Chess Puzzle

Well yesterday was a good day - I learned something new! David McAlister solved the problem of the problems.(Sorry about that!) Check the comments under the last post to see for yourself. It seems Fritz isn't the best choice for solving chess problems! I find this strange as you'd think mate is the goal of any game. How could Fritz after 5 minutes of analysis not find a mate in two? I downloaded MateMaster (Freeware), a chess problem solving program,  instead and it found the solution in less than 5 seconds. I also ran the problems through Rybka 2.2 and it also failed to find the solution. It got me thinking so I played the first move of the solution into Fritz and instantly it announced mate in one. I'm just curious but I thought the strength of chess engines was the ability to calculate long variations. If they can not find mate in two and three, it questions our reliance - or more specifically our faith in them.

Well that's my thought for today out of the way.

Here's a puzzle to keep you distracted:


A simple one for the weekend. White to play and win.

Solution to the last puzzle:

Lentze - Thornton
Hastings Challengers 1994

1.Bxh7+ Kxh7 2.Qh5+ Kg8 3.Rh3 f6 4.Qh8+ Kf7 5.Ncd6+ Bxd6 6.Nxd6+, or 1...Kf8 2.Rh3 e5 3.Bf5 Resigns as in the game.

Chess Puzzle

Isn't it great to see the Irish team representing us in Russia. Sam Collins had a great result yesterday, and thankfully everyone performed today to get a 4-0 score against Papua New Guinea. If we can just win against the weaker teams and get the odd unexpected point against the stronger teams: I for one will be very happy.

Today's puzzle:

I decided to stick to the K.I.S.S. formula this time. Just a simple White to play and win.

The last puzzle I presented again caused problems for me. I took the article directly from the BCM of 1866 where the problems were presented without solutions. On running the positions through fritz I discovered that the first and last problem were faulty. The positions must have been given incorrectly. 

Solutions:
Problem 1:
1.Na3+ Kd4 2.Bg7+ f6 3.Bxf6#
1.Bg8 Nd3 2.Bf7+ Kc3 3.Bg7#

Problem 2:
1.Ne4 Rxe4 2.Qc5#

Problem 3:
1.Rc7 h6 2.Nxe6 Kxd5 3.Qf5#

Problem 4:
1.Qc1+ Kb5 2.Ba3 d4 3.Qc5+ Ka4 4.Rxa6#
1.Rc7+ Kb5 2.Qd5+ Ka4 3.Qb3+ Ka5 4.Bc3#

David McAlister may be able to shed some light on the issue!

Irish Problem Composing Competition

Today I will post something slightly different - some puzzles with a historical bent. I came across the following from the British Chess Magazine of 1886.

IRISH CHESS ASSOCIATION PROBLEM TOURNEY

The award in this competition has been announced. In the two-move section there were eleven entries, and two prizes (£2 and £1) have been awarded to Mr. C. Planck and Mrs. T.B. Rowland respectively. In the three-move section there were nine entries, and the prizes (also £2 and £1) fall to Messrs. C. Planck and W.H. Walsh respectively. Through the courtesy of Mr. T.B. Rowland, of Dublin, we are enabled to publish the prize-winners, which are as follow:

By C. Planck, M.A., London


White to play and mate in two moves.

By Mrs. T.B. Rowland, Dublin.


White to play and mate in two moves.

By C. Planck, M.A., London


White to play and mate in three moves.

By W.H. Walsh, Dublin


White to play and mate in three moves.


Solution to last puzzle:
Ibragimov - Rohde,
Las Vegas 2007
The hunted Black King is nearing safety, but White strike first with 1.Qe8+ Nxe8 2.g4+ 1-0, for he is mated after 2...fxg4 3.hxg4+ Kh4 4.Bf2#.

I took this solution directly from the source, but don't you feel that the writer is deceiving us when he states: the "Black King is nearing safety" It's a bit of a worry, doesn't he see that Black is about to be mated in four moves - how is he nearing safety?  Well I hope you enjoy the four problems presented today and reflect on whether things have really improved chess wise in Ireland?

Amazing Positions!

I came across the following recently, I thought it was interesting. And had never seen it before.

A defense perimeter is a drawing technique in which the side behind in material or otherwise at a disadvantage sets up a perimeter, largely or wholly composed of a pawn chain, that the opponent cannot penetrate. Unlike other forms of fortress, a defense perimeter can often be set up in the middle-game with several pieces remaining on the board.

I begin presenting a composed study with the theme:


W.E. Rudolph (La Strategie 1912)
White to move and force a draw.

White's has a material disadvantage, but forces a draw by giving up his remaining pieces to establish an impenetrable pawn chain. White draws with 1.Ba4+! Kxa4 (1...Kc4 2.Bb3+! Kb5 3.Ba4+ repeats the position) 2.b3+ Kb5 3.c4+ Kc6 4.d5+ Kd7 5.e6+! Kxd8 6.f5!


Now Black cannot break through White's pawn chain. His only winning chance is to place his rooks on b5, c6, etc. and hope that White captures them. White draws by ignoring all such offers.

Nice idea but couldn't happen in practice right? Wrong, the following actually happened in an OTB game:


A. Petrosian - L. Hazai
Schilde 1970

In this position, Hazai has a difficult endgame, since White can attack and win his a-pawn by force, and he has no counter-play. Black tried the extraordinary 45...Qb6!?, to which White replied with the obvious 46.Nxb6+? A mistake, Black should have carried out his plan of winning the a-pawn. 46...cxb6 Now Black threatens 47...h4, locking down the entire board with his pawns, so White tries to break the position open. 47.h4 gxh4 48.Qd2 h3! 49.gxh3 Otherwise 49...h2 draws. 49...h4! Black has established his fortress. White's can only breach the fortress by a queen sacrifice at some point (for example Qxa5 or Qxe5), but none of these give White winning chances as long as Black keeps his king near the centre. A draw was agreed within a few moves.

Here is the complete game:

Well I hope you enjoyed that, isn't chess amazing!

Chess Puzzle

Today's puzzle:


Just a simple White to move and win!

Solution to last puzzle:
Howell - Levitt
Staunton Memorial, London, 2005
Black begins a spectacular King hunt with 1...Rxa3+ 2.Kxa3 Qa1+ 3.Kb4 Qa4+ 4.Kc5 Bd4+ 5.Kd6 Qb4+ 6.Kc6 Qc5+ 7.Kd7 Qa7+ 8.Kd6 (or 8.Kc6 Be5 9.Qxf7+ Qxf7 10.Rxf7+ Kxf7 11.Kb6 Bxb2 12.Kxa6 b4 13.Kb5 Bc3 14.h4 Kg6, or 8.Kc8 Bc5) 8...Qe7+ 9.Kc6 Ke8 0-1

City of Dublin Chess Championship 2010

The above tournament was run last weekend at the Academy Hotel, Dublin. The eventual winner was GM Nick Pert with 5/6. Our own Colm Daly came clear second with 4.5/6 ahead of IM Sam Collins.

I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel as the event is very well covered on the City of Dublin site. I just wanted to highlight Colm Daly's play in this event. I begin by presenting his game against Sam Osbourne:

He just demolished Sam's King's Indian Defence. Next is his nice draw against GM Nick Pert:

Fine games - displaying clear logical play throughout. I can't wait to see the Irish games in the Olympiad.

Chess Puzzle

Today's puzzle:


Black appears to be in a bit of bother, what should he do?

Solution to the last puzzle:
Polugayevsky - Parma
USSR - Yugoslavia 1965
Black missed that after 4.h6 Kg6! is a defence. It is curious that a strong grandmaster like Parma resigned in a drawn position.

Well done to Pat Twomey for spotting the solution. If only all our own games had white to play and win at the correct moment!

Chess Puzzle

Today's exercise:


Here Black resigned! He explained that after 1...Ra4! comes 2.Ra8+ Kf7 3.a7 Ra1 4.h6! gxh6 5.Rh8 winning. However, Black missed something in this sequence, can you do better?

Solution to last puzzle:
Hegde - Palatnik
Calicut 1988
Incredibly, the position contains the saving resource 1...Bg7!! 2.Rh4 (2.Rxg7 stalemate!) Bd4! threatening 3...Bxa7 and the game is drawn. In fact the defence was found by endgame composer I. Vancura in 1924.

Chess Puzzle

Just to say sorry for the gap in posts, I have been busy on other matters.

Today's puzzle:


In this position Black resigned. But incredibly, the position contains a saving resource. Can you see it?

Solution given to last puzzle:
D. Morschel - A.N. Rubinsztein
Cape Town Championship 1965
Rubinsztein played 1...Nf7! and White resigned. He cannot capture the knight because of 2.Kxf7 h5 and the pawn queens, while if 2.Kf5 Black first sets about capturing White's a-pawn then returns with his king to help his own pawn to promotion.

Well to be honest Sean Coffey (who else?) busted the above puzzle. Showing that many routes lead to a win. Not just one way as stated in the puzzle. Actually 1...Ne8! is the quickest win (that's what Nalimov endgame tables says!). Here's my excuse: I was in a hurry selecting the puzzle, and didn't check it. That's pretty feeble, but I think anyone spotting the flaw got more out of the puzzle than they would have usually gotten.