Cordingley puzzle 84

White to play and win

Note my deletion of and win: it is a slugfest, a position capable of great analysis, rather than a win for white

Solution

I could write chapters about this puzzle. I shall try to be brief.

I have spent more time on it, or more precisely on a position close to it, than any other puzzle in the book so far. Let me explain.

On my first sitting, 1 Rg4 is clearly the move you want to play, but I couldn't see enough after capturing, Qf6 to get some control on f5, and Kh8 to try to ease the pin. 'uncertain' I thought. So other moves, like 1 Rf5 and 1 Nf5 came to mind, both similarly uncertain. Of these, 1 Rg4 seemed most natural, but the others couldn't be ruled out.

Next, I have always had a liking for Paul Keres, the one who never made it to World Champion. I was an impressionable teenager (aren't we all) and I devoured two of the three volume autobiography books which were translated by Harry Golombek which my local library, in the village of Culcheth, Warrington, Chesire, had: they had very few chess books, the only game collections being two of that series- so I borrowed them repeatedly. I suspect some of my playing strength must have been gained from them, subconsciously. I also had the impression that he was a gentleman Russian– a nice guy, something hardto understand for a child of the Cold War sixties.

Thirty five plus years on, I now own all three of his books: treasured. Like many of my books, I haven't read them, just at best dipped into them, but this puzzle has made me look at The Early Games of Paul Keres, and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. The book is on my long list of books to take on holiday- around now, I start working out which books to take with me, knowing that there is a luggage allowance, knowing that in all probability I won't read as much as my good intentions make me want to believe.

Reading his comments on the critical positions of this puzzle, reminds me, if reminder is needed, that there is a whole world of difference between cold calculation as leisure of a puzzle, and a whole universe of difference between playing a game and analysing it with Houdini. Things like stress, tournament position and tiredness make the game what it is.

Keres did indeed play I Rg4 and black did indeed play 1…Bg4? Keres' comments are priceless:

Now it is Black's turn to make a mistake, and this time one with the most serious consequences. Black should on no account give up his best defensive piece, not even for a Rook…

Keres goes on to say 1…Nc3 should have been preferred, with an unclear game: Houdini prefers the even stronger 1…Qf6! and black is better.

The eagle-eyed reader will have noted my odd comment 'on a position close to it' which I shall now explain. Because Keres is a childhood hero to me, I departed from my usual practice, of one puzzle solved a day, and set it up on my board in the lounge, where it has been for some weeks, ready for the time when I could devote some quiet study to it, which I have now done. Alas, somehow over the intervening weeks the b7 pawn had moved to c7, so that the Qd6 was not LPDO on my board: so whilst I saw the Qg7/Nf5+ forking combination, it was unclear not decisive, since the Nd6 could be captured by the 'c'7 pawn.

Who should I blame? I can't blame my wife or children, since they know that rule #1 is don't touch dad's chess sets and it wasn't Charlie the dog, who is now mature enough not to bite everything that he can [Charlie as a puppy did chew up many pieces of my other most treasured set]. So the prime culprit is our cleaner who tends to dust around the chess set: I have never specifically told her to steer well clear.

Of course, it might just have been me setting up the position incorrectly.

I hope one day to read the chapter in The Early Games and understand the whole game, and the tournament context in which it was written. In the meantime, the attached gives some analysis of the puzzle position and some light other comments.

Game84

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