSn- <i>e7 Black is winning material and the sacrifice 20 fixf7+? <ixf7 does not work; e.g., 21 lfl+ "^ee 22 «h3+ "i-de 23 ^e4+ '^c6.

b) 18 lei gxf6 19 Wh6 is met by 19...f5!, threatening to complete his development. White cannot draw by 20 lxe5 Wxe5 21 lfg5+ "i-fS 22 l'xd8+ in view of 22...1'e8! 23 »d6+ l'e7 24 l'xd4 #61+, and Black wins.

18 ^d5

The knight's entrance into the game is decisive.

18....ixf6

18...«d8 loses to 19 We4 g6 20 WxeS.

19 l'e4 M5 20 «xf5 g6 21 fxffi 1-0

589) Recuero - Salgado

Padron 2008

n..Me7l

The natural 1 l...^f6? loses to 12 ^g6! fxg6 13 ©xgen- *e7 14 lel+ ^d6 15 «d3-i- 'ad5 16 Af4+ 'i>c5 17 l'b5+ '4'd4 18 Ae5#, while

11...4^d6?! leaves the black pieces very awkwardly placed after 12 WdS.

12 Wxe4 d6 13 i.f4 dxeS 14 l.xe5 f6 15 ^6+ Wt7 16 l^xf7+ -4>xf7 17 l.xc7 ±f5 18 c3g5

with good compensation for the pawn.

590) Morozevich - Kamsky

Tal Memorial, Moscow 2008

54 #h5?

White can draw by 54 l'xf4! gxf4 55 <4'g4 l.g5 56 d5! f3 (56...exd5 57 i'xg5! also leads to a draw: 57...f3 58 e6 <4'f8 59 '4'h6 f2 60 g7-l-i>e7 61 gSf) 57 >i'xf3 exd5 58 "4g4 l.h6 59 if5 -if8 60 e6 ±g7 61 h4 4'e7 62 h5 d4 (not 62...<4'd6?? 63 h6! i.xh6 64 4'f6 and White wins) 63 <i'e4 ■4'xe6 64 h6 i.e5 65 g7 with a draw; the black king can make no progress.

54...1fh4+! 55 »xh4 gxh4 56 *g4 "4'g7 57 h3fD)

The idea of exchanging pawns on d5 to reach the ending of bishop and 'wrong' rook's pawn does not work, since after 57 "i'f3 "i>xg6 58 464 <4'g5 59 d5 exd5-i- 60 <i>xd5 <i'g4 the white king is unable to reach hi.

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57...1.d8 58 *f4 Ab6

58...>i'xg6 59 -4>e4 <i'g5 60 d5 exd5+ 61 i'xdS ^i\, as in the previous note, also wins.

59 4-64 ±xd4!

Prettier than 59...<i'xg6, which also wins.

60 <4xd4 4xg6 61 4e4

Or 61 ■i'c5 <i'g5! 62 >4'c6 'i>f4! 63 <i'd6 "if5.

61...'i'g5 62 4>e3 *f5 63 4'f3 i'xe5 64 4^g4 >i'e4! 65 4'xh4 *f4! 66 4h5 e5 67 h4 e4 68 4>g6 e3 69 h5 e2 0-1

7 Mundo Latino

This chapter consists of 90 puzzles which, following the pattern of Chapters 3 and 6, are of increasing difficulty, from levels 1 to 4. The first 40 have hints, and the difficulty level drops back to 1 at the start of the 50 puzzles where you are given no clues.

The winners (or at least the 'heroes') are all from Latin countries, whether European or American. Many of the games are from the early and middle decades of the 20th century, as during this period there were a lot of excellent players in South America whose games will not be familiar to many readers.

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To begin, we have here a well-known tactical theme in the hands of its creator.

There are too many tactical weaknesses in Black's camp, don't you think? What is the clearest win?

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The white pieces are uncoordinated and his king is weak; what is the quickest way to win?

The position of the white king will help you to solve the problem of the two attacked black pieces.

MUNDO LATINO

165

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How can White take advantage of the pin on the There are several satisfactory ways to defend d-file? against the mate on g7, but which is the best?

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White is the exchange down, but has a quick How can White crystallize the superiority of his way to win. How? forces on the kingside?

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What is the quickest way for White to exploit Can you see Black's tactical weakness? his passed c-pawn?

The Giant Chess Puzzle book

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How can Black neutralize White's pressure on the d-file?

White is a piece down, but the black king is weak; which is the most effective way to attack?

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Black's pieces are more active and better coordinated, and his king is safer. Put these advantages to use.

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Black has two rooks for the queen, but there is a more important factor here; what is it?

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Mating patterns and overloaded pieces are the themes of this puzzle.

Both sides have a rook that is out of play, but the key factor is the black king in the centre. How can this be exploited?

MUNDO LATINO

167

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The b4-bishop is misplaced, don't you think?

The black king will require many moves to reach a safe haven. How does White win?

611 B

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How can White demonstrate that one of the black pieces is badly placed?

For the exchange White has a pawn and some kingside pressure, but one move changes everything.

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Find the tactical weakness in the black camp.

In the game White played 28 ^6?. How could Black have punished this careless move?

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

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616 B

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White's queen and b2-bishop are inactive at the Is there an overloaded white piece? moment; how can they be brought into play?

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Can White create any winning chances?

There is just one way to win, which is... ?

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White's advantage is not in doubt, but what is White wins material; how? the killer blow in this position?

MuNDO Latino

169

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Has White's desperado rook saved the game?

622

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White is a rook down, his bishop is attacked, and his king is unsafe... so he must come up with something quickly!

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THE Giant Chess puzzle book

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MUNDO Latino

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The Giant Chess Puzzle book

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The Giant Chess puzzle book

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MUNDO LATINO

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The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

Answers for Chapter 7

591) NN - Greco

7620 15...^n+ 16 -tel ^hi^++ 17 i-dl Wel+l 18 <§ixel ^i2# (0-1)

592) O'Hanlon - Grau

Paris Olympiad 1924

26...We2! 0-1

27 Wg2 is forced and then 27...Wxg2+ 28 'i'xg2 ^e3+ wins, while 27 fihS allows mate: 27...1dl+ 28 flxdl fxdH- 29 <i'g2 'Wdl+ 30 i-gl I'f2+3l4>hll'fl#.

593) Grau - Szabo

Stockholm Olympiad 1937 19 Hd4! 1-0

594) C. Poulsen - Grau

Stockholm Olympiad 1937 23...'aa4! 0-1

Since 24 exf5? allows 24...^b2#.

595) Grau - Pilnik

Argentine Ch, La Plata 1938 34 b4! 1-0

There is no defence against 35 ^b3.

596) Guimard - S. Graf

La Plata 1944 49 WdlH- i-e? 50 f6+! 1-0

597) Foguelman - Keres

Buenos Aires 1964 51 AxdS! 1-0

After 51...1.d4+ 52 'i'g2 ±xa7 comes 53 Ab7.

598) Cherta - Guimard

Barcelona 1946 41...g5! 0-1

Threatening mate on h4, and after 42 fxg6 Ae6+ the game is decided.

599) Rossetto - Ju. Bolbochan

Argentine Ch match (game 2), Buenos Aires 1948 32 ^xg7!

Weakening the king's position and winning at least a pawn. 32..,4'xg7

32...1.d2 33 Sxd2 <i'xg7 34 ^4 changes nothing.

331^6+ ^h7 34 i.xc6 Wa7 35 e5! M2 36 ±e4+ *g8 37 WfS f6 38 exf6 *c7 39 4'g21-0

600) Schweber - Teschner

Stockholm Interzonal 1962 20 lxf7+! flxf7 21 4^e6+ <4'h7 22 ^xA^ with a decisive material advantage.

601) Conway - Philidor

London (blindfold) 1790 21...'axe5! 22 fxeS dS The file has been closed and now the e5-pawn will be indefensible.

23 Sel Haf8 24 ld3 Hf5 25 b3

Not 25 fide3? d4.

25...axb3 26 axb3 lxe5

and Black won with his extra pawn.

602) Montalban - Grau

Mar del Plata 1928 35...^xt2l 36 ^Td2 *xg3 37 Sfl l'xg2 With the deadly threats of 38...i.h3 and 38...g4 followed by ...g3. 38fld2

After 38 -SibS J.h3 39 ^62 ^3 there is no defence against 40...Ag4 or 40...Sxf2, depending on White's reply.

38...1.h3 39 ^e6+ <i'g8 0-1

603)

41.

604)

Villegas - Portela

Buenos Aires 1929 .ad3! 0-1

Lynch - Falcon

Buenos Aires 1931

21 Bgl!

The knight is taboo and there is a threat of mate in two moves. 21 ^e3! is another way, threatening 22 flgl+, and we already know the power of a knight on f5.

21...1.g7 22 ah6+ ^f8 23 lxg7! 4'xg7 24 ^xf5+

The above-mentioned deadly knight appears, and now it is mate in a few moves.

24...<i'g6 25 «g4+ 1-0

605) Palau - Grau

Argentine Ch, La Plata 1938 The important factor is the bad position of the white king, which succumbs to a mating attack:

MUNDO LATINO

179

26...agl+! 27 <^h4

27 '4'f5 is met with the same winning reply. 27...fic6! 0-1

606) Maderna - Szabo

Mar del Plata 1948

UmhSlWaS

Upon 16...'?ig6, or indeed any other knight move, 17 ^b5! is decisive.

17 i.f4! ^c4 18 l'xh7 Sg4

Or 18...Hf8 19 ±h6 and White wins.

19 fhSH- 4>e7 20 i.h6 e5 21 AtS+l 'i'd7 22 ab3 Wxa2 23 W6 1-0

607) Maderna - Rossetto

Mar del Plata Zonal 1951 29 Afl! 1-0

Mate can only be prevented at great material loss; if 29...^d7? then 30 lxd7 Axd7 31 Sh2.

608) Pilnik - Pachman

Saltsjdbaden Interzonal 1952 26 -adS! (D)

B

Threatening 27 .^c3, incarcerating the queen. 26...C4 27 l.e3 l'b2 28 fibl l'xc2 29 axb8 Ml 30 dxc4

with a winning position.

609) Ju. Bolbochan - Cruz

Rio de Janeiro 1952

20 Axc6!

Or in reverse order: 20 ..^xf6! Axf6 21 ±xc6!.

20...bxc6 21 i.xf6!

Two black pieces are in range of a knight fork.

21...1.xf6 22 '^64 l.xb2 23 Hbl Sed8

If23...fle2then24 4>fl.

24 ^xA2

and White won.

610) Ju. Bolbochan-Evans

Helsinki Olympiad 1952

25 WfS! 1-0

There is no defence against the mating attack after 25...f6 (25...Wc7 loses to 26 l.c5+! i-eS 27 MJo6\) 26 i.c5+ *e8 27 «e6+ i.e7 28 flal!, with the idea of 29 aa8+ *xa8 30 l'xe7#.

611) Geller - Cuellar Gacharna

Stockholm Interzonal 1962

38...1c5!

After the rooks are exchanged. Black's d8-rook comes into play and the game is over.

39 lxc5 dxc5 40 fxcS ad2+ 41 *h3 l'fl+ 42 *h4 axh2# (0-1)

612) Karpov - Antunes

Tilburg 1994 Both sides missed 28...b3!! 29 axb3 (if 29 Sc8 then simply 29...bxa2 wins) 29...'?ib4, with an extra exchange and a winning position.

613) Maderna - Molina

Buenos Aires 1935 20 l.xg6! hxg6 21 -S^xge l'd8 22 fxeS dxeS 23 ^xeS -^de

After 23...^xe5 24 l^xeS Black loses at least the f6-knight.

24 '2^c6 ^de4 25 ^xd» 'axc3 26 l.xc3 and Black soon resigned.

614) Maderna - Luckis

Warsaw Olympiad 1935

Yes, White can gain very good winning chances:

42 f4! gxf4 43 gxf4 f5

The key is that 43...Axd5? 44 f5+ ixfS 45 ■ixdS is winning for White.

44 4^b4 Ae4 45 h6 l.f3 46 <£id3 l.b7 47 -5^65 l.c8 48 'age! I.a6 49 ^{S+ <i'f7 50 'S^xh7 i/ge 51 ^m+ <^xh6 52 <i'e5

and White won with his extra pawn.

615) Grau - Fine

Warsaw Olympiad 1935 32^5!

Attacking the d8-rook and threatening 33 ^f6+.

32...^d7 33 axd7 1-0

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616) E. Andersen - Grau

Warsaw Olympiad 1935 Yes, the c3-bishop is overloaded, although the position of the e8-rook on the half-open file helps exploit this: 13...'S^xd4! (13...^xd2?! 14 i.xd2 '5^xd4 15 exd4 Sxe2 16 i.f4 is much less strong) 14 exd4 (14 i.xd4? ^xd2) 14...^xc3 15 ffxcS axe2 16 ^f3 c6 with a healthy extra pawn.

617) Grau - L. Steiner

Warsaw Olympiad 1935

55 h4! e5 Or:

a) 55...h5 56 gxhS gxhS also loses after 57 f5! e5 (57...exf5+ 58 'i-xf5 *e7 59 <i'g6 or 59 '4'e5) 58 f6 <i>e6 59 f7 '^\fl 60 'i'xe5.

b) 55...<i'd7 56 *e5 <i'e7 57 h5! and the white king infiltrates after 57...gxh5 58 gxh5 -if? (or 58...<4'd7 59 *f6) 59 <i'd6.

56 fS 1-0

Further resistance is impossible after 56...g5 57 h5 or 56...gxf5+ 57 -4'xf5.

618) Grau - Monticelli

Warsaw Olympiad 1935

20 ±h5!

More or less forcing the rook to move in range of a fork.

20...af8

If 20...g6 then 21 ^xf7! (or 21 l.xg6!), when 21...gxh5? allows mate following 22 l'g6+ "ifS 23 4^xh6.

21 ^Al l'd6 22 ^xf 8

with a decisive material advantage.

619) Corte - Ju. Bolbochan

Argentine Ch, La Plata 1938 No, Black can win: 46...*g5 47 ah5+ '4'f6 48 lf5+ 48 Sh6+ is met by 48...fl2g6, when there are no more stalemate possibilities. 48...<i>e7 49 ae5+ i'd? 50 He7+ 50 Hxd5+ "i'e6 destroys the stalemate because now White's d-pawn can move. 50...axe7 0-1

620) Ju. Bolbochan - Fenoglio

Argentine Ch, La Plata 1938 26 ±xf 7! g5

If 26...1'xf7 then 27 WhS+l WgS 28 «f6+ Wfl 29 lh8#, while 26...'i'xf7 loses to 27

ae7+!.

27 lh5 Wxhl 28 Sxh7 with an extra pawn.

621) Ju. Bolbochan-Corte

Argentine Ch, Buenos Aires 1946

31 g5! 1-0

Creating a winning passed pawn; for example, 31...fxg5 32 f6 ids and now 33 Sxh7 is one of several ways to win. Even after 31 Sxh7 gxf5. White can still retain excellent chances by 32 h4!.

622) Marini - Rossetto

Argentine Ch, Buenos Aires 1946

34 l'f4!

King safety overrides all other factors. The threat of mate forces Black to give up his queen.

34...1'xf 7 35 J.xf 7

Black has two rooks for the queen but the black king is still poorly defended and the game is decided.

35...ag2H-

Or 35...'i'h7 36 l.xg6+! '4'xg6 37 Wg5-F '4'f7 38 Wxh5-H <4'e7 39 l'xe2.

36 -i-fl <i'h7 37 fgS

Somewhat stronger is 37 ±xg6+! '4'xg6 38 m6+ <4'h7 39 ^5+, as above.

37...i.e4 38 l.xg6+ k.x%6 39 'i'xg2 and White eventually won.

623) Liogky - Vallejo

French Team Ch 2003 29...ael! 0-1

30 Sxel allows 30...Hxh2#.

624) Atwood - Philidor

London (blindfold) 1794 36...Axe3!

Yes, this exchange brings about a winning pawn ending.

37 4'xe3 h4 38 ^f 2 e4

One of the pawns will queen; the 'rule of the common square' states that if two passed pawns define a square that includes the eighth rank, the enemy king cannot hold them back.

39 <i^g2 e3 40 4'h3 e2 0-1

625) Grau - Euwe

Paris Olympiad 1924

42 ae4! Hd4

If 42...Sxa2 then naturally 43 Wxdl.

43 '?^g5+!

MUNDO LATINO

181

43 ^f6+! is also effective. 43...<i'g6 44 ^xe6! ^e3+ After 44...fxe6 the quickest way is 45 fixe6+ 'i'g5 46Sf6!.

45 fxe3 ld2+ 46 ^h3 I'd? 47 lfg4+ 1-0

626) J. Martinez - Guimard

Argentine Ch, Buenos Aires 1948 21...»d6!

This tremendous counterattacking move tips the struggle in Black's favour; 21...^d4!? 22 f6 We5 23 fixg7+ "ihS is also advantageous, but less so.

22±h5

Or 22 ±b3 l'xh2 23 Hg3 Whl+ 24 *e2 l'h5+ 25 -i-fl ^g5 26 f6 4^e4! 27 axg7+ ^h8 with unanswerable threats.

22...*xh2 23 Axf7+ ^h8! 24 Ifl ^gS 25 «c4

There is no defence; e.g., if 25 .ig6 then 25...»h3! 26 l'b4 c5! (better than 26...^f3+ 27 ^62 ld2+ 28 l'xd2 Itxdl 29 fidl) 27 Wb2 ^f3+ 28 >4'e2 ^4 and Black wins.

25...1'd6 0-1

The threat of mate gains a decisive material advantage for Black after 26 l'c2 ^xf7.

627) Pomar - Geller

Stockholm Interzonal 1962

23 Hf3!

Before taking on e7, White threatens 24 l'xh7+, as well as 24 Sh3, forcing Black to weaken his king's position even more.

23...g5 24 fxe7 fiaeS 25 Wf6+ Sg7 26 eS! d5

Or 26...dxe5 27 Bdl and 28 IdS.

27 e6 fxe6 28 WeS WcS 29 Hf7 1-0

628) Eliskases - Pleci

Warsaw Olympiad 1935 36...1'xf3+!!

If Black plays 36...a4? right away then in addition to 37 4^d2, when the black king can't escape perpetual check because there are no defensive pieces available. White has the immediate 37 ^f6-i-! gxf6 38 ©64-1- <i'g7 39 #67-1-, drawing.

37 l'xf3 ^xf3 38 i-xB a4 39 gxh6 a3! 0-1 Not 39...gxh6? 40 ^f6+! followed by 41 ^65 and 42 ^b4.

629) Balparda - Ja. Bolbochan

Buenos Aires 1936

Black takes advantage of the white queen's absence to weaken the position of the white king and then attack it with irresistible force.

20 Sxc8

20 fxe3 ^5 is similar.

20...Sxc8 21 fxe3 Wg5 22 <i>f 2

Or 22 e4 #e3-l- 23 "i-fl «xb3.

22...1'xg2+ 23 iel *gl+ 24 <4>d2 Hd8+ 25 A.d3

25 'ic2 is met by 25...1.e4-i- 26 l.d3 Sc8-F 27 4'd2 Wf 24-.

25...1'f2+ 26 -icl l'xe3+ 27 fid2 «el+ 28 Idl lc8+ 29 ±c2 We3+ 30 ^d2 ±e4l 31 b3 flxc2+

and Black won.

630) Larsen - Quinteros

Mar del Plata 1982

42...fic3!

With the exchange of rooks, the passed pawn will deflect White's pieces, and Black's two remaining pieces will be able to combine with devastating force.

43 axc3

If43 4'f2then43...4^xb3.

43...bxc3 44 Adl ^d3! (D)

W

45 l'f3?!

Allowing the decisive entrance of the black queen, but the alternatives were not substantially better.

45...1'g5+ 46 i'h2 l'd2+ 47 ^g3 c2 48 Axc21^x02 49 b4 ^f4 0-1

631) Cuellar Gacharna - Korchnoi

Stockholm Interzonal 1962

54 f4+! axf4

54...<i'f5 is met by 55 g4-i-.

The Giant Chess puzzle book

632) Garcia Palermo - Karpov

Mar del Plata 1982 57 WxfS+l 1-0 57...«xf5 58 lxf5 AxfS 59 eSft

633) Shabalov - Granda

Buenos Aires 2005 53...1.d3! 0-1

Shielding tiie third rank; if now 54 Hgl then 54...1b2, followed by 55...1a2#.

634) Euwe - Ju. Bolbochan

Mar del Plata 1947 33...'£>f3! 0-1

There is no defence against 34...Sxfl+ 35 Axfl lxh2#.

635) Foguelman - Mazzoleni

Buenos Aires 1959 22...i.xg3! 23 ^2

23 l'xe2? allows mate in two: 23...1'h2+ 24 i-fl Whl*. 23...i.xf2+ 0-1

636) Ju. Bolbochan-Hoen

Havana Olympiad 1966 37 HxfS! 1-0

If37...1'xf5then38l.e4.

637) Mecking - Rocha

Mar del Plata Zonal 1969 23 l'd4+! Wxd4 24 ^xc6# (1-0)

638) Quinteros - Tukmakov

Leningrad Interzonal 1973 40 Hxd6+! 1-0

40...cxd6 41 i.g5+ -iee? 42 S.e7#.

639) Quinteros - Adorjan

Wijk aan Zee 1973 68 ag4+! 1-0

eS^.-ieS 69 ag3.

640) Balashov - Sunye

Rio de Janeiro Interzonal 1979 27...#xg2+! (eliminating White's pressure on the g-file) 28 l'xg2 ±xg2+ 29 'i>xg2 gxf6 0-1.

641) Miles - Bernat

Buenos Aires 1979 36...'ag4! 37 <4>fl ^5^63+ 38 '4f2 ^xdS

Black has an extra exchange and duly won.

642) Polugaevsky - Quinteros

Biel Interzonal 1985 19...1.g5+!

Winning the exchange, since 20 'ibl? fails to 20...±f5, and if 20 'axg5 then 20...1'xg5+ 21«d2l.xdl.

20 ad2 Ms 21 #03 i.xd2+ 22 «xd2 «f6

and Black won.

643) Kariakin - Vallejo

Cuemavaca 2006 34...ag5! 0-1

Black wins after 35 ag2 axg2 36 '4'xg2 '?^el+.

644) Robson - Hernandez Guerrero

Chicago 2008 32...«e2! 33 adel (D) If 33 4'xh4 then 33...axe4+.

B

33...^f5+! 0-1

It is mate after 34 exf5 ae3+ 35 <i'h4 (or 35 <i'f4 m3#) 35...1'h5#.

645) Ju. Bolbochan- R. Sanguinetti

Argentine Ch, Buenos Aires 1946

32 i.xh6! fxhe

32...gxh6 is also answered with 33 SxdV.

33 axd7

White is a pawn up without compensation.

646) Ju. Bolbochan - Bauza

Mar del Plata Zonal 1951

31 l'xg7+! 1-0

If 31...'*xg7 then 32 axe6 a8b7 33 Hxb7 axb7 34 ad6 aa7 35 h4, with a winning endgame. In contrast, 31 #xb4?! axb4 32 axe6 dxe6 33 ac7 ac4 34 axc6 '^fl is also advantageous but less clearly so.

MUNDO LATINO

183

647) Ju. Bolbochan- Medina

Mar del Plata 1953 28 ^xh6+! gxh6 29 l.xg6 fxg6 30 1^x66+ 1-0

Winning at least another pawn while maintaining a strong attack.

648) Ju. Bolbochan - Pachman

Moscow Olympiad 1956 22 fxf 7+! 1-0

22...<4'xf7 23 i.xe6#.

649) J. Ingolotti - 0. Benitez

Pan American Team Ch, Tucumdn 1971 32 axh7+! '§^xh7 33 Wh6+ "ihS 34 g6 1-0

650) Brond - R. Sanguineti

Mar del Plata 1976 26 lh8+! 1-0

26...«xh8 27 lxh8+ i-xhS 28 *h4+ and 29 fxe?.

651) Bareev - Granda

Groningen (PCA qualifier) 1993 25...l8xd6! 26 AxdS

26 cxd6 is met by 26...Wxd6+ and 27...1xdl. 26...axd5 27 HxdS cxd5 28 b4 l'c7+ 29

<igl AbS 30 l'd4 l'c6 31 f4 ^g6 0-1

652) Vallejo - Radjabov

Spanish Team Ch, Sant Lluis 2005 56 l'h8+! 1-0

56...1h7 57 l'xh7+! *xh7 58 '5^g5+.

653) Vallejo - Seel

Bundesliga 2005/6 25 2bl!

White's counterattack is decisive. 25...axf 2 26 Wg8+ Hf8 Not 26...'i'd7? 27 ab7#.

27 We6! J.b2 28 Sb3! ^4 29 a3xb2 l'xh4+ 30 *gl 1-0

654) Korneev - Campora

Deifontes (rapid) 2005 16...'2ixe4! 17 ^xe4 J.xh4 18 c4

If 18a3thenl8...«b7.

18...i.e7

with an extra pawn.

655) Pilnik - Stein

Mar del Plata 1966 32 ^xc6! He8

White's passed pawn is unstoppable after 32...'§ixbl 33 ^xb8 '2^c3 34 b7.

33 ^d6

The quickest way.

33...'Sixbl

33...Ad7 loses to, amongst other things, 34 -S^xeS 1.XC6 35 b7 Axb7 36 axb7 -i-xeS 37 Sxh7.

34 ^xeS 1-0

White threatens 35 b7 and remains a piece up after 34...i.c8 35 'Sid6 i.a6 36 Axbl.

656) Pilnik - Szabo

Amsterdam Candidates 1956

52 e7!

The task is not so simple after 52 Hge7 "igS.

52...Se6 53 lxh7+! -i-gS 54 Hg7+ <ih8 55 Sg6! BeeS

Or 55...Sfe5 56 Sxe6 3x66 57 ad8+ and 58 e8«.

56 Sc6! 1-0

Ending with a mating-net.

657) Razuvaev - Garcia Palermo

Dortmund 1985 25..Me4+\

Not 25...ahe8?? 26 Ixbe+I drawing. 26 <i>f2 ahe8 27 «c41^5+ 0-1

658) Campora - Portisch

Sarajevo 1986

28 «a4! 1-0

The rook can't move on account of 29 #e8#, and if the queen defends the rook, then simply 29 a7.

659) Milos - Fedorowicz

Buenos Aires 1991

37 ac6!

And surprisingly the c8-bishop is lost.

37...<i'g7

37...1.b7 loses to 38 l'd7+.

38 Sxc8 ad6 39 ag8+ <if6 40 af8+ 1-0

660) Kolev - Granda

Burgas 1993 31...1'bl+!

With a precise manoeuvre, Black eliminates the danger to his kingside and brings his queen to the defence.

32 <ig2 ±n+l 33 Ixfl itxb2+ 0-1 After 34 af2 l^xeS White is three pawns down without compensation.

The Giant Chess Puzzle book

661) Illescas - Gelfand

Wijk aan Zee 1993 30 l.e7! Se8 31 axd6! (D)

B

31...«xd6

31 ...Sxd6 32 Wxe5+ leaves Black two pawns down.

32±xd6Sxd6 33adl

with a decisive material advantage.

662) Illescas - Lautier

Linares 1994

25 ^f4!

Threatening the weak d5-pawn, amongst other things. 25...axf4

25...^f8 loses to 26 g5 lc6 27 ^h5+. 26±xf4 and White won.

663) Illescas - Korchnoi

Madrid 1996

27 4^xg6! 1-0

Black resigned in view of 27...'i'xg6 28 gxf5+ <i'g7 (or 28...exf5 29 WgA+ i.g5 30 Exf5) 29 fhS l.g5 30 ^6+ *h8 31 fxe6.

664) Milos - Murshed

FIDE Knockout, Groningen 1997

26 Sdel! 1^x03 27 If31^x61+

After n..Mb2 28 c3 the f6-rook can't be defended.

28 Ifxel axf3 29 Axf3 ^c6 30 l'h4+ f6 31 lfh7+ '^de 32 ^7 f5 33 h4 1-0

665) Calzetta - Jackova

European Team Ch (Women), Gothenburg 2005 18 IfS!

There is no satisfactory defence against 19 ^f3, since the e7-rook has to defend f7.

18...1e6

If 18...g5?! White can play 19 i.xf7+ Ixf? 20 2xf7 <i'xf7 21 ^f2, l^hS 22 '2^xe5+.

19 i.xe6 fxe6 20 HD

White went on to win.

666) An. Rodriguez - Shabalov

Buenos Aires 2005

66 c7! e2

White's task after 66...^7.cl 67 flxe3 '4'f4 68 Se7 ^d5 69 Hf7+ -4>e4 70 '4>g4 is simple, as it is also after 66...exf2 67 c%'W f iW 68 l'xe6+.

67 Sxe6! 1-0

67...-4'xe6 68 c8®+ '4'd5 69 #c3.

667) Pavlovic - Caruana

Moscow 2008 30...<Sixe3+! 31 fxe3 ^g3+ 32 "i-gl 1^X63+ 33 mi <Sie2+ 34 i-fl ^g3+ 35 4>gl ^2+ 36 •in Wxf2+ 37 <i'xf2 l.g3+ 38 -i-fl ^xd4 0-1

If39Hxd4then39...axa5.

668) Mariotti - Gligoric

Venice 1971

33 i.xf6! #64

33...gxf6 loses to 34 l'g6-i- i>h8 35 l'xh6+ -^gS 36 itxf6 (threatening 37 Sg5-i-) 36...ag7 37 l^fS ! I.xf5 38 Sd8+ 4'h7 39 l'xf5+ flg6 40 #f7+, mating quickly.

34 ^g6\\ (D)

B

34..Mxg6?l

More tenacious is 34...1'xd5! 35 ^xel Wfl 36 l'd3+ >*h8 37 ±xg7+ '4'xg7 38 l'xd7 with a great advantage to White, but not 34...Sf7? 35 ihiU "ig8 36 axd7.

35 l.xe7 ±e6

MuNDo Latino

185

35...itxg3 36 fxg3 Ae6 37 Hd6 l.xa2 38 Bxb6 leads to a lost ending. 36 ad6 #f 7 37 Sxb6 ^c4 37...»xe7 38 l'e3. 38ab7 and White won.

669) Savon - Mecking

Petropolis Interzonal 1973 18...'ab3+! 19 -i^bl

19 ^xh3 loses to 19...1xc2+ 20 -i-bl Sxe2+ 21 4>al ±xhl.

19...1xd4 20 l.xd6 Axhl

Black has a decisive material advantage.

670) Maderna - Piazzini

Argentine Ch match (game 14), Buenos Aires 1940

4,1 "ihl!

The only move to win, since 47 'i'h3? allows 47...1.g4+ 48 <th2 ^fl+ 49 4>g2 ^e3+ 50 'i'h2 with a draw, while 47 'i'hl? Mi+ 48 <i'h2 (not 48 *gl?? ^d5+) 48...^g4+ 49 '4'h3 ^il+ 50 4'h2 ^g4+ is also a draw.

47...i.e5

47...'2ig4+ loses to 48 'i>h3! ^f2+ 49 i'g2.

48 #08+ -i-f 7 49 ^d8+ 'i'g8

The hS-knight is lost after 49...<4'e7 50 ^c6+ <id6 51'2ixe5.

50 ^c6+ <i>h7 51 ^xe5 J.xh5 52 g4 l.g6 53 itc5 1-0

671) Pilnik - Foguelman

Mar del Plata 1965

34 h5+! 4^xh5

Also losing is 34...'i'g5 35 l'a5+! "ig4 36 Se4+ and the king can't survive the onslaught by the three white pieces; e.g., 36...'i'h3 37 Bhl-l- lh2 38 Wc3+ ^g2 (or 38...Wg3 39 axh2+ 'i>xh2 40 ae2+ ^h3 41 Se3) 39 ag4+! <4'xhl40Wcl-l-andmate.

35 lfh3+ '4'g5 36 Sd5+ 4^6 37 l^ee* (1-0)

672) Ju. Bolbochan - Foguelman

Mar del Plata 1965

32 axf6!! axd5

32...1'd4 loses to 33 flh6+ l^hl 34 lxh7+! ^xh7 35 l'b7+.

33 exdS '?^h7

The advanced pawns mean that the defence 33...1'b7 fails to 34 Sh6+ ^h7 35 Hgh3 ae7 36 axh7+! Hxh7 37 axh7+ l'xh7 38 ±xh7 'i?xh7 39 e7.

34 Sf 7 ^f8 35 ah3+ 4>g8 36 fig3+ -i-hS 37 e7 fhe 38 ah3 Wxh3 39 exf8l'+ 1-0

673) Mecking - Panno

Buenos Aires 1967

41 Wh3!

The queen's entrance ends all resistance. Penetrating the queenside with the queen by 41 f 7?! 'i>xf7 42 l'c2 ^6 43 l'c7+ 'ieS 44 ^0?,+ 4e7 achieves nothing.

41...Exb2

Or 41...<i'xf6 42 "9^6+ '^gl 43 We7-i- *g8 and there are many ways to win; e.g., 44 #f6 g4 45 Sf5 Sxf3+ 46 Sxf3 gxf3 47 Bgl!.

42 We6 1-0

After 42...flbb8 the quickest win is the unusual 43 "4'g4! threatening 44 Bxg5-f hxg5 45 'S'f5-i-, against which there is no satisfactory defence.

674) Mariotti - Korchnoi

Rome 1982

26 .^xg7! '4>xg7

If 26...'2ixel White wins by 27 ±xf8 ^cd3 28 i.c5!! I'xc54- 29 l'xc5 ^xf3-l- 30 <i>g2 axc5 31 -^xfS.

27 #g5+ *h8 28 Bd8 ^7 29 Bee8 l'd4+ 30 <i-g2 %7 31 #67 <i'g8 32 l'xd7 1-0

675) Granda - ON

Groningen (PCA qualifier) 1993

27 Bxf6! «xf6

White wins after 27...'S^xf6 28 ^5! (or 28 l'h6), followed by 29 i.e5.

28 '^^cS! ^xc5 29 ±e5 WxeS 30 dxe5 1-0

676) Illescas-J. Polgar

Moscow Olympiad 1994

35 ^b5!!

This looks like a blunder but is actually the start of a winning manoeuvre; it defends the a7-rook and prepares the subsequent blow.

35...^xd2

If 35...<?id4 then White still plays 36 «g4, while after 35...^f6 White wins with 36 ^f5.

36 #g4! 1^x37

The line 36...'2^e7 37 axe7 Bg8 38 4^f5 offers Black no hope.

37 ^xa7 ^f6 38 l'f5+ ihS 39 «g6 ^dxe4 40 ^{5 ag8 41 ?^c8!

The final offensive, with all White's pieces in the attack, is unanswerable. 41.,.^xd5

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

41 ...i.f8 42 Wfl followed by 43 ^ce7 leaves Black defenceless.

42 '5:^cxd6 1-0

677) Illescas - Karpov

Villarrobledo (rapid) 1997

2,1 lf6+! -ixgS

If 37...'4'e4 White wins by setting up two passed pawns: 38 He6+ <4'f3 39 c6 MA 40 Hxg6 flg4 41 Sf6 -i'e4 42 Se6+ "ifS (42...<i'f3 43 g6) 43 "ids! followed by 44 Ae5, or 44 g6, depending on what Black plays.

38 c6 k.U

Neither 38...i.e3 39 2d6 l.xd4 40 axd4 2hl 41 i-bS! Sol 42 Hc4 nor 38...Shi 39 <4d3! Ma 40 lxf4! -i>xf4 41 c7 is any better

39 i-dS!

Threatening 40 Bxf4 Hxf4 41 Ae3, when the c-pawn queens.

39...J.C7

If 39...1.h2 then40 Sf2, while 39...Shl fails to halt the c-pawn after 40 Sxf4 <4'xf4 41 c7 Scl and now 42 J.c5 wins.

40 Sf7 i.d8 41 c7 1-0

678) Salov - Milos

FIDE Knockout, Las Vegas 1999 35...^d3! 36 ^b6

After 36 fixe7 the black queen infiltrates decisively by 36...1'xe7 37 Hf 1 (or 37 axd3 Wt\+ 38 *h2 J.e5+ and Black wins) 37...4^el 38 WdS «e2.

36...Hxe2 37 ^xAl

37 »xe2 loses to 37...axe2 38 '?^xd7 ^n+.

2n...^n+ 0-1

679) Vallejo - Nysret

European Clubs Cup, Izmir 2004 29 i.xf6! SeS

29...gxf6 loses to 30 «xf6+ '?^g7 31 Hxg7 l.xg7 32 ^xg7 l'xg7 (32..."4'g8 33 -SifS) 33 «xd8+ ^8 34 m6+ «g7 35 «xd6. The best defence is 29...Wf7! but White gains an overwhelming advantage thanks to his bishop-pair after 30 '?^xg7! ±xg7 31 lxg7 ^xg7 32 e5! ±xf3-h 33 <i'h2 ^8 34 i.xd8 dxeS 35 l.f6 e4 36 i.e5.

30 4^xg7! Ixg7 31 axg7 ^xg7 32 e5 1-0 There is no way to defend h7.

680) R. Sanguineti - Donoso

Fortaleza Zonal 1975

18 l.xg6! hxg6!

If 18...exd5 then any discovery by the g6-bishop wins, such as 19 Ae4-I-.

19 ^U (D)

B

19...1'b4?

With 19...1'c5! Black can still fight on; the key is that his queen can now reach the kingside with ...»g5. Then:

a) The tempting 20 ^xg6?! yields no advantage for White after 20...±f6! 21 ^e7++ (21 ^q5+ l.g7 22 ^dl «e7! 23 -S^xf8 i-xf8 24 Mgl+ ^xg7 25 ld3 c5! 26 Ifdl l.c6 is even less convincing) 21...<i'h7 22 l.xf6 ^xf6 23 WhA+ 'i'g7, and White has no more than a draw.

b) White retains the better chances after 20 fld7! WgS (if 20...flc7 then 21 'S^xg6! does now win; e.g., 21...Af6 22 ^xfS+ <4'xf8 23 flxc7 ^xc7 24 l.xf6) 21 l'h3 (threatening 22 Wh8#) 21...'2^g7 22 Sxb7, with advantage to White, but with everything still to play for.

20 ^xg6! (5

If 20...Af6 it is mate in a few moves with 21 ^e7-i-l- 4'h7 22 lfh5-i- <i'g7 23 «g5+ 4>h7 24 l.xf6 ^xf6 25 fld4!.

21 ^xe7++ 'M7 22 Wg6+ *xe7 23 l'g5+ 1-0

8 Tests 6-10

This chapter contains the second set of five tests (the final batch is in Chapter 10). Each test is of roughly equal difficulty, and contains 16 different puzzle positions. Of these positions, two are of level 1 difficulty (i.e. novices should have a good chance of solving them), four are level 2, six are level 3, two are level 4 and the final two feature our top difficulty rating, level 5, and are designed to prove taxing even for the very best players.

Your task is to find the best continuation. The number of points available varies from puzzle to puzzle, depending on the difficulty level. 1 point is the maximum for a level 1 puzzle, 2 points for a level 2 puzzle and so on until 5 points is the maximum for level 5. Therefore each test has a maximum number of 46 points on offer.

The number of points given for each puzzle depends on how much of the critical line(s) you have found. Identifying the correct initial move will grant you at least half the total number of points available for each puzzle, but additional credit will often be given for good supporting analysis.

There is no specific time Umit for these tests. You should tackle the positions as if you had to choose the next move in an important competitive game. In general, it is rare for additional reflection after the first 20 minutes to improve the quality of the decision, though of course in the level 5 mega-puzzles, you may need extra time to analyse the complications. Thus as a rough guide, each test of 16 puzzles should take between 1 and 2 hours. Remember that you should not move the pieces or use the help of a computer.

Test Score to Elo Points Conversion Chart

The Giant Chess puzzle book

Teste

681 W

II

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1^

P fc

»i

6S5 B

1^ ^

^±B nil

A:

ASA:

r^ ^

6S2

6SJ

6S4

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687

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189

689 B

690 B

693 B

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m

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mm, mm, m 'mm^, i

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691

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695 B

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The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

Test?

697 W

698 W

699 W

700 B

701 W

m M,

m ^

3 ^^

702 W

703 B

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e-s.^

704

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TESTS 6-10

191

705 W

706 W

709 W

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710

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707

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711 W

708 B

712 W

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111

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The Giant Chess puzzle book

Tests

713 B

714 B

^ mm \

m

'm.

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718, B

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y//////, y///////, -f^^A

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m"''mm, ^^i WA

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716 W

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193

721 W

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723

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724 B

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728 B

i^ mm,^ mm, ^

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THE Giant Chess Puzzle Book

Test 9

729 W

730 B

m m>.

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731

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732 B

733 B

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736 B

195

737

738 W

739 B

740 W

741 B

742 B

743 B

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744 B

The Giant Chess puzzle book

Test 10

745 W

746 W

747 B

749 W

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m

m

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750

A

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748 W

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752 W

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197

753 W

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754 W

755 B

w ABil

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756 B

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11 m^^,„M,^^

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758 W

759 W

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760 W

The Giant Chess puzzle book

Answers for Chapter 8

Test 6 Answers

681) Mecking - Najdorf

Mar del Plata 1971 37 #xh7+! ixh? 38 Bh3+ 1-0 1 point for 37'Wxh7+!.

682) Najdorf - de Ronde

Buenos Aires 1945 37 WxfS+I «xf8 38 d6+ 1-0 White is a rook up and mates in a few moves.

1 point for 37 Wxf8+!.

683) Falcon - Rauch

Buenos Aires 1945

33 4^n?

This loses; 33 "ihl! is essential and after 33...i.h3 34 f5 SgS 35 «xc7 l.g2+ 36 -igl J.h3+ Black has no more than a draw.

33...i.h3+ 34 -iel SdS 35 Wg5 flxgS

and Black won.

2 points for 33 ^hH.

684) F. Benko - Maderna

Buenos Aires 1945 17...hxg6! 18 fxg6 Sxg4+ 19 &hl Wh4

Repelling the attack, and retaining an extra piece.

2 points for 17... hxg6!.

685) Schaefer - Lipiniks

corn 1955-62 18...±xg4! 19 Axd6?

This doesn't work, but there is hardly anything better; if 19 ^xg4? 1^x64+ White loses the house.

19...«xd6 20 axg4 «g3+! 21 4^f2 ^xe4 22 #62 ^x{2 23 «xf2 aae8+ 0-1

24 J.xe8 flxe8+ 25 "i-f 1 l'd3+ 26 ■ig2 le2 is hopeless for White.

2 points for 18...^g4!.

686) Ju. Bolbochan- Perez Alcocer

Sao Paulo Zonal 1960

25 «e5+! Wg7

No better is 25...<i'g8 26 i.xf5! flxc2 27 Axe6+! and Black must give up his queen, since 27...*f8? allows 28 WhM.

26 W\e6 1-0

2 points for 25 We5+!.

687) Falcon - Lynch

Buenos Aires 1945

Going forward with 40 <i'e6? looks suicidal, and is; the quickest way for Black to win is 40...4f8! 41 '5id5 2xc6+ 42 '4'e5 ae8+. The game went 40 ^14? Se7+ 0-1. It is mate after 41 ^e6+ *f7 and ...Sxe6#.

40 ^dSl is the only move to prevent mate, after which White should win; for example, 40...1xc6 (or 40...ae8+ 41 4'd6 and White wins) 41 ^xe3, with a decisive material advantage.

3 points for 40 ^5!.

688) Vidmar - Guimard

Staunton Memorial, Groningen 1946

30 ibl?

White can defend successfully with 30 'i'b3!; e.g., 30...1'h3-h (after 30...Sf3-l- 31 *a4 {or 31 4>a2} 31...«xb2 32«xe6 Wxal 33 WcS+ 4'g7 34 #g4-l-, the exposure of Black's king guarantees the draw) 31 <i'a4! and now 31.. .I.d7 ? fails to32e6-H!.

30...«h3!

Ensuring that the bishop, as well as the rook, can take part in the attack.

31 Wc5 an+ 32 *c2 ±f5+ 0-1 It's mate after 33 4'd2 Wd3#.

3 points for 30 '^b3!.

689) Maderna - Castillo

Mar del Plata 1948 44...ah6+?

Black can achieve a draw with 44...Wxf3!;

e.g., 45 l'e7+ "igS! (45...af7? leads to mate after 46 ^&(i+) 46 ©eS-i- <i'g7 (or 46...af8 47 I'e6-H af7) and there is nothing better than 47 ^7+, since 47 ^h5-l-? loses to 47..."i'h6 48 <2^xf6 Whl*.

45 AhS «n+ 46 <i'h4 Whl+ 47 -igS ag6+ 48 ±xg6 #116+ 49 '4'xf5 hxg6+ 50 i-eS 1-0

3 points for 44...Wxf3!.

690) Reinhardt - Ju. Bolbochan

Mar del Plata Zonal 1951 33...1'xel+! 34 Wxel ±b4! 35 lfg3+ Opting for the endgame with 35 ag3+ <i'f7

36 l'xb4 el*+ 37 Wxel Bxel-^ 38 Agl d4 39

h3 (if 39 ad3? then 39...ae4!) 39...adl is no

better.

35...'i>h8 0-1

White could have fought on, but he has a lost

game; e.g., 36 l.f2 elW+ 37 Axel axel-i- 38

199

Wxel Axel 39 lb3 d4 40 -i>gl J.xa5 41 Sxb7 d3 42 "i-f 1 ^A5 43 Id? '5^e3+ 44 <4'f2 -S^d 1 + 45 ■ifl '2^b2.

2 points for 33..Mxel+! and 1 point for 34...±b4!.

691) Salo - Ju. Bolbochan

Moscow Olympiad 1956

33Wfl?

White needs to head for perpetual check with *d8+ and W{6 by playing 33 WgS!; e.g., 33...Wc2+ 34 i-hS! d2 (or 34...«xc6 35 #d8+ *h7 36 *xd3, with a probable draw) 35 «d8+ <4>h7 36 ^6 dlW 37 l'xf7+ 4'h6 38 #f8+ 4'h7 39 ^7+. White could also reverse the move-order, starting with 33 "ihS!, meeting 33...1'c2 with 34 %5 or 34 #fl.

33...d2 34 AeS f5! 35 l.d7 Wei

Not 35...dll'?? 36 i.xe6+! and White turns the tables.

36 ±\e6+ *g7 37 l.b3 l'xb3 38 Wxa6 dlW 39 l'f6+ 4g8 40 «xg6+ *f8 41 «xf5+ <i'e7 0-1

The black king escapes.

3 points for 33 Wg5! and also 3 points for 33 '^h3! with the idea of 34 %5.

692) Panno - A. Martinez

Buenos Aires 1957 31 .^dS! wins material by force: 31...'£lxd5 32 exdS IffS 33 g4! *c2 34 "Vxm 1-0.

2 points for 31 ^d5! and 1 point for 33 g4!.

693) Portisch - R. Sanguineti

Biel Interzonal 1976 27...C3!

Black must act quickly, before the h3-knight comes into play.

28 bxc3 aa2 29 #cl b3!

And the passed pawn is winning.

30 c4 flc2 31 *al i.xc4 32 «a8+ WfS 33 «a4 «c8 34 Sbl 4'h8 35 ^f4 Ag8 36 SH «c3 0-1

3 points for 27...c3! and 1 point for 29... b3!.

694) Galego - Beliavsky

Bled Olympiad 2002

31 aa6!

The saving move, unpinning. Instead, after the passive 31 Wg2? White remains paralysed by the pin; e.g., 3 l...cxd4 32 cxd4 Bf7! and there is no satisfactory defence against 33...#c7.

31...»d7

Not 3 \..Mxa61 because after 32 i.xa6 Ixbl 33 dxc5 the passed pawn is strong.

32 l.e4 Ixbl 33 Axbl *b7 34 l.d3 cxd4 35 cxd4 Sd7 36 aa4 ad6 37 An fib6 38 aa2

ab3 39 M.g2 «c7 V2-V2 4 points for 31 B.a6!.

695) Paunovic - Dzhumaev

Orense 2005 27...4^f3!!

Black makes cunning use of his queen's potential attack on the h3-pawn.

28 i.xf3

After 28 M6+ i.xf6 29 i.xf3 (29 '5ihxf6 ^xd2 30 5^xd7 Axd7 is equally hopeless) 29...1.e5 30 i.g4 i.xg4 31 hxg4 Hf3, Black's attack is irresistible.

28...1.e4!

Clearing the way.

29 ag3 J.xf3+ 30 axf3 axf3 31 '?^df4 axh3+ 32 "i-gl *g4+ 33 ^2 l.d4+ 0-1

4 points for finding 27...^f3!! and 1 point for28...±e4!.

696) Korbut - T. Kosintseva

Russian Women's Ch, Gorodets 2006 38 ab7!! (D)

B

'Charge!' Although the white king is left exposed, the black queen is too far away to exploit this and the fierce f3-knight is sufficient defence for his king.

38...aa2+

38...%6 loses to 39 axh7-l-! *xh7 40 #xf6-i-i-gS 41 W\tb+ i-fS 42 ^3h4!. Of course 38...#xb7? allows mate in two with 39 «xf6+ i-gS 40 ?^h6#, while if 38...1.d7 then 39 axd7! aa2-^ 40 ^hl aal-^ 41 <4'g2 aa2-F 42 '?:id2! Hxd2-i-, and now 43 <4>f3 Bf24- 44 <i'g4 fge-l- 45

The Giant Chess puzzle book

fxge hxg6 46 ^h4 g5 47 ^^fS, with the idea of -i>h5-g6.

39 ^hl lal+ 40 4^g2 Ha2+ 41 -ihl lal+ 42 ^gl!!

This is the key: White prevents the perpetual check by allowing his knight to be captured with check, in order to displace the black rook; 42 4^el! also works.

42...Bxgl+ 43 'i'h2 ^6 44 lxh7+! Wxh? 45 ffSH-1-0

With mate after 46 lfxf6+.

5 points for 38 S.b7.'.'.

Test 7 Answers

697) Ju. Bolbochan - Najdorf

Argentine Ch match (game 3), Buenos Aires 1949

28 AgSl

The black rook can't maintain its defence of the d6-bishop. 28...Ac5 28...fld7 loses to 29 l.a4 -S^bS 30 flxa6.

29 ac6 J.d4 30 i.xd8 and White won.

1 point for 28 ^g5!.

698) Ju. Bolbochan - de Souza Mendes

Mar del Plata Zonal 1951 22 i.xf5! Sxdl 23 ±xe6+ 4>h7 24 Hxdl

and White won.

1 point for 22 Axf5!.

699) Wexler - Saadi

Mar del Plata 1960 26 f6+!

White opens lines and all his pieces burst in on the unprotected black king. 26...±xf6 27 ^x(6 ±g4

Declining the sacrifice, and even giving up a piece himself, but there is no defence. 27...#d8 loses to 28 'ah5+ A-gS 29 g7 Hh7 30 ^{6+ and if 27..."ixf6, then 28 «g5+ 4'g7 29 ae7+ wins.

28 ^xg4 ^fS 29 ^g5 4^g3 30 Se7+ <ixg6 31 l'xc6+

and White mates quickly.

2 points for 26f6+!.

700) Eliskases - Wexler

Mar del Plata 1960 42...1'hl+!

Simplifying to a knight ending in which Black's two passed pawns will be decisive.

43 *xhl ^(2+ 44 *g2 ^xg4 45 i-fS ^e3 46'£ib6

46 ^xe3 dxe3 47 "ixeS "i-xge wins for Black; while the white king is rounding up the a5-pawn. Black captures all the white pawns and retains his own e-pawn.

46...'4'xg6 47 '4'e2 *g5 48 i-dS <4'g4 49 ^a4 *xg3

and Black soon won.

2 points for 42..Mhl+!.

701) Eliskases - Bielicki

Mar del Plata 1962

28 -S^fe+i Wxfe

White's attack is winning after 28...±xf6 29 l'xg6+ '*h8 30 l'xh6+ *g8 31 %6+ <i'h8 32 flxf6; e.g., 32...1'e5 (or 32...1'e7 33 ^5+ Wh7 34 Sh6) 33 l'h6+ 'i-g8 34 ag6+ 4>f7 35 Wh7+ with mate in three.

29 Sxf6 ±xt6 30 fxgeH- i.g7 31 «d6 Sxb2 32 l'xc5

and White won.

2 points for 28 ^f6+!.

702) R.Garcia - R. Sanguineti

Buenos Aires 1965

17 l'xh7+! 1-0

Resignation is perhaps a little premature, but Black is lost after n...'^xh7 18 ^g5+ igS 19 ^xe6, with an extra pawn and the better position.

2 points for 17 %xh7+!.

703) Eliskases - Szabo

Mar del Plata 1962 51...aa3!

Beginning a series of energetic moves to clinch victory.

52i.dl

52 Hdl is met by 52...1'b2, winning the b3-pawn.

52...1.a4! 53 l.c2

If 53 Se2 Black wins with, amongst other things, 53...«al! 54 lei (neither 54 Ac2 fhl nor 54 ad2 l.xb3 55 Axb3 Wbl 56 l.c2 Whl is any better) 54...1.xb3 55 l.xb3 Wb2-i-.

53...1'c3 54 «xc3 bxc3 55 Idl aa2! 56 bxa4 Sxc2+ 57 *e3 ag2 0-1

2 points for finding 51...'Sm3! and 1 point for 52..Aa4!.

704) Smyslov - Guimard

Mar del Plata 1962

201

28 cxb6!

'Falling for' the trap.

28...1el+

After 28...Wxb5 29 SxbS axb6 White should play 30 4'g2, followed by 31 a7, but not 30 a7? lel+31<i'g2Sal.

29 fixel! tfxbS 30 bxa7 Wcfi 31 Ibl 4h7 32 Sb8 1-0

J points for 28 cxb6!.

705) Klein - Marcussi

Argentine Ch, Buenos Aires 1963 23 af5+! gxfS 24 gxf5+ *h7 25 Wxhfi+i There are several other ways to win, such as 25 Sd4, but this is the quickest and most elegant.

25...<4'xh6 26 Sd3 1-0 3 points for 23 ^f5+!.

706) Illescas - Vallejo

Spanish Team Ch, Mondariz 2002

30 «e7!

Exploiting the absence of the black queen. White begins a fierce attack.

30...^xe4

If 30...^^eS then White wins with 31 '2^h7 or 31 lc8 »xb5 32 ^hl, while 30...<i>g7 fails to 31 ae6+.

31 Sc8! 1-0

It is mate in a few moves.

2 points for 30 We7! and 1 point for 31 M.c8.'.

707) Agdamus - Rubinetti

Buenos Aires 1970

lS..Mxe3+ll

Here we have another beautiful example of 'extraction' of the king.

19 -i'xe3 i.d4+ 20 *f4 e5+ 21 "i-fS Sc6

21...Bc5! forces mate, as your analysis engine will demonstrate.

22 ae41.C8+ 23 <i'g5 h6+ 24 <ih4 g5+ 25 'axg5 hxg5+ 26 ixgS 'Sih7+ 27 'i>h5 l.xh3?

An error that takes some of the gloss off the triumph; amongst other things, 27..."i'g7 wins, since 28 l.xc8? aUows 28...Hh6-i- 29 -4'g4 ^^fe^-30 *f5 lh5#.

28 e3?

After 28 g4! the struggle could continue.

28...&dd6 0-1

3 points for 18..Mxe3+!!.

708)

Trois - Amado

Mercedes 1975

34,..Hd8!

Now there is no defence against 35...Sdl; 34...J.e3? is a mistake in view of 35 4^e5! and White comes back to life.

35 '2^g5 Idl! 36 ^t7+ 4g8 0-1

3 points for 34... Ud8!.

709) Kogan - Arencibia

Capablanca Memorial, Havana 2002

25 l'xc4+! I.f7 26 l'xf7+!! *xf7 27 Hxh7+ 4-68

If 27...'i-f8 White wins with 28 dxe7-F 4-68 29 exd8l'-i- axd8 30 IxdS-h 4xd8 31 ±c7-l-. 28 axe7+ ■i'f8 29 J.g7+ <i'g8 30 flhl 1-0 2 points for 25 Wxc4+! and 2 more points for 26'^xf7+!!.

710) Illescas - Nakamura

Pamplona 2003 54 i.d7+!

To deflect the f8-knight. 54...^xd7 55 hxg6! 1-0

This is the key; after 55...i.f8 56 exd7+ 4>xd7 57 Me h5 58 g7 i.xg7 59 l.xg7 h4 White's king can stop the pawn with 60 'i'e3. In contrast, 55 exd7+? i-xd? 56 hxg6 <i'e6 does not win.

2 points for 54 M.d7+! and 2 points for 55 hxg6!.

711) Xu Yuhua - Ushenina

FIDE Women's Knockout, Ekaterinburg 2006

24 ac3!

First White removes the dangers to her own king, threatening both the queen and the knight, so Black's reply is forced.

24...1'b5 25 lxd7!

And the key defender is eliminated.

25...'4'h8

There is no defence. 25...#xd7 loses to 26 l.xg7! i.xg7 27 ^%+, while 25...flxc3 26 M.\ci is also insufficient for Black.

26 2xf7 1-0

Black resigned in view of 26.. .gxf6 27 flh7-f-! *xh7 28 l^x%+ -4'h8 29 »g8#.

3 points for 24 S.c3! and 2 points for 25 Zxd7.'.

712) K. Berg - Jacoby

Hamburg 2007 28 axe6?

This tempting sacrifice ought not to win. The correct move-order is 28 #f4+! 'i'g7 (forced)

The Giant Chess puzzle book

29 #d4+! *h6 (if 29...4>g8 then 30 0x66! is good, threatening mate on e8: 30...fxe6 31 l'd8+ i-g? 32 We7+ i-he 33 l'f8+ "i-hS 34 g4#) 30 »i4+! *g7 31 -S^gS! (31 Hxe6 also wins) 31...Hxf2 32 itxh7+ <tf6 33 ^e4+ i-e? 34 ni4+ and White wins.

28...fxe6?

After 28...1'xf2!, which White could have ruled out with the precise series of checks mentioned above, White is forced to give perpetual check with 29 fgS-l- -tg? 30 «f6+ (if 30 He7 then 30...Wxf3, while 30 flf6 is answered by 30...h6!) 30...<4'h6 311'f4+"i>g7 32l'd4+, etc.

29 Vg5+ <4>g7 30 Ve7+ <i>h6

After 30...<ig8 31 fce6+ the black rook is lost.

31 ffSH-1-0

3 points for 28 Wf4+!, 1 point for 29 Vd4+! and 1 point for 30 Wh4+.'.

Test 8 Answers

713) Madeira de Ley - Ju. Bolbochan

Rio de Janeiro 1952 23...h5! 0-1

Black wins an exchange after 24 ^e3 hxg4. 1 point for 23...h5!.

714) Garcia Toledo - Riego

Mar del Plata Zonal 1969 56...Wel+! 57 <4'h2 #g3+ 58 i-hl »xh3+ 0-1

After 59 "i-gl l'xg4+ the d7-rook is lost.

1 point for 56..Mel+!.

715) Pilnik-Panno

Mar del Plata 1965 23...4^xb3!

White's back rank is inadequately defended. 24 Bdel

Or 24 flxd8 Hxd8 25 axb3 (25 lxe5 is better but still losing) 25...Axc3 threatening 26...Sdl+ and mate.

24...'ad4

White resigned a few moves later.

2 points for 23...^hxb3!.

716) Stein - Pilnil<

Mar del Plata 1965

29 i.c3!

This simplification enables White to keep his extra pawn, as well as better pieces and superior structure.

29...Hxel+ 30 Axel Idl 31 <4f2 ^c5 32 J.xb4 Scl 33 c3 lc2+ 34 4'e3 lxh2 35 a4 Hg2

If 35...'?ib3 then 36 aa8-h -i'g7 37 flbS aa2 (or 37...1g2 38 fixbe flxg3+ 39 <i'e4, with two passed pawns and a big advantage) 38 Hxb6 Hxa4 39 c4 and White is a (passed) pawn up.

36 <4'f3 Sc2

36...Ha2 is met by 37 a5.

37 a5 '^34

37...bxa5 loses to 38 J.xc5 axc3-h 39 i.e3.

38 a6 aa2 39 Sb7 ^xc3 40 a7 ^d5 41 J.d6 1-0

2 points for 29 M.c3!.

717) Uhlmann - Ju. Bolbochan

Mar del Plata 1966

26 ad6! I.xf3

After 26...1.xd6 27 exd6 l'd7 28 l.xb7 l'xb7 29 d7 White wins.

27 ^xe8 #58

There is nothing better; 27...#d8 loses to 28 l'xd8 l.xd8 29 gxf3, while if 27...1fc8 then 28 ^d6! also wins a piece.

28 ^f6+!

Even better than 28 l'd7.

28...gxf6 29 exf6 «e8 30 Wxf3

White has a winning position, thanks to his extra pawn on f6, which paralyses Black. Let's follow the game a little further.

30...i.f8 31 ^4+ <i'h8 32 l.d6! #d8 33 i.e7 We8 34 hS ^taS 35 l'g3 <i'h7 36 «d6! We4 37 l.xf8

and White won quickly.

2 points for 26 ^hd6!.

718) Garcia Martinez - Ju. Bolbochan

Havana Olympiad 1966

18...1,c5!

The exchange of these bishops brings White's attack, and the game, to an end. Not 18...Axfl? 19 l.g6 h6 20 l.xh6! and White wins.

19 af3 l.xe3+ 20 axe3 »c5 21 -Sidl Had8 0-1

2 points for 18...^c5!.

719) Franco - H. Garcia

Piriapolis 1977 33...1'd4?

Black can defend, and win, with 33...#e5!; for example, 34 axf7 (34 fxg6 #xg5-l- forces 35 «g3, when 35...1'xg3+ 36 hxg3 c2 wins) 34...*xf7! 35 l'h7+ 'ie8 36 Wxb7 ab8, followed by 37...c2, winning.

203

34 bxc3!

It is important that White is able to ehminate the dangerous pawn with tempo.

34...«e5

34...*dl+?losesto35lfl.

Now White played 35 fxg6?!, but 35 fle2! #05+ 36 He3 wins more quickly: 36...1'xe3+ 37 Vxe3 "ixh? is forced and now the quickest way is 38 lfh3+ <ig8 39 f6 HeS 40 cxb4!, but not 40 Wheil flel+ 41 'if! ^d3+ 42 i>g3 fle3+ 43 <i>h4 lh3+!! 44 i-xhS ^f4+ 45 4'h4 ^h5, and the a5-pawn queens.

3 points for 33..Me5!.

720) Franco - Guimard

VUla Gesell 1980 18...«b5!

White is a pawn up but his position is precarious; Black dominates the centre and the lack of coordination among the white pieces is plain to see.

19 '£ic4 l.g4 20 l'g3

Here Black played 20...Ae2 and eventually won. But even stronger is 20...'§ice4 21 tfel ^xd5, when Black's activity is very dangerous; e.g., 22 'ade3 ?ixd2! 23 l'xd2 '5^xe3 24 ^x&2> We2!. Let's examine this a bit further: 25 '5^c4 «xd2 26 ^xd2 l.e2 27 Hfel (or 27 Sf2 l.c5) 27...Axf4 with an extra pawn and the bishop-pair.

3 points for 18..Mb5!.

721) Vera - Lebredo

Managua 1982 28 l.xf5+! gxfS 29 Sh6+! i>f7 30 We-i-

30...<4'e8 allows mate in three with 31 l'e6+. 31 #66-1-1-0

If 31...Wf7 then 32 l^xcS-i-, while after 31...1f7 32 lgl+ it is mate in two.

2 points for 28 Mjcf5+! and 1 point for 29 n.h6+!.

722) Franco - Van Riemsdijk

Moron Zonal 1982

45 leT-H!

Winning a vital tempo in the race between the passed pawns.

45...*xe7 46 h7 Sdl 47 h8« l.c5

47...a2 loses to, amongst other things, 48 Wg7+ <i>e6 49 WgS-t- and 50 l'xa2.

48 'S^d4 1-0

3 points for 45 Be7+.'.

723) Vera - Sisniega

Mexico City 1984

27 l'xb8!

White wins only a rook and a piece for the queen, but he also gains a powerful passed pawn, giving him a big advantage.

27...«xb8 28 axc2 »e8

After 28... J.d8 29 c6 ±c7 30 ^xcl fcc7 31 ^6A and 32 '^ibS White wins.

29 c6!

The pawn's advance is decisive.

29...'ae5 30 '§^xe5 i.xe5 31 c7 i.xc7 32 axc7 1-0

3 points for 27 Wxb8!.

724) Sion - Franco

Seville 1989 58...1'g3+!

The white king will not escape. 59 'id2 4ie4-H! 60 i'e2 Or 60 '4c2 Wc3>+ mating. 60...1'f2-H 61 ■4'd3 l'f3+ 0-1 62 '4'c4 loses to 62...^d6-l-.

2 points for finding 58..Mg3+! and 1 point for 59...^e4+.'.

725) Topalov - Leko

Morelia/Linares 2006

55 ^f6!

This sacrifice of the dangerous pawn wins material, and is the only way to gain the advantage.

55...axd6 56 le8+! <i'c7 57 He2!

This is the key move, with the double threat of taking the b2-knight and playing 58 ^e8-t-.

57...Hdl 58 lxb2

The game is decided, and although Black fought on, hoping for practical chances, Topalov didn't allow any miracle saves.

3 points for 55 ^f6! and 1 point for 57S.e2!.

726) Kritz - Firman

Cappelle la Grande 2007

12 b4!

The start of a manoeuvre to trap the black queen.

12...1'xb4 13 a5!

And this is the move that complements White's last; the black queen now has no safe retreat.

13...^xd3?!

13...e5 is preferable, with the possible continuation 14 Sfbl ^fxe4 15 fel l'xd4 16 '2^xd4

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

'^^xcS 17 #xc3 exd4, but even then White's advantage is not in doubt.

14 cxd3 «b3 15 ^gS!

Preventing the retreat ...#e6.

15...1.h6

15...1'b4 is met by 16 aa4 Wb3 17 Sbl.

16 f4 e5

After 16...1.xg5 17 fxg5 ^dl the move 18 ^d5 is crushing.

17 Sfbl Wxbl+ 18 Sxbl exd4 19 ^bS and White won.

3 points for 12 b4!, and 1 point for 13 a5!.

727) Lindinger - J. Fries Nielsen

Hamburg 2007 24...g3!!

Clearing the g4-square for the e5-knight and, in particular, the c8-h3 diagonal for the c8-bishop.

25 Axes ±h3!

And now there is no defence.

26 fxg3

26 AxgS is answered with 26...Wxg2+ 27 "iel l.g4.

26...«xg2+ 27 4el ag6

Winning quickly, even though after 27... J.g4! it is mate in three.

28 lc4 i.h6 0-1

3 points for finding 24...g3!! and 2 points for 25...M3!.

728) IHenrlchs - Prusil<in

German Ch, Konigshofen 2007 23...'Sifg4+!!

Quieter methods such as 23...#f5 are ineffective; e.g., 24 f3 (or 24 AxeS flxeS 25 f3, threatening 26 g4 and if 25...Se8 then 26 ±bl with equality) 24...exf3 25 J.bl ^e4 26 l.xe5 Wxe5+ 27 l'xe5 Bxe5 28 gxf3 '5^c3 29 ad3 -S^xbl 30 fixbl, with equality.

24 hxg4

After 24 "ihl Black already has one strong piece inside the white camp, and with 24...^f3! he can plant another in White's kingside, after which the pressure becomes intolerable; e.g., 25 Axg7 (after 25 gxf3 ^e5! Black mates quickly, with his queen and d6-rook combining in the attack) 25..Mi5 (threatening 26...f6; 25...'§ige5 is also very strong) and after 26 Ac3? Black has 26...Hh6, threatening 27...fixh3+ and mating quickly.

24 "igl is also very strongly met by the same move: 24...'5^f3-M 25 gxf3 ^h2!! 26 fxe4 (or 26

*'xh2 ah6 with mate in three) 26...1'xh3 27 f3 ^xi3+ 28 axf3 l'xf3 29 Sfl «xe3-h 30 ^2 (if 30 nf2 then for instance 30...Bxe4 wins) 30...1'xc3 31 l'xf7+ *h7 and Black wins, since the transfer of the d6-rook to the kingside will be decisive.

The move 24 'i'g3 is also perilous; for example, 24...ah6 25 d6 f5! 26 i.xe5 (26 d7 can be answered with 26...f4-h! 27 exf4 gxf4+ 28 "i'xf4 af8+ 29 >*g31'dS, mating) 26...^xe5 27 <i>h2 ^d3, and the d6-pawn is lost.

24...Sh6+ 25 -i-gl 4^f3+! 26 gxf3 exf3 0-1

5 points for 23...^fg4+!!.

Test 9 Answers

729) Grau - Subira del Rio

Buenos Aires 1923 17 h3! wins a piece for insufficient compensation: 17...1.h5 18 g4 e^h4 19 l'h6.

1 point for 17 h3!.

730) Nikolic- Illescas

Dubai Olympiad 1986 34...'?:ih3+! 0-1

35 *hl loses to 35...'axf4.

1 point for 34...^h3+.'.

731) R. Sanguineti - Ju. Bolbochin

Buenos Aires 1971

Returning a portion of his extra material with 24 M.W. would grant White some advantage: 24...Bxf4 (not 24...i.xf4? 25 Hxg4+! Ifxg4 26 «b3+! <4'f8 27 Bgl and White wins) 25 flg3 Hf5 26 cxd6 cxd6, and now, for example, 27 axg4-l- l'xg4 28 l'd5+ <i'h8 29 2gl 1.XC3 30 «e6.

The game went 24 ag3? and Black won with 24...1.xg3 25 fxg3 WhS 0-1. 26 Wg\ allows 26...f2.

2 points for 24 M.f4!.

732) Panno - Mecking

Sao Paulo Zonal 1972 26...i.xg4! The white queen is overloaded.

27 l'xg4 itxb2

Gaining a material advantage.

28 an?! I.d4+ 29 Ml l.xf2+ 30 4^hl Wxc3

and White resigned as soon as the time-control was reached. 2 points for 26...Mjcg4!.

205

733) Visier - Mecking

Las Palmas 1975 33...1xg7! 34 fxg7+ A-gS

Even better than 34...'tt'xg7, since it allows the black king to advance a little further.

35l'e6+4>xg7 36l'e7+

36 «xd6 loses to 36...'5ig5+ 37 <ih4 4^f3+ 38 '4'h3 l'xh2+ with mate in two, while after 36 ^4+ l'xg4+ 37 <i'xg4 4'g6 38 h4 ^f6+ 39 "ifS Black can play 39...c3, with a winning endgame of good knight versus bad bishop.

36...<4'h6! 37 «h4+ -i-ge

and White soon resigned.

2 points for 33...Sjcg7!.

734) Mecking - Balinas

Manila 1975 38 M5\

Vacating the e6-square with tempo and winning an exchange.

38...1xf5 39 5^66+ *b8 40 HxfS 1-0 2 points for 38 Mf5!.

735) Klinger - Franco

Novi Sad Olympiad 1990 31...ad7! 0-1

Defending the vital f7-square; after 32 Wa6 Black plays 32...^g4! (threatening 33...1'e3+) 33l'a3Hxd5!andwins.

2 points for finding 31...Sd7! and 1 point for

32...^g4!.

736) Borges - Vera

Capablanca Memorial, Matanzas 1992 19...'axg3! (D)

W

White's pieces are badly coordinated and his king is exposed, as this sacrifice highlights. 20lg2

Or 20 hxg3 fcg3+ 21 kg! I.xc4. 20...^e2+! 21 ^xel l.xc4 22 l.xh3 J.xb3 with an extra pawn and the better position. 3 points for 19...^hxg3!.

Til) Morovic - Franco

Asuncion 1992

The game went 38...Wf7? 39 fcf7 Hxf7 40 ld8+ <ih7 41 "i'f2 with advantage to White.

Instead, with 38...f4! Black can regain the exchange with a reasonable position; e.g., 39 #xe4 (or 39 fid? feS! 40 WxeS i.xe5 41 Hg2 {if 41 ag4? or 41 Sh3? then 41...1.f5} 41...1.xg2 42 *xg2 f3-l-) 39...fxg3 40 l.xg3 Wf7.

3 points for 38...f4!.

738) Seirawan - Zarnicki

Buenos Aires 1993

Black has an extra pawn, and if he manages to castle quickly his position will be very good.

13 flxd6! fxdd 14 Idl melt

Black wants to keep his material advantage but he will be unable to withstand White's pressure. More tenacious was 14...^d5, when the best way to win back the piece is 15 e4!.

15 M'X Whl 16 ^eS Ad7 17 lxd7! ^xAl 181.XC6 Wae 19 ^xd7 #08 20 ±a4

Seirawan pointed out that 20 'S^b8+! is quicker, followed by capturing the a8-rook, but the move in the game is equally effective and very colourful, leading to a spectacular finale.

20...4'e7 21 WdS f6 22 mA6+ 'Ml 23 ^e5+! fxeS 24 l.d7 Wd8 25 «xe6+ 4^8 26 AxeS g6 27 ±f6 1-0

3 points for 13 Sjcd6!.

739) Adia - Franco

Santa Cruz de la Palma 1995 53...1e3!

Setting up a well-known drawing mechanism, based on perpetual check with a rook and a knight. Perhaps it is insufficient to draw here, but it is Black's only hope. There is no time for 53...flxf3? on account of 54 e? (threatening 55 ad8-l-, followed by queening) 54...1b3-l- 55 icl ac3-l- 56 'i'd2 fld3-l- 57 i-el ae3-h 58 <if2 and White wins.

54 e7 ael+ 55 4-02 ae2+ 56 "i-cl ^03! 57 ad8+

Another promising line is 57 aa7! "i'bS 58 aa3! axe7 (58...^b5 59 <Sie4! ^cl 60 i-dl ab2 61 <§ixg5 makes things easier for White) 59 axc3.

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

57...<i'c7 58 eSf?!

It is still possible to play a win with 58 ^e6+ lxe6 59 eSf lxe8 60 HxeS <td6 61 IgS. 58...4^a2+ V2-V2 3 points for 53..Me3!.

740) Vera - Mellado

Terrassa 1995 30 lxf7!

Finishing the game with a mating attack. 30..."*xf7 31 fxgeH- "igS 32 ^f5 -i-fS

Or 32...Sf8 33 '5^h6+ "ihS 34 ^fl+ lxf7 35 #xf7 and White wins.

33 ^e6+! 1-0

It is mate after 33...Sxe6 34 ad8+ He8 35 Hxe8+ fxeS 36 *xg7#.

3 points for 30 Bxf7!.

741) Matamoros - Urbina

Seville 2007 39.,.l.e3+!

Black exploits the exposed position of the white king to save the half-point.

40 <i>g2 ac3! This is the key.

41 Hxc3 bxc3 421^X03

42 Wxe3? I'xb3 is losing for White. 42...1'a2+ 43 -ihS «e2!

The draw is unavoidable.

44 d5 WhSH- 45 *g2 We2+ 46 'i'h3 l'h5+ V2-V2

3 points for 39...M.e3+! and 1 point for 40...S.C3.'.

742) Bologan - Yakovenko

Poikovsky 2007 35...1xg6!

This sacrifice is based on the far from obvious idea of exploiting the fact that the white rook on g3 is loose!

36 ^xg6

36 fixg6 loses to 36...Axe5.

36...*b8! 0-1

With the double threat of capturing the g3-rook and checkmate on bl.

3 points for finding 55...Sjcg6.' and 1 point for 36...Wb8.'.

743) Andres Gonzalez - Avrukh

Spanish Team Ch, Burguillos 2007 20...ad4!

The white queen has insoluble difficulties in defending the bishop.

21 axd4 cxd4 22 «xd4 Hd8 23 l'c4 Hc8! 24 «d4 i.c5 0-1

The f4-bishop is lost.

4 points for 20...Zd4! and 1 point for 23..Mc8!.

744) Volkov - Rublevsky

European Clubs Cup, Kemer 2007 29...Sh4!! (D)

W

m M M

iHABl

^ ^^ ^ ^

■ AH ■

■AB^HAH AB BWB

m

,ji

Making extraordinarily good use of his available resources, Black, who is already the exchange down, sacrifices his remaining rook to gain access to the f4-square for his knight.

30 gxh4 ^f4

There is no satisfactory defence against the threat of 31...1'g2#, thanks to the excellent coordination of the queen and the knight.

31*f2

Or 31 af2 tfxdU 32 Ifl l'c2 33 lf2 Wg6-l-! 34 "ihl WbR, mating.

31...^h3+ 32 4'g2 ^xf2 33 Idel #d2!

Thus Black retained an overwhelming material advantage, and won easily.

5 points for 29...B.h4!.'.

Test 10 Answers

745) Granda - Rivas

Capablanca Memorial, Havana 1988 29 4^c7! 1-0

Winning the exchange, since 29..Mxcll allows 30 He8#.

I point for 29 ^c7!.

746) Lipiniks - R. Gamarra

Paraguayan Ch, Asuncion 1996

II e5!

TESTS 6-10

207

This forces the sad retreat of the knight to g8, with great advantage to White, since 1 l...Wxe5? loses to 12 Ma.

1 point for 11 e5!.

747) Dubin - Campora

Argentine Ch, Buenos Aires 1976 28...?id3! 29 Sdl Sd4! 0-1

1 point for finding 28...^hd3! and 1 point for 29..Md4!.

748) Vera - Ro. Hernandez

Bayamo 1981 41 axc7! 1-0

41...1xc7 42 fag Hf8 43 a7 and White wins.

2 points for 41 Mxc7!.

749) Garcia Garcia - Castells

Catalonian Ch, Santa Perpetua 1985 22 axf7+! <4'xf7 23 «h5+ <i'g8 24 i.xe5 «d8 25 Sfl 1-0

Black is faced with a great loss of material. 2 points for 22 'Ujif7+!.

750) Vera - A. Hoffman

Pan American Team Ch, Junin 1987

16 i.xg7! ^ugl

If 16...1.xg7? then 17 ^el+.

17 ?^xh6+ -i-hS 18 ^xf7+ -igS 19 'S^xd8 l'xd8 20 dxc5 ^xcS 21 "^xdS

with a big material advantage.

2 points for 16 Mjcg7!.

751) Teran - Dgebuadze

Leon 1996

27 axe7! I.xc4

27...axe7 loses to 28 l.d5+, since if 28...'i'f8? then 29 ^hS*, and inserting 27...1'xf2+ 28 "ihl does not improve matters.

28 He8+ Sf8 29 l.e4! ^de 30 ±h7+! 1-0

3 points for 27 'Bae7!.

752) Vallejo - Danailov

Leon 1996 30 *hl!

Clearing the g-file proves decisive. 30...ac2 31 Igl Hg8 32 IxgSn- -i-xgS

It is mate in three after 32...#xg8 33 Wf6+ l'g7 34 aa8+.

33 f6 WfS 34 *xf8+ 1-0 3 points for 30 "^hl!.

753) Franco - Blanco

Capablanca Memorial, Cienfuegos 1997

White played 33 exd4 and gained an advantage, although he didn't win the game.

Instead, 33 Sc7! is decisive; for example, 33...ade8 (or 33...'4'f8 34 exd4 exd4 35 axd4, or 33...1ed7 34 lxd7 Hxd7 35 «xe5) 34 ^d6 and White gains a decisive material advantage.

3 points for 33 S.c7!.

754) Vallejo - Nikcevic

Mondariz Balneario 1998

27 flh3! b6

This leads to the destruction of his queen-side, but there is no defence; 27....^xd4? allows the textbook mating combination that we have already encountered: 28 #xa7-F! 'i'xa7 29 la3#.

28 cxb6 l.xd4 29 l.c7 Axb6 30 i.xb6 and White won.

3 points for 27 S,h3!.

755) Contin - An. Rodriguez

Buenos Aires 2006

32..,c4!

Now the queen comes into the game, and all the pieces cooperate in the attack.

33 dxc4 #c5+ 34 Sf 2

If 34 <4>g2 then simply 34...Sxe4.

34...fixf5!

The most convincing.

35 ^2 axe4! 36 l'xe4 l'xf2+ 37 "ihl Wn+ 38 "4'h2 flf2+ 39 4>g3 ^1+ 40 '4'h4 i.f6+ 41 <i'xh5 l'h2+ 0-1

2 points for finding 32. ..c4!, and 1 point for 34...nxf5!.

756) Rosmann - Hebbinghaus

Hamburg 2007 43...'5ig3+! 44 <4'g2

44<i>h21osesto44...'Sifl-H-! 45 ^gl Wxee. 44...1'xe6! 0-1

45 l.xe6 ^&2+.

3 points for 43...^g3+!.

757) Motylev - Prusikin

European Ch, Dresden 2007

28 «g7!

The prettiest; the plainer 28 l'f4! was also strong, with the idea of 29 h7 and preparing g4 with 30Hagl.

28...<i'd7

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

28...1xg7?! loses to 29 hxg7 WgS 30 ShS "id? 31 Sahl, followed by 32 lxg8 and Sh8.

29l'xf8agxf8 30Sael

The dark squares are under White's complete control and will be the means of winning the game.

30...Hh8 31 h7 *d6 32 SeS!

Preventing a possible ...e5.

32...fiaf8 33 ieS

Preparing to penetrate to g7 with the king, via the dark squares.

33...i.a4 34 Adl ±c6 35 4^f4 i.a4 36 Sh6

Later White finds the winning plan of doubling rooks on the g-file, followed by figS.

36...'ic7 37 le3 idfi 38 flg3 i.e8 39 ag7 ±a4 40 ah3 1-0

A possible continuation is 40...Ad7 41 flhg3 (or 41 ±h5) 41...b6 42 IgS SeS 43 fixhS IxhS

44 Sg7, intending 45 ±h5, and if 44...Ae8 then

45 Hg8 wins.

4 points for 28 Wg7!; 3 points if you chose 28 mf4!.

758) Quezada - Pozo

Villa Clara 2008

23 Sxe5+!!

This leads to forced mate, whereas 23 Wxh7? «al+ 24 4'd2 l'xb2 only brings difficulties.

23...fxe5 24 «h4+! 'i'ee 25 Wh3+ 'i>xf7

Quicker is 25...>4'f6 26 Sd6-i- 'ig5 271'e3-F 'i'f5 28 g4+ <ixg4 29 h3-i- i-fS 30 ^3-1- 'i'gS 31 l'g4#.

26 «xh7+ -iee 27 #d7+ i-fe 28 Hd6+! 4>g5 29 %7+ i-fS 30 Wg6+ *f4 31 «g3+ <4'e4 32 «d3+ 'i>f4 33 ©f3+ <i>g5 34 #€3+ af4

34..."i'f5 35 g4-F is similar to the previous note.

35 l'xe5+ flfS 36 «g3+ <4>h5 37 «g6+ <4'h4 38 ad4+ 1-0

4 points for 23 Sxe5+!!.

759) Rublevsky - Bacrot

Spanish Team Ch, Calvia 2007

With this fine move the knight defends the b6-pawn, and the two pieces that can take the knight are overloaded, since they have to prevent the white pawn from queening.

38...1'xc4

Obviously after 38...Axc4 39 b7 the pawn queens.

39 l'xe5+ &h6 40 b7

The pawn can't be prevented from queening, but Black still has a resource.

40...1'n+!? 41 '^h2 Ac6

Threatening both mate on g2 and the pawn on b7; how can White deal with both threats?

42 #63+!

42 l'f4+! 4'h5 43 f3 is also good. 42...'*h5

Or 42...i'g7 43 Vc3+ and the bishop is lost.

43 f3! 1-0

With the threat of queening and the no less strong threat of mating in three, starting with 44 g4+.

5 points for 38 ^c4!!.

760) Cheparinov - Navara

European Team Ch, Khersonisos 2007

The rook on al is out of the game, and White's attack lacks firepower. In fact. White's king is the one in serious danger, but he still has one move to save the game: 31 h4!, controlling the g5-square, draws; e.g., 31....4.g2+ (31...Sh2 32 WgS-l- '^hl 33 WdS forces Black to take the draw by 33...Shl+ 34 i'f2 flh2-i- 35 "ifl - not 35 '4'e3?, which loses to 35...'2^g2+) 32 "i-el He2+ 33 i-dl Af3 34 ^5+ <i'h7 35 «f5-i-with perpetual check.

The game followed a different course:

31 l.g8? ±g2+ 32 4>el fie2+ 33 "i-dl J.f3! 34 Wh7+

34 i-cl is met simply by 34...ael+ 35 <4'd2 Hxal, with a decisive material advantage.

34...4'g5

31 h4! would have prevented this escape; now Black forces mate.

35la2

There is nothing after 35 l'xg7-l- "4>h4.

35...ah2+ 36 4'el

Or 36 "icl '?ixd3+! 37 cxd3 (37 l'xd3 MA+ with mate) 37...i.f4+ 38 "ibl ahl+ and Black forces checkmate.

36...^xd3+! 0-1

Again it is mate: 37 cxd3 l.g3-l- 38 "ifl

ahi#.

5 points for 31 h4!.

9 The World of Endgames

This chapter consists of 80 endgame puzzles, ranging in difficulty from level 1 to level 4. Hints are given for the first 30. As usual, the difficulty level rises gradually, only to drop down again to level 1 in Puzzle 791, after which it starts to rise once again.

761 W

m w w w

m M.

White wins with a well-known endgame resource; how?

763 W

"""" Sail

m Wa my.

m ^ ^ ^

y/y y^'.

9 Wy W

m my my

mMm m

■

Wy Wy

yy wy/yyy

How can White simplify the difficult task of exploiting the extra pawn?

762 B

^^ w

m i

m^m.

MlBJ

"■±8 B I

V/////// "^S" '^^9/ yhrTf// V/A

764 W

A^i« m m "m, w^, m^. WM A m^^ ^^ m^^ ^^ m^

mt^m

Wy

AP ■

Wy ''9i ^ ^

1

White has played a typical combination to create a passed pawn... or is there a snag?

White has a winning position, but needs to find a key move to achieve victory.

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

765 B

m M M M

m, m

m m:

768 W

^/^y,'^=> ■myy/, ^ WyK ^ WM ^ A W^/ WM W^/ W^^

P fi B fl

J

After 88...1e2+ 89 i-fe! Black resigned, as White threatens mate and promotion. How could Black have forced a draw?

White has a big advantage; what is the quickest way to exploit it?

766

md""'m

m ■AS m.

y/^yyy. y.

i

■ A

^1

How can White win this apparently equal end-

ing?

769

Wy Wy Wy^ Wy my mySL

mm^ ■

«A« «

Wfy

The struggle against the bishop-pair promises to be an unpleasant defensive task; how can White simplify matters?

White has sacrificed a piece to create a winning passed pawn; how can he wrap things up?

Black played So—el's^, which forced White to resign; why did Black not promote the pawn to a queen?

The world of Endgames

211

771 W

Hi

^^

AB HI

**4^ W^y,

1 «

774

m.

M ^

1

^ ^,'

pp

■

Al

White's passed pawns are immobilized; how is it possible to get them moving?

White returned the exchange with 56 flxdS to reach a bishop ending with an extra pawn; was this a good decision?

772

^ »^ ^^ »^ ^

WM WM W^. W^'^

M M m, m

m. 'm.

tni

775 B

■ i

m m

■ P

A

^ '^ ^^ ^ i*77*; ife^^

im BA

White needs to find something soon, so that his extra pawn can be converted into something more tangible. What is it?

Black's powerful passed pawn is running out of energy; how can it be revitalized?

773

m, »

e^ «^ I

W

m »

Demonstrate a typical winning method in endgames with passed pawns.

Demonstrate the typical winning manoeuvre in this type of endgame.

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

777 W

m

m M

A ^^ ^^ ^^

Demonstrate your technique and win with a typical manoeuvre.

Choose: a) White is winning; b) White is better; c) the position is balanced. Support your choice with analysis.

778 B

m ^

Ami

Wi Wi W^. W%

781 B

'm/A, — y//////r y/////A

1

^w ^w k

"^' 'm m. 'm ili« m.

y//, %L_)^

^ » ^ P

#^ ^ gib,*^

Material is equal, but Black has a space advantage and his pieces are more active; how can he increase his advantage?

Black's passed pawn is going nowhere for now, and he must take action before White's knight rejoins the battle... but how?

779 B

^*fc

/\ m W, kW/

m,(^m^y

h^9 W W KW>

782 W

m mi'

i

y/////y ■'/^z, zTffffy. M WM ''M^A M.

m »

ii

i^wM.

m m m ^

i m m i

m, ^ ^ ^.

The material is equal; what other factor is decisive here?

White played 42 f3, which led to a draw following 42...Sxb2. How can White improve his play and win?

The World of Endgames

213

783 B

m m

A

'M^ V//////r^' ' ''/hrr^'^

786 W

Ai

Wf^, 'M4,

Ai,

IBB

White has counterplay with the threat of h5, creating his own passed pawn; how can Black take the lead in the pawn race?

There is just one way, not only to save the game, but also to win; what is it?

784 B

m

■J3,

m^^ »

s

m^ m%>,^ i

A

787 B

m 'm.

m

wm

.4

M ^

i

Black is a pawn up and White's e7-pawn is doomed, so it's an easy win, isn't it?

The game went 63...^e6 64 l.h7+ "ixg? 65 'i'xe6, and White won. How can Black's defence be improved?

785

m.

w.

rn^y.

m M m 'tM

m,f^wmr^^ ^ ^

788

li

iy M, W^. m.

Ifl mXm%

B^B B

i Wy Wi ^W^y Wy ^Wy hWy

4y^ ^^ ^^ J

With reduced material there is a fine line between a win and a draw, so precise calculation is required. Demonstrate the win.

Black has a passed pawn and an active rook. White must introduce a new element or his advantage will fade away; what is it?

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

789 B

9xm

'im.a^i

HA

m

m M

1 m^/.

M M,

790

w

%? ^%%?

e ^

:^$$$^ X ^

il ft iJ

^ i:;%^«%

m,^''m,(^'my.

In this strange position. Black has only one correct way to play; what is it?

White is better, but has no clear path to victory. What is his best winning try?

791 B

m ^ ^

mg% m.

793 B

792 W

794 B

The World of Endgames

215

795 B

799 B

796 B

800 B

797 W

801 W

798 B

802 B

The Giant Chess puzzle book

803 B

m M m

wm. m^, w^.

A

■ ■

^ %%%?

507

^'ZfM, W,

y//,^ W///A

1^ «^ mpmts

804 W

808 B

805 B

^ m

bT* %?%^

509

m^. pp

^ ^

•^ »^ ^ A ^^

806 B

810 W

The World of Endgames

217

811 B

m m>,

Mai

m y/m',

815 B

Ami

M

Ha

812 B

■ *■

4 ^ Hi ^ A

AH H#BaH

816 W

m W//A y/////A

■ ■#

§y, M, My Wy'&Wy k

A^

573 B

W^y W,

Hi

817

mx

yyy ^ y//Wy

Wy

i

yyy^,,^ yyyyyyy^ , i?

Wy 'm^y

814 W

Wy WyM.Wy Wy k

i mmm, ill*

my^my^my M. m 'Wy kWy kW% ^

A^^ «J,« «

878

^ ,^my$m^T

km "^■^'■■

Syp^ Myp:^ My^ My ^My My m>y^

MM. 'M

THE Giant Chess Puzzle Book

819 w

A

m.^^M

3? ■ir'^.

LB P I ■

823 W

820 B

824 B

821 W

825 W

822 W

826 B

The World of Endgames

219

827 B

831 B

828 B

832 B

829 B

833 B

830 W

834 W

The Giant Chess puzzle book

835 B

|lB#

a:

A:

lAl BA

m »

838 W

W^'. '-Mi

Ai

m^m, m, fl

SA

SJ6

859

w/////, y/.

w^y. m.

837 B

840 B

The World of Endgames

221

Answers for Chapter 9

761) Dziuba - Protaziuk

Najdorf Memorial, Warsaw 2008 49 i-fS!

49 '4'f6! is just as good, of course. 49...*d7 50 4>g6 <ie6 51 l.b4! 1-0

Zugzwang.

762) Jay. Gonzales - Kotronias

Dresden Olympiad 2008 Yes, there is a snag: 40...gxh5! 41 g6 Ag8! 0-1

763) Estremera - Martinez Gonzalez

Magaluf2008 87 «d5+! 1-0

764) Vallejo - Nunez

Havana 1992 42 ±b4+! 1-0

Thus Vallejo, then aged nine, stopped the black pawn. White wins easily after 42..."4'xb4 43 i'e2! "icS 44 "idl!, preventing 44...'4'c2.

765) Hlllarp Persson - Lindberg

Swedish Ch, Vdxjo 2008 Black draws by attacking the c-pawn with 88...Sc2! and every time the white king supports the pawn, threatening both to queen and to play Sxf2, Black just checks with the rook; e.g., 89 -id? Sd2+ 90 "ice lc2+ 91 •tb? Sb2+ 92 <4>a7 Sc2 93 "tbS lb2+.

766) R. Sanguineti - Ja. Bolbochan

Buenos Aires 1958

45 J.xa5! bxa5

If 45...Axe3 White has the winning zwi-schenzug 46 Ab4+!.

46 '4'xc5 g5 47 e4 1-0

There follows 48 b4, unless Black plays 47...h4. In that case, White must spare a thought for defence, and first prevent 48...g4 with 48 f3!.

767) Svidler - Yakovenko

FIDE Grand Prix, Sochi 2008 Not with 80 g6? i'f8!, and the pawn can't queen, but with 80 'i'g7! 1-0. There follows 81 g6 and "ih?, winning easily.

768) Ju. Bolbochan- J.E. Martinez

Argentine Ch, Buenos Aires 1946

42 i.e8+!

'The advantage of having two bishops is that at any moment you can exchange one of them' is a well-known dictum. Here White can use this resource to simphfy to a winning bishop ending, based on the tremendous position of his king.

42...4^xe8

Not42...i'e7?43l.xg6.

43 '^xe6 ±e7 44 c4 1-0

After 45 J.g5 White can't be prevented from breaking in with "i'f6.

769) Franco - Karpov

Spanish Team Ch, Mota del Cuervo 1995

31 ±d3!

A single bishop is not so dangerous.

31...±xd3+ 32 *xd3 <id5

The exchange of bishops relies on the fact that 32...i.xf2? loses to 33 ^tA+.

33 f4 Agl 34 '2^f3 1.C5 35 '2^d2 f5 36 ^f3 a6 37 ^g5 h6 38 ^f3 ±e7 39 ^AA g6 40 ^f3 i.f6 41 '5^h4 ±xh4 42 gxh4 V2-V2

770) Narciso - Krivoruchko

European Ch, Plovdiv 2008 80...elW?? runs into 81 Wg6+! <4>g8 82

l'e8-l-! *xe8 stalemate.

We should note that Black had other ways

to win apart from underpromotion, of which

80...1'xf4-H! 81 gxf4 elW-h, leading to mate

with checks, is the most direct.

771) K. Lie - Bu Xiangzhi

Dresden Olympiad 2008

42 -S^fS+I

This elegantly breaks the blockade; after 42...gxf5 43 g6 the pawn is unstoppable.

42...&C7 1-0

Black resigned without waiting for 43 d6+ 'i'c6 44 e7 'id? 45 ^g7.

772) Quezada - Onishchuk

Dresden Olympiad 2008

56 g4!

The exchange of the f3-pawn for the one on h7 leaves White with two connected passed pawns, which will win the game.

56...1xf3 57 '4'xh7 flh3 58 4'h6! Ihl

58...Af3 delays, but does not avoid, defeat; e.g., 59 'i'g5 'i'g8 60 i.f6 b5 61 ae8+ ^f7 62 le7-i- *g8 63 h6 l.xg4 64 fig7+ -^fS 65 h7.

59 Bxhl l.xhl 60 g5 *e6 61 <ig7 1-0

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

773) Onishchuk - C. Balogh

Dresden Olympiad 2008 The most important point is to avoid 73 c8tf ?

Hc3+ 74 '^dl flxc8 75 "i-xcS i-fS 76 lg7 <±>f4

77 'i'd7 g3 78 'ie6 <4>f3 79 <ie5 g2 80 '4'd4

i'f2, which is drawn. 73 flhS! 1-0 On the fifth rank the rook can shelter the

white king from checks; 73 i'dS! Hc3 74 lh6+

'i'e7 75 Hc6 also works.

774) Agdestein - Van Wely

Wolvega 2008 56 flxdS? is a serious error. After 56...'i'xd5

57 Acl .^xg5+! the ending is a theoretical draw; the black king reaches a8 without any problems.

Instead White can win with 56 J.c5! Axc5 57 Sxc5 Axa2 58 ac3 i.f7 59 axa3 *f5 60 Sa6, and the rest is straightforward.

775) Ftacnik - Aleksandrov

Dresden Olympiad 2008

29...Sxc4! 30 4^xc4 J.xc4 31 i-el

31 Hbl loses to 31...d2+ 32 '4>gl J.e2.

31...1,xb3 32 axb3 i-eS 33 f3

Preventing 33...'i'e4.

33...a5

The first step in creating a second passed pawn.

34 -*d2 g4! 0-1

A beautiful way to enable his king to support the d3-pawn, in order then to create another passed pawn with ...b5 and ...a4; e.g., after 35 hxg4 fxg4 36 f4+ (or 36 fxg4) 36...<i>e4.

776) Eliskases - Rossetto

Buenos Aires 1947

43 f5!

White breaks up Black's defensive structure and reaches a winning endgame by returning the exchange at an appropriate moment.

43...Axf5

Or 43...gxf5 44 <ixh5 J.d7 45 <i'g5 ±e6 46 Hxf5 and White wins.

44 SxfS gxfS 45 *xh5 -if 8 46 'ig5 ieS 47 4>f6 1-0

A possible continuation is 47..."if8 48 e6 fxe6 49 'i'xe6 4'g7 50 'i'xf5.

47 >4'xf5 'i'e7 48 g4 was also good enough: 48...<i>e8 49 *f6 4'f8 50 g5! (not 50 e6? fxe6 51 "i>xe6 '4'g7 52 "4'f5 '4'f7 with a draw) 50...<4'e8 (50...<i'g8 51 4-67 is similar) 51 '4'g7 <4'e7 52

'4'g8! 'i>e8 53 e6! fxe6 54 g6 e5 55 g7 e4 56 <4'h7.

777) Ju. Bolbochan-Maderna

Match (game 7), Mar del Plata 1953 52 f7!

Of course 52 fxe7? '4'xe7 is a draw. 52...<4>e6 53 4>g7 i.d6 54 a4 54 'i'g8 was quicker, but there is no hurry. 54,.,i.a3 55 <i>g8 l.d6 56 i.g7! i.c5 Or 56...*f5 57 ±f8 l.f4 58 .4.c5 l.h6 59 i.e3.

57 AfS l.e3

And now, with a manoeuvre that will be familiar to you. White shows that the h6-f8 diagonal is very short.

58 J.b4 l.h6 59 i.c3! 1-0

778) Porreca - Ju. Bolbochan

Amsterdam Olympiad 1954 By seeking to infiltrate with the king via g4, after which there is no defence: 40...<i'g6! 41 <4'h2 «f3 42 Wei If 42 l'xf3 exf3 43 igl <i>f6 44 ■4f2 g4 45 "iel '4'e5 Black wins easily using the f3-pawn to deflect the white king and penetrate decisively with his own king, when necessary. 42...'i'h5 43 i-gl 4'g4 44 4'h2 f4 0-1 45 gxf4 gxf4 46 exf4 «xf4-F 47 '4'g2 «f3-l-48 '4'h2 #h3-F 49 "i-gl ^3+.

779) Bielicki - Smyslov

Mar del Plata 1962 38...M21

Incarcerating the white king, with the idea of 39...'4>h7 and ...'i>g6-f5. Black achieves nothing with 38...<i'h7 39 '4'g3 'i'g6 40 <i'f4.

39 g3

Also losing is 39 Ag3 i.xg3-t- 40 4xg3 4'g7 41 4>f4 ife 42 c5 >i'xe6 43 <i>g5 i'e5 44 'i'xh5 (44 a4 a5 45 g3 '4'e4 46 "ixhS does not change the situation) 44...'i'f5! 45 'ih6 e5 46 h5 e4 47 'ig7 e3 48 h6 e2 49 h7 el* 50 h8l' ite7+ (or 50...1'e5-l-)51<4'g8-4'g6!.

39...Ac5 40 'i>g2 4'h7 0-1

There is no defence against the threat to take the e6-pawn.

780) Franco - Sequera

Bled Olympiad 2002 The game went 32 flc2?? and Black achieved equahty by making his king safe with 32...'i>h6 33 b3 e5 34 fld7 »b5 35 acc7 Wei V2-V2.

The World of Endgames

223

Black is able to infiltrate with his queen, and perpetual check is unavoidable.

Instead 32 Sh4+! wins, boxing in the black king, and the threats of mate are decisive after 32...<ig8 33 Hhc4! 4>h7 (if 33...Wxb2 then 34 lc8+ i-f? 35 fl4c7#) 34 Hc8, followed by 35 Hh4+, winning.

781) Delgado - L. Dominguez

Capablanca Memorial, Havana 2005 34...Ah3+! 35 <4>f3 The pawn queens after 35 i'xhS Wxf4 36

gxf4 d2.

35... J.g4+ 36 *e3 fcc3 37 «e4+

If 37 ^a4 then 37...1^^+ 38 <i'xd3 *dl+

and 39...Wxa4.

37...g6 38 *xd3 Wel+I 39 *d4 «e5+! 0-1 40 'i'c4 Ae2 is winning for Black.

782) Rublevsky - Ivanchuk

Blitz World Ch, Almaty 2008 42 'i'h5! wins: 42...Hxb2 (42...1xe4 is also met by 43 J.e6) 43 Ae6 (threatening 44 g7+ and 45 Sh8+) 43...^xg6 44 i-xge lxf2, and now 45 ..&.f5 is the most straightforward (but there are other ways to win, such as 45 Ad7): 45...<i'e8 46 "txfe >i>d8 47 ld7+ ^c8 48 Sxd6+ i'c7 49 la6.

783) Lenic - Franco

Dresden Olympiad 2008

51...Hc4!

Forcing White to move his rook into a bad position, if he is not to lose another pawn.

52 lg5 b4 53 h5

This was the idea, but now the bad placing of the white rook allows...

53...b3! 54 fleS

After 54 hxg6 b2 55 gxf7 bl« 56 f8*, the white king perishes; e.g., 56..Ma2+ 57 <i'e3 l'b3+ 58 4'f2 lc2+ 59 i-gl Wc3+.

54...Sxg4

With the capture of another pawn, the rest is simple.

55 hxg6 fxg6 56 <4c3 lg3+ 57 <i'b2 4'b4 0-1

784) Gadia - Redolfi

Mar del Plata 1960 Black was over-confident and carelessly continued 38..."i'd7??, losing the game after 39 ShS! (or 39 SgS) 39...<4'xe7 40 ah7+ <4'd6 41 lxb7 <4>c5 42 lh7 b5 43 flxh6 1-0.

Instead, after 38...<id6! 39 Hh8 Sxe7 40 nxh6+ <i'c5, the advantage lies with Black.

785) Corrales - Abergel

Harkany 2008

46 "i'xh5? is insufficient for a win: 46...f3 47 M\ i'f4! 48 l.xf3! (worse is 48 'i'g6? f2 49 l.e2 b4 50 h5 a4 51 h6 b3 52 axb3 axb3 53 h7 b2 54 WM b\W+ 55 4>f7 «a2-i-, when it is also a theoretical draw, but it is White who must play accurately to secure it) 48...'4'xf3 49 '4>g5 b4 50h5a4 51h6b3 52h7!b2 53h8l'bll'54 l'h3+ 4>f2 55 *h2-l- *f3 56 WA+ <ie2 57 fca4 with an extra pawn, but it's a theoretical draw.

With 46 l.dl! White wins:

46...<4'e4 47 <4>xh5 f3 48 4g4 f 2 49 l,e2 b4 50 h5 ^63

Or SO-.i-eS 51 i-gS "iee 52 h6 *f7 53 J.C4+ *f8 54 i'g6 fIf 55 AxfI -igS 56 l.c4+ "4'h8 57 l.b3, and White wins.

51 Ml a4 52 h6 b3 53 h7 b2 54 h8« blf 55 #03+ 1-0

786) Eliskases - Fischer

Buenos Aires 1960

56 ^\\5\\ <i'xa4

If 56...c2 then 57 '2^f4! wins by bringing about a knight ending where White's extra pawn on the kingside is decisive; e.g., 57...<i'c3 58 'i'e4! c\^ 59 h4 4^b3 60 'S^dS+I 4'c4 61 '?^xb6+ ■ic5 62 g5! hxg5 63 h5 g4 64 h6 g3 65 4'f3 ^d4+ 66 4'g2! ^e6 67 h7 ^f4-i- 68 -i>xg3 'ag6 69 '4'g4 (or 69 a5 "tbS 70 IhcA) 69...'4'xb6 70 <ig5 ^e5 71 <4'f5 ^il 72 <4'f6 ^h8 73 <i>g7.

57 ^U b5 58 ^e2 c2 1-0

The advance of the black pawns is easily contained; for instance, 59 h4 b4 60 'i'c4 b3 61 <4'c3 *a3 62 g5 cll'+ 63 ^xc\ b2 64 i'c2!.

787) Istratescu - Amin

Dresden Olympiad 2008 The draw is very near after 63...Sfl+! 64

'4'e5 (64 "i'xg5 Sgl+ 65 'i'f5 nxg6! is an even easier draw) 64...'af3-l- 65 <ie4 '4'xg7 66 l.f5 <i'f6 and the extra white pawn is not enough to

788) Shirov - Topalov

Dresden Olympiad 2008 30 h5!

An elegant way to reinforce the attack with a pawn.

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

30...gxh5 31 g5!

The h7-rook is not only passive but is also a tactical weakness; the threat is 32 g6.

31...Sg2 32 *f5 ae2

32...Ef2 is met by 33 f4 fle2 34 ac8+ fleS 35 fixe8+ *xe8 36 '^%\ a4 37 g6.

33 ac8+ He8 34 BxeSn- <txe8 35 >4f6!

With our well-known winning idea.

35...h4 36 g6! ah6 37 Exf? 1-0

37...h3 38 ah7! and White wins.

789) Van den Doel - Hellenberg

Leiden 2008

Obviously not 50...cl*? since after 51 af8+ the black king falls under a mating attack.

The game went 50...axg7? 51 'i'xg? clW 52 af8+! "i-ee 53 af6+ '4'd5 54 h8W l'g5+ (or 54...%!+ 55 ag6 l'a7+ 56 *h6 l'e3+ 57 ag5) 55 i-f? 1-0.

Black can draw with 50...'^g6!!; after 51 ac8 axg7! 52 ac6+ 4'f7 53 axc2 Bgl, we reach an ending that is drawn without the pawns at f3 and e5, and even with these pawns the evaluation is unchanged; e.g., 54 ac7-l- '4'f6 55 acB '4'f7 56 ag8 aal 57 ag7+ 4>f6.

790) King - Speelman

British League (4NCL) 2007/8 The game concluded 49 ac5? (the passed

pawn will make no progress this way) 49...axb2

50 ac4 ab3+ 51 *h4 4-g7 52 g4 4>g6 53 ad4

V2-V2.

White's best chance lies in mobilizing his b-

pawn by 49 ab8+! '4'g7 50 b5 axb2 51 b6.

Now:

a) 51...f6 52 exf6+ "i'xf6 53 b7! ■^g7 and then:

al) 54 <i'f3? is based on a typical idea: White intends to head for e7 with the plan of capturing the e6-pawn, after which Black will be in zug-zwang. We shall see this idea in action later. However, this specific move runs into a problem: 54...ab5! and after 55 '4'e3 e5! 56 fxe5? axe5-i- 57 <i'd4 ab5 the capture of the f5-pawn leads to a drawn ending.

a2) Therefore White needs to hang on to his own f-pawn. The best way to do this appears to be 54 <4'h4!, with the idea of playing g4 and exchanging pawns, thus ruling out the above defensive resource, and then returning to the route that we shall examine below.

b) 51...ab3-i- 52 <4'f2 ab2-F 53 <i'f3 and then:

bl) If 53...*h7, White wins by 54 *e3 Hxg2 55 Bf8! ab2 56 axf7+ -i-gS (56...4>g6 57 af6-F) 57 ab7 Bb4 58 'i'd3 and the king penetrates via c5 and d6.

b2) 53...ab3-H54-4'e2ab2+55'4'd3axg2. Unlike 'normal' positions in which the attacker abandons his kingside, here the defender can't create a passed pawn, and is therefore lost: 56 i'c4 ab2 57 <i'c5 f6 58 exf6-i- "^xf6 59 b7 <^g7 60 ice B.C2+ 61 -i'd6 Hb2 62 'ixe6 BbS, and now White wins the f5-pawn by means of the above-mentioned zugzwang: 63 <i'd6 ab2 64 <4>e5 ab5+ 65 *e6 'i>h7 66 "i>f6!.

791) Nogues - Grau

Buenos Aires 1926 41...J.g3! 0-1

792) Maderna - Lipiniks

Argentine Ch, Buenos Aires 1954 46 ac2!

With this move, all the pressure on the passed pawn is lifted. 46 Ad3+ "i'g7 47 ac2 also works. 46...axc2 47 ±.63+ 1-0 Furthermore the black bishop is trapped.

793) Najdorf - Redolfi

Mar del Plata 1959 67...»d3+! V2-V2

794) Liberzon - Franco

Haifa Olympiad 1976 56...b5!

It will still take some moves for the white king to be close enough (for instance on d4, d5 or c3) to prevent this resource from working, but... the sooner the better. 56...b6 and 56...4'd7 are the only other moves that don't lose.

57 axb6+

57 a6 is met by 57...b4, planning 58...<i'c6 and ..."4'b5, which a white king on one of the above-mentioned squares would prevent. After 58...4'c6, if White repUes 59 l.f2, to prevent ...'i'b5, then Black plays 59...<i'c7 and ..."i-bS, reaching the safe squares.

57...4'b7

with a theoretical draw.

795) NovJkov - Franco

Saint Vincent 1999 70...'ih4! V2-V2

71 'i'xf4 is stalemate, and White can't hope to win by any other means.

The World of Endgames

225

796) Perera - Ruiz Jimenez

Benasque 2001

45...'4'e7? allows the white f-pawn to threaten to advance with check after 46 'i'g?! so Black must play 46...<i'e6 (not 46...a4? 47 bxa4 bxa4 48 f5! and White wins) 47 'i'g6 "ie?, with a draw.

The immediate 45...a4! wins easily; after 46 bxa4 b4 Black queens with check; or 46...bxa4 47 f5 a3 48 f6 a2 49 f7 <ie7!, again queening with check.

797) Piazzini - Reshevsky

Stockholm Olympiad 1937

52 *xf6!

The right way; after 52 h5? 'i'd4 53 Ha3 e4 54 h6 e3 Black draws.

52...'id4 53 Sxe5 Sxg3 54 h5

Black's king is cut off from the defence, so he loses:

54...Hf3+ 55 IfS lh3 56 <4'g6 4'e4 57 lg5 la3 58 h6 aa6+ 59 i'hS Sa7 60 flg8 *e5 61 *g6 la6+ 62 "igS aa7 63 ae8+ 4>d5 64 "4'g6 Ha6+ 65 *g7 aa7+ 66 *g8 Sal 67 h7 Sgln-68 *f7 fln+ 69 <i>e7 1-0

798) Pelil(an - Guimard

Buenos Aires 1945 56...He3!

Reversing the move-order does not work: 56...h5+? 57 <i'h4 He3 58 i.xf7+! "ixf? 59 <i>xh5.

57 Axf 7+

After 57 Hgl h5+ 58 'i'h4+ '4'h6 there is no satisfactory defence against 59...J.d8+; if 59 Sg8 then 59...J.e5.

57...<ixf 7 58 ab7 ae7

and Black pressed home his advantage.

799) Falcon - Iliesco

Argentine Ch, Buenos Aires 1946 49...1'g3! 0-1

Zugzwang forces the rook to move to an unprotected square, where it perishes; e.g., 50 lh8 ffS-H 51 <i>h2 «f4+ 52 i'g2 l'd2-i- 53 <4'fll'cl-^54*g2l'b2+.

800) Gligoric-Ju. Bolboclian

Mar del Plata 1953 41...^d3!

Even better than the immediate capture on e4; Black wants to increase the activity of his pieces before capturing any pawns.

42Ad2

Retaining his worse bishop; White's defence is difficult after 42 l'xd3 l'xb4 43 'i'f2 a5.

42...»bl+ 43 i'g2 ^c5

This is one of the few examples where the pair of knights is far superior to the pair of bishops; White's damaged structure is the main reason.

44 «b4 Sc2 45 «c3 «a2

The e4-pawn is indefensible, and White can only choose between several evils. The rest is easy.

46 l'a5 «xc4 47 h5 ^hi 48 l'd8 4^xd2 0-1

801) Pilnil< - F. Olafsson

Match (game 3), Reykjavik 1957 62 h6? doesn't work, since it is Black who wins after 62...e3 63 h7 e2 64 h8l' elS-i- 65 ■i>h5 ©hl-f-. 62 -4'h3! 1-0

The only move, but it wins; after 62..."4'f3 63 h6 e3 64 h7 e2 65 h8l' elf 66 lff6+ <i'e2 67 #e5+, White exchanges queens and wins, while 62...e3 63 'ig2 <4'e4 64 -if 1! *d3 65 "i>el also gives Black no hope.

802) Fischer - Pachman

Mar del Plata 1959 55...axf3+! 56 axf3 l.xf3 0-1

After 57 >i'xf3, 57...b4 wins.

803) Ramirez - Franco

Haifa Olympiad 1976 46...*b4!

46...<4'xa5?? is bad on account of 47 <i'c5 '4'a4 48 'i'd6 a5 49 '4'e7 *b3 50 'i'xf7 a4 51 f5 exf5 52 e6 a3 53 e7 a2 54 e8« al© 55 #b5-H '4'c2 56 l'xf5+, with the better ending.

47 f5

White hopes that the black king will take the pawn, making way for the white king.

47...4>b5!

The simplest. 47...exf5 is also winning, but the pawn ending in that case requires considerable accuracy.

0-1

Only after 48 fxe6 fxe6 49 'i'd3 does Black play 49...'4'xa5, winning.

804) Franco - Quinteros

Mar del Plata 1982 40adl!

Preventing ...ad4.

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

40...Sg8 41 <4>f3 BdS

Black has to lose another tempo, as 41 ...'4'g7? loses to 42 Sgl+.

1-0

The game was adjourned, and Black resigned without resuming. A possible continuation is 42 'i'e4 -ig? 43 <4>d5 ^f6 44 i'c6 h5 45 d7 igS 46 ^cl, with an easy win.

805) Spraggett - Franco

Mondariz 1998 51...Se3! 0-1

806) Pons Sastre - Franco

Llucmajor 2000 46...<4'f3! 47 axe6 Ixf2-H 48 <iel 48 <i'gl ae2 is similar. 48...1e2+ 49 4dl SxeS 50 axf6-i- 'i'gl 0-1

807) Franco - Quezada

Capablanca Memorial, Havana 2001 87 h4! 1-0

White creates a decisive passed pawn. Now 87...gxh4 88 flg7-i- is winning for White.

808) Moreno Carnero - Matamoros

Dos Hermanas 2004 61..,g4! 0-1

Black wins after 62 hxg4-i- '4'xg4 63 Sd2-(- 64 *fl c2.

809)

?g2

Rustemov- Illescas

Dos Hermanas 2005 28 axe6! fxe6 29 <*c2 *f7 30 -ic3 -ie? 31 *c4 *d6 32 ibS 4>c7 33 4'a6 <i>c6 34 a4!

Up to here everything was forced; White's spare move now decides the game.

34...g5 35 g4 h6 36 h3 i'c7 37 '4'a7 <kc6 38 <4b8! 1-0

After 38...<i>c5 (38...'i'd6 39 A-b? *c5 40 '^cl transposes) 39 'i'c7 '4'b4 40 <4'xb6 <i'xa4 41 "icS White wins easily.

810) Franco - Larino

Calvia 2005 62 e7! axe7 63 lf6+ *c7 64 AxdS with an extra piece.

811) Pajeken - Landa

Hamburg 2007 101...1gl+!

101...fixg4? allows White to save the game with 102 "4>fl flgS and now several moves

draw, the simplest being to place the rook on the 'long side' with 103 Sa6.

102 an ixfi-H 0-1

103 i-xfl is met by 103...<i>d2.

812) Ivanchuk - Wang Yue

Sofia 2009 47...h4H-!!

Now White's king will be shut in at the edge of the board, and Black will force a win by zug-zwang.

The pawn sacrifice is not just the only winning move; it is also the sole way to avoid loss. For example, 47...hxg4? 48 'i'xg4 <4'xd5 49 h4 i'e6 50 h5 gxh5-i- 51 *xh5 -if? 52 "ihe i-gS 53 '4'g6 leads to a lost ending for Black.

48 ^xh4

Otherwise Black can win as he pleases.

48...'4'f3

Now Black is able to stalemate White's king, eventually forcing a losing pawn advance on the queenside.

49 b4

After 49 a5 Black also wins without any great trouble; for example, 49...b6 50 axb6 (50 b4 b5! is like the game) 50...cxb6 51 c4 a5 and White is fast running out of safe moves. 52 'i'h3 *f2 53 ■i'h4 *g2 54 h3 '4'f3 55 c5 bxc5 56 b4 c4 and the game finishes with ...#el#. 49...b5 50 a5 i>g2 51 h3 4^h2 0-1 And mate in six more moves finishing with ...«el#.

813) Wang Yue - Cheparinov

FIDE World Cup, Khanty-Mansiisk 2007

40...dl'a+!

Not 40...dl#?? 41 #e7-i- with perpetual check.

4l4>c2

After 41 <4'b3 l'f3+ the queen comes to the king's defence.

41...^e3+ 42 *d3 'S^f5

Now it is the knight that comes to the aid of the king, and Black is able to press home his material advantage.

43 fxe5 Wn+ 44 i'd2 Wf 2+ 45 *d3 l'd4+ 46 <ic2 dxeS 47 '2^c3 *f2-H 48 *bl Wgl+ 49 *b2 l'xh2-h

and White resigned a few moves later.

814) Quezada - A. Graf

Merida 2008 40 h6! gxh6

THE WORLD OF ENDGAMES

227

40...g6ismetby41 J.h5!.

41 gxh6 1-0

The threat is 42 l.h5 followed by i.g6. The only way to try to resist is by playing ...c5, so that the black king can go to the kingside, but it doesn't work; e.g., 41...c5 42 ±xc5 (42 dxc5 is also good enough) 42...^xc5 43 dxc5 ±xa2 44 J.h5 l.xb3 45 i.g6 -ie? 46 l.xh7 i-f? 47 l.xf5! exf5 48 e6+ 'i'g6 49 "4'd4! and White queens a pawn.

815) Nunez Campos - Frois

Monforte de Lemos 2008 41...Se4!

After the exchange of rooks, Black gains the invasion square f5.

42 Sxe4 fxe4 43 <i'd2 a5 44 ieS "ifS 45 a4 eS 46 fxeS "ixeS 47 *f 2 *e6

47...'4'f5, intending 48...'4'g4, is also good enough.

48 4'e3

Or 48 462 "if5 49 "ieB <i'g4 50 4x64 ixgS.

48...<i'f5 49 'M2 *g4! 50 *e3 4'xg3 51 <ixe4 <ixh4 52 i'f4 <ih3 0-1

816) Otte - Wohl

Dieren 2008

56 g4? is a serious error since the ending after 56...hxg4 57 '4'xg4 Sf6 is a theoretical draw.

56 «c2! 1-0

White forces a winning pawn ending; he wins both black pawns while keeping his king in a dominant position: 56...g6 (worse is 56...'i'g6 57 g4 hxg4 58 i>xg4) 57 «xf5! gxfS 58 >ixh5, followed by 59 <i'g5 and '4'xf5. 56 #64! is equally good.

817) Sandipan - Slingerland

Leiden 2008

61 4'c5??

White wins with 61 a6! bxa6+ (or 61...^f5 62 a7) 62 'i'c6!, and the pawn queens, supported by the king and the bishop.

61...*d7

Already there is no way for White to exploit his passed pawn, and capturing the b7-pawn only leads to the loss of the d-pawn, after which Black can defend.

62 l.f4 af5 63 ■id5 h4 64 <4>c5 V2-V2 There is no time to create a passed pawn;

Black's pawn goes to h3, and his knight retreats and then resumes the attack on the d6-pawn, with a draw.

818) Monokroussos - Yuan Yuanling

Chicago 2008 32...Sf4+! 33 lxf4

No better is 33 "ieS Sxg4 34 fxg4 gxh4; e.g., 35 <i'e4 ■4'd6 36 <i>f5 4'd5 37 i'g6 e4 38 dxe4-l-<4'xe4 39 'i'xh6 c4.

33...gxf4!

White is in zugzwang.

34 a3

After 34 b4 cxb4 35 d4 a5 36 dxeS a4 37 'i'd3 'ixeS the black king penetrates via d4 and either supports his queenside pawns or invades the kingside and captures all White's pawns.

34...a5 35 a4 bxa4 36 bxa4 h5! 0-1

819) Kamsky - Adams FIDE Grand Prix, Baku 2008

58 h5!

Thanks to this temporary sacrifice, the white king is able to annihilate Black's kingside. The distance of White's king from the main field of battle is significant.

58...<i'b3 59 5cl gxh5 60 'ih3 1-0 Black resigned in view of 60..."i'b4 61 <4'h4 <4>b5 62 <i'xh5 lxc6 63 Hxc6 '4'xc6 64 ixhe "ide 65 'ig5 ^66 66 '4'g6!.

820) Klimov - Hector

Horsholm (rapid) 2008

64...g3??

Black draws with 64..."i'h3!; e.g., 65 -^hl g3 66 hxg3 hxg3 67 f4 g2 68 l.b6 i'g4 69 l,e3 gl*

65 fxg3 hxg3 66 h4!

Now the pawn is unstoppable.

66...i'f3 67 h5 g2 68 ±b6 1-0

821) Vokarev - Azarov

Nezhmetdinov Memorial, Kazan 2008

42 Sxf7?

This tempting capture lets victory slip away. White wins with 42 Hdd7!; e.g., 42...1aH-(42...1f2 43 lxf7 doesn't work now) 43 'S'c2 a2 44 aa7 Ifl 45 Hxa2 af2-h 46 ad2. On the other hand, 42 Ha7 lf2 43 ad2 J.b2-h 44 *c2 lxf3 45 b4 '4'g7 is not as clear.

42...Sal+ 43 *c2 Ha2+ 44 -idl Hal+ 45 <4>c2

The reason for the repetition is that the white king can't move away; if 45 <i'e2 a2 46 fla7? then 46...ahl!, but 46 Sdd7 fiel-h! 47 <ixel &\M+ would be a draw.

45...aa2+ 46 i-bl Hal+ 47 ic2 aa2+ V2-V2

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

822) Akhmadeev - Aleksandrov

Nezhmetdinov Memorial, Kazan 2008

The immediate 86 aSW? doesn't lead to a win: 86...%!+ 87 <ih3 ShlH- 88 i-gS (with the queen on e6,88 *g4?? loses after 88...#h4+ 89 -ifS ®f4#) 88...1'gl+ and Black secures a draw.

The game went:

86 #32??

This fails to prevent the threatened perpetual check. Instead White wins with 86 #e7+! (eliminating the mating possibility with the queen on e6) 86...'4'h6 (86...<4'g6? loses to 87 l'e4+) 87 a8l'! fgH- 88 -ihS Whl-t- 89 'i>g4 #h4+ 90 ■ifS ^4+ 91 i-ee l'e3+ 92 &f7 l'b3+ 93 We6+. Black's own pawn on g5 rules out any possible stalemates.

86...*gl+ 87 "iha *hl+ 88 <4'g3 «gl+ 89 <ih3 Whl+ V2-V2

823) T.L. Petrosian - Simonian

Armenian Team Ch, Erevan 2008 40 AxhS!

40 'i'f4 also appears to win, although more slowly: 40..."i>c5 (or 40...<4'c7 41 -i-gS <id7 42 4>f6 4'e8 43 g4 hxg4 44 i.xg4 i.b7 45 Af3 l.c6 46 h5 gxh5 47 .i.xh5 l.xe4 48 Axf 7+ "if 8 49 J.xe6) 41 ^gS 'i>d4 42 -ife '4>xe4 43 <ixf7 "ifS (43...<4'xe5 44 "4'xg6, obtaining two passed pawns, is simpler) 44 .i.d3-t- "i'g4 45 J.xg6 <4'xh4 46 *f6 '4'g3 (if 46...a5 White can play 47 l.f7 l.b7 48 g3+! A-xgS {or 48...'4'g4? 49 ■i-xee} 49 l.xh5 Ad5 50 l,f7 <4>f4 51 J.xe6 i.f3 52 i.d7, winning) 47 l.xh5 4'xg2 48 i.g4.

40...*c7

After 40...gxh5? 41 g4 hxg4 42 h5, the pawn is unstoppable.

41 i.e2 "i>d8 42 b4 <ie7 43 -if4 l,b7 44 g4 i'fS 45 J.d3 <4'e7 46 ^gS 1-0

There is no defence; e.g., 46...Ac8 47 h5 gxh5 48 gxh5 4'f8 49 <i'f6 '4'g8 50 h6 J.b7 and now one of several ways to win is 51 Ae2 (intending 52 i.h5) 51...^xe4 52 i.xa6.

824) B. Savchenko - Carstensen

Elsinore 2008 53...Hg8??

The simplest is 53...fle2!, defending against White's threat to win with 54 Hh8-(- 'i'd7 59 e6-l-; for instance, if 54 Sxh4 then 54...Sel is sufficient to draw, while after 54 '4'e6 Black should play 54...'4'f8, following the general rule of moving the king to the 'short side' (although in this case 54...'i'd8 is also playable): 55 fixh4

Sel 56 flh8-h ■i'g7 57 la8 ae2 58 -i-da 4'f7! 59 la7+ <i'e8.

Another possibiUty is 53...flf2+! 54 "^66 ■if8! 55 Sxh4 and there are several moves to draw, but the most logical is to hinder the advance of the white pawn with 55...2e2, reaching a theoretically drawn position.

54Ha7

54 5xh4 also wins here, because Black can't put his rook on the third rank or get behind the pawn to hinder its advance.

54...1g2 55 aa8+ <i'd7 56 e6+ 'i'd6 57 fld8+ 1-0

825) Vedmediuc - Ilincic

Timisoara 2008 50 Sxb6!

The clearest, simplifying to an ending with too many passed pawns on both wings. 50...^xb6 51 a5 (D)

B

m&

HA«A

■ ■

\ m

m ■

51...?^c8

There is no time to bring the king to the queenside after 51...'2^c4 52 a6 &06 53 a7 <i'd7 because White creates another passed pawn with 54 f4 'i'c7 55 g5 and then brings up his king: 55...fxg5 56 fxg5 'i'b7 57 g6 ^c?, 58 g7 ^el 59 b6!, followed by 60 'ih2 and the capture of the h4-pawn.

52 b6 1-0

826) Krush - D. Schneider

Internet 2008 35...flxb5!

Simplifying to an ending of bishop vs knight, where Black soon gains two connected passed pawns.

36 axb5 ^e5+ 37 fixe5+

If 37 'i'f4 then 37...Ag5-l- wins more easily.

The World of Endgames

229

37..,l.xe5

Threatening 38...'i'c4.

38 ^d2 *c5 39 &e4 l.c3 40 ^hl i.b2 41 f4 *xb5

The rest is simple; the passed pawn that White creates is easy to stop, whereas Black's two passed pawns are unstoppable.

42 f5 exf5+ 43 'i'xfS a5 44 e4 4^c6 45 e5 a4 46 e6 <i>d6 47 ^62 bS 48 4^64+ i-e? 0-1

827) Akesson - Vallejo

European Ch, Dresden 2007 59...flhl+ 60 *c2 Sxbl 61 *xbl i-hS 62 <ic2 4xh4 63 *d3 4'h3! 0-1

With this typical manoeuvre. Black captures the f3-pawn and wins; e.g., 64 <i'd4 (or 64 '4'e2 *g2 65 i-el -ixfS) 64...<i'g2! 65 4>e4 <4g3.

828) Sashikiran - Shirov

Foros 2007

36...b2! 37 i'c2

Forced; now Black exploits the position of the white king on the c-file, where it is vulnerable to a check, and the fact that the bishop on a6 is loose.

37...1e6! 38 lxe6 axc7+ 39 <i'xb2 fxe6

Black is the exchange up and with the white king cut off, the result is no longer in doubt.

40 'ib3 Hcl 0-1

829) Adams - Carlsen

FIDE World Cup, Khanty-Mansiisk 2007

78...1.XC5+!

Black is under unpleasant pressure, but with this sacrifice he achieves a draw.

79 dxc5

79 '4'xc5 results in perpetual check after 79...1'd5+ 80 <i>b6 (not 80 <ib4?? c5+!, winning the queen) 80...Wb3+ 81 '4'a7 #32+ (or 81...#33+) 82 <i'b8 l'g8+ 83 i-b? I'b3+.

79...«xe5 80 *b7+ «c7 81 l'xc7+ *xc7 82 <i'c4 4'd7 83 <i'd3 V2-V2

830) Peralta - Almiron

Paraguayan Ch, Asuncion 2009 It seems White has two ways to win, 55 'i'f4

and 55 'i'd4, but only one of them wins. Did

you choose the correct one? 55 <if4? This move should have lost half a point. 55

'i'd4! leads to an easy win after 55...g5 (or

55...4'g7 56 *c5 4>f8 57 4'd6 <ifl 58 <4'd7.

with zugzwang) 56 "icS! 4'g6 (56...gxh4 is even worse: 57 '4'd6 <i'g5 58 <i'xe6) 57 'i'd6 <i>f5 58 hxg5 h4 59 g6.

55...*h7?

The saving resource was 55...g5-l-!! 56 hxg5+ 'i'g6, when the extra tempo g3 is not enough to win: 57 g3 <i'f7 58 '4'e4 '4'g6 and White's king must return to f4, as he even loses after 59 4>d4?? -i>xg5 60 i-cS 4'g4 61 <4'd6 *f5! (but not 61...<4'xg3? 62 <4'xe6, which is a draw).

56 ^§5 <^^ 1-0

57 g3! leads to zugzwang.

831) Britez - Perez Ferloni

Ciudad del Este 2008

l...<i'd7! (D)

Black wastes a tempo, placing White in zugzwang. I...b4? 2 axb4 c3 is answered by 3 '4'd3! cxb2 4 <4'c2 a3 5 b5 'i'd6 6 b6 and the pawns, separated by a knight's move, in effect defend each other, so the position is a draw.

W

iBAB

'99 m »

m

m 11

A

2-4'd4

If 2 g3 Black plays another waiting move, such as 2...<4'c7.

2.,.4'd6 3 <ic3

In the case of 3 g3 it is important that Black has another waiting move with 3...f6!, and so wins.

3...*xd5

with an easy win.

832) Souleidis - Mastrovasilis

Kallithea (rapid) 2008

49...<id6?

This underestimates the difficulties that arise from allowing White too much space. Instead, with 49...J.C4! 50 b6 la6 Black forces the white pawns to advance, after which they are

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

blockaded and their strength drains away; e.g., 51 *f3 Ac8 52 <ig3 "*d5 53 a6 l.xa6 54 <i'g4 <i>c5 55 <i'xg5 'i'xb6 56 h4 ±e2, and Black has the two white pawns under control. 49...<i'd5! is also good enough; e.g., 50 a6 "icS 51 '4'e4 *b6 52 i-fS Ac4 53 •i'xgS i.xb5 54 h4 J.xa6 55 h5 -icS 56 h6 i.d3. 50 i>d4! (D)

B

Now the pawns can advance, supported by the king, and will win the game. 50...1.a4 51 c4 i-c? 52 'i'c5 1-0 There are various ways for White to advance the pawns but he has play with some care; e.g., 52...'i'b7 53 a6+ <^cl (53...'i'a7 can be met by 54 <i>c6 i.c2 55 ic? I.e4 56 c5 l.f3 57 b6+ <4'xa6 58 c6) and here:

a) Let's look at an unsuccessful attempt: 54 ■4'b4 Adl 55 c5 J.f3 56 *a5 g4 and now 57 c6?? fails to 57...i.xc6! 58 bxc6 ixce with a draw.

b) 54 a7! is good: 54...*b7 55 *d6! M\ (if 55...'i'xa7, 56 'i'c? wins, since the b-pawn queens) 56 b6 J.f3 57 c5 ksA 58 a8l'+ 'ixa8 59 4'c7 g4 60 c6 i.xc6 61 '^xc(> A-bS 62 b7.

833) Kogan - Golod

R0nne 2008 42...hxg4?

Black can win with 42...e5+! 43 'i>xe5 (after 43 <4'g5 hxg4 44 <i'xg4 "i'xf2 the passed e-pawn gains a decisive tempo in the race) 43...hxg4 44 '4'f4 'i'h3! 45 <4'g5 b5! (zugzwang; if the pawn were already on b5. Black would be the one in zugzwang) 46 'i'xg6 <4'xh4 47 'i'fS 'i'h3 48 4f4 'i>g2 49 -i'xg4 (or 49 4'e3 -if 1! 50 '4'f4 *xf2 51 <4'xg4 ieS, winning easily) 49...'i'xf2 50 <if4 <i'e2 51 <i'e4 <id2 52 *d4 'i'c2 53 <4>c5 <i'xb2 54 '4'xb5 'i'xa3 55 'i'c4 'i'b2, etc.

43 <4>xg4 e5 44 -ig5 <4'xf 2 45 -ixge e4 46 h5 e3 47 h6 e2 48 h7 el* 49 h8« ©64+ 50 if 7

^e2

and White should have drawn without much difficulty.

834) S. Alonso - Lemos

Argentine Ch, La Plata 2008

62 ^2^63? (D)

This allows the black king to become active. Instead, 62 ^e5! wins; e.g., 62...c2 63 'S^d3+ *g5 64 ■i'e3 <4'h4 65 Sel lb8 66 >±'d2 and the c2-pawn will soon drop, whereas White will be able to hang on to his d4-pawn, with an easy win.

B

62...4'e4! 63 ^dl+

63 'ac2+ -ids 64 ^el+ "i'xd4 65 h4 was slightly more promising, but White has only one pawn left and the black pawns are well advanced; e.g., 65...'4c4 66 h5 d4 67 ■i'f3 lb3 68 le7 c2+ 69 '4'g4 Sc3, and White must force a draw.

63...flxe2+ 64 4'xe2 'i'xd4 65 '?if2 "4'e5 66 ifS ■i>f5 67 h4 d4 68 ^d3 c2!

Reducing the mobility of the knight; now the white king can't support the advance of his pawn and it's a draw.

69 '^icl *e5 70 ^d3+

Not 70 <ig4?? *e4 71 h5 d3 72 ^b3 c 1 # 73 iSixcl d2 and Black wins.

70...*f5 71 4^cl <^e5 72 ^d3+ ^f5 V2-V2

835) Ashwin - Kravtsiv

World Junior Ch, Gaziantep 2008 38...Hel+!39anSe2!

The clearest; Black simplifies to reach a winning pawn ending in which his extra doubled pawn will prove decisive.

THE WORLD OF ENDGAMES

231

40 Hf2 Wxn+ 41 fcfl Sxf2 42 4>xf2 f4! 43 <ie2 "i>g6 44 idS ^g5 (D)

W

45<4'c4

White heads for the queenside. He can't just wait, because Black has a lot of tempo moves, enabling him to invade the kingside; e.g., 45 *e4 h5 46 *e5 f5 47 4-66 *h4 48 -i-xtS "igS 49 *g5 h4 50 <if5 h3 51 gxh3 i-xfS 52 h4 <ie3 53 h5 f3.

45...<ih4 46 *xb4 <4>g3 47 *a5

Slightly better, although still hopeless, is 47 *c5 <4'xg2 48 b4 'i'xf3 49 a4 ■4'g4 50 b5 axb5 51 axb5 f3 52 b6 f2 53 b7 fl#, with two extra pawns in the queen ending.

47...i>xg2 48 -ixae -ixfa

Now the f4-pawn will queen with check.

49 b4 ^64 50 bS f3 51 b6 f2 52 b7 fl«+ 53 *a7 »f2+ 0-1

836) Li Shilong - Causo

Kuala Lumpur 2008

64 ^c6!

The race with 64 'ie6? <i'b5 65 <i'f6 lg8 66 g7 a5 67 if? Ic8 68 gSf Sxg8 69 Sxg8 a4 70 i-ee a3 71 "i'd5 "4'b4! only leads to a draw.

64...1g8 65 g7 lc8+ 66 *b7 ag8 67 lg5+! *b4 68 'ixa6

And now the white king, helped by the rook on the fifth rank, reaches the critical squares on the kingside before the black king.

68...<ic4 69 <±'b6 4'd4 70 '^c€ *e4 71 *d6 1-0

The white king gets there first: 71...<4'f4 72 Igl if5 73 "itl.

Black draws with 64...gxh3! 65 ^xf4+ <i'f5 66 -SixhS *g4 67 -S^f 2+ 'i'f3 68 <id4 (or 68 i-eS '4'e2, while 68 ^\ii 'i'g4 repeats) 68...'4'g2! 69 ^d3 h3 70 ^f4+ -ifl 71 i.g3 "igl!.

65 '2^f4+ 4>f5 66 ^A3 (D)

B

837)

Eingorn - Franco

Pamplona 1991

64...f3?

66...f2

Now 66...gxh3 loses to 67 IM2\ hi (67..."i'f4 is no better: 68 ?ixh3+ <i'g4 69 ^f2+ i-gS {or 69...<4'f4 70 "i'd4 and the pawns are soon lost} 70 ^cA++ *g4 71 *d4 h3 72 -i-eS h2 73 ^gi) 68 J.d2! (barring the way to the black king) 68...h3 69 <i'd4 hlW 70 ^xhl <i'g4 71 *e3 and White wins. 66...g3 loses to 67 ■4>d4 f2 68 i.xf2 gxf2 69 ^xfl *f4 70 'Sie4 *f3 71 *e5 4g2 72 'S:ig5.

67 axf2 gxh3 68 4'd4 1-0

White easily keeps the black pawns under control; e.g., 68...*f4 69 "i'd3 *f3 70 ?^xh3 <i'g2 71 5^f4+ if3 72 J.d2 *g3 73 '^cA h3 74 ±el+ i'h2 75 i'f3 with mate in five, helped by the black pawn.

838) M. Muzychuk - Ju Wenjun

World Team Ch (women), Ningbo 2009 Black has the better king, but this factor is outweighed by White's ability to create passed pawns on both wings.

52 g4! hxg4

52...gxh4 53 gxh5 f5 54 h6 4>f6 55 b4 is similar.

53 h5 f5 54 h6 f4+ 55 *f2 <if6

After 55...g3+ 56 *f3 g4+ 57 "4'g2 the black pawns cannot advance, and after 57..."i'f6 58 b4 axb4 59 axb4 4'g6 60 c5 White wins.

56 b4 axb4 57 axb4 i-ge 58 c5

Black gets four passed pawns, but White's are quicker.

58...bxc5 59 bxc5 dxc5 60 d6 1-0

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

839) Illescas - Arizmendi

Spanish Ch, Leon 2006

48...C5+! (D)

This check wins a decisive tempo and prevents the white king from keeping both black passed pawns under control; if 48...fxg3? 49 ske3 White queens first and wins.

W

m//, mm <m^/.

■^1

m M.

m, mm mm, ^

1

^ ^^ «^ ^

49 4>d3

49 <*e4 fxg3 50 'i'fS c4 is similar.

49...fxg3 50 '4'e2 c4 51 g6 g2!

To deflect the white king from the c-pawn; after 51...c3?? 52 g7 c2 53 '4>d2, White wins.

52 "if 2 c3 53 g7 glfn- 54 *xgl c2 55 gSf cIWh- 56 -ig2 l'd2+ V2-V2

840) Korbut - Tairova

Russian Women's Ch, Moscow 2007

66...gxh2?

Gaining three passed pawns in this way does not win; nor does 66...g2? 67 <4xf2 '4'xb4 68 ^d4 'i'c4 69 ^xb5! 'i'xb5 70 *gl, with a theoretical draw. The winning idea is 66...'i'xb4! 67 hxg3 "icS 68 "i-xfl b4, and the white knight can only stop the b-pawn from queening at the cost of allowing the h-pawn through: 69 'i'e2 b3 70 'ad2 h2.

67 '2ixh2 *xb4 68 *xf2 4>c3 69 ^g4! b4 70 ^e3 h2 71 4'g2 b3 72 <i'xh2

It is a draw; inevitably the knight must sacrifice itself for the pawn.

72...4>d3 73 '^idl <4'c2 V2-V2

This chapter contains the final set of five tests. By now you should be familiar with the format: each test is of roughly equal difficulty, and contains 16 puzzle positions (two are of level 1 difficulty, four of level 2, six of level 3, two of level 4 and the remaining two puzzles achieve our top difficulty rating, level 5).

Also as before, your task is simply to find the best continuation, with the total number of points available for each puzzle equal to its difficulty level. Thus you score just 1 point for correctly solving a novice-level puzzle, but a complete solution to an expert puzzle can get you a total of 5 points. But remember that in many cases, some of the points are awarded for seeing important moves in the supporting variations or later on in the main line. Intuition plays a major role in successful chess, so well done if you are able to guess the key move in each case. But if you want to play to your full potential, you need to support your 'sixth sense' with solid analysis, and this is the reason for awarding the points in this manner. Many of the more difficult puzzles feature surprising turns and tricky defences.

I suggest that you allow at least an hour or two for each test, but feel free to spend as long as you like thinking about each position - work until you consider that further thought will not improve your decision. But be sure to work under realistic test conditions, akin to those at the board in a competitive chess game: do not move the pieces or use the help of a computer. You may solve from the diagram if you like, but I would recommend setting up the position on a real chessboard.

The points score to Elo rating conversion table below should be taken with a pinch of salt, especially as tactical skill is just one of the ingredients in successful chess, albeit a very important one. Nevertheless, when you have completed all 15 tests, your average score should give you a fair indication of your chess ability.

Test Score to Elo Points Conversion Chart

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

Test 11

841 W

845 W

842 W

846 B

W///,^\u,m^//.

\m

WMm SAB

m m///.

Ai

842

844 B

847 W

848 W

235

849 W

850 B

851 W

853 W

854 B

855 W

m

852 B

m

mm m

856

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

Test 12

857 B

858 W

859 B

860 W

A:

861

W

UXM

ABl^SA

862 B

IWi

m

mmm mm

863 W

wm^m

AH^W

'%&

A

864 W

IB ■!■ ■

ABA:

A

g(i^r

237

865 W

869 W

866 B

870 W

867 W

868 B

871 B

872 W

THE Giant Chess Puzzle Book

Test 13

873 W

874 W

875 W

876 W

877 W

878 W

879 B

880 W

m gii ■ m H* &m BAB ■

&

&m

239

881 W

882 B

885 W

886 W

883 W

887 W

m^^ ^^

i m,

■ i

km

<■ —1#,^«

A

A;

W/ <^^'

884

W

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

Test 14

889 W

890 B

m

i i

A:

<«? ^ti,' <3> <(<?

S97 B

892 B

893 W

11

A:

S94

895

S96

• ^ M, M, m

241

897 W

i A«

a:

901

898 W

899 B

900 W

902 W

903 W

904 W

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

Test 15

905 W

i mw\

906 W

907 B

908 W

A:

aba;

909

910 B

911 W

912 W

243

913 B

914 W

915 B

916

W

EMM JL. MM ^m MM ,.i:^MM/ MM/,■A.MM, ^MM/,^Mm.

AilA

977 B

■MM, -M/M, ^ J?g?g? _*_ J?J??« ^^^ A ^^^ JL. ^i^.2 X MM, X

iBiB ■ ■

A

A:

97S

979

920

The Giant Chess puzzle Book

Answers for Chapter 10

Test 11 Answers

841) Najdorf - Szapiro

Lodz 1928 18 Hxe6! Ixe8 19 lxe8+ ±e6 20 l.xe6+ Wxe6 21 Hxf8# (1-0)

1 point for 18 Bjce6!.

842) An. Rodriguez - Matsuura

Santos 2001 44 Sxg7+! 1-0 The e2-rook is lost after 44...-ixg? 45 l'g4+.

1 point for 44 Bjcg7+!.

843) Illescas - Bellon

Seville 1992

23 l.e6!

Trapping the rook.

23...4^c8

Or 23...fxe6 24 fxe6 ^^cS (24...add8 25 J.xd8 leaves the f8-rook overloaded) 25 exd7 '2^xb6 26flxf6!.

24 l.xd7 ^xb6 25 fxg6 1-0

After 25...'5^xd7 26 lxd6 Black is defenceless.

2 points for 23 M.e6!.

844) Wahls - Vera

Capablanca Memorial, Cienfuegos 1996 22...i.xh2+!

22...«h4? 23 Ef2 leads to nothing concrete; after 23...Ag3 White gives up the exchange, with for instance 24 Sel, and gains more than adequate compensation.

23 l'xh2

Worse is 23 <i'xh2 Wh4+ 24 igl %3+ and mate next move.

23...«xe3+ 24 Sf 2

Or 24 ^2 ^5+ mating.

24...axh6 0-1

2 points for 22...Axh2+.'.

845) Anand - Illescas

Match (game 3), Leon 1997

38 eS!

This thematic break, clearing the e4-square, is winning.

38...dxe5

38...Wf5 39 «xf5 gxf5 40 exd6 is hopeless, because this pawn will cost Black a piece.

39 ^e4 WfS 40 '§^§5+ ^M 41 ^8! £hxU+ Or 41...exf4 42 l'h7-i- i-xgS 43 l'xh4#.

42 gxf4 Wc2+

If 42...exf4 then 43 ^xil+ and l'h7+.

43 Ml 1-0

2 points for 38 e5!.

846) Ginzburg - Scalise

Vicente Lopez 2000 42...«fl+! 0-1

Mate is forced: 43 ^xf lldl+44 4'c2 He 1#.

2 points for 42..Mfl+!.

847) Schweber - Mecking

Sao Paulo 1966

Black is a pawn up but White has some of the typical trumps associated with an isolated queen's pawn, such as a strong knight on e5 and bishops aimed at Black's kingside, combined in this case with a half-open f-file. The b3-knight has strayed a dangerously long way and will become a tactical weakness.

22 axf7!

The position is ripe for this sacrifice.

22...<ixf7 23 l'h5+

A more precise move-order is 23 Sxf6+! fxfe 24 Sfl l'xfl+ 25 mxn+ <4>g8 26 l'f5 and White invades at h7 owing to the threat of 27 We6+ and 28 Wxb3.

23..."i>f8 24 axf6+! gxf6?

This creates new weaknesses which assist White's attack. The course of the game shows that it is essential to play 24...1'xf6 25 Sfl Wxf 1 + 26 Axf 1, still with advantage to White.

25 «h6+! 4'e8 26 fiel+ *d7 27 &h7+ <ic6 28 a4!

Taking away the escape-square b5 and threatening 29 ±e4+.

28...fld7 29 i.b5+ ■ic7 30 l.xd7 fldS

If30...1'xd7then311e7.

31 Ae6+ *b8 32 J.xb3

with a decisive advantage.

3 points for 22 ^^xf?!.

848) Morej6n - Moreno Ruiz

Madrid 1998 20 l.xd6!

Taking advantage of the tactical weakness arising from the positions of the black king and queen.

20...exd6 21 ±xd5 «e7

21...cxd5 allows 22 ^f6+, forking Black's king and queen.

TESTS 11-15

245

22 Axc6 d5

Preventing the bishop from being cemented in place with 23 d5.

23 ac3 Wd6

No better is 23...flxc6 24 ^xdS l^dS 25 ©xce ±b7 26 -afeH- <4>g7 27 «b5 fxfe 28 #xa5 with no less than a rook and four pawns for the two bishops.

24 ±\dS lxc3 25 Axf 7+ 4>xf 7 26 fxcS with a decisive material advantage.

5 points for 20 ^d6!.

849) Vera - Sadvakasov

Saint Vincent 1999

29 ^g6+\ Sxg6

White wins after 29...hxg6 30 *h4+ i.h6 31 «xh6+ l'h7 32 Wxh7+ *xh7 33 'axf6+.

30 l.xg6 i.e5 31 Sxe5!

This is an important move which wins for White, but in fact everything else loses. 31...1xg6

31...dxe5ismetby 32Hf7. 32 le8+ ^g? 33 Wf 2 ^% 34 Se6 1-0

2 points for 29 ^g6+! and 1 point for 31 SjceS!.

850) Franco - Safranska

Saint Vincent 2000 38...af5??

Black can draw with 38...?^xg4! 39 ^xh4 Bh2+ 40 i-gl Efg2+ 41 e^xg2 lxg2+ 42 <4?hl (not 42 i-fl?? ^h2#) 42...ah2+.

39 '2ixh4 Sh2+ 40 igl 1-0

3 points for 38...^g4!.

851) Korneev - Lopez Martinez

Elgoibar 2000

20-^64!!

A beautiful way to leave Black's king stuck in the centre.

20...d4

20...dxe4 loses to 21 fxgS! I.xg5 22 Ah5+; no better is 20...ag6 21 axf6+ Sxfe 22 Hxf6 fxfe 23 Wbe! and White wins.

21 ^xf6+ «xf6 22 lxd4 «e5 23 ^2 Sf5 24Af3

Stranded in the centre, the black king can't survive with so many lines open.

24...W6 25 We3 Hc8 26 b3 i.xf3 27 SxfS "i'e7 28 #d3 IxfS 29 gxf3 *e8 30 Sd6 WeS 31 f4 Wel+ 32 <4'b2 b4 33 flxa6 <^f8 34 ^66+ ■if? 35 l'd7+ 1-0

3 points for 20 ^e4!!.

852) Oddone - E. Peralta

Carlos Gamarra Memorial, Asuncion 2009

This automatic move throws away the victory; it is curious that Black is better off leaving the h2-pawn on the board, since it deprives the white king of a vital escape-square in the winning line: l...l'dl+! 2 4>g2 ^el-l- 3 i-fl (not 3 'i'h3?? WhStt) 3...4^d3+ 4 *g2 f3+ 5 i-hS (5 axf3 ^el-h) 5...'2^xf2-h 6 *h4 l'd4-h 7 Hf4 (7 l'f4 loses to 7...g5-h! 8 "i-xgS ^h3-H) 7...g5-(-! 8 "ixgS and now, amongst other things, the simple 8...^h3-l- wins.

2 <i>gl 'S^f3+ 3 *fl l'dl+ 4 4g2 ^el+ 5

^n 'S^c2+

and the game was later drawn; now 5...^d3-l-

6 'i'g2 f3-i-?? doesn't work, because White has

7 <4'h2!, winning.

3 points for l..Mdl+!.

853) Radjabov - Shirov

Morelia/Linares 2008

21 b4!

Leaving Black's d5-rook without any flight-squares and thus threatening 22 ..4.c4.

21...1c8 22 a4!

The complement to the previous move, controlling b5; now there is no satisfactory defence against 23 Ae4.

22...ac3 23 <ib2 fS 24 gxf5 fixd3 25 cxd3

and White won.

3 points for 21 b4! and 1 point for 22 a4!.

854) Lopez Martinez - Narciso

Barcelona 2008 61...^c6+!

After 61...'i'xg5? 62 '4'xe5 the two white pawns win easily.

62 i-cS 'S^e4+! 63 ^xc6 '?^xc3!

Not 63...'4'xg5? 64 b5, and White wins.

64i.h4

After 64 l,xh5 i-xgS 65 ±f7 <i'f6 66 i.d5 '4'e7 it's an easy draw.

64...^xe2 65 i.f 2 4'g4 66 <ic5

66 b5 h4 67 b6 (or 67 l.xh4 '2id4-f and 68...'2^xb5) 67...h3 68 b7 h2 69 b8lf hll'+ is also a draw.

66...h4 67 i.xh4 <i>xh4 68 'i'c4

Or 68 b5 ^c3 69 b6 <§^a4-i-.

6S...lhU 69 bS -^66 70 b6 ^dS 71 b7 ^xhl V2-V2

3 points for finding 61..Ac6+! and 1 point for63...^c3!.

THE Giant Chess Puzzle Book

855) F. Peralta - Reinaldo

Barcelona 2008 16 Hel!

Can this really be a good idea? Forcing the move ...5^e4, with check? 16...'ae4+ (D)

W

17 Hxe4!

This is the reason; the black queen will help the white pieces come into play and prevent the black king from finding a refuge.

17...1'xe4 18 ^gS! «e5 19 i.f4 ^6

19...#xc3 loses to 20 #62+ 'i'd? 21 We6+ -ice 22 d7+.

20 «d5 -ifS 21 Hel

Absolutely all the white pieces are active, and the end is near.

21...h6

21...'S^c6 loses to 22 d7 i.xd7 23 l'xd7 h6 24 le6.

22 ae7! hxgS 23 AeS! ±.e6 24 lxe6 ^7 25 af6 lh7 26 Exf7+ Sxf7 27 J.fl!

With this redeployment of the bishop, the game is over.

27...'2^c6 28 l.c4 4^d8 29 Af6 1-0

4 points for 16 fle/.' and 1 point for 17 Bjce4!.

856) L. Dominguez - Stellwagen

Wijk aan Zee 2009

Black had to play 24...1'xhl!, after which there is nothing decisive: after 25 c4 (25 #b6 Sc7 achieves nothing, and 25 Wxcl WfB 26 i.e2 #hl+ is a draw) 25...'5^g6 26 Wb6, the counterattack 26...^h4! saves Black; e.g., 27 l'a7+ <4'c7 28 ±b6+ '^c6 29 J.xd8 *e4+ 30 4'f2 l'xf4+ 31 "i-gl Wg3+ 32 *hl »f3+, with perpetual check.

25 «xb7+!

Now White's advantage is very clear; for the exchange he has three pawns which will soon begin to advance.

25...Wxb7 26 axb7+ 4>xb7 27 Ml, ^d5 28 l.d2

and White won with good technique.

4 points for 24..Mxhl!, and 1 point extra if you saw 25 Vxb7+!.

Test 12 Answers

857) Jodorcovsky - Ingolotti

Ciudad del Este 2003 ll...d5! 0-1

12 l.xd5 WcSh- and Black wins. 1 point for ll...d5!.

858) Estremera - Rogers

Gibraltar 2005 27 J.xh7+!

Saving an otherwise tricky position. 27...4'xh7 28 Sh4+ V2-V2 1 point for 27 Axh7+!.

859) Ramirez - Ju. Bolbochan

Villa Gesell 1970 27...g5! (D)

W

28 ^h3

28 4^e2 is similar.

28...Hxfl+ 29 Axfl af3 30 ^xg5+

30 #e2 loses to 30...Ad4+ 31 ±xd4 «xd4+ 32 af2 lg3+. 30...hxg5 31 «el 3ll'xg5 J.f6isnobetter. 31...1.C3 Black wins. 2 points for 27... g5!.

247

860) Garcia Garcia - Guevara Pijuan

Badalona 2001 31 le6!

31 'Sie6! is also good. 31...i.xe6 32 %6+ i.g7 33 ^xe6 Wd7 34

And the g7-bishop is lost, with a winning position for White. 34...1b7

The strongest reply to 34...1'f7 is 35 #xg4. 35 ^hxg7 Hf 7 36 lhh5+ 1-0 2 points for 31 S.e6.' or 31 ^e6!.

861) Almeida - Zarnicki

Capablanca Memorial, Havana 2002

20 ^fSl A{S 20...exf5? loses to 21 ^d5.

21 ?^xd6 l.xd6 22 lxd6 bxc4 23 bxc4 ahf6

Not 23...fcc4? 24 lxd7 fixd? 25 Hxd7 I'xc3?26ad8+!. 24 S6d4

with an extra pawn. 2 points for 20^/5!.

862) Rustemov - Vera

Spanish Team Ch, Mondariz 2002

U...^fg4l

An unexpectedly strong blow; there is no satisfactory defence against Black's threat of 15...^xf3+.

15i.f4

The lesser of the evils, acquiescing to the deterioration of his king's defensive position and the loss of a pawn.

15...'axf3+ 16 gxf3 Wxf4 17 fxg4 &g4+

with an extra pawn, for which White has no compensation.

2 points for 14...^fg4!.

863) Bronstein - Foguelman

Mar del Plata 1960

34 a4!

Decisively weakening the c4-pawn; 34 ?^xa5 i-ee 35 '?^c6 i-dS 36 ^dH b4 37 4^b5 i.e5 is less clear.

34...i.c7?!

This loses, although after 34...bxa4 35 ^xa5 ±c7 36 axc4 g4 37 ^dl, followed by *d3. Black's position is untenable.

35 axbS

Now White has a passed pawn. 35...'ie6 36 g4!

Creating another passed pawn, as well as fixing a black pawn on a dark square, i.e. the g5-pawn.

36...fxg4 37 hxg4 a4 38 <4'f3 4'd5 39 e4+ *d6 40 e5+ <i'd5 41 *e3 h6

Or 41...i.xe5 42 4^xe5 ^xe5 43 b6 "ide 44 'i'e4 <i'c6 45 <if5 and White wins.

42 f4 gxf4+ 43 '*xf4 <4'e6 44 <4'g3 1-0

Heading for h5, and if Black defends the h6-pawn with his king he will be unable to stop both passed pawns, while if 44...Axe5+ 45 ^xe5 'i'xe5 46 'i'h4 White wins the pawn ending.

3 points for 34 a4!.

864) Franco - Adad

Buenos Aires 1973

The game went 11 Wg5?! ^^1 and White was only slightly better.

11 Sxe6+! is very strong; after ll...^e7 White brings his other rook into the game with 12 ±h6! axb5 (not 12...gxh6? 13 flxe7-M 'i'xe7

14 leH- mating) 13 axe7-i-! <ixe7 14 lel-i-■tdS (not 14...<4>d6? 15 ffS, nor 14...*f8 15 i.xg7+ 4>xg7 16 «g5-^ <i-f8 17 ^6+ 4g8 18 ^e8#) and now there is a wide choice: 15 J.xg7,

15 WgS-F f6 16 «xg7 or 15 »xf7 fee 16 l.xg7 ■icV 17 Axh8, in all cases regaining the rook with an attack and some extra pawns.

3 points for 11 Ujce6+!. Only 1 point for 11 WgS?.'.

865) Stefansson - Bruzon

Capablanca Memorial, Havana 2001 21 l.e4! An essential preparatory move, defending

g2.

21...1'c8 22 l'xh5! 1-0

2 points for 21 M.e4! and 1 point for 22 WxhS!.

866) Pablo - Franco

Spanish Team Ch, Mondariz 2002 24...^xd3!

Not 24...1.f8? 25 Hh4 h5 26 BxhS!, mating quickly.

25 cxd3

25 fxg7 '2ixf4 26 ^xf4 ^e5 leaves White with no compensation.

25...axe2! 26 fxg7 ^e5!

Not 26...1'c6? 27 «xh7-l-! mating.

27 i.xe5

No better is 27 Wfl «c2 28 ^a5 .idS and White's position is riddled with holes on both

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

wings; Black threatens 29...Sxh2, and after 29 lf2 flxf2 30 l.xf2 l'xb2 there is no defence. 27..,dxe5 28 flc4 «b6+ 0-1

2 points for finding 24...^d3! and 1 point for25...Sjce2.'.

867) Estremera - Barberi

Cesenatico 2005

18 l.xg6+!

Now the black king is forced to take a walk.

18...'i'xe6

If IS-.-^xge Black is mated after 19 l'd3+ i-f? 20 'ag5+ i-eS 21 ^6+ 4d8 22 ^e6+ -icS 23 ^68+.

19 d5+ cxdS 20 l.xb6 1-0

3 points for 18 Axg6+!.

868) Lazarev - Estremera

Villa San Giovanni 2005 32...1'e6! (D)

W

■ ■#■

m 'm.

Ami

m m.

m.

m i

A

^1

^ g^

Thanks to the overload on the white queen, Black is able to centralize his own queen.

33 Wbl fdS! 34 Sfl

34 lxd2? allows mate in two by 34...Wxf3+. 34...1'c4

And Black won, but 34...'5id3! is more precise; e.g., 35 laS I'd?! (threatening 36...1'h3 37 Bgl flxh2+! 38 l.xh2 ^f2#) 36 la2 ^c4 37 l.el ^xel 38 flxel Wh3 39 Hxd2 ^xd2 40 Wdl ?^xf3 41 ae2 e4, with a winning position.

2 points for finding 32..Me6! and 1 point for 33...md5!.

869) Motylev - Ding Liren

Chinese Team Ch, Wuxi 2008 37 SxdS!

The start of a simphfication that leads to a winning pawn ending.

37„.l'xd5 38 WxdSl exdS 39 Hxf4 gxf4 40 g3!

Now White can't be prevented from creating two well-spaced passed pawns on the h- and c-files and, since he can stop Black's passed pawns. White wins.

40...fxg3 41 fxg3 hxg3 42 i'g2 d4 43 *xg3 <ie6 44 h4 4^f5

Or 44...f5 45 4'f4 -ife (45...d3 46 <4'e3 is no help) 46 a4.

45 ifS d3 46 a4 1-0

2 points for 37 SjcdS!. Additionally, 1 point for 38 WxdS! and 1 point for 40 g3!.

870) A. David - Danielian

Kavala 2008 31 l.xh6!

Black's king's position comes under heavy fire; White's pieces are able to reach the king-side very quickly.

31...f5

31 ...gxh6? 32 4^f6 #35 331^64 leads to mate.

32 l.xg7+!

The culmination of White's idea. 32...i.xg7

Or 32...4'xg7 33 ^% lfa5?! 34 fhS, mating quickly.

33 l'hS+ *g8 34 ^gS ^aS

34...1d7 is met by 35 #68-1- If8 36 4^xe6 Hf7 37 ^xf8 Sxf8 38 »g6+ *h8 39 Sxc6, followed by 40 l'h6-l- and 41 'B.g6+.

35 l'h7+ <if8 36 #g6 ^g8 37 »h7+ "if8 38 Sc5 l'd7 39 ^6 'i'g8 40 l'h7+ ^f8 41 ^6 4g8 42 '5ixe6 «e8 43 l'xf5

With four pawns for the piece and a decisive initiative.

43...fld5 44 ld3 flf 7 45 ^4 l'd7 46 flxdS cxd5 47 f4 ^hcX 48 f5 ^xhl 49 Hxb3 fca4 50 «^c5 Wal+ 51 'i>h2 «ia4 52 ^e6 «el 53 f6 #64 54 '5^xg7 l'xg4 55 hxg4 1-0

3 points for 31 Mjch6! and 1 point for 32 ±xg7+.'.

871) Solodovnichenl(o - Efanov

Nezhmetdinov Memorial, Kazan 2008 46...1.g5?

There is only one, spectacular, winning sequence for Black: 46...f4! 47 lxe6 (47 Hxe2 f3 48 Sf2 ±g5+ 49 ids l.xh6, followed by ...I.g5-h4, is simpler) 47...i.g5! 48 h7 (or 48 *xe2 f3-l- 49 "*f2 I.h4-H 50 "igl l.h3! and Black wins) 48...f3+ 49 i>d3 (if 49 i-el then 49...Ah4+ 50 <id2 f2 wins) 49...^*!! (the

249

only move to win) 50 Hxel f2 51 Edl flWH- 52 fixfl i.xfl+ 53 'i'e4 Af6 54 4>f5 Ac3 55 ige ^c4, and all White's pawns will fall.

47 "ixeZ Axh6

Not 47...J.xe3? 48 "ixeS and the h-pawn queens.

48 Sxe6 Acl 49 c4 i.a3 50 lf6 l.e4 51 "ieS ±c5+ 52 'i>f4 Ab4 V2-V2

4 points for 46...f4! and 1 point for 47... M.g5!.

872) Short - Kariakin

Rapid match (game 4), Kiev 2008

25 «d2!

Heading for h6; 25 #e3! is just as good, with the same idea.

25...flc4

To eliminate White's powerful bishop; if it remains on the board the strength of White's idea can be seen after 25...Ac4 26 *h6 f6 27 ^e6 (27 ^g5 and 27 Bxg6 also win) 27... J.xe6 28 Hxg6+! hxg6 29 l'xg6+ "ihS 30 flgl lf7

31 ^xf6!!, a lovely sacrifice that breaks the coordination of Black's defence. All three of the black pieces that can take the knight are overloaded and meanwhile White threatens 32 %8+; if 31...^xf6, then 32 When- flh7 33 i.xf6+ J.xf6 34 l'xf6+ lg7 35 fxg?*.

26 «h6 lxd4 27 ^xe6! fxe6

Or 27...We5 28 ^xfS Axf8 29 cxd4.

28 flxg6+! "if?

28...hxg6 allows mate after 29 l'xg6+ <i'h8 30lgl.

29 ag7+ -teS 30 Wxe6 <i>d8 31 l'xe7+ 4'c7

32 l'xf8 1-0

4 points for 25 Wd2! or 25 »e J.'. 1 point extra for 28 ijcg6+.'.

Test 13 Answers

873) Iltescas - Lopez Martinez

Spanish Ch, Lorca 2005

22 ae7! 1-0

There is no satisfactory way to defend f7 and the black queen is overloaded; if 22...Wxe7, then 23 d8W+.

1 point for 22 He 7.'.

874) Shirov - Landa

Bundesliga 2008/9 31 l'xc5! 1-0

31...1xc5 32 lxg7+ <i'f8 (or 32...<i>h8 33 5^f7+) 33 1^1+ mxAl 34 axd7 fl5c7 35 flgg7. 1 point for 31 Wxc5.'.

875) Campora - Cifuentes

Calvia Olympiad 2004

25 AbS!

This powerful incarceration of the rook is possible thanks to the exposure of Black's king; 25 ®b7+ i-ge 26 AbS! is also good.

25...4'g6

If 25...1xb8 then 26 «xa7+ wins.

26«b7We4 27flcll-0

2 points for 25 Ab8!. Also 2 points if you chose the move-order 25 Wb7+ and 26 M.b8!.

876) Estremera - Gutierrez Jimenez

Seville 2005

29 f6!

The weakness of Black's king's position is made more serious by the fact that some of his pieces are a long way away on the queenside.

29...1.xb5

29...g6 fails to solve the problem; White can put pressure on Black's king with 30 4^e7+ '4'h7 31 l.d5!, when 31...1.xb5? loses to 32 l.xf7!.

30 cxb5 Ha8 31 ^e7+ <4>h8 32 fxg7+ 'i>xg7 33 ^f5+

This strong knight and the fact that its black counterpart is out of play on a5 are the decisive factors in the position; White wins easily.

33...'4'h8 34 #03+ f6 35 Idl We8 36 axd6 #e5 37 *xe5 fxe5 38 Sxh6+ 1-0

38...'i-g8 is met by 39 l.d5+.

2 points for 29 f6!.

877) Vallejo - Leitao

FIDE World Cup, Khanty-Mansiisk 2005

331^7+!

It is curious that the exchange of queens opens the way for a mating attack.

33...1'xf 7 34 gxf 7+ ixf 7 35 lxg7+ <4>f8 36 ^e6+ 1-0

White wins easily after 36...Sxe6 37 Hxd8+ ae8 38 lxe8+ i-xeS 39 Hg6.

2 points for 33Wf7+!.

878) S. Weiss - Wilms

Hamburg 2007

15 Sgl!

After protecting g3, White is threatening to win Black's trapped knight with f3. 15...ae8?! It is better to seek complications with 15.. .b5.

16 f3 l.xg5 17 hxg5 <?^xg5 18 ^\\5 with an advantage; 18 e4! was even better. 2 points for 15 B.gl!.

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

879) Kozul - Elianov

Sarajevo 2005 29...Sal+!

This time the white king is the one 'taken out for a walk' and will be unable to defend itself; 29...«g5 30 ^d2 i.d6 is also good, but less energetic.

30 Axal SxalH- 31 *f 2 »f6 32 ^e3 J.h2+ 33 ^tS ^xf5

and wins, although 33... J.gl+ 34 "igS WgS* is quicker.

3pointsfor29...U.al+!.lpointfor29..Mg5.

880) Bruzon - Anand

Match (game 5), Leon 2006

25 axe6!

White unleashes a fierce attack; 25 Hf6+ ■ieV 26 Sxe6+! is also good.

25...<4'xe6 26 «xf5+ "i>e7 27 ©f 7+ -idS 28 e6! 1-0

3 points for 25 Bjce6! and 3 points for 25 Sf6+ and 26 Sae6+!.

881) E. Chevelevitch - Putzbach

Hamburg 2007 32 ±d4!

With the threat of 33 %8+ &g8 34 Hxg8-l-fegS 35 f7#.

32...h6 33 ^4 ae5

Not 33...dxe4? 34 lg7!, which leads to a quick mate.

34 exdS AxdS 35 Axe5

With a big advantage; even better was 35 4^xd5! *xd5 36 f7 "i-hV 37 i.xe5 «xe5 38 Wxe5 dxe5 39 IgS.

3 points for 32 M.d4!.

882) Landa - Wendt

Hamburg 2007 24...i.d4?

Missing the direct 24...axf2!; e.g., 25 l'xf2 (25 4xf2 l.xh3+ 26 "igl transposes, while 25 ^e8 ^xh3+ 26 <4'h2 I^g5 is also better for Black, who has more than enough compensation for the exchange in the form of his advanced pawns and the weak white king) 25....4.xh3 26 «g3 d2 27 fchS dxel*+ 28 Ixel WcS-f, and Black wins.

25 hxg4

Now it is White who has the advantage.

25...J.xg4 26 He8! Axf2+ 27 «xf2 WxeS 28 -S^xeS 1-0

3 points for 24...^f2!.

883) Ardeleanu - Halasi

Senta 2007

27 laS! (D)

The way to exploit the bad placing of the black rook on d6 is to open another front; if White can exchange Black's other rook and then occupy the eighth rank, there will be no defence. Not immediately 27 Af4?! on account of 27...^xe5, and White has nothing.

B

■ illiBiB

A

W/M n ^

A

A

HA

1

27...ab8

27...Hf8 is answered by 28 Ae7, while after 27...ab8 28 4^xd7 axd7, now 29 l,f4 is good; in both cases White wins.

28i.f4

'The threat is stronger than its execution'; 28 ^f3! is more precise, threatening 29 J.f4.

28...Wd8?!

28...Sdd8 is better.

29 $^f3 e5 30 dxeS 1-0

3 points for 27 S.a8!.

884) M. Zelic - Martinovic

Cvitanovic Memorial, Split 2007

Black is so far behind in development that his extra piece is no help to his king.

16 J.a7!

Forcing the rook to a worse square.

16...aa8 17 »d5! ^c6 18 Hxc6! J.b7 19 ^7+ *d8 20 i.b6+ 1-0

2 points for 16 Aa7! and 1 point for 17 WdS!.

885) M. Socko - Dziuba

Najdorf Memorial, Warsaw 2008

89 g4+!

Before promoting the b-pawn. White must attend to the defence of his king; this is the first step.

251

89...fxg4

The task is easier after 89...<i'xg4? 90 l'g3+.

90 Wc5+?

After this it's a draw; the correct way is 90 #h2+! "igS 91 bSl^! and there is no perpetual after 91...1'xf2+ 92 -ihl «fl+ 93 Wgl W\ii+ (93...*f3+ 94 ^2 Wdl+ 95 4'h2 is similar) 94 «bh2 «f3+ 95 l'hg2.

90...<i>h4 91 #67+ -ihS 92 «f7+ <i>h4 93 We7+ -ihS 94 »e8+ *h4 95 WdSn- i-hS 96 #e8+ <ih4 97 «e7+ V2-V2

2 points for 89 g4+! and 2 points for 90 Wh2+!.

886) D. Howell - Pruijssers

World Junior Ch, Gaziantep 2008

31 J.xh6!

The c2-bishop is attacked, but White sacrifices his other bishop, and we'll have yet another demolition of the king's position, thanks, basically, to the numerical superiority of the attacking forces.

31...Hxc2

31...gxh6 32 Wxh6 leads to mate.

32 Axg7! Open lines! 32,..f5

32...'4'xg7 is met by 33 Hg3-f.

33 l.h6 Hc4

If 33...f4, to prevent 34 flg3+, then 34 l^ge-i-•ihS 35 ±g5!.

34 ag3+ fig4 35 lxg4+ fxg4 36 ^6+ 4>h8 37 l.g5 1-0

3 points for 31 Axh6! and 1 point for 32 ±jcg7!.

887) Zhigaiko - Siugirov

World Junior Ch, Gaziantep 2008

22 l'd5! fxclH-

22...i.g7 is strongly met by 23 4^d6-H! (the only way to destroy the black king's defences; instead, 23 *xe6? #xcl+ 24 'i'h2 «xd2 yields no more than a draw) 23...exd6 24 Wxe6-h "idS 25 l'xd6+ 'i'cS 26 «xc5-H 4>d7 27 l.c6+ 'ie6 28 AdS-H "ife. Here the strongest move is 29 h4!, to deprive the black king of the g5-square. After 29...#xcl-i- 30 '4'h2, even with an extra rook there is no satisfactory defence against the threat of 31 Wde-^ <*f5 32 Wee-^ and 33 g3#; e.g., 30...1.f8 31 Wbe-l- 'i>g7 32 ^7-1- -i-he (or 32...i=e7 33 *xe7-^ <4'h6 34 fgS-i- 'i>g7 35 Wxe5+ <*h6 36 l'xh8) 33 We3+ 4'g7 34 WxeS-i-4'h6 35 ^4+ 'i'g7 36 h5! mating quickly.

23 'ih2 i.h6

If 23...1'xb2 then 24 l'xe6 «xb5 25 i.c6+ with a decisive material advantage.

24 4^(16+! exd6 25 Wxe6+ -idS 26 l.c6 i.f4+ 27 g3 i.xg3+ 28 <*g2! 1-0

4 points for 22 Wd5! and 1 point for 23 ^d6+! in the line with 22...Ag7.

888) Krapivin - V. Popov

Vladimir 2008

23'S^g5!!

A piece down. White must make haste with his attack.

23...1.xe4

23...fxg5 allows mate after 24 We6-i- ihS 25 lf7!.

24«xf6Wd2

24...Sf8 is met by 25 We6+ *h8 26 lxf8-i-lxf8 27 «xe7 af2 (if 27...Ha8 or 27...#a8 then 28 'S^e6 with a quick mate) 28 We5+ -i-gS 29 '2^xe4.

25 We6+ <i>h8 26 4^f 7+! *g7 26...'i'g8? 27 ^h6++ <i'g7 28 *f6#.

271^6+ 'i>f8 28 Wh8+ -S^gS 29 '^65+ 1-0 After 29...<i'e7 30 %7-i- White mates next move.

4 points for 23 ^gSH and 1 point for calculating 25 H/7.' in the line with 23...fxg5.

Test 14 Answers

889) Morozevich - Smeets

Wijk aan Zee 2009 49 i.xd5+! 1-0

After 49...<4'xd5 50 e4-l- White wins easily. 1 point for 49 ^d5+!.

890) de la Puerta - Paunovic

Seville 2009

21...1xc2! 22 l'xc2?

This loses on the spot, although 22 #e3 Axf3+ 23 #xf3 Sxb2 was not encouraging either.

22...1'xf3+ 0-1

If 23 "igl then 23...Ah3 and mate next move.

1 point for 21...Sxc2!.

891) S.Weiss - P. Wlese

Hamburg 2007 43...b6!

Demonstrating that White is over-extended; the b4-pawn will be lost. 44 *c4?

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

It is necessary to accept the loss of the pawn with 44 M2 4^xb4, with advantage to Black; if 44 l.d6 then 44...#e6 and the bishop is trapped.

44...bxc5

White has insufficient compensation for the piece.

2 points for 43... b6!.

892) Kokol - MartJnovic

Nova Gorica 2007 32...Aa4!

Driving away the rook from the defence of d4.

33 Idel

33 Sdd3 allows a winning attack: 33...#cl+ 34 <*f2 Sc2+ 35 "i>g3 «gl 36 <4'h3 ±dl+.

33...itxd4 34 -ihl ^6!

Now there will be no escape for the white knight.

35 «g3 <ig7 36 ^xfl #xf 7 37 Se6 l.c2

and Black won.

2 points for 32... ^a4!.

893) Rodriguez Vila - Soto

Callao 2007

24 ag6! 1-0

A knockout blow; if 24...fxg6 then 25 Sxh6+ gxh6 26 Wxhett.

2 points for 24 S.g6!.

894) Carlsen - Kamsky

Tal Memorial (blitz), Moscow 2008

87...ag8!

There is still time to counterattack against h3.

88 c6 Hg3! 89 Sxg3+ hxg3 90 '*b7 4>h2 91 c7 g2 92 cSW gl» 93 h4 #bl+ 94 <4'c7 *h7+ V2-V2

2 points for 87...B.g8!.

895) Ljubicic - M. Zelic

Cvitanovic Memorial, Split 2007

23 »xd4!

White establishes overwhelming domination by giving up his queen for a reasonable amount of material: at least a rook, a minor piece and several pawns, one of them passed.

23...i.xd4 24 l.xd4+ e5

If24...1g7then25Sxe7.

25 fxeS ag7

After 25...dxe5 26 fixeS ^7 27 J.c3, the discovery by the e5-rook is decisive.

26 e6 »b7 27 cxb5 l.e8

And now defending the f3-bishop with 28 'i'g2, followed by moving the knight somewhere, is devastating.

3 points for 23 Wxd4!.

896) Dizdar - Van der Weide

Seville 2007 25 f6! (D)

B

Em m

■ WM

Mm.

A

m

With this elegant sacrifice White opens the f-file and the bl-h7 diagonal, which will have a decisive effect owing to the weaknesses in Black's kingside, the bad a5-knight and the overloaded black queen.

25...^xf6

25...J.xf6 is met by 26 «f5 followed by 27 J.e4; and the same after 25...1.h8 26 WfS.

26 #£5! (hhl

This loses a piece, but there is no defence; if 26...If8, defending f7 so that the f6-knight can move, then 27 Axe5 '5^d7 28 Ae4 mates quickly.

27 (h%A ^^de 28 axf6+ J.xf6 29 l^xfe *xf6 30 axf6 4^xc4 31 ac6 1-0

3 points for 25 f6!.

897) Salgado - Huerga

San Sebastian 2008

18 J.xe5!

This dangerous enemy has to be eliminated right away. Instead, 18 #xc7? i.c6 19 J.xe5? loses to 19...1'xh2+!.

18...axe5 19 #xc7 i.c6 20 ad4!

A key move, preventing both 20...#64 and the threatened mate with 20...Wxh2+ 21 'i'xh2 ah6+, which can now be answered with 22 ah4.

20...ae4 21 i.d3 axg3+?

253

21...Sxd4 22 ^xg6 doesn't help a great deal.

22 fxg3!

Winning quickly, but not 22 hxg3?? ©hH-! 23 i-xhl Hh4++ 24 -igl Shl#.

2 points for 18 Axe5! and 1 point for 20 B.d4L

898) Bruzon - Iturrizaga

Linares 2008

23 ^eS!

With this strong unpinning move, the black queen is shown to be too far from the centre, for no good reason.

23...i.xg2?!

It is not easy to find a satisfactory defence. White's attack relies on several 'only moves', but they win the game; if 23...'S^ed5 then 24 ^xf7!.

24 ^xf 7! i.h3

Defending e6 and threatening mate, so the f7-knight is lost. However, a surprise awaits Black.

25 'S^xhe+l 4^h8

25...gxh6 loses to 26 i.xe6+ J.xe6 27 l'xe6+ *g7 28 l,xh6+! "ixhe (no better is 28...'i'g6 29 AxfS fixfS 30 l'xe7) 29 ©xfen- ^g6 (or 29...*h7 30ae4)30le6.

26 ^{7+ 4>g8 27 4^e4!

Once again this is the only move to win.

27...'5^xe4

Or 27...1'xe4 28 l'xe4 ^xe4 29 ^xdS.

28 ^xm

Now it is Black to move and he has several possible discoveries by his e4-knight to renew the threat of mate on g2, but none of them are any use.

28...ac5

28...'5:)f6 loses to 29 l.xe6+, while 28...^g5 is refuted by 29 d5! 4^xd5 and now, amongst other things, 30 Sxd5.

29 f3

Exploiting the fact that the c5-knight is attacked. White gains a decisive material advantage.

29...flxd8 30 dxc5 ^dS 31 i.bl ^bS 32 *h2 Axc5+ 33 -i-hl 1-0

3 points for 23 ^e5!.

899) Garcia Castro - Franco

Monforte de Lemos 2008 3l...^el+V.

Now Black regains the exchange with gain of tempo, but this is insufficient to win. It is

more promising to play for the initiative by 31...1'g4+! 32 ^3 l'xe4 33 4>h2 ^eS (or 33...1.xd5!?) 34 a3f4 l'c2+ 35 af2 «bl, or 35...#dl, with two pawns for the exchange already, plus the initiative.

32 "ihl ^xf3 33 Sxd7 axh2 34 flxd8+ 4>xd8 35 <4'xh2 b6 36 <4>g3 <4'c7 37 4^f4 a5 38 i.d2 Ae2 39 *e3 l.fl 40 i'd4 ^b7 41 Ael i.h3 V2-V2

Supporting the connected passed pawns with 41...'4'a6 doesn't create any winning chances, since White plays 42 ^g3.

3 points for 31..Mg4+!.

900) MorozevJch - Ponomariov

Tal Memorial, Moscow 2008

12 g4!!

A brilliant move that decides the game; Black has no satisfactory defence to the threat of 13 g5.

12...C5

12...1'd6 loses to 13 g5 WxeS 14 '?^xe5 ^dl (or 14...'ae8 15 l.g2 f5 16 cxb5 cxb5 17 Ac5!) 15 '5^xd7 ±xd7 16 Sdl lfd8 17 f3, trapping the knight. 12...^d6 is powerfully met by 13 0-0-0!, while if 12...h6 then 13 h4 is logical.

13 gS #35+ 14 b4! cxb4 15 gxf6

Black could resign here with a clear conscience; he is a piece down and has problems with his king.

15...J.b7

If 15...bxa3-h then White can play 16 l.d2 ^xd2 17 ^xd2 ld8 18 #g5 g6 19 Ag2 lb8 20 Wh6, winning more material.

16 l.d2 1-0

3 points for 12 g4!!.

901) Topalov - Ivanchuk

Bilbao 2008 41 g3!

The only defender of the dS-rook will have no safe square, and the game will be over. 41...a4 42 h4 M(, 43 He6! 1-0 There is no defence against 44 Sxf6. 3 points for 41 g3! and 1 point for 43 B.e6!.

902) Bacrot - B. Socko

Dresden Olympiad 2008

27 Wh7+!

There are several tempting continuations, but this is the clearest move-order; the king will be worse on f7.

27...<i'f7 28 lh6!

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

With the threat of 29 Sf6+; 28 lagl, bringing another piece across, is good but less convincing.

28...4^xh6 29 i.xh6 lg8 30 f5!

Opening the f-file is decisive.

Or 30...Wb6 31 Sfl!, winning. 31 fxe6 1-0

2 points for 27 Wh7+! and 2 points for 28

me!.

903) L. Vajda - Ki. Georgiev

Montenegro Team Ch, Herceg Novi 2008

16 Agsn

This is far more than just an offer to exchange pieces; it contains a beautiful idea. Instead, 16 4^f6+? I.xf6 17 exf6+ l.e6, with the idea of 18...0-0-0, gives White no advantage.

16...1.xg5?!

Better, but still unsatisfactory, is 16...J.xe4 17 i.xe7 *xe7 18 ^44- -ifS (worse is 18...g5 19 fcgS-i-! i'f8 20 Sadl; e.g., 20...*c4 21 Sd8-F lxd8 22 l'xd8+ <i>g7 23 «f6+ '^gS 24 Sdl l,d5 25 Hd3) 19 lxe4 and Black can't connect his rooks, while his king continues to disrupt his game.

17 ^f6+!!

It is understandable that Black overlooked this move.

17...1,xf6 18 exf6+

The difference between this line and the one resulting from 16 ^f6-l-? is that here Black can be prevented from castling; it is amazing that White is better off simply with the cl-bishop removed from the board!

18...1.e6 19 Sadl! (D)

B

This is the advantage: the al-rook comes into the game quickly.

19...itf5

It is more tenacious to give up the queen with 19...0-0-0, but this is a hard decision to make.

20«g7lf8

Black is a piece up but is completely paralysed; the a8-rook can't come into play and the queen is tied down to defending against Hxe6+ followed by l'e7#.

21 h3!

Threatening 22 g4 and 23 axe6-l-. Not 21 f4?? I'c5+, defending the f8-rook, and after 22 i-hl ld8 Black wins.

21...h5 22 ld4

22 f4 is possible now, because 21...h5 has weakened g6, so after 22...1'c5+ 23 *hl IdS White has 24 Sxe6-l-! fxe6 25 l'xg6+ Sf7 26 flxdS-l- i>xd8 27 l'xf7, winning.

22.,.h4 23 f4! c5 24 Iddl c4 25 SeS WxeS 26 fxeS c3 27 bxc3 J.xa2 28 Wh6 i.e6 29 l'd2 lh8 30 #d4 b6 31 *b4 c5 32 «xb6 1-0

3 points for 16 M.g5!! and 2 points for 17 ^f6+!!.

904) Ganguly - Hernandez Carmenates

Spanish Team Ch, Sabadell 2008 18'S^xe6!!

The start of a spectacular mating attack; if White begins with 18 flxh7? then Black can play 18...^xe5 (not 18...'ixh7? 19 ^xe6!) 19 fxe5 -i'xh7 20 «h5+ <4>g7 21 Wh6-i- 4g8, and White has no more than a draw after 22 Axg6 fxg6 23 Wxg6+.

18...fxe6 19 axh7! ^f8

19...'i'xh7 allows mate with 20 WhS^- *g8 21 Wxg6+ 'if8 22 «h6-i- "*g8 23 «h7-H <i>f8 24 Wh8+ ■4>f7 25 g6#. The best defence is 19...axe5, although after 20 l.d4! «c5 (the alternative 20...'4'xh7 21 i.xe5 Wb6-h?! leads to mate after 22 4'g2 *g8 23 l,xg6 We3 24 fhS l'd2+ 25 i-hl) 21 c3!! (on the other hand 21 Axc5? i.xc5-i- 22 "i'g2 'Sixd3 is ineffective) 21...4'xh7 22 «h5-h 'i'g8 23 i.xg6 'S^xg6 24 fcge-h <i'f8 25 ■4'g2 (25 Sel is also strong) 25...1'xd4 26 cxd4. Black is doing fine in terms of material, but is lost owing to the situation of his king.

20 lh6 'i'g7 21 *g4!

The 'silent' transfer of the queen to the h-file is decisive.

21...J.C5

21...1.d7 is met by 22 *h3 khS 23 l.xg6!! '5ixg6 24 f5! (to deprive the black king of the f5-square) 24...exf5 25 Sxg6-l- -^xgb 26 «h6+

255

i-f? 27 e6+ <i>g8 28 ^6+ "i-hS 29 J.d4+ with mate in two.

22 »h4! Axf2+ 23 *xf2 b5

23...*c5+ is punished by 24 <i>g2 <i>f7 25 axg6! -^eS 26 Ig? Id? 27 HgS b6 28 *h6 af7 29 g6.

24 Hh8 «c5+ 25 *f3 "i-f 7

After 25...1'c3 one way to win is 26 l'h6+ ■4'f7 27 *g4! (unpinning the bishop) 27...1'xal? 28 Axg6+ 'axg6 29 l'h7#.

26 J.xg6+! <i'e7

Or 26...<i'xg6 27 *h5+ ■i'g7 28 g6 and White forces mate.

27 lh7+ 1-0

4 points for 18 ^hxe6!! and 1 point for 19 Bjch7!.

Test 15 Answers

905) Bosboom - Iturrizaga

Wijk aan Zee 2009 40 IhS!

The vital e5-pawn will be lost. 40...«f6 41 ^xgl ag3 On any recapture, such as 41...ttxg7, 42 Axe5 wins.

42 LxtS «g6

Black remains a piece down after 42...Bxf3 43 l.xf6 ldxd3 44 gxf3.

43 ^f5 1-0

There is no defence after 43...<?^xf5 44 Hh8+ 4>f7 45 exfS.

1 point for 40 B.h5.'.

906) Matamoros - Gil del Fresno

Seville 2009

28 AdS+I cxdS 29 Wxd5+ *g7

Or 29...-i>h8 30 l.d4+ Ag7 31 Sxe7 l'xe7 32 'Sif7+ <i>g8?! 33 ?^h6++ ■i>h8 34 WgM. 30 l.d4+ *h6 31 Ixe? 1-0

1 point for 28 ±d5+!.

907) D. Johansen - Hernandez Carmenates

Dresden Olympiad 2008 38...axc3! 0-1

White resigned, seeing 39 Hxc3 ^hlH- 40 *f2*xdl.

2 points for 38...Mjcc3!.

908) L. Domi'nguez - Morozevich

Wijk aan Zee 2009 35 ^fS! The most elegant way to win.

35...Sc8

35...1'xf5 loses to 36 l'd6+ l.e7 37 Wxc7, while 35...gxf5 36 Sb8+ leads to mate. 36 Sb8! 1-0

If 36...Sxb8 White mates after 37 l'd6+. 2 points for 35 ihfS!.

909) A. Gupta - Bosboom

Wijk aan Zee 2009 30..M(6?

Black had to play 30...^f6!, when White has compensation for the piece after 31 Sf3 <i'g7 32 h3 l.e6 33 g4 g5 34 We5 i.d5 35 af5 leS 36 axg5+ "ifS 37 l'd6+ l'e7, but Black also has chances.

31 He8+ 4>g7 32 Wh3! 4if8

32...<i'f71osesto33axc8!.

33 lxc8

White is two pawns up with the better position.

2 points for 30...^f6!.

910) Harika Dronavalli - Holzke

Wijk aan Zee 2009 66...h5!

The only move (as 66..."4'g8? loses to 67 ■i'e7 and 66...<i'e8? to 67 <4'g7), but good enough to draw. Incidentally, with the white pawn on a5 and the black pawn on a6, the position is a win for White - for the details, look up 'Bahr's Rule' in specialist endgame literature.

67 *g5 "if7 68 i-xhS *f6 69 'ig4 <i>f 7 70 <i>f4 <i>f6 71 4'e4 <i'f7 72 *e5 <4'e7 73 *d5 i'f6 74 *c5 *xf5 75 *b5 -ie6 76 -4>xa5 i'd7 V2-V2

The king reaches c8 in time.

2 points for 66... h5!.

911) Morozevich - Svidler (variation)

Russian Ch, Moscow 2008 52 axg6+! fxg6 53 Sg7+ 'i'f8 54 ag8+!

54 ^6+! <i'xg7 55 Wxg6+! works just as well.

54...'i'xg8 55 «g7+!

with a draw.

2 points for 52 Bjcg6+! and 1 point for seeing 54 lg5+.' or 54 Wd6+!.

912) Marin - Dreev

Reggio Emilia 2008/9 58 e5+! ±xe5 59 fxe5+ <ixe5 60 i-gS! Not 60 *xh4?? 4'f6 61 *h5 *g7 and the black king reaches the safe comer. Thanks to

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

zugzwang, White will capture the h4-pawn only when the black king can no longer reach h8.

60...a4 61 i.a2

Not 61 l.xa4?? '^c6 with a draw.

61...a3 62 l.b3 1-0

After 62...<i'd6 White can finally play 63 <ixh4, winning after 63..."ie? 64 <i>g5 -if8 65 <4'f6.

2 points for finding 58 e5+! and 1 point for 60'&g5.'.

913) Gordon - E. Berg

Hastings 2008/9 13...1.xd4! 14 Axd4 axd4! 15 exd4 fcd4 0-1

After 16 Sa2 '2^f4 17 «c2 ^ed3+ 18 ^fl #e4! there is no defence.

2 points for finding 13...Mjcd4! and 1 point for 14...Bjcd4.'.

914) Stellwagen - Van Wely

Wijk aan Zee 2009

The game went 32 ^a5? but after 32...^c5 33 flc3 ^e4 34 lb3 <2^c5 35 ac3 ^64 36 Ic? 4^d6, Black held the position.

Instead 32 #63! (threatening 33 Wa7) is very strong and now 32... J.c8 loses to 33 Sxb8 ^xh8 34 fcS! I.xf5 (or 34...i'd8 35 d6) 35 «c7.

321^2!, with the same idea, allows 32...fld4, but this does not solve Black's problems, since White can play 33 lxd4 exd4 34 Wh2!, threatening 35 'ad6-l- and 35 l'c7, as well as 35 lxb7 followed by 36 «ad6+.

3 points for 32 We3!. You also get 3 points for 32 '^f2!, as long as you saw 32... 'B.d4 and its refutation.

915) Werle - Vallejo

Wijk aan Zee 2009

It can't be good for so many white pieces to be so far away from their king...

27...af4!

27...1'h3? can be answered with 28 Wfl.

28 He3?!

28 -ihl «h3 29 ffl '5ig4! also loses; best is 28 Wn but Black still has a winning attack with 28...Wg4 29 '5^c3 ah3+ 30 "ihl Wh5, followed by 31...^g4, when the main threat is ...'2^xh2!.

28...«h3 29 *fl ^g4l 30 l'xh3 ^xh3+ 31 ifl '5:ihxf2 0-1

3 points for 27...^f4.'.

916) Hou Yifan - Vallejo

Wijk aan Zee 2009

20 Igl!

Forcing the black queen to move into the line of fire.

20...1'd7

After 20...1'h4 21 5^f3 Wh6 22 Hhl the black queen is lost.

21 ^de6! We??!

21...b5 22 «c3 l^xdR 23 Sxdl J.xe6 24 #xc6 was the best option, but White's advantage is unquestionable.

22 ^xgl 4xg7 23 ^h5+ i-hS 23...4>g8 loses to 24 Wh4 g5 25 'S^xf6+!

Wxfe 26 J.xg5 'g^xgS 27 Hxg5-^.

24 i.c5! We6 If24...b5then25#h4!.

25 Sgel!

Back to el! The white queen is taboo on account of mate.

25...1'xel

25...^e5 loses to 26 Wxe6! ±xe6 27 ^^xfe, winning a lot of material; e.g., 27...Ag4 28 4^xe8 axe8 29 l.d4 Axdl 30 flxe5.

26 «xf7 «xdl+

26...gxh5 is met by 27 #xf6-i- <i>g8 28 Sxel Hxel+ 29 'id2 leS 30 J.d4 and White forces mate.

27 -ixdl i.g4+ 28 <i'd2 lad8+ 29 '^cS AxhS 30 l.d4!

The final crushing blow. Kavalek described the sequence of moves after 25 Hgel! as a series of "beautiful jabs", evoking the somewhat surprising similarities between chess and boxing.

30...flxd4 31 «xe8+ 1-0

3 points for 20 S.gl!.

917) Gundavaa - L.B. Hansen

Dresden Olympiad 2008 24...i.xh3! 25 gxh3?!

White thinks that Black has nothing more than a draw; it is better to resign himself to 25 #c2 ±g4 and a difficult defence.

25...1'g3+ 26 -ihl l'xh3+ 27 "i-gl Wg3+ 28 ihl Se6!

This move is vital for the soundness of the sacrifice.

29 ^xe6 axe6 0-1

After 30 fxg5 Black can mate with 30...1'h4-l-31 4'g2 fcg5-(- 32 <i'f3 Wh5-^ 33 'i>g2 Hg6#.

2 points for 24...Mjch3! and 2 points for 28...Ue6.'.

TESTS 11-15

257

918) Carlsen - Kariakin

Wijk aan Zee 2009

The game proceeded 35 dS? (the power of White's bishop increases, but tactically it does not work, as we shall see...) 35...'§^e5 36 .id4 ^6 37 l.xe5 fxeS 38 dxc6 bxc6 39 Idl HgS 40 «d4 l'xd4 41 lxd4 gS and Black drew the endgame.

Instead, 35 #xg6! is very strong, after which the most tenacious line is 35...fixh4+ 36 'i'g2 ^d6 (defending against 37 Wf6+ and Wxh4). Only now is it the right time to play 37 d5!:

a) 37...cxd5 is answered by 38 Hcl, with the threat of 39 lc7; e.g., 38...ac8 (38...?^f5 does not prevent it, so 39 Sc7! with mate in a few moves after 39...e^xe3+ 40 "igl!) 39 Sxc8 ^xc8 40 f4! followed by Ad4+, winning.

b) 37...^f5 38 i.c5! #d8 (38...1'xc5 39 ^6+ ■^h7 40 »xf5+ <ih8 41 Wf6+ followed by mate next move) 39 WxfS Wxd5+ 40 fxdS cxd5 gives White a choice of wins, such as 41 ±e7.

4 points for 35 Wxg6!.

919) Stefansson - Akobian

Lubbock 2008 34...'Sib6!! (D)

Intending to play 35...J.g4. The immediate 34...1.g4?, threatening 35...#hl#, would fail to 35 «d8+! 4>g7 36 *gl! i.h3 37 Wg5!, winning.

W

35 4-el

After 35 ^xb6 Black need not recapture and indeed now is the right moment for 35...i.g4!. The only move to prevent a quick mate is 36 i.e4, which Black answers with 36..,Wxe4 37

f3 WxB+ 38 *gl l.h3 39 «d2 ^4+ 40 *hl axb6, when Black has a material advantage and the white king is weak.

In reply to 35 i.d3 Black has 35...axa4! 36 -igl (after 36 a:xa4? lfhl+ 37 <4'e2 Hb2+ Black mates quickly) 36...Wg4+ 37 ^hl ?^b2! 38 J.fl 4ic4, winning.

35...'ac4 36 ©dSH- -^g? 37 l'g5

If 37 H3a2 then one way to win is 37...4^xe3! 38 fxe3? «xe3+ 39 4>dl l.g4#.

37...1.g4 0-1

4 points for 34...^b6!! and 1 point for 35...h.g4! in the line with 35 ^b6.

920) Bologan - E. Berg

Dresden Olympiad 2008 This position is a book draw, but it is not easy to remember everything and the constant time-pressure caused by the new time-limits makes it even harder. If the black rook can safely reach its third rank, it is a draw, since Black reaches the Vancura Position. 64...1f3+? The correct move is 64...Ha5+!:

a) If 65 <4'e6, then 65...Sh5! 66 '4>d7 Hh6 67 '4'c7 Hf6 reaches the above-mentioned drawn position; after 68 fla7 both the logical 68...Se6 and 68...'i'g6 are playable.

b) 65 '4'e4 flc5! (Black is heading for the third rank) 66 la7+ (66 "4'd4 Bc6 is not dangerous) 66...'4'g6 67 Sb7 la5 68 a7 (or 68 lb6-f <i'f7 69 4>d4 <ie7 70 *c4 <4'd7 71 4>b4 Hal drawing; e.g., 72 4'b5 lbl+ 73 'icS HcH- 74 ids Bal) 68...<i'f6 69 ah7 (if 69 *d4 Black can play 69...'i'e6 70 4'c4 'i'd6 71 '4'b4 and now 71...aal or 71...'4'c6!) 69...<i'g6! (not 69...'i'e6? 70 Hh6-l- 4>d7 711h8! winning) 70 flb7 <if6, repeating the position.

65 -ieS! Sh3

65...aa3 is met by 66 <i'd5 <i'f7 67 '4'c6 <4'e7 and now, with the black king out of position, 68 a7! <4'f7 69 lh8 wins. The problem is that 65...Hf6?losesto66fig8-l-!.

66 aa7+ <^g6 67 Sc7 la3 68 a7

Now the white king can't be prevented from reaching b7.

68...fla6 69 4'd5 ifS 70 4>c5 4-65 71 4>b5 lal 72 <4'c6 *e6 73 *b7 <i'd6 74 ac6+ <4'd7 75 Hb6 1-0

4 points for 64...'Bka5+! and 1 point for 65...'U.c5! in line 'b'.

11 The Ultimate Challenge

We have reached the last and most difficuU chapter, which should pose a stem challenge to even the very best chess-players. There are 81 puzzles, all of level 5 or higher. There are hints for the first 30 of them.

If you are a club-level player, then you should feel free to tackle these positions, but not be discouraged if you have problems with them. This is intended as a learning experience, and tackling difficult exercises will only benefit your calculating abilities and fire your chess imagination. You should be very pleased if you solve a puzzle completely, seeing all the key points. If you have seen the main idea, but missed a few finesses, then that is an encouraging sign that further work will take you to a higher level of chess mastery.

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White can try to repeat moves with 59 &8-I- What is the logical result of the game, with best

"idV 60 fc7-l-; is there any way he can try for play for both sides?

more?

The game went 35...Af6? 36 ^il+X *g8 37 After 50 lf2? I'xe4 51 dxe4 <4'g6 52 e5 lxf7 '?^xe5+ ?^e6 38 ^xg6! and White won. How Black overcame his difficuUies. How could could Black have defended better? White have played better?

The Ultimate Challenge

259

Black resigned here, although there was no 58 Hxa3? led to a draw after 58...g2! 59 flxf3 need to do so; indicate why. (59 lal Ifl) 59...glW 60 fSW feS+l. How

can White win?

Black is on the verge of being mated; can you The game went 23...Hxb7 24 ^f5 Af8 25 $^h6+ fmd the only way for Black to prevent mate and "i'h8 26 '?^xf7+ "igS 27 #66!, with advantage gain the advantage? to White. Improve Black's play!

The d6-bishop exerts unpleasant pressure, and Black has an extra pawn, and played for sim-the hS-knight is passive. How can White ex- plification with 31...Sb6; was this decision ploit these factors? correct?

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

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After IQ-.-WdS? 20 d6 ^e6 21 exf6 i.f8 22 Ag3 White was winning. Black could have defended much better; how?

Now for an unusual question: from the practical point of view, what is the best move for Black, and why?

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Is 20 l.xg7 sound?

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Black played 50...Aa7, and immediately resigned. Was this justifiable? Back up your answer with some variations.

The Ultimate Challenge

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White has tremendous threats against Black's king, but it is Black to move. How does he strike first?

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Black has just played l...g4; what is the logical result of the game with best play for both sides?

White is a pawn up, but his king is exposed and his queenside pawns are weak. How should Black exploit these factors?

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The game went 50...flxb5+ 51 ^a4 fibl 52 Sxh3 1-0. Was there any way for Black to save the game?

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

Black has two extra pawns, but his king is rather exposed. How can White exploit this?

How can White save himself? The game went 41 *f2? *d8 42 <tel #h4+ 43 -tdl ad3+ 44 J.xd3 exd3 45 l'xb2 *hl+ 0-1.

39 i.xe6? fxe6 40 ^xe6+ "if? 41 -^icS axc3 led eventually to a draw. What great opportunity did White miss?

How should White continue with the attack before Black regroups?

948 B

What is the logical result of this crazy position? Back up your answer with some variations.

There is only one winning move; what is it?

The Ultimate Challenge

263

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play be greatly improved?

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The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

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The Ultimate Challenge

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The Ultimate Challenge

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The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

Answers for Chapter 11

921) F. Olafsson - Letelier

Mar del Plata 1960 No, this is what he should have played. 59 »a8+ i-d? 60 &?+ and if eO-.-icS (60...'i'e8?! is dubious due to 61 Hgl! and 60..."^66?! 61 J.c3 leaves the black king exposed), then 61 #a8+, etc., with a draw. The game went:

59 Sgl? Hxe5!

Although it looks in great danger, the black king will be safe and Black will win, because White is unable to coordinate his two major pieces in the attack.

60 lg8 Se8 61 »a8+ "idT 62 *a7+ *e6 63 flg6+ <4>d5!

Better than allowing checks with 63...'4'e5 64 l'c5+.

64 b4

Another try is 64 Hg7 ©bS 65 2d7+ *e6 66 2e7+ <i'f6 67 lf7+ 4>g5 and although for the moment the black king is straying a long way, his defence is more than adequate; for example, 68 ag7+ ^f4! 69 «gl ^eS 70 «g3+ <i'e6 71 »g6+ i-dS 72 Sd7+ <i>c5 73 ^1 + *b5.

64...1'e7! 65 *a2+ '4>d4 66 «b2+

Or 66 l'b3 f4 67 lg7 J.xc2+! 68 i>xc2 We2+69 i-cl «el+70 itdl+fxdl-F 71 *xdl f3.

66...'4>c4! 0-1

922) Fischer - Incutto

Mar del Plata 1960

Not 35...1'xg5?, when White wins with 36 '2^f7+! '4'g8 37 ^xg5+ -ihS 38 ^f7+ -igS 39 ^xe5+, followed by 40 lxf8+ and 41 l.xd4.

However, after 35...'af3+! 36 gxf3 tfxgS-H 37 i.xg5 2xc8 38 ^f7+ *g8 39 i.e6 2c6 40 ^d8+ Hxe6 41 '2^xe6 l.xf3 Black is out of danger and has the better prospects.

923) R. Cruz - Stein

Mar del Plata 1965

It should be drawn.

30 l'xd6! <2^xcl?

This loses. After 30...gxf3! White is forced to give perpetual check with 31 #g6-l- -ifS 32 Hxc8 l'xf2-h 33 *h2 flxc8 34 «f6-h *e8 35 We:6+ 'i>d8 36 Wd6-H. The line 30...1'xf2+ 31 ■ihl SxcH- 32 Ixcl Ihxcl 33 #g6+ is similar.

31 l'g6+ *f8 32 Whe+I

Pinning the h5-pawn and thus allowing the bishop to come into play.

32...'i>f7

Similar play occurs after 32...'i'g8 33 J.xg4 lc7 34 ±e6+ Zxe6 35 «xe6-l- -ih? 36 d6 ac2 37 l'e7-^ (or 37 ffS-F '4'g7 38 d7) 37...1'xe7 38 dxe7 flc8 39 eSW ^&2+ 40 i-f 1 lxe8 41 <i>xe2 Hxe4+, leaving White two pawns up.

33 l.xg4! Ih8

Also losing is 33...^6 34 Axh5-i- <i'e7 35 Wxf6-^ i'xfe 36 Axes ^e2+ 37 -ifl.

34 l,e6+ "ie? 35 %?+ *d6 36 e5+ 1-0 One possible continuation is 36...'4'c5 37

Ixcl+<i'b6 38i.xc8.

924) Behrensen - Rossetto

Mar del Plata 1965 50 Sgl! is very strong, threatening 51 'Sif6-l-. Black has no way to prevent material loss: 50...*g7 (or 50...Sxf7? 51 «^f6-^ lxf6 52 Oxge Sf4-i- 53 ixhS; or 50...1'xe4 51 dxe4 ^g7 52 'af6-i- -ihS 53 Ig6! mating quickly) 51 l'xg6-h <4'xg6 52 '5^63-1- i'xf7 53 *xh5 <i>e7 54 lei and the rest is a matter of technique, as they say.

925) Cuasnicu - Rubinetti

Buenos Aires 1972 After 71...4'b4! 72 ^xhl c5!! Black can draw; e.g., 73 "igl '4>xb3 74 $^xc5-h (74 ^d6 "i'b4 is also a draw, as 75 <i'h2? loses to 75...<4>xa5 76 'ixh3 <ib4) 74...'i>xc4 75 'S^b7 4d5 76 '*h2 4'c6 77 ^dS+ <ib5.

926) Mariotti - Benko

Venice 1974

The game went 38...'i'xh6?, but this allowed a forced mate: 39 l'h2+! "ig5 40 ^4+ 1-0. If 40...<i'h5 then 41 Sh8-t-.

The correct move is the surprising 38...Sf6!! and after 39 Sxf6 WdS! (better than 39...Wc7

40 «g5 Wc4+ 41 i'xf2 «d3 42 SfS) 40 ^5 (40 le6? allows 40...#h4! 41 Se8 l'h3-i- 42 4xf2 Sf7-H, with a winning attack) 40...^8

41 Sxf2 a4 Black has the advantage.

927) Diez del Corral - Portisch

Buenos Aires Olympiad 1978 23 «e3!

Attacking the d4-knight, which is defending the vital e6-pawn. 23...'5ic2 24 lxc2!

The ultimate Challenge

271

After this exchange sacrifice Black's position becomes difficult, owing to the loss of the base-pawn on e6.

24...1xc2 25 ^5^x66 ^f 7 26 '^(14 la2 After 26...^\A6 27 'Sixc2 the material is equal once more but Black's king is weak and White now has a strong passed pawn.

27 ^xfS! ^xA6

The capture 27...gxf5?? leads to mate after 28 WgS-h -S^gS 29 Wxg5+ *h8 30 ±e7.

28 exd6 gxfS

Black is a rook up but there is no defence. If 28...*f7 then 29 ^e?-!- 4>f8 30 *e5 is decisive.

29 «g5+ *f8

Also losing is 29...<4'h8 30 lei! ff? (not 30...1g8?? 31 Wf6-f) 31 d7! I'xd7 (31...«f8 32 le8! Ixe8 33 dxe8« l'xe8 34 «g7#) 32 «f6+ <i'g8 33 ae7, mating quickly.

30 lei!

There is no defence against 31 le7. 30...*f7 31 le7 1-0

After 31...%6 White wins with 32 Wxge hxg6 33 h7.

928) Komljenovic - Franco

Ponferrada 1991 White wins with 58 fla7!! Ixf7 (the point of interpolating 58 la7 is that if 58...'4'h6 White will queen on f 8 with check, in contrast to what happened in the game, viz. 59 lxa3 g2 60 lxf3 glW 61 f8«-l- and wins) 59 lxf7+ "ihe 60 Ifl g2 61 Sgl a2 62 -ifS "^hl (or 62...4'xh5 63 Hxg2!) 63 i'g4, followed by '4'g3, capturing both black pawns without any difficulty.

929) Lipiniks - Cubas

Paraguayan Ch, Asuncion 1996 Black should interpolate 23...h5!!, ruling out the resource 27 #e6!. White's best now appears to be 24 #e4 but then Black has the spectacular 24...c5! (the continuation 24...1xd4 25 Axd4 lxb7 {25...«xb5!?} 26 #xb7 *xd4 is also advantageous, but less so) 25 *2if5 J.f8 with a decisive material advantage.

930) Riego - Lipiniks

Paraguayan Ch, Asuncion 1997

No, it was not.

31...1'b6?

This is a blunder; it is better to centralize the king with 31...<4'd7 and now 32...Wb6 is indeed a threat because after the exchange of

queens Black would win the d5-pawn. After 32 »c3 «b6-^ 33 <*h2 Wf6 34 l'c4 e3 Black retains his great advantage. Another good move is 31...#f6, centralizing the queen. The game continued...

32 b4?

...returning the favour. After 32 #xb6! cxb6 33 <4'f2 <i'd7 34 ieS *d6 35 <ixe4 White is virtually a pawn up and has a decisive advantage; e.g., 35...h5 36 *d4 b5 37 b4 b6 38 <i'e4, and White can just move his king back and forth between d4 and e4 until Black runs out of pawn moves and has to move his king, after which White wins with 'i'e5 and d6.

32...*d7 33 'Ml WxcS+ 34 bxc5 b6!

And Black won; he created an outside passed pawn that drew the white king across to the queenside, whereupon the black king invaded on the opposite flank.

931) Efimov - Franco

Saint Vincent 1998 Black is shghtly better after 19...1xe5! 20 lxe5 '$^g4! (not 20...1'xe5? 21 ±g3 *e8 22 Axc7 Sb7 23 d6, with a crushing position) 21 J.xg4 i.xe5 22 i.xc8 Axc3! 23 bxc3 lxc8 and the d5-pawn is lost.

932) Suba - Franco

Zaragoza 1999 45...1dl? does not win on account of 46 Hxg5-i-!, but Black can win by attacking on the h-file with 45...&d3! and there is no defence; e.g., 46 We2? Idl-h or 46 Hd5 lh3. 45...ad6! is also good, with a similar outcome.

933) Moreda - Slipak

Villa Ballester 2001 Yes, Black can defend with the spectacular 25...1'f7!!, when White is forced to give perpetual check with 26 lfxf7 axe5 27 lg7-i-*f8!28lgf7+.

934) Slipak - Larsen

Pinamar 2002

The simplest is 67...fll!, with an extra rook. Instead, the game went:

67...fll' 68 lh8+ *gl??

Even here Black could win with 68...&h4! 69 2xh4-i- "igl but this would have been slightly more difficult to win than if he had promoted the pawn to a rook.

69 ahl+! V2-V2

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

935) Rodriguez Guerrero - Franco

Dos Hermanas 2004 No, the sacrifice is not good because it squanders a promising position and the most White can hope for then is a draw:

20 i.xg7?! J.f5!

Not 20...<i'xg7?? 21 -^ihS-i- ihS 22 e^f6 i.f5 23 feS!, and wins.

21 IfxdS!

White considered that his best chance now was to complicate the game rather than opt for the endgame by 21 l'd4?! ^b5 22 Wfe Hc6 23 ^h5 flxf6 24 axf6+ -i-xg? 25 ^xd7 ±xd7, with advantage to Black.

21...<4>xg7 22 ladl Scd8?!

22...1c6!.

23 g4?

White's disadvantage is minimal after 23 WeS-i- f6 24 'ah5+ i-ge (or 24...-i>h8 25 ^4 l.h7 26 tfxhe) 25 Sxd6 Wxde 26 ^f4+ i'f7 27 l'xf5 «c5+.

23...1.g6 24 We5+ *h7 25 ^d5 Ve6

and Black won with his material advantage.

936) Aronian - Bacrot

FIDE World Cup, Khanty-Mansiisk 2005

Black resigned in a drawn position.

It does look as if Black is lost. White's bishop paralyses the black king, so the white king goes to b7, he advances his pawn and captures the black bishop, with an easy win. But there is a big hole in this description; after 51 "i'f4 h5 52 '4'e4 'i'e7 53 "i'd5, the black king is not actually paralysed at all, and after SS.-.'i'd?!, for the white king to reach b7 White has to advance his f-pawn, thus weakening it. Black can eventually capture the f-pawn and draw; e.g., 54 f6-l-<i>e8 55 i.e6 h4 56 <i>c6 h3! 57 4-b7 (57 i.xh3 is naturally a draw after 57...<i'f7) 57...h2 58 i.d5 i.d4 59 a7 Axa7 60 i'xa7 hlW 61 i.xhl <4'f7 and it's a draw.

937) Engelbert - Zierke

Hamburg 2007 No, there is no more than a draw. The game went:

31 ^if 7+ <i>g8

Now White should play 32 ^h6-i-i- with perpetual check. But he chose...

32 i.f5? which failed to... 32...g6! 33 «g4

If 33 1.XC2, then 33...gxh5 34 -S^he-i- "ihS, followed by 35....^xa3, and Black wins. 33...1'c6

Even stronger is 33...^2!, but... 0-1

938) Morinigo - Mernes (variation) Asuncion 2007

The logical result is a draw, although it is complicated.

Not 2 fxg4?, which loses after 2...hxg4 3 e5+ (of course, 3 h4 fxe4 is a win for Black) 3...'4'e6 4 h4 (or 4 hxg4 fxg4 5 <4'c5 '4'xe5 6 <i'xb5 d4 7 '4'c4 4'e4 and Black wins easily) 4...f4 5 gxf4 g3 6 <4>e3 d4-i-! 7 "if3 d3, and the white king can't stop Black's passed pawns.

The 'rule of the connmon square' states that if the imaginary square formed by the two pawns, and extending towards the opponent's side of the board, reaches the eighth rank, the king can't prevent one of the pawns from queening, unless it is in a position to capture one of them immediately. When the square extends beyond the eighth rank, as in our case, it is already too late even to capture one of the pawns.

The correct move is:

2hxg4

and after...

2...f4!

...the first impression is that White is lost, since the natural 3 gxf4? loses to 3...h4 4 g5 (if 4 <i'e3 then4...d4-f-! 5 <4'f2 d3 6 g5 d2 7 '4'e2 h3, with an easy win) 4...dxe4! (4...h3? is bad on account of 5 g6h2 {or 5...'i'e7 6 exd5! h2 7 d6-i-<i>xd6 8 g7 hlf 9 gSW l'dl+ and Black has to fight for a draw} 6 g7 hl« 7 g8* l'dl+ and once again Black has to try to draw) 5 fxe4 h3 6 g6 <4'e7!, and Black queens but White does not.

3 exdS!!

This brilliant resource, allowing Black two connected passed pawns on the sixth and seventh ranks, is sufficient to draw.

3...fxg3 4 *e3 h4 5 f4 h3 6 *f3 h2

6...g2 7 "if2 '4'xd5 8 g5 is similar.

7 '4'g2 i-xdS 8 g5 -iee 9 g6 "4f6 10 fS *g7 ll*hl

And it's a draw, since there is no way to make progress. Sometimes in such positions the side with the more advanced pawns can even allow the opponent to queen, in order to rush his king forward in support of a mating attack with his pawns, but here White would queen on the g-file, which rules out this resource.

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939) Narciso - Estremera

European Ch, Dresden 2007

50 g6!!

This sacrifice of a whole rook, with check, is the only way to win; the pawns are unstoppable.

50...axh5+ 51 *g2 fxg6

No better is 51...ag5+ 52 'i'hS ah5+ 53 '4>g4 fxg6 54 f7 Sf5 55 d7.

52 f7 fifS 53 d7 flxf7 54 d8l'+ i-xh? 55 «c8

Black's queenside pawns can't be defended, and White won quickly.

940) Movsesian - Ponomariov

San Sebastian 2009 39...«n+!40*b2j.a3+!!

White's king is dragged into the open.

41 *xa3 *cl+ 42 *b4 l'xd2+ 43 c3

43 >i>a3 «cl+ 44 'i'b4 a5+! 45 <ixa5 l'd2+ 46 c3 is the same story.

43...a5+! 44 *xa51^x03+ 45 "i-afi la8+! 46 *b6 «d4+ 47 '^cl

47 "ixce loses to 47...836+ 48 '±'c7 lxe6 49 Sxe6 'i'xf7. The rest is easy.

47...1fd8+ 48 -^xce Sa6+ 49 'i'c5 1x66 50 Hxe6Wa5 51fle7Wxa2 0-l

941) So - Ivanchuk

FIDE World Cup, Khanty-Mansiisk 2009 33...»fl+?

This check helps the defence, while after 33...We2!! Black can combine an attack on the white king with threats to the queenside pawns, with moves like ...Ad6 and ...g5; e.g.:

a) 34 g5 i.d6 35 f4 Wxb2 36 l'xc6 «a3 37 4'g4 l.f8 38 -ifi #xa2 and the a4-pawn is too strong.

b) 34 .^f4 WH- 35 *g3 g5! 36 l.e3 (36 i.e5 i.b4!) 36...1.d6+ 37 f4 Wel+ 38 <i'h3 (or 38 4'f3 WhU-) 38...1,xf4, winning.

c) 34 f4 g5 35 *g3 (35 fxg5? I.d6) 35...Ad6 36 ^3 «xb2 37 l'xc6 #33! winning.

34 ^g3 l.d6+ 35 i.f4 Ab4 36 g5! Now the king finally gets a safe place, and the game was later drawn.

942) Atalik - Skoberne

European Ch, Plovdiv 2008 Yes, practically by force Black can reach a shghtly inferior, but theoretically drawn, queen ending with 50...h2! 51 a8« lal+ 52 aa4 hlW 53 l'f8+ "^d5 54 Wf7+ <i>d6 55 «f6+ <4>d7 56 fixal Wxal+ 57 'i>b6 and here you may be

surprised (as I was) to learn that it is a draw, not only after Atalik's suggestion of 57...#c3!, but also after 57...»gl+, 57...«el, 57...»b2 and 57...'i'c8, and that everything else, including 57...#d4+?, loses (as confirmed by the 6-man tablebases).

943) Wang Yue - Yu Shaoteng

Chinese Team Ch, Wuxi 2008

29 AbS!!

Preventing the black king from retreating to c6, and threatening Black's knight, which can't move away since it is preventing 30 4^f6+.

29...<i'xe4?!

This loses a lot of material. After the best defence, 29...Ac6!, White also wins material, although it requires great accuracy to win after 30 IdH- <ixe4 31 l.d3-i- <id5 32 l.xg6-l- "4'c4 33 ad6 Aa4 34 Axh5 4>xc3 35 ±xg4 fifS. White has several favourable continuations, such as 36 flf 2 or 36 flf3-l-, but the best appears to be 36 SxfS '2^xf8 37 l.f5, followed by 38 g4.

The strongest reply to 29...'4'e6 is 30 '5^g5-F! axg5 31 ±xdl+ "^d6 (31...axd7? 32 Hlf6-i-) 32 aif6-l- i-dS 33 ±e6+ <^e4 34 2xb7, with an extra piece and a big positional advantage.

30 flel+ 4^d5 31 adl+ 1-0

After 31...'i'e4 (not 31...'i'e6? 32 Ac4+) 32 i.d3-i- 4'd5 (32...<^e3? is met by 33 Iff 1!, forcing mate) 33 .^xg6-i- Black is unable to win the c-pawn and the pin on the d-file is decisive; e.g., 33...'4'e6 34 ±xh5 l.c6 35 ag7 Hh8 36 i.xg4+ <4>f6 37 Hgxd7.

944) Degraeve - Ninov

La Fere 2008 There are two good solutions:

a) 39 J.a4! (threatening 40 Hd8#) wins in elegant fashion: 39...'4'g8 (39...1.xc7 40 bxc7 ■igS 41 J.c2! with a quick mate) 40 Hd8-f- '4'h7 411.C2+ <4h6 42 4^xe6 fxe6 43 f7 i.g7 44 b7.

b) 39 ?ixe6+! fxe6 40 l.xe6 l,xf6 41 Sfl! 'i'e7 42Sxf6!.

945) Dzhumaev - Li Shilong

Kuala Lumpur 2008

It should be a draw, although Black needs to play accurately.

31...'i'f8!

Not 31...^xe8? 32 ^d6-l- <i>f8 33 'Sie6-l-! ■igS (33...1.xe6 34 Hc8#) 34 ^xf4.

32 ^e6+ l.xe6 33 i.xb4+ i-xeS! 34 ae7+ <id8?

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

Now 34...'4'f8! is essential: 35 Sxb7+ ieS 36 ad6+ (or 36 le7+ <i>f8 37 Hb7+, but not 37 axe6+? <if7 38 fle7+ ^g6 39 figl+ ^gi\ 40 ^xg3 l'xb4, and Black wins) 36...i'f8, and none of the discovered checks by the knight yields more than a draw.

35 Hdl+ 'i'cS 36 ^d6+ *b8 37 He8+ <4>a7 38 ^b5+ 4'a6 39 la8+ 1-0

946) Zhang Xiaowen - Z. Rahman

Kuala Lumpur 2008 With the counterattack 41 lff6! 2x63 42 l'f7+ 4>h6 43 l.h5! -i-xhS (or 43...gxh5 44 ^6+ <ih7 45 Wf7+ <4'h8 46 #f6+ >4'g8 47 #g6+ <if8 48 «f6+ and now 48...'i'g8, drawing, but not 48...'i>e8? on account of 49 l'h8+)

44 l'h7+ <i>g4 45 «xg6+ -i'xf4 46 «h6+ 4>e5 47 l'g7+ 'i'f4 48 Wh6+, White draws.

947) Kotronias - Estremera

European Union Ch, Liverpool 2008 White was unable to discover a way to keep his attack going.

39 4'gl? '2^c4

Black now threatens, amongst other things, 40...?ie5, so White has to force a draw.

40 »e7+ <i>g8 41 l'h7+ <if8 42 We7+ -igS 43 #h7+ 1/2-V2

The right method is 39 *h8+! I.g8 40 ae6!. This position is difficult to assess correctly, but the a8-rook and the b2-knight are both loose, and this means that White's combination is winning: 40...fcg6 (forced, since 40...Scl+ loses to 41 <i>h2 *f4+ 42 g3 l'd2+ 43 'i'h3) 41 Zxi6+ «xf6 42 l'xf6-h i.f7 43 Wh8+ AgS 44 ni6-h and now by checking appropriately White captures one or other of Black's two loose pieces or else mates Black's king: 44...<i'f7 (or 44..."4'e7

45 #g5-h <id6 46 «d2-l-, winning the knight) 45 m4+ <ig7 46 Wd4-H i'h6 (46...<4'f8 47 ^4-^ again wins the knight) 47 l'b6-i- 'i'g5 48 l'c5-i-<4,f4 49 ^^4+ ,4,g5 50 f4+! <i.h6 (50...<4'g4 51 We5 *g3 52 -i-gl is similar) 51 #b6-l- '4'h5 (51...<i'g7 52 Wh7+ wins the rook) 52 ^6! and mate next move.

948) Leko - Ivanchuk

Dresden Olympiad 2008

The only move to win is:

124...ae3!!

By moving the rook back along the e-file. Black threatens 125...1.h3-h and 126...Hel#, but by putting it specifically on e3 he prevents

his king from being harassed by the white rook, which would happen for instance after 124...ae7? 125 Sd3-H l,f3 126 Sa3 lh7 127 ■iel fld7 128 Sal, with a draw.

125 Sg8 ae7!

Forcing the rook to a worse square, thus preventing it from retreating to the first rank to rescue the king.

126 Hg5

126 Hg6 is met by 126...ad7. 126...flh7

It is too early for 126...Bd7 on account of 127 ae5.

127 "iel

After 127 "igl Sa7 White does not have the saving move Hf5 available. 127.,.Hd7! 0-1

949) D. Fridman - Parligras

Dresden Olympiad 2008 The combination is unsound, but the reason is not obvious.

18 cxdS axal

If 18... J.xb5 immediately then 19 J.c3 l'xb3 20 flabl, winning material, so Black exchanges rooks first.

19 fixal?

Now the game levels out. Instead, 19 Axal! wins for White, since there is a hidden pin after 19...i.xb5 20 l'b6!, which wins a piece.

19...i.xb5 20 i.xb5 l'xb5 21 exd6 l.xd4 22 l'xd4 exd6 23 b4 Hc8 24 h3

and it ended in a draw.

950) Bosboom - Giri

Wijk aan Zee 2009 Black has the winning sacrifice 29...^xf3+! and after 30 i.xf3 #xh3 the 'dormant' bishop on c7 becomes a tremendous attacking piece. Then:

a) 31 l.g2 J.b6-f 32 d4 «xg3 and with the twin threats of 33...af2 mating and 33...#xc3 Black regains the sacrificed piece with interest.

b) 31 4'f2 lb6-i- 32 d4 «h2+! 33 *e3 (after 33 "if 1 the strongest line is 33...e4! 34 axe4 Whl-F) 33...1'xg3, and there is no satisfactory defence against the threat of 34.. Mf4+ winning the f3-bishop; e.g., 34 Ifl exd4+ 35 i.xd4 ae8+ 36 *d3 l.xd4 37 #b3+ *h8 and now 38 <4'xd4 loses to 38...#d6-i-.

951) Corte - Rossetto

Argentine Ch, Buenos Aires 1946

The Ultimate Challenge

275

In the game, White lost as follows: 26 fld4? Ixc2+ 27 *dl «b3 28 lxb4 fld2++ 29 "iel fdl* (0-1).

Although it looks scary, 26 axb4! is necessary and after 26...*xb4 27 ld4! *b2+ 28 <i>dl, thanks to Black's exposed king, amazingly there is no more than a draw; e.g., 28...Sxc2 (Black has nothing after 28...1'xc2+ 29 -iel either) 29 ld7+! i-cS 30 Hd8+ <i'c7 31 Hd7+.

952) F. Olafsson - Eliskases

Mar del Plata 1960 24Sxf6+!!l.xf6

If 24...gxf6 then White continues in similar fashion to the game: 25 ^8+ i'e7 26 ^7+ i-de 27 ?^f5+ i-cS 28 d4+ lxd4 (or 28...'2^xd4? 29 Scl+, mating quickly, while 28...Axd4+ is met by 29 l.xd4+ lxd4 30 l'xe8) 29 l'xe8, gaining a decisive material advantage.

25 l.xf6 gxf6

25...gxh6 is met by 26 flfl! with a decisive discovered check. 25...Axd3 appears to be the most tenacious move, preventing fifl, but then White has 26 WfS! i.xe4 (worse is 26...gxh6? 27 Axd8+ #f7 28 l.xb6, with a crushing advantage) 27 i.xe4 «xg3+ 28 "ihl g6 29 %4 Wxg4 30 ^xg4, with more material and a considerable advantage.

26 l'g8+ *e7 27 l'xh7+ -ide

27..."i>f8 is similar: 28 WgS-i- 'i'e7 29 l'f7-i-'i'd6 and the attack on the black king is winning; e.g., 30 eS-l- -ixeS 31 d4+ *xd4 32 ttxfe-i- <ic5 33 lcl+ l.c4 34 Sxc4-^ <4>b5 35 Wfl, and White wins.

28 e5+! <ixe5

If 28...fxe5 then 29 '2if5-H! *c5 30 Hcl+ l.c4 (or 30...'4'b5 31 «xc7 ^xc7 32 l.xc6#) 31 Sxc4-l- <ib5 32 J.xc6-h 4'a6 (or 32...1'xc6 33 a4-i-) 33 Ab5-h wins, while 28...'i'c5 loses to 29 Hcl-h l.c4 30 fixc4-i- <i>b5 31 ±xc6-i-.

29 d4+! Hxd4

After 29...*xd4 30 Ml+ *c3 31 HcH-White forces mate.

30 ^n+ Wxfl 31 Wxf7 IddS 32 Hel+ '4'd6 33 Wxfe l.c8 34 «e5+ 'i'd7 35 l.h31-0

953) Toran - Filip

Skopje Olympiad 1972

21 Wei!

The idea is to infiltrate via the weakened dark squares on the kingside, which Black is unable to defend satisfactorily, and then attack Black's king, which is more or less stuck in the centre.

21...Ad5 22 «h4 «b7

22...h5 fails to hold up the queen's progress:

23 %5.

23 ^6! ^gS

After 23...1.xg2 24 l'g7! Axfl 25 WhS+ ^f8 26 WxfS-K <id7 the quickest way to mate starts with 27 ±xe6+ <i'c7 28 flcl+.

24 #xh7 4^e7 25 ?^xe6! 1-0

If 25...Axe6 (or 25...fxe6 26 l'xe7#), 26 Axe6 soon forces mate.

954) Polugaevsky - Ree

Amsterdam 1981

70 '4>a2??

This is the decisive error. Now the king remains merely vulnerable, whereas on a3 the king at least had chances to defend actively with an eventual '4'b4 when Black moves his king. White draws with 70 la6! (or 70 Sa5!); e.g., 70...'4'c2 71 flh6! (switching to defending with checks from the side) 71...flg3-f- 72 '4'b4 (72 i'a2 is also good enough, and simpler) 72...c3, and now? The tablebase indicates that the only move to draw is 73 "iaS!!; for example, 73...flg2 74 <4'a2.

70...<4>c2

Now the a8-rook can't move because of the mate, and the white king is unable to help the defence, so there is nothing to prevent Black from reaching the winning Lucena position.

71 *al c3 72 *a2 flb7 73 Sa6 ld7 74 la8 <i'd2 0-1

955) H0i - Guiko

Thessaloniki Olympiad 1988

25 lxg7!! 'i'xg7

25...^xg7 is met by 26 i.xh6 f5 27 i.xg7+ *xg7 28 Hgl+ <4'f7 29 -^gS-i- <4>e7 30 ^xe6!, with threats of 31 Sel, 31 ag7-i- or 31 fxfS, with a winning attack.

26 i.xh6+!

Better than 26 HgH- i-fS 27 l.xh6-l-?! (27 l'e3! is still better for White) 27...<i'e7 and the king escapes.

26...<i'xh6 27 Hgl!

27 l'e3+?! is inaccurate in view of 27...'i'g7 28 WgS-F <i'f8.

27...f5

11. .Ma loses to 28 ^g5! f5 29 *e3.

28 «e3+ f4

Or 28...<i'h7 29 WgS ^g'i+ 30 fxg3 Hg8 31 WhS-i- ig? 32 gxh4-l- with a decisive attack.

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

Black gets mated after 29...fxe3? 30 ^f7# or 29...'S^g3+ 30 axg3 fxe3 31 ^il+ -thS 32

ag5#. 30 ©da ^m

30...^g3+ loses to 31 lxg3 ^f8 32 Sg6+ 4>h5 33 flf6 fe? 34 lxf8 »g7 35 Sxe8 flxeS 36 l'xb5+ and 37 fxeS.

31 WhT+11-0

31...'Sixh7 allows 32 ag6#. A brilliantly conducted attack, don't you think?

956) Illescas - Short

Linares 1995 30 Sxe?!

30 #b4 is ineffective on account of 30...'5^c6! 311x06 bxc6 32 i.xc4 dxc4 33 bxc6 lc7.

30...1fxe7

If 30...'§ixd2 White plays 31 acc7 ^e4 32 f3, ehminating the defender of f6, and wins.

31 Axc4 dxc4 32 fixc4 lfxa3 33 ^cl Material is now level, and Black will create

a dangerous passed pawn, but White has a winning position because the enemy king is unprotected, and his only remaining task is to discover the most effective way of attacking it.

33...1'f8

After 33..."4'g8 the white queen decisively joins the attack with 34 ^f6+ *f8 35 <£ih7+ <ig8 36l'dl!.

34»a2

The tempting 34 11)4?? fails to 34...1'xb4 35 ^% lfbl+ 36 <4>h2 f4, and the queen controls h7.

34...a3

After 34...®g8 there are many good hnes, such as 35 *a3 ^f7 36 #07 Sf8 37 »f6+ *h7 38 *xe6.

35 ^f(, ^f7 36 fxee a2 37 »xf7! 1-0

Mate is unstoppable.

957) Granda - Kamsky

Donner Memorial, Amsterdam 1996

23 l'h4!

After this queen manoeuvre, the concentration of forces against Black's kingside is overwhelming and there is no defence.

23...e5

Trying to gain some activity by increasing the scope of the queen and the c8-bishop. If 23...^d7 Granda pointed out the following finish: 24 axd7! i.xd7 25 ^e7-l- i'h8 26 ±xg7+ '^xg7 27 %5-H -i-hS 28 ^6*. 23...1.d7 is no better and is refuted with a standard manoeuvre:

24 l.xf6 gxf6 25 fcfe l.xc6 26 ad4! h5 27 #g5-l-, mating quickly.

24 i.xe5 Ad7

After 24...^g4 White has a different winning manoeuvre: 25 ^1+ "i'h8 26 J.c6, while 24...«e6 is met by 25 ad6 %4 26 axf6! «xh4 27 4^e7+ <ih8 28 gxh4 i.b4 29 ^xc8 gxf6 30 ±xf6+ "igS 31 ^xa7, with a decisive material advantage.

25 l.xf6 gxf6 26 l.e4 h6 27 Ixd?! fxd? 28 «xh6 f5 29 AxfS! 1-0

958) P. Rodriguez - Franco

Capablanca Memorial, Cienfuegos 1997 19...'5ixd5!

Black rids himself of his passive knight and occupies the e-file advantageously, in addition to leaving White's structure damaged, with several weak pawns.

20 exdS e4 21 Bfel

21 l.xe4 ±xe2 22 Ifel is also insufficient to equalize after 22...afe8 23 fxg6 (23 axe2 axe4 24 h3 {or 24 fxg6 axg4-l- 25 if2 hxg6} 24...aae8 25 4>f2 gxf5 26 gxf5 a4e5) 23...hxg6

24 ±xg6 Sxe3 25 -if 2 J.d3!, winning material in every case.

21...exf3 22 ^f4 gxf5 23 gxfS BfeS

Threatening 24...Be5.

24 ^e6 aa4! 25 Badl ±e2 26 ^f 2

26 Sd2 is met by 26...ag4-M 27 *hl ae4. 26...1.xdl

and Black won.

959) Michenka - Hagara

Trinec 1998

23 AfS!!

This spectacular move wins for White, who threatens mate on g7. After 23 aafl? Black draws with 23...J.xg2! and now the only move is 24 h4!, with a draw after 24...#xh4 25 Sxg2 axg2+ 26 *xg2 %5+ 27 4h2 »h5+.

23...a2e5

Black is forced to reduce the pressure on g2; after 23...1fe5? White wins with 24 axe2 l'xc3

25 bxc3 axe2 26 gxh3 'i'xf8 27 c7 leS, and now both 28 adl! and 28 abl! win. 23...S8e5? loses to 24 axe2, and 23...'ixf8 to 24 #h84-4>e7 251x62-1-, and finally 23...f6 to 24 #04-1-.

24 l,d6! ae3

Now White played 25 A(4?l and went on to win, but a cleaner solution was 25 #d2, defending the first and second ranks and threatening 26 Af4. White is then clearly winning.

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960) Vallejo - Drasko

Saint Vincent 1999 21 h5!

This exchange sacrifice gives White a very strong attack.

21...^d2 22 Wf2!

The apparently more direct 22 l'g4?! fails to 22...i.c8!, and after 23 M5 ^xfl 24 fixfl l.xf5 25 #xf5 ^m Black's king's position is solid and he has the advantage.

22...^f8

If 22...'2ixfl 23 hxg6 l.xe5 24 fxeS -S^xgS?! then 25 gxf7+ fxf? 26 i.xh7+! -i-fS 27 WxgS, with a winning position for White on account of the situation of the black king.

22...^h8 is likely to be a computer's choice, but 23 i.h4 f6 24 '2^g3 -^xf 1 25 Sxfl l'c7 26 5ig4 gives White a strong attack. After 26...^f7 27 'Sif5, intending l'g3, the threats against the black king are highly potent.

23 i.h4 f6 24 ^gS! S^xH

After 24...«c7 25 *xd2 fxe5 26 fxe5 i.e7 27 l.xe7 fixe7 28 ^f5 White is easily winning, with a material advantage and the attack.

25 Ixfl Wc7

25...,lc8, controlling f5, is met by 26 lff3 Wb7 27 h6, with an attack that more than compensates for the sacrificed material.

26 ^f5!

26 h6! fxe5 27 fxe5 is also possible.

26...fxe5 27 fxeS

For the moment Black is a whole rook up, but it is impossible to maintain it.

27...J.e7

If 27...1.xe5 28 dxe5 Sxe5?! then 29 %3 is devastating. For instance, 29...flae8 30 ±f6!? S5e7 31 '2ixe7+ flxe7 32 l.xe7! itxe7 33 l'b8.

28 ^M+ <^h8 29 «f 7 ^e6?

Almost out of time. Black allows a mate. After the forced 29...gxh6 30 Af6+ Axf6 31 l'xc7 ae7 32 lfd6 Ag5 Black is worse but can still fight.

30 #g8+! 1-0

961) Castillo Gallego - Ruiz Jimenez

Mancha Real 2001

22,..'Sic5?

Black needs to keep a cool head and play 22...#xe5!, which opens lines but allows the queen to assist the defence; e.g., 23 Wxc6 (or 23 «g6+ 4'd8! 24 Ifel Wxel+! 25 fixel J.xa3 and White, behind on material, has to fight for a draw, which can be achieved with

26 fidl *c7 27 l'd3 flhdS 28 l'g3+! 4b7 29 lfxc3) 23...0-0! 24 l'xd7 (or 24 Sael l.xa3 25 Hxe5 axe5 26 l'e6-h ^fl 27 ®g6+ i-hS 28 l'f6+ drawing) 24...1.xa3 25 axa3 lac8, and the passed pawn gives Black some advantage.

23 l'xc6+

Another way is 23 l.xc5 WxcS 24 ladl!, threatening 25 Wg6-l- *f8 26 e6. Now 24...1fb4, with the idea of ...#f4, loses to 25 f4!, amongst other things.

23...'i'f7 24 AxcS fccS?

Now mate is forced, but 24...Axc5 also loses, to 25 e6+ <4>f6 26 Hadl ®e5 27 e7-l- Wee 28 Wxc5.

25 itg6+ ifS 26 e6 1-0

962) J. Gonzalez - Almagro

Mancha Real 2001

The black king is badly placed and White, a pawn up, is threatening mate, but with so little material left on the board Black has enough defensive resources...

69...g4?

...but not after this move, which results by force in a lost ending. Instead, 69...Se4+! allows Black to steer the game towards a draw. After 70 -4>d7 (if 70 '^f7 then 70...1f4 71 fibS aa4 regains the pawn) 70...Sa4! 71 '^xd8 Bxa5 Black manages to exchange the remaining pawns, reaching a drawn endgame of rook and knight against rook; e.g., 72 '5:ie3 Sa8+ 73 ^67 'ih4 or 72 'ad6 ad5 (72...fia3 73 ^e4 g4 is also good) 73 'i'c7 ad3.

70 ah7+ <i'g5 71 fig7+ 4'h5 72 hxg4+ Sxg4 73 axg4 'i'xg4 74 a6 Ab6 75 ^d6 4'f4 76 *d5 i.a7 77 ^c8 1-0

The pawn queens after 11...Ml 78 '4'c6 'i>e5 79 ^h6.

963) M. Gurevich - Vallejo

Spanish Team Ch, Mondariz 2002 With 30 "^hl ?! White can aspire to no more than equality: 30...'?^g3-l-! 31 i-gl (31 'i'h2 '5^h5!) 31...-£162-1-, while if 30 <4>h2?! Black can play 30...1.g6 31 ^f6-i- 4>h8 32 -S^xeS axe8, when 33 WgSf loses to 33...1'xd6-f-.

The game continued 30 Bxe2? Sxe2! (not 30...i.xe2? 31 ^f6-h Wxfe 32 «xf6 Se6 33 »g5+ Hg6 34 fxcS) 31 ^f4 Se6 32 ?^xe6 fxe6 331^X66+ *h8 0-1.

Instead, the unusual 30 'if2!! gives White a big advantage, threatening 31 ^f6-F "i-hS 32

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

^xeS Hxe8 33 ^6+ i-gS 34 l'xf7+ <i?h8 35 «g7#. Then:

a) If 30...4^xc 1 ? then 31 ^i6+ i-hS 32 ^h5, mating.

b) 30...1.g6 31 'af6+ i-hS 32 ^xe8 IxeS 33 #g5 and now, in contrast to 30 <i'h2,33...#xd6? is not check.

c) 30...g3+ 31 <4'e3!! c4 32 axc4! ±g6 33 ihf6+ 4>h8 34 -^xeS IxeS 35 <4'xe2 Sxe7+ 36 dxe? I'xe7+ 37 4'f3 and White wins.

d) 30...<4>h8 is strongly met by 31 ^6+ *g8 32 lxc5; e.g., 32...»b8 33 ^c7 lxe7 34 dxe7 Hc8 35 lg5+ J.g6 36 ld5!.

964) Franco - L. Dominguez

Spanish Team Ch, Mondariz 2008 34...h5!!

Not 34...'4'd4? on account of 35 'if! g5 (moving the other pawn is no use either: 35. ..h5 36 <4'xg7 h4 37 *g6) 36 'i'g7 h5 37 *g6 ■i'c4 38 'i'xh5 <4'b3 39 <i'xg5 <4'xa3 40 h4 and White wins.

35-its

If 35 'i'f7 then 35...h4! (not 35...g5?, which loses to 36 'i>g6) 36 <4>xg7 *f3 37 b5 ■4'g2 38 a4 4'xh2 39 a5 h3 40 b6 axb6 41 axb6 'i'g2, with a draw.

V2-V2

There are no winning chances; e.g., 35...'4'd4 36 "4'g5 <i'c4 37 'i'xh5 <i'b3 38 "i'g6 '4'xa3 39 '4>xg7 <4'xb4 40 h4 a5 and the position of the white king on g7 prevents him from winning.

965) Estremera - Sedina

Genoa 2004 47...1xg4!!

47...1.f3+? does not draw: 48 ■4'f2 lxg4 (or 48...ah3 49 He7 ±xg4 50 He8+ <4'h7 51 ^g5+ 4'xh6 52 <axh3 J.xh3 53 Hh8+) 49 "i-xfS lh4 50 ag6 *h7 51 4^f8+ ■ih8 52 h7.

48 lxg4 M5 49 Ha4 l.xe6 50 "i-eS d4+ 51 '4'f4 d3 52 ^g5 d2 53 Hd4 i.a2 54 ld8+ i-h? 55 axd2

In order to win such an endgame of rook and rook's pawn vs bishop, the stronger side's pawn must not be as far advanced as it is here, so this position is a draw. A recent example is Mecking-Kasimdzhanov, Wijk aan Zee 2009.

55...i.bl 56 Sd7+ "4>h8 57 h? J.xh7 58 ^M l.g8 59 ld8 V2-V2

966) Kariakin - Felgaer

Dos Hermanas 2005

This ending is a draw, but Black's defence would be simpler if he didn't have his h-pawn, as we shall see.

81...Sg6+?

This check loses. Although it is hard to believe, the clearest way to draw is by 81...Sg7! 82 fla8+ Sg8 (if the black king emerges from its prison immediately with 82..."ih??? it walks into a mate after 83 ktA+ <i'h6 84 '4'f6!) and now if, for instance, 83 Sa4 Bg4 84 J.e4, then 84...'i'g7 and the king escapes from its precarious position.

82 <*f5 ld6

After this. Black's rook remains separated from its king and White wins easily, but by now the position is lost in any case: if 82...ag7 then 83 ^f7! keeps the king incarcerated; e.g., 83...'i>h7 84 <*f6 ihe 85 aa5 and the black pawn rules out the typical stalemate defence with 85...Sg6-i-.

83 l.e6 ab6 84 -ife Sbl 1-0

967) Kozul - Bologan

Sarajevo 2005 43 Hal??

This logical move loses, as do 43 Wc8? I'xe7,43 Scl ? Ixh3-l- 44 gxh3 l'xh3+ 45 <4?gl l'g4-h 46 <4>hl ^e2 and 43 Ifl? Ixh3+! 44 gxh3 Wxh3-F 45 *gl ^3+ 46 i-hl Wh4+ 47 *g2 ^4+ 48 'i'h2 ^e2\ 49 Sf3 and now the simplest win is 49...h5!, threatening 50...#gl+ 51'ih3l'hl#.

The correct path for White is 43 "i'h2!! #f2 44 "ihl! and the game is drawn after 44...^4 or 44...fixh3-l- 45 gxh3 WfS-t-.

43...Sxh3+!! 44 gxh3 l'xh3+

The cooperation between the queen and the knight is very powerful and there is no defence.

45 4>gl ^4+ 46 "ihl

Or 46 <4'f2 ^3-1- 47 i-gl ^e2+ 48 4'h2 I'g3-i-49 4'hl#h3#.

46...'?^f3 0-1

968) A. Zubarev - Lechtynsky

Pardubice 2006

22«h5!!

With this wonderful move White is able to highlight the fact that the black king is poorly defended. The threat is 23 l'xh7+.

22...gxh5

If 22...<tg8 then 23 lxg6-l- hxg6 24 Wxg6+ "4'h8 25 Wh5-l- 'i>g8 26 '5ig4 and it will be mate

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in a few moves; White is threatening, for instance, 27 ?^gh6+ Axh6 28 Mg6+ with a forced checkmate.

23 Adl!

This is the key; the bishop fulfils the same function as the queen, thanks to the knight on f5 and the rook on g3. Once again mind triumphs over matter, something that does not happen often, but when it does, it fills the chessboard with its beauty.

23...J.xd5

There is no way out with 23...1.g7 24 lxg7-h ifS on account of 25 J.h6, threatening flg3+ and i.xh5#.

24 exdS 1-0

Despite his great superiority material, Black is completely lost.

969) Mamedyarov - I. Sokolov

Hoogeveen 2006

49 ■ic4?

This logical-looking move throws away the win. The correct option is 49 fS! gxfS (or 49...<4'd7 50 h5 with a final sequence similar to the main line) 50 gxf5 b3 51 <i'c3 i-dS and now the h-pawn is the one to queen after the manoeuvre 52 e6! fxe6 53 f6! gxf6 54 h5, and Black's pawns act as a barrier to their own king.

49...b3 50 "ixbS <i^d5 51 g5 i-ee 52 '4'c4 <i>e7 53 <4'b5 f6?

The way to draw is with 53...<4'e6! 54 'i'c5 <i'e7, and White is unable to create a passed pawn or infiltrate with his king.

54 gxf6+ gxf6 55 'icS

But now White has a passed pawn once again.

55...'4'e6 56 4'd4 4>d7

Or56..."i'f5 57'id5.

57 *d5 ^e7 58 e6 "idS 59 "ide "ieS 60 e7 1-0

The finish might be 60...f5 61 <i'e6 g5 62 fxg5 f4 63 g6 f3 64 g7 f2 65 g?,W#.

970) Y. Vovk-Bobras

Cappelle la Grande 2007 Black has two possible ways to win: one is by capturing the white pawns, but since he has the 'wrong' bishop with respect to the queening square of the pawn, he has at the same time to prevent the white king from reaching hi.

The other way to win is to stalemate White's king, thus forcing him to play g5 whereupon Black's h-pawn turns into a g-pawn, while also releasing the stalemate. To illustrate this, let's

imagine a position with the black king on c4, the bishop on b4, and the white king on a4. With White to play. White would be in zug-zwang, but if it were Black's turn the game would be a draw.

One of the famous examples of successful defence in this type of endgame is Korchnoi-Karpov, World Ch match (game 5), Baguio City 1978.

85...*c5!

The natural 85...<i'd5? allows White to find a route to safety:

a) The above explanation becomes clearer if White errs with 86 <4'd7?, which loses after 86...4'e4 87 '4'e6 '4'f4 88 <i'd5 4>xg4 89 <i'e4 J.c5! (cutting off the white king's route to hi)

90 <i'd3 'i'xh5 91 *e2 <ig4 92 "ifl <i'f3 and again the white king remains outside the drawing zone and so the h-pawn queens.

b) The correct path is 86 'i'b6! '4'e4 87 i'b5 l.d6 88 <i'c4 <if3 89 -idS J.c5 90 4'd2 l.e3-i-

91 "i'd3 and White has made no progress, as the tablebases confirm.

86 <id7 4'd5! 87 i-c? 'i>e4 88 i'c6 '4'f4 89 "4d5 <i'xg4 90 *d4

If 90 <4e4 then 90...1.c5! and the white king can't reach hi.

Returning to the game, now the immediate 90...<4'xh5? allows the king to get back without any problems: 91 '4'e3 <i'g4 92 "if 2, and draws.

90...1.C5+! 0-1

This pretty sacrifice prevents the white king from reaching the safe zone: 91 'i'xc5 (91 '4>e4 J.b6! leaves the white king in zugzwang; e.g.,

92 '4>d3 *xh5 93 '4'e2 i'g4 94 ^fl i-fS) 91...<4'xh5 92 '4'd4 'ig4 93 'i'e3 ■4'g3 94 'ie2 'i'g2, and Black wins.

971) Shomoev - Kurnosov

Russian Ch, Krasnoiarsk 2007 Black should have resigned many moves ago, but he kept playing, and White assumed, prematurely, that the point was in the bag. It is a relatively simple win in fact, but the position is not one where 'anything wins', as we shall see. 73 "if???

The only way to win is 73 h6!, with the possible continuation 73...Sf2-l- 74 <i'e6 le2-l- 75 '4'd6 Hd2-l- (since White is threatening to win by moving his rook to the eighth rank, all Black can do is either keep checking or move his own rook to his back rank) 76 <i>c5 Hd8 77 af7 Ic8-H (if 77...'4g8 then there is the nice shot 78

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

h7+! i'xh? 79 Sf8) 78 -ide ad8+ 79 -id, followed by 80 Sf8, and White wins.

73...1f2+ 74 ^e8 *g8!

White was threatening to win with 75 Hf7.

75 h6

75 'i'd7 Sh2 is a draw.

75...Sf6 76 h7+ >*xh7 77 Hf7 aa6 V2-V2

972) S. Novikov - Yakovenko

Moscow 2007

With correct defence by White, the game reaches a position analysed by Keres, one of reciprocal zugzwang. After an exhausting defence under enemy pressure. White succeeded admirably in finding the only moves to defend.

74 ab4!

The nervous check 74 Sb2-i-? loses after 74...'4'f3, followed by ...ae2-i-.

74...h4!? 75 af4+!

A vital zwischenzug. Here 75 axg4? is bad on account of 75...hxg3+ 76 "ihS BfS!, and White loses, because now any rook move along the g-file is answered by ...Sf6 or ...Sf7, as appropriate; e.g., 77 Sg8 Sf7! and Black wins. Note that the attempted stalemate with 77 fif4 loses here to 77...g2+.

75...Sf3 76 axg4 hxg3+ 77 <4'h3

We have reached the same position as at move 76 in the previous note, but this time with Black to move; as we shall see, this makes a big difl'erence. Now Black tries a couple of waiting moves, before going back to the f-file.

77...ae3 78 ag8 8(13 79 ag7 af3 80 ag4!

The only move, bringing about the same position as at move 77.

80...af8

and here, thanks to 80 ag4. Black has...

81 flf4+!

Exactly according to Keres's analysis.

81...axf4 V2-V2

973) Morozevich - Aronian

Morelia/Linares 2007

Black is two pawns up, but his pieces are dangerously distant from the kingside.

It is the eternal struggle between an enduring advantage, such as extra material, and a temporary advantage, such as an attack, which is ephemeral and has to be exploited right away.

38 2f3?!

White misses his first chance. He can win with a beautiful but well-hidden manoeuvre; 38 «d8+ <ig7 39 f6+ <i'h6 40 4'h4!! (by using the

king as an attacking piece. White prevents the black king's escape via g5 or h5 and threatens 41 Wf8#) 40..Mxd4+ 41 g4 #b4 (to prevent 42 #f8#, but...) 42 «f8-h!! «xf8 43 g5#.

38..^n?! 39 fxg6?

There is not always a second chance, either in life or on the chessboard. White misses this one too. It is still possible to play 39 WdS+ 'igl 40 f6+ '4'h6 and here the same idea, which possibly was what Morozevich overlooked: 41 <4-h4!! #el+ 42 g3 '&e4+ 43 g4 #el-l- 44 ag3 and there is no satisfactory defence against 45 #f8#.

39...axf3+ 40 l'xf3

40 gxf3 hxg6 is similar to the game, in that the exposed position of the white king, and Black's three pawns for the piece, prevent any serious winning attempt.

40...«el+

Not 40.. .I'xd4?? 41 «xf 7+ i-hS 42 l'xh7#.

41'4'f4

41 *h2 We5+ 42 g3 hxg6 is not very promising either.

41...hxg6 42 l^xdS l'f2+ 43 ^{3 V2-V2 In view of 43...#xg2, a draw was agreed. The same resuh is reached after 43 "i'e5 #g3-l-44 '4'f6 #h4-h with perpetual check, or 43 'ig4 a4.

974) Franco - Sanchez Aller

Villagarcia 2007

White's position seems to be on the verge of defeat. His extra pawn matters less than Black's two passed pawns on a4 and d4. The threat is, amongst other things, 58...d3, followed by ...d2-i-, ...Axf3-i-, etc., while 58 Axg7 loses to 58...a3 and the a-pawn is the one to queen.

58 4>dl!

The only move to hold the position, found by elimination. It prevents the main threat of 58...'4'c2!, after which one of the black pawns would queen, making any other consideration of secondary importance.

58...g6?

Black is reluctant to accept a draw, since this is a team competition and he has to win, but he can't see how and so he ends up losing. The obvious 58...d3! is the most dangerous try, but not enough to win after 59 cS^-i- ±xc8 60 kxgl d2 61 l.h6! (not 61 J.xf6-i-? A-dS, when Black threatens both 62...Ab7 and to queen the a-pawn, and wins after 62 Ag5 a3 63 J.xd2 a2) 61...a3 62 l.xd2H- ibS 63 i.e3 -icS and now

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64 J.d2+ is best, with a draw. Instead, 64 "^cl? a2 65 J.d4+ <i'xd4 66 452 provides losing chances only; e.g., 66...4'c5 67 h4 'i'xb6 68 g5 (or 68 h5 ±e6 69h6 l.g8 70f4l.h7! 71 g5 {71 f5 loses to 71...<i>c7 72 g5 fxgS 73 f6 '4'd7, arriving just in time} 71...f5 and Black wins) 68...f5 69 h5 f4 70 g6 l.f5 71 <^xa2 "4c5.

58...<i'd3? does not work either: 59 i.xg7 a3 60 i-cl a2 61 *b2 <4e2 62 l.xf6 d3 63 Ag5 d2 64 i.xd2 'i'xd2 65 g5, and White wins.

Finally, 58....^xf3+? even leads to a win for White after 59 i-cl l.b7 60 l.xg7 a3 61 -ibl d3 62 l.xf6+ i-bS 63 Ag5 <4'c3 64 h4.

59 ±e7 fSV.

This makes White's task easier, but by now there is no defence.

60 gxfS gxfS 61 f4 4d3 If61...d3, 62i.f6+!wins. 62 h4 4e4 63 hS 1-0

975) J. Polgar - Bareev

Candidates match (game 5), Elista 2007

25 axg7!

White exploits the fact that the black queen is a long way from the kingside to launch a quick mating attack. It is noteworthy that the knight on c3 takes no direct part in the struggle but does in fact contribute indirectly, both by obstructing the black queen's defence of e5 and also, as we shall see, by controlling the bl-square.

25...<4'xg7 26 l'h6+ *g8

After 26...<^{1 27 Hbl Black must give up his queen, a testament to the c3-knight's supporting role in the attack.

27 g6! hxg6 28 «xg6+ '^h» 29 ihl!

This is the last important move that White needs to calculate; the knight can't attack, but bringing the rook into play proves decisive.

29...af4

29...1'd2 loses to 30 lfxh5+ '^gJ 31 agl+ 4'f6 32 itf5-F i'e7 33 flg7-l- '4'd6 34 fld7-l- 4'c5 35 «xe5-h.

30 fchSH- &g8 31 agl+ -i-f 8 32 ith8+ -if 7 33 l^gTH-1-0

If 33...'ie8 then 34 #xe5-l- wins quickly.

976) Salinas - Farina

Asuncion 2007 1 axf8+!

1 #h6? only leads to a draw: l...HfH-! 2 i.xfl fixfl-K 3 "4'g2 l'e2+ 4 <*h3 We6+. I...*xf8

l...'4g7 prevents mate, but Black remains a piece down after 2 SeS.

2 #h6+ 4e8

2..."4'e7 is no better, since 3 ad7-i- "ieS transposes to the next note.

3 flel+?

White fails to find the win that is available with 3 ad8+!! 'i'xdS (or 3...'i'e7 4 l^fSft) 4 ^8+ <i>c7 5 «e7+ ■4'b6 (5...<i'b8 6 l^dS* is shorter) 6 WdS+ i-bS 7 l^aS*.

3..^e6

and Black won quickly.

977) Ljubojevic - Smeets

Amsterdam 2007

There are two moves which draw, and a 'normal' move which is in fact bad.

85 *e5?

White plays the 'normal' move, which is to approach with his king, but it loses. White can draw with 85 <id7! and after 85...'i'xc5 86 abl! White prevents the black king from advancing; if now 86...Sh7-i- 87 i>e6 Sh6+, White has to go back with 88 <i'd7!, and Black is unable to make progress. Similarly, 85 '4'c7! also draws.

85...4xc5 86 'i>e4

If now 86 Bbl Black cuts off the white king and shelters his king from checks with 86...flh4! 87 Hcl+ Hc4 88 Hbl ab4 89 Hcl-F <4'b5, etc. We can see clearly from this that the white king fulfils no positive function on e5, as it would on d7 or c7.

86...<ic4! 87 -ieS <^c3

Another typical method is to cut off the defending king horizontally with 87...1h2 88 fibl ac2! followed by ...c5, but not 88...c5?? 89 Icl-i- '4'b4 90 '4'd3, with a draw.

88 Sc7 ae6+ 89 'i>f4 <i'c4! 90 *f5 ah6 91 *e4 c5 92 4'e3 ad6 93 <4'e2 4b4 94 ab7+ *c3 95 abl *c2 96 aal ae6+ 97 <^3 c4 0-1

978) Illescas - Narciso

Barcelona 2007

In order to win. White must either win the a2-pawn, or capture the rook with check, which White manages to do with a series of precise moves.

46 #c3+! f6 47 ^f5+!

But not 47 ^3+? <i>xh6 and White must give perpetual check with 48 #e3+ 'i'g6 49 Wd3+ <^gl 50 #g3+.

47...*g6

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

47..."ih? only delays the outcome: 48 #07+ (48 g4 is also good enough) 48...'4'g6 49 ^h4+ *h6 50 »f4+ <4'g7 51 'Wg'i+ '4f7 52 #07+ ■i-ee 53 #04+ and 54 l'xa2.

48 ^h4+ ig? 49 Wg3+ "ih?

49...'4'f7 is met by 50 *c7+ <ie6 51 *c4+.

50 %6+ "thS 51 «xf6+ 1-0

If 51..."4>g8 then 52 #e6+ and 53 l'xa2.

979) Ibarra - Illescas

Spanish Ch, Ceuta 2008

48Wf8?!

Although White is still better after this, he misses a clear win by 48 Sd7!, with three pieces in the attack, to which there is no defence:

a) If 48...<i'g7 White wins with 49 ^f5+ ■ige (49...4h7 50 #f8) 50 «g8+ and the black king is caught in a mating-net; e.g., 50...'i'xf5 51 *h7+ <i>g5 52 h4+ <i'h5 53 »xf7+ <i>xh4 54 Hd3, soon mating.

b) 48...i.g7 49 af5 (49 *e4+ and 49 Sxf7 are also strong) 49...«xf2 50 Sxf7 Sg6 51 «b7.

48...Ag7 49 «xf7 lf6 50 *d5 fcfl 51 #e4+ *g8 52 ^fS l,f8 53 #xe5?

White can still play for a win with 53 Sd3!. 53...f3! 54 Igl V2-V2

980) Velasco - Bachmann

Dresden Olympiad 2008

27...flg3?

After 27...^xf6? the sacrifice 28 Hxe6+! is sufficient to draw: 28...fxe6 29 Mxq6+ *d8 30 #xf6+ 4c8 31 Me6+ -id 32 l'e7+ i-ce 33 »e4+ <4>b6 34 #e3+! <4'b7 35 l'e7+ with perpetual check.

Black's best course is to play 27...'4'xf6! and only after 28 Bxe4 to sacrifice with 28...Hg3!

29 hxg3 (29 lxe6-i- <i'g7! is winning for Black) 29...hxg3 30 igl axh3 31 gxh3 'i'e7 (preventing 32 *g2? because of 32...f5) 32 f5 «d5, with a big advantage; if 33 fxe6 then 33...f5!.

27...'?ig3+! is also better than the move in the game and after 28 hxg3 hxg3 29 ^h7 "idS!

30 *h4+ (better than 30 Whe? WdS 31 *gl <i>c7 32 He3 *f5) 30...<i'c8 31 "igl lg7 32 Se3 ^7!, Black has the safer king.

28 hxg3 ^^xgSt?

Black should play 28...hxg3! 29 ^xe4 Sxh3+ 30 gxh3 f5 31 *g2 fxe4 32 lxe4 <i'd7, and although White has the advantage, Black can still fight on, with possibilities of success.

29 i-hl ^xe2 30 Wg4!! This move refutes Black's idea. 30...'axf4 31 #xf4 and White won.

981) Riazantsev - Yandemirov

Moscow 2008

25 IdS!!

A lovely move, designed to disrupt the defence and deflect the black rook to an unfavourable square. In order to discover this solution it is essential to delve deeply into the position. 25 g7? does not win: 25...#xdl+ 26 *h2 ^{5 (defending the g7-square) 27 gxh8l'-l-l- (after 27 'Sih5? «xh54- 28 #xh5 l.xg7 Black has a big material advantage) 27...'4'xh8 28 '§^h5 (28 #f6+ 'i'g8 is not an improvement) and here there is only one saving move, viz. 28...f6!!. Then:

a) 29 exf6? is bad: 29...«d6-l- 30 g3 *c7 31 Ag7+ 'i'g8 and the discovered check is not only harmless, but it does not even save the position.

b) Also bad is 29 ±g7-t-? <ig8 30 ?^xf6-i-'i'f7 and Black remains a piece up.

c) After 29 ^^xfe Black can draw by 29...#d8 30 ^xe8 fce8 31 «f6-l- <4'g8 with perpetual check.

d) 29 fxfe-l- is a forced draw after 29..."i'g8 30 #g5+ *f7! 31 «f6+ "*g8 32 «g5-(-, with perpetual check.

25...1xd8 26 g7! Sdl+?!

This places the rook out of harm's way but also weakens Black's back rank. 26...1'dl-h 27 '4'h2 ^f5 is preferable, although now White wins by 28 gxh8#-i-+ -i>xh8 29 '2^h5 f6 30 J.g7-l- <i'g8 31 l,xf6+ if7 32 J.xd8, with a strong attack; this shows one of the points of 25 Sd8!!.

27 "ih2 ^tS 28 gxhSW+H- 'i>xh8 29 ^hS f6 30 »xf6+ -igS 31 Wf8# (1-0)

982) Groetz - Segers

Leiden 2008

12 '2^15!

This is a typical sacrifice in the Sicilian, in this case designed to open both the diagonal of the b3-bishop and the e-file, where a white rook is already situated. The immediate 12 Wxg7?! fails to 12...ag8 13 *h6 b4 14 ^a4 Sg6 15 l'h3 '5:icxe4, while after 12 J.d5, another typical sacrifice, capturing with 12...exd5? is bad in view of 13 #xg7 lg8 14 ^xd5!, winning

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material, but after 12...J.b7 White has no good follow-up. 12...exf5?!

Perhaps 12...b4 is more tenacious, although after 13 e5! (to open the d-file) 13...dxe5 14 ^xgl+ "ids (14...<if8 15 l.h6) 15 ^a4. White is clearly better, since the black king is in a bad way; alternatively 12...<2ixb3 13 'S^xg7+ "idV 14 cxb3! is very unpleasant for Black.

13 fxg? Sf8 14 exfS <id8

Or 14...^xb3 15 axb3 i-dS 16 '5ixb5 lg8 (if 16...*d7 White wins with 17 l.g5 Sg8 18 Wxf6! Ixg5 19 l'h8+ ^8 20 l'xe8+ 4'xe8 21 'S^c7+, and 16...1'c6 17 l.g5 Sg8 is no better, since now 18 Wxfl is possible) 17 ^xc7 Sxg7

18 '?^xa8, and White wins. 15i.g5fig816«xf6!lxg5

Or 16...1.xf6 17 J.xf6+ <i'd7 18 He7+ <ic6

19 l.d5+ <i'b6 20 axc7 <4>xc7 21 ±xa8. 17 Wh8+! 4^d7 18 ^dS 1-0

983) An. Hernandez - Patriarca

Paraguayan Ch, Ciudad del Este 2008

White appears to have a won game with his two unstoppable connected passed pawns, but there is a precedent, Keres-Eliskases, Noord-wijk 1938, knowledge of which helped Black to achieve a draw:

45...*f4! 46 g7

Insufficient to win is 46 flf7+ 'i'e5 47 h7 lhl+ 48 4>g5 Sgl+ 49 <i'h5 lhl+.

46...*f5

Preventing queening by threatening mate.

47 *h4 elW+i

Black can't continue in the same vein, since 47...<4'f4? loses to 48 '4'h3 <i>f3 49 flf7+ and 50 g8«.

48 Hxel Sxel 49 h7

Not 49 i'g3? 'i'f6! and Black wins.

49...i>f4!

Now this works.

50 <ih3 "4f3 51 *h2 ae2+!

This check is vital for achieving the draw.

52 -i-hS lel V2-V2

984) Kramnik - Aronian

Wijk aan Zee 2008

W3...<M7?

Exhausted by having to conduct a lengthy defence, Black makes a decisive error. The immediate 103...1a7? loses to 104 h7 flxh7 105 4>e6. In order to draw Black needs to deflect the white king with 103...fia5+!, and after 104 ice, only

then 104...Sa7!, with the plan of ...Sf7 and ...'i'xh6; if the white king moves to the centre. Black draws by checking from the side.

104 Hhl! aa5+ 105 4>c4 Ha4+ 106 i'b5 aa8 107 h7 ah8 108 flh6

Now Black can hardly move, so the white king is able to move across to support the f6-pawn, winning.

108...ab8+ 109 i-ce Sc8+ 110 *d6 1-0

985) Ivanchuk - Topalov

Sofia 2009

Black can draw by perpetual check with 40...«e2+ 41 -ibS ^4-1-, but he found something much stronger:

40...b3+!

Cutting off the white king's escape-route.

4l4'd2

Or 41 axb3 l'e2-h followed by ...fxfl-h.

41...Sd8+ 42 i-el Hdl+! 43 *xdl »xfl+ 44 <4'd2 *f4+ 45 -idl bxa2 (D)

W

This pawn gives Black a winning position. First he improves the position of the queen.

46 #08+ *f 7 47 «d7+ <i'f6

The black king will reach a safe position in the enemy camp.

48 ^8+ -ifS 49 *f 8+ 4>e4! 50 Wa»+ <id3 5lWxa6+l'c4 52Wa7

After 52 tfde-l- i'e4 the checks run out.

52...g3 53 h3

53 hxg3 l'g4-t- 54 i-c 1 WgS-i- leads to mate.

53...«b3+ 54 <iel 'ic2 0-1

986) Gashimov - Grishchuk

Grand Prix, Baku 2008 22 ^7!

The decisive move; it is important to control the h-file. For example, 22 ^7? fails to

The Giant Chess puzzle Book

22...«g4! 23 exdS #(14+, and now 24 *hl? loses to 24...±xg5, while after 24 <i'h2? ±xg5 25 WxgS (25 Ifal?? Ili4+ 26 i-gl l.e3+ and mate next move) 25...1h8+ 26 "igS '4'xa6 White's king is in a very precarious position, so White has to take a draw with 24 Hf2 WdlH- 25 Sf 1 «d4+.

22...«g4 23 exdS Wd4+

23...Axg5 is met by 24 la7+! 4>xa7 25 Wxc7+, when Black must give up his queen to prevent mate.

24 *hl AxgS 25 Ifal ±e3 26 la7+ fxa? 27 Hxa7+ l.xa7 28 g4 If 8 29 g5 Sf 2 30 We4 E.n+ 31 <ih2 fif4

Black's position is already lost, but this allows a neat finish. Black loses in similar fashion after 31...agl 32 g6 lg5 33 <i'h3 (intending 34 4'h4) 33...1.f2 and now, for instance, 34 %4.

32 #xf4! exf4 33 c3 1-0

987) Garcia Palermo - Naumann

Mitropa Cup, Olbia 2008 30 '2^xd7?!

This squanders White's advantage for very little reward. 30 Se 1 ?! also achieves nothing after 30...1d2!, forcing 31 Sfl lxf2! 32 axf2 *cl-i- 33 Ifl «e3-l- with a draw, but there is a win with 30 Sfl!! (overprotecting f2) 30...Sf7 (30...±d5?? allows mate with 31 «h5-h) 31 'Sixf3 Wis. Now there are two white pieces attacked, but Black's pieces are also weak, and with the manoeuvre 32 l.e5! ^dl (32...1'xf3 loses to 33 .ixbS) 33 Af4, White keeps his material advantage while the black king remains very weak.

30...^xd7 31 l.d4 WfS 32 flel MS 33 «h4?

It is better to simplify by 33 l.g7!? I'f3 34 ■ifl, with equality.

33...1'f3!

and Black won.

988) Wang Hao - Rublevsky

Poikovsky 2008

White sacrificed a piece to reach this attacking position, and we stand at a critical moment.

22 Sxf8+?

This combination is unsound, and yields a draw at best. The strongest move was 22 Slf5!, threatening 23 Bxg5-F. Then:

a) 22...1'xg2-h?! 23 «xg2 i.xg2 24 ■i'xg2 Lei (24...Ac5 25 Hc7!) 25 <i'f3 and Black is paralysed.

b) 22...Ae7?! 23 ±xg5! I'xg2-i- 24 l'xg2 Axg2 25 i.xe7 l.d5 (25...Ah3 is similar) 26 IfS-H Hxfg 27 SxfS-h *g7 28 af7+ -*g8 29 l.xb4 ±xe6 30 lf6 i.c8 31 Ac5 d3 32 <4'f2 '4'g7 33 '4'e3 fidS 34 M(> and White emerges two pawns up.

c) Black does not seem have anything better than 22...1h7 23 l.xb4! k.gl (23...1.xb4? loses to 24 axg5-t- 'i'h8 25 flgg7) 24 «f2!, and the threat of mate starting with 25 2f8-t- forces Black to give back the piece, with advantage to White after 24...«xe6 25 Hxb7, although Black can continue to fight.

22...1xf8 23 fixf8+ 4>xf8 24 ^2+ 4e8 25 ^7+ <td8 26 e7+ i-cS 27 ^8+?

It is still possible to seek a draw in the endgame after 27 e8#-(- axe8 28 l'xe8-h <4'c7 29 l'e7+ 4b6 30 WA6+ »xd6 31 exd6 a5 32 h4!.

27...<4>c7 28 e8'a+ -ibe 29 ^^6+ Wxd6 30 ^xA6 a5 31 ^f7 le8 32 ^A6 ae6 33 h4 l.d5 34 hxg5 0-1

989) Salgado - A. Hernandez

Padron 2008

The game is in a critical phase: White has sacrificed two pawns for activity and to deprive the black king of a safe refuge anywhere on the board.

How should Black conduct the defence? There are two main possibilities, either to try to weather the storm or to try to counterattack, even though at the moment Black has fewer forces in play.

23...«b7?

Black opts for retreat, although this gives a free hand to White, and now he will be unable to defend against White's offensive. 23...Hg8!? is worth considering; e.g., 24 Sxf6 J.xf6 25 4^c4 Sg2 26 4^xd6-l- <ie7 27 ff 1 l'c6 and now 28 l.c5! axc2 29 ?if5-l-l- <4'e8 30 ^6+ <i'e7 31 '2^f5-i-+ leads to a draw. However, it is more promising to insert 23...b3! in order to open up the white king's defences; e.g., 24 axb3 (24 4^xb3 sidetracks the knight and Black has good play after 24...«e6 25 ^2 a3 26 b3 d5) and now 24...Bg8!, when the black pieces are very active; 25 axf6? loses to 25...Axf6 26 '2ic4 ag2! 27 ffl (or 27 ?^xd6-^ <*e7 28 axd5 axe2) 27...axb3 28 cxb3 «e4+.

24*2^04

24 AgS!? may be even better. If 24...^d5, threatening both 25...J.xg5 and 25...^c3-l-, White has the strong reply 25 ^c4!.

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24...ae4?! 25 -^^be

Now White has a big advantage, since there are too many weaknesses in Black's camp.

25...fla5 26 Wc4 ^gS 27 «xb4 »a6 28 AxgS Sb5 29 #€4 lxb2+ 30 <i'xb2 fxheH- 31 "ial AxgS 32 Ifxf 7+ -i-dS 33 «g7 1-0

990) Jakubowski - V. Onishchuk

Najdorf Memorial, Warsaw 2008

71 ag3?

Now White's rook will remain passive and the black king will be able to come into play and win the game. Instead, White can draw with 71 lc4! ^bS (after 71...d2+ 72 •idl -i-bS 73 flc7 Sa8 White defends by expelling the black king with 74 Hb7+ 4'c4 75 Hc7+ i'd4 76 Sd7+ <i>e4 77 <ic2) 72 ac7 BeS (Black gains nothing with 72...aa8 73 lb7+ <ic4 74 aa7! He8 75 Se7! IgS 76 ac7+) 73 "idl! (now 73 ab7+? can be answered with 73...'4'a4! 74 la7+ *b5) 73...^b4 74 Hb7+ 'i'c4 (74...4'a5 75 ac7) 75 ac7+ i'b3 76 Se7 '4'b2!? 77 Hb7+ *a3 78 aa7+ '4'b4 79 ab7+.

71...d2+ 72 i>dl *b2! 0-1

This is the big difference: Black's king comes into the game and decides the struggle.

991) Kramnik - Grachev

Tal Memorial (blitz), Moscow 2008

55...Hbl+?

An unnecessary check that leads to Black's defeat. Instead, there is a draw with S5...acl! 56 c8l'+ SxcS 57 HxcB <*d5!, shouldering away the white king, and now Black has a draw by advancing his f-pawn; for example, 58 HfS <i'e4 59 4'c5 f3 60 <4'c4 4>e3 61 *c3 f2 62 4'c2 <ie2.

56 <i'xa5 Hal+

Now 56...acl fails to 57 c8l'+ IxcB 58 lxc8 <4>e5 59 HfS *e4 60 "4'b4 (this route is a very fast one) 60...f3 61 i-cS <4'e3 62 ae8+ 'i'f2 63 '4'd2, and White wins.

57 <4'b4 Sbl+ 58 -i'a3 Icl 59 c8l'+ IxcS 60 IxcS 'i'dS 61 4>b3 ^AA 62 <i'c2 <i>e3 63 4^dl i-f2 64 Sf8 f3 65 lf7 1-0

992) Ivanchuk - Shirov

Spanish Team Ch, Motril 2008 White is a rook and a piece up and it is even his move, but the path to victory is not a simple one. The position is very complicated and the white king is unsafe; there are many false trails and only one that leads to victory.

There is no advantage in 29 #xa3 flxgl 30 Wa8+ -^eS 31 ad5 (or 31 '4'b2 Hxcl!, which can transpose) 31...axcl+ 32 '4'b2 adl! 33 <i>xc2 Hxd5 34 Axd5 g6 35 ±xe4 (35 «xb7 «f5) 35..."i>g7 36 l'xb7 «d4, with enough counterplay to equalize.

29 l'c3 axgl 30 «xc2 also leads to nothing special after 30...g6, despite the fact that Black has only two pawns for the piece; the white king remains vulnerable and the black pieces are ready to attack.

29 ad5?

White can win with 29 l'a8+! ^e8 30 l'xa3 Sxgl and only now 31 ad5!; White doesn't lose his knight and remains with a winning position, albeit with 'only' one extra piece.

29...axgl 30 #38+?

And this check even loses the game for White; 30 ©xaS! is forced and after 30...#e8 (30...Sxcl+ gives no advantage after 31 <i'b2 Bdl 32 «a8+ «e8 33 WxeS^- 4^xe8 34 <i'xc2, etc.; White's bishop is very strong) 31 fla5 Sxcl+ 32 «xcl Wd8 33 l'xc2 l'xa5 34 i.d5! g6 35 Axb7, we reach an endgame that is difficult to assess.

30...1'e8! 31 «xa3

After 31 *xe8-F -S^xeS White will be mated.

31...4^xd5 0-1

Black is threatening mate, starting with 32...#e5-l- and he is now the exchange up.

993) Barsov - Flores

Dresden Olympiad 2008

White's material advantage is huge, but his king is very weak. In serious time-pressure. Black overlooked the winning manoeuvre.

29...Wb6+?

Black wins by 29...Ac5+!! 30 A-hl Bel+l (30...*xd5-F 31 axd5 ^f3 32 WeS-H axe8 33 <4'g2 l.d4 34 afl ^e\+ 35 flxel Bxel 36 flxd4 c3 37 Sc4 ae2-i- is another way) 31 <4'g2 agl+! 32 <i>h3 fcS-h 33 l'ad7 ?ixd7, with a decisive advantage.

30ad4ad2 3ll'xe5?!

The final sequence contains several blunders caused by time-pressure; here 31 "ihl is better.

31...axd4 32 lfaa5?! adl++ 33 4'g2 ad2+?

After 33...«xa5! Black can still fight.

34 Sxd2 1-0

994) H. Leyva - Al Hadarani

Dresden Olympiad 2008

30 b4??

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

Very logical, bolstering the c5-knight, but White's back rank is very poorly defended and this will be punished brilliantly. The correct move is 30 ^e3l with the same idea. Then White will make decisive material gains; note that 30...'Sih4? fails in view of 31 flxf8+ lxf8 32l'xc6lfl+33Agl.

30...?^h4!! 31 lxf8+ lxf8 32 WxcS Hn+ 0-1

After 33 <i'h2 i.e5+ White is mated.

995) S. Haslinger - Savchenko (variation)

Palma de Mallorca 2008

GM Haslinger analysed this very interesting variation in Jaque magazine (January 2009).

21 l.xg7! <i>xg7 22 #§5+ "ihS 23 *h5+!

Placing the queen on its ideal square before playing e5. If 23 e5 then 23...1'c5+ 24 ihl, and now Black can use his queen to assist the defence by exploiting the placing of the white queen with 24...#e3!. After 25 Sf4 Black can play 25...^f2+ 26 <i'h2 4ig4+ 27 *hl (or 27 axg4 fce5+ 28 l'xe5+ dxeS and Black has no problems) 21..M2+ with a draw. 23 l'h4+? is not as strong, since it does not attack f7, and after 23...<i'g7,24 e5? fails to 24...1'c5+! 25 i-hl Sh8, and Black wins.

23...<4'g8

Now 23...'4'g7? loses to 24 e5! f5 (the difference is that if 2A..Mc5+ 25 -thl lh8 then 26 Hxf7+ *g8 27 l,h7+ mates) 25 exf6+ Sxf6 26 axf6 <ixf6 (26...^xf6 loses to 27 l'g6-l-) 27 Hfl-i- <i'e7 28 Hf7+ with mate in a few moves.

24 e5! Wc5+

24...f5 is met by 25 Wge-H "i>h8 26 af3 «c5-h 27 "ifl! ^h2+ 28 ^e2 *xe5-h (28...^xf3 loses to 29 ahl+) 29 ae3 »g7 30 Sh3-F -igS 31 J.C4-I-, and White wins.

25 *hl fS 26 fge+I

Not 26 af3? Ia7! and Black wins, while 26 Sb4 aa7 is inconclusive.

26...*h8 27 lb4!

Threatening 28 Sxg4, and better than 27 af3 ^f2-l- 28 Hxf2 Sa7!, when Black can defend.

27...1a7 28 flxg4!! flh7+ 29 »xh7+!! <i>xh7 30 af3!

There is no satisfactory defence against the threatof311h3#.

996) Grishchuk - Elianov

FIDE Grand Prix, Elista 2008 Jesiis de la Villa writes about this ending as follows: "to defend this ending it is not enough

to know that it is drawn; not even to know the best defensive set-ups, or the Rook -I- Pawn vs Rook endings that may arise on the board at any time. Of course, all this is necessary, but not enough. You will also need patience, tenacity and constant alertness." Here we have a perfect demonstration of this. Elianov has been defending this uncomfortable inferior ending precisely for many moves but here, even with his Elo rating of 2720, he tires and makes a decisive error.

67...ah5??

The rook has to remain 'distant', so that it can check both from behind and from the side, as the situation demands. On h5, the rook is too close to prevent the decisive manoeuvre that follows in the game. Instead, 67...Sgl, 67...Hh2 and 67...Bh3 all draw, according to the table-base, but not 67...Hfl?, which brings the rook too close to the white king for checks from the side to be effective.

68 4>b5!

Now Black is unable to check from a distance along the b-file, and White can reach a winning position, since both his pawns are able to reach the sixth rank.

68...1h7 69 fldS

Necessary, in order to play c6.

69...ahl 70 Sd7+ ibS 71 c6

This is a known theoretical position; there is no defence.

71...abl+ 72 <ic5 acl+ 73 4'b6 lbl+ 74 i-cS flcl+ 75 &d6 Hdl+ 76 <ie7 Icl 77 ld8+ 4'a7 78 'i'd7 ldl+ 79 4c8 1-0

Followed by 80 c7, and there is nothing to be done; White reaches the well-known 'Lucena Position'.

997) Caruana - Vallejo

Pamplona 2008 28 lf5!!

There is no time for 28 ^d41 Wdl and now 29 lf5 is met simply by 29...'?^g7.

28...gxf5 29 ^d4!

But now the knight comes into the game with a gain of tempo.

29...*e5 30 'S^c6!

Not 30 Wxh5? allowing Black to defend with 30... J.f6 and the attack is repelled.

30...^f4

Or 30...«f6 31 «xh5 f4 (if 31...1fc8 then one way to win is 32 ^xe7+ *f8 33 4^d5 l'e5 34 J.f4) 32 AdA.

31 l.xf4 l'xf4 32 ^xe7+ 'ihl 33 ^xtSl

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Now White is threatening 34 l'h5+, followed by 35 Hxg3+.

33...*g6 34 ^e7+ 4h7 35 -S^fS 4g6 36 Hfl »g5 37 h4!

The killer blow; the way is cleared for the white queen and there is no defence.

37...«f6

Or 37...Wh5 38 ^e7+ -ihe 39 lf6+.

38 Wg4+ 4h7 39 «h5+ <ig8 40 'Sih6+ 1-0

998) Ibrahimov - Ezat

Manama 2009 75...1d5!

Forced, because it is essential to prevent 76 ■if5. Even so, Black still seems to be losing, but in fact there is a key defensive resource.

76 flxc3 -i-f 7 77 lc7+ *g8?

Missing his chance. As Golubev pointed out in Chess Today, Black has a beautiful saving manoeuvre available: 77...<i'xf6! 78 Wal Hd4+! 79 i-gS (no better is 79 *f3 <ig5 80 Sg7+ <4'h4) and now 79...1d6!! 80 Sxh6+ (80 *h4 ■ieS is not promising either, since 81 Sg7 flb6 82 ag6 flxg6! 83 hxg6 *f6 84 4h5 *g7 draws) 80...<i'g5! 81 flxd6 stalemate.

78 flg7+ *h8 79 Hg6 *h7 80 f 7 fld7

After 80...1d8 White must only avoid 81 BgS?? since Black can then save himself, thanks to the fact that his king is in a stalemate position, with 81...Hd4+! 82 ^eS ld5+!.

81 f8'5^+ 1-0

999) Beliavsky - Kotronias

Gibraltar 2009

41 b6! Hd8

The point of the previous move is that if 41...1d4+ White wins with 42 <4>c5!! (not 42 *b5? axa4 43 *xa4 e3 44 b7 e2 45 b8« elW, with advantage to Black) 42...Hxa4 43 b7 la5+ and now a 'staircase' manoeuvre that is reminiscent of the famous 'Saavedra position' from 1895: 44 *c4! (not 44 *b4? lal!) 44...1a4+ 45 '4>c3 nai+ 46 *b2.

42 *c5!

Now the b-pawn will cost Black his rook, and the black pawns will not be dangerous. White has several ways to win.

42...Sc8+ 43 *d6 Hd8+ 44 *c7 ad2 45 lxe4 axg2 46 Sb4 ac2+ 47 *d6 Hd2+ 48 4'xe5 ae2+ 49 i'd6 Sd2+ 50 'ic6 Sc2+ 51 ibS fic8 52 b7 Hb8 53 4'c6 1-0

1000) Speelman - Ripari

Gibraltar 2009 63...'Sif5?

This natural move loses; 63...^e6? also loses, to 64 f5+! 'i'xfS 65 h7. The only way to draw is 63...4>h7! 64 <4'f7 'S^fS 65 <if6 '?ih4 66 f5 'S^f3 and after 67 g6+ 'i'xh6 68 g7 <i'h7 69 'i'f7 Black has 69...^e5-h! 70 *f8 ^d7+.

64 ifS *h7 65 'if7!

As Baburin pointed out in Chess Today, this is a position of reciprocal zugzwang.

65...<5^h4 66 4^f6 ^g6

If 66...'2if3,67 g6+ <4'xh6 68 *f7! now wins (but not 68 g7? ih? 69 <4'f7 in view of the surprising resource 69...?^g5-l-! with a draw by stalemate after 70 fxg5).

67 f5 'ah4 68 g6+ 1-0

Now after 68...*xh6 69 g7 *h7 70 <4>f7, compared to the note at move 63 Black is a tempo short to play the saving move ...^e5+.

1001) D. Byrne - Fischer

Rosenwald Trophy, New York 1956

Probably you recognized this position, but having already worked through 1000 tricky puzzles, you may have been able to work out this spectacular combination on your own.

It is a marvellous work of art, created when he was only thirteen years old by possibly the best chess-player of all time, who died at the start of 2008.

You can find this game well annotated in numerous places, which is why the game is presented here without comment, up to the point where the combination leaves no doubt as to the result.

Il...'aa4!! 12 l'a3 ^xq2> 13 bxc3 4:ixe4! 14 ±xe7 Wb6 15 ±c4 4ixc3! 16 l.c5 afe8+ 17 "in i.e6!! 18 Axb6 i.xc4+ 19 igl -5^62+ 20 *fl 'axd4+ 21 *gl ae2+ 22 *fl ^c3+ 23 4gl axb6 24 l'b4 aa4 25 «xb6 ^xdl

and Fischer mated on move 41.

Score-Chart

You may use the following score-chart to keep track of your performance in the fifteen tests in this book. For each test, fill in your score and the corresponding Elo rating, which can be derived using the conversion table reproduced on pages 117,187 and 233. As a rough guide, a rating of 1600 represents an average club player, while a strong club player would be around 2000, and aspirations to an international title would be justified by a rating much over 2200. At a higher level, 2500 is roughly grandmaster strength and the world number one is normally over 2800.

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www.gambitbooks.com

Tactical skills are paramount in chess. More than anything else, a player's ability to find tactical solutions determines how successful he is over-the-board. No endgame scheme, opening idea or strategic plan, however brilliant a concept it may be, is of any value unless it is accurately calculated and implemented.

The best way to develop tactical skills is to practise them by tackling new and challenging positions. This book provides a wealth of chess puzzles to test just about every facet of your tactical ability. It is very unlikely that even those who have read many other chess puzzle books will recognize more than a handful of these positions. Franco has searched recent events and used powerful computers to seek out previously unpublished puzzles, and has also drawn extensively upon Latin American sources that he has been scouring for brilliant examples over the last three decades.

Following the pattern of Gambit's hugely successful Ultimate Chess Puzzle Book (by John Emms), the book begins with more than 100 relatively easy positions suitable for novices, and ends with a selection of extremely tough puzzles, which provide a mind-bending challenge even for grandmasters. There are 1001 puzzles in all, including themed sections and graded tests, all with detailed computer-verified solutions and verbal explanations of the main instructive points.

Zenon Franco is a grandmaster from Paraguay who now lives in Spain. He is an experienced chess trainer, his most notable pupil being Pace Vallejo, now one of the world's top grandmasters. He has written six previous books for Gambit, including Chess Self-Improvement and Grandmaster Secrets: Counterattack!.

CHESS TACTICS

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