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#