Chess Puzzle

Sorry for the delay in posts - I was away on holiday's for two weeks and the Irish Chess Journal was my priority before that.



Came across the above position recently: White to play and win with a beautiful combination. 

Solution to last position:
Karpov - Taimanov
Leningrad, 1977
1...Ng3+!! 2.hxg3 Ra8! 0-1 
This game is justly famous for its brilliant Knight sacrifice, sometimes referred to as the "Taimanov" sacrifice, and the planned follow-up with the Rook. The final combination is indeed beautiful however, Karpov had blundered to reach the position.

Chess Puzzle

This week's position:



The above position is quite famous - so if it is familiar to some I am sorry. However, I think it's a brilliant position - Black to play and win.



Solution to last position:
Penrose - Jones
1979 British Championship
1.Qd8! Nb6 (1...Rxd8 2.cxd8+ Qxd8 3.Nc7+) 2.Ba5 the game ended 2...Bf6 3.Qxf8+ Qxf8 4.Bxb6 Qc8 5.Nc7+ 1-0

'Evening Echo', Tuesday, 26 April, 1994.

CCYMS bridge six-year gap

CCYMS bridged a six-year gap when they won Division One of the Munster Senior League for the first time since 1988 at Cahir the weekend before last.
In the closest finish for many years, the Young Men's side edged out Limerick A by the narrowest of margins. Douglas, holders of the title for the last five years and current All-Ireland Club champions, had to settle for third place.
Final standing: 1. CCYMS 41; 2. Limerick A 40.5; 3. Douglas 36.5; 4. Charleville 29; 5. Waterford 28.5; 6. Limerick B 19; 7. West Cork 15.5.
CCYMS took a 3.5 points lead over Limerick into the final round at Cahir where they faced Douglas. The Shannonsiders, meanwhile, were paired against tailenders West Cork. In an eventful finale, Limerick A duly dispatched their opponents 5-0, leaving CCYMS requiring at least two points for the title. This they achieved, despite going under 2-43 to the holders.
The victorious CCYMS team members in board order were Kieran Moynihan, Tadgh O'Leary, Finbarr Allison, Pat Twomey and Tom Myers.
CCYMS will now go on to represent Munster in the All-Ireland Club Championships.

West Cork are relegated to Division Two and Cork City A, winners of the second division title, are promoted.

-JIM OLNEY

Missed opportunity at the Irish Championship

Today's clash between Colm Daly and Stephen Brady had to be one of the key games of the 2011 Irish Championship. So if you agree with that statement the following position has to be the key moment of the tournament.

Stephen after heroic efforts to win played 83...Bf6?? reaching the following position:



Colm replied 84.Ke?? and missed his chance. He could have drawn with 84.Na7 b4 85.Nc6 b3 86.Na5+ capturing the b-pawn next move and reaching a theoretically drawn position. As the bishop does not control the queening square and Black cannot force the White king out of the corner.

Weekly Puzzle:

This weeks puzzle:



Another nice position. It's White to play and win!

Solution to last puzzle:
Samisch, F - Schieferdecker
Mainz, 1953
1...Rdg8! 2.Kf1 Rg1+ 3.Kxg1 Qg8+ 4.Kf1 (4.Kh1 Qg2#) 4...Qc4+ 5.Kg1 Rg8+ 6.Kh1 Qf1#

'Evening Echo', Tuesday, 13th July, 1982

Two Corkmen In The Irish Team

TWO Cork players are included in the Irish men's squad selected last week to compete in the 25th biennial Chess Olympiad which will take place in Lucerne from October 30 to November 16, 1982. Anthony McCarthy, who made his Olympiad debut in Malta in 1980, retains his place, while Irish co-champion Philip Short, currently defending his title at the IBM Irish Championship in the City Hall, Cork, comes in for his first taste of World Team Championship competition.
The other members of the six-man squad are Dubliners David Dunne, Tony Doyle, Eugene Curtin and John Delaney. Like McCarthy - Dunne, Doyle and Curtin also played in Malta where Ireland attained its best-ever Olympiad result when finishing in joint 38th place out of 84 competing nations. Gone from that side - are former Irish champion Paul Delaney, who is taking a break from the game, and the Liverpool-based national master Alan Ludgate.

McCarthy achieved the best percentage score on the Irish team in Malta. His 5/8 total comprised four wins, two draws and two losses, and included his first-ever victory over an international master, the Portuguese player Durao. The other Irish individual scores were: Paul Delaney 5/11, David Dunne 5/10, Tony Doyle 3.5/8, Alan Ludgate 5/10 and Eugene Curtin 5/9.
Ireland's Olympiad record over the past decade or so reads: 42nd from 60 entries at Siegan in 1970; 40th from 63 entries at Skopje in 1972; 37th from 74 entries at Nice in 1974; 34th from 48 entries at Haifa in 1976; did not compete at Buenos Aires in 1978; 38th from 84 entries at Malta in 1980.
The current side contains a nice blend of youth and experience and will be hoping to continue the gradual improvement shown by their predecessors when they gather in Lucerne in October.
The 10th running of the women's Olympiad will be staged alongside the men's event in Lucerne. The Dublin-based Irish side is April Cronin, Ann Delaney, Suzanne Connolly and Gay Martin. The reserves are mother and daughter Dorren and Maura Ni Siochru.
Twenty-two-year-old David Dunne, national co-champion with Short, is also defending his title at the City Hall in a field that also includes internationals John Delaney, Colm Barry, Keith Allen and thrice national title-holder Alan Ludgate.
The overall entry is below one hundred and is slightly down on the 1980 numbers when the championship was last held in Cork. The support from local competitors has been excellent, but entries from outside the Cork area have been most disappointing.
However, the lucrative four-figure prize fund on offer for the weekend South of Ireland Open Championship should attract a large field and help swell the overall numbers to more satisfactory proportions.
The six-round 'South' Open will commence on Friday next, July 16 at 7.15 p.m. Three rounds will be played on Saturday at 9 a.m., 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., with the final two rounds on Sunday beginning at 9.30 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Entries (£8) should reach the controller John Quigley, "Cluain Mhuire", Trabeg Lawn, South Douglas Road, Cork. Tel. 291903, by Thursday next. However, in the event of vacancies, late entries will be accepted up to the commencement of play on Friday night.

-JIM OLNEY

 

Just because I can - I'll give the above-mentioned game:

 

Interesting to see Joaquim Durao pop up again he has had a long and varied association with Irish chess.

 

 

Weekly puzzle:

This week's puzzle:



I like this position. As you may have noticed White threatens mate on a8 and it seems that Black can't avoid it. However, it is Black to play and win!



Solution to last puzzle:
Dolgisch - Gilesetdinov
USSR, 1978
1.Rg7! Bxg7 2.f7+ Kh8 3.Re8#

Evening Echo, Tuesday, 25 June, 1991

ULSTER won the 1991 Interprovincial Championships held recently in Kill, Co. Kildare.
The Northerners scored a narrow 5.5-4.5 win over Munster in the semi-finals and, although held to a 5-5 draw by Leinster in the decider, they were awarded the title on board count.
In their second match, Munster scored an emphatic 8.5-1.5 victory over a combined Irish Junior Chess Association/Leinster B team.
The Munster team comprised Philip Short, Mel Kennedy, Kieran Moynihan, Colm Quigley, Kevin James, Kevin O'Shea, Ken Salmon, Frank Noonan, Paul Kiely and John Mee.
Much of the credit for Ulster's victory goes to 13-year-old Derry schoolboy Adrian Gillen who held Philip Short to a draw and defeated Leinster's international Colm Barry from a level position.
Here are two Munster wins:

As always by Jim Olney.

As a footnote: 

It was great to hear from Kevin O'Shea today who gave me the following info on the above event. "Two quick asides: I arranged a mini-bus for the mostly Cork based players that day. It broke down a number of times on the way home, always outside pubs, and to this day all the players believe it was coincidence!!? Also being quite pedantic Noel Mulholland's 23rd move was 23...Be8.

Chess Puzzle

Today's puzzle:



Another position which shouldn't be too taxing!? White to play and win.

Solution to last puzzle:
Quinteros - Sunye
San Pedro 1981
1.Rxf8! (if 1...Rxf8 2.Nd6+ wins) if 1...Kxf8 2.Rd8+ Ke7 3.Qxg5+! wins) 1-0

Cork Examiner, Tuesday, July 14, 1992

Today I'm going to begin a new feature - I'm going to present some of my press cuttings. These are by Jim Olney who has written his column for thirty years. I'll begin with an international flavour - I'll leave my prejudices for the next issue.


COLM DALY emerged as Ireland's top points earner at the recent Olympiad in Manila. The 24-year-old Leinster champion totalled 5.5/11 to register a 50% score on board two.
National title-holder Stephen Brady also achieved a 50% score with 5/10, as did Tom Clarke with 4/8.
The other individual performances were: IM Mark Orr 3.5/10 on board one, Kilian Hynes 3.5/9 and Joe Ryan 3.5/8.
The Irish side finished a disappointing 82nd in the 112 nation field with 25/56.
Individual highlights were Orr's draw with Icelandic grandmaster Margeir Petursson and some highly creative play from Daly in the following game against a 2520-rated IM:

Hope you enjoy!

Chess Puzzle

 Today's puzzle:




Nothing to complicated this time, it's just White to play and win.

Solution to last puzzle:
Tal - Bilek
Miskolc 1963
1.Rxf6 Rxf6 2.Qxe5 axb3 3.axb3
This is the really beautiful move behind the combination. White is a rook down but the pin against f6 is so powerful that there is no need to rush.
3...b6 4. b4
Preventing 4...Ra5, which would complicate matters. Now there is no stopping 5.Rf1 so Black resigned.

Hastings Congress 2010-11 Update

Sorry to say Ryan Griffiths didn't make the International masters norm this time. It was a lot to expect - a win with black against an International master in the final round.
However, it's just a matter of time and I definitely think this year Ryan will achieve at least one norm result.

Still a good performance at the Hastings tournament - well done Ryan on a good scalp and keep up the great work. Your making us proud.

Hastings Congress 2010-11 Update

Ryan Rhys Griffiths had a good day today winning a lovely game against Australian International Master Alexsandar Wohl. It was a great game to watch as Wohl realized his position was lost from very early on. He tried to complicate the game but Ryan had it all under control and the win was never in doubt.  So Ryan has 5 points after seven rounds and should have a difficult pairing in the next round.

In my opinion Black is winning from as early as move nine - what do you think?

Hastings Masters 2010-2011

It's good to see Ryan Rhys Griffiths having a nice run in the 2010-2011 Hastings Masters. After six rounds he has four points. Losing only one game: in the first round to GM Kotronias (2591). Below I give today's round (6) game in which he holds Valerly Neverov (2522) to a draw.

Nice one Ryan!! Anyone interested in the Hastings Masters or in Ryan Rhys Griffiths progress should keep an eye on the Hastings Congress site here.