allanbeardsworth

White to play and win

D Lewis v JE Eriksen 1953

Solution

A decent (but not too hard) one today, because the solution relies on a backward move- which might be hard to see. Firstly, examine all biffs leads to 1 Rh5+, and after 1…gh 2 Qd1 threatens the mating 3 Qh5+ mating: and there is no defence.

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White to play and win

CCA de Villiers v HE Price 1973

Solution

As yesterday's, this one is straightforward. It is mate in two after 1 Bg6+ Rg6[] 2 Qh8 mate. No variations.

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White to play and win

Allan Beardsworth (allanbeard) v 'qwsp' ICC, 3min blitz 12/2/14

Solution

I was pleased to find the following, even though arguably not too hard. 1 Be4! (to biff the queen, to take it off the a8-h1 diagonal, so that the Qg4 is freed, and doesn't need to guard against the Q+B battery aimed at g2) 1…Qb3 2 Bh7+! (Greek gift sacs on h7 always deserve an exclam) Kh7 3 Qh5+ Kg8[] 4 Qf7+ Kh8 5 Re3! (Rook lifts also deserve exclams) when black resigned.

Carlsen would fight on, playing 1…Bg2 2 Kg2 Qd5+ 3 Kg1 Qd8 so that 4 Rh3+ Bh4, but even I could beat him then after Qh5+ and Rh4.

Not too hard, but nice when tactics are spotted in blitz. Maybe Cordingley and Reitstein are working?

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Black to play and win

RT Spencer v LR Reitstein 1946

Solution

Not too hard: examining all biffs quickly gets you to look after 1…Qf3+, when there is a single line solution. 2 gf[] Rf3+ 3 Kg2[] Bh3+ 4 Kg1 Rf1mate.

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White to play and win

M Kolnik v GS Miller 1959

Solution

This puzzle is from the same game as the previous one- white missed the quick finish in problem 49.

Here, the solution is elementary: 1 Rg6+ and if the rook is captured, 2 Be6 mate; or if 1…Bg7, 2 Qg7 mate.

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Black to play and win

Mate in 4

Solution

This position was in one of my blitz games, four years or so ago, when I was keen on playing the Philidor as black.

I am actually a few weeks ahead in my Reitstein blog (I typically am about two weeks ahead, which I need to be, since sometimes work and family commitments give me no time for chess, and I tend to do several blogs in one session, especially when the puzzles are easy. The blogging software I use on my iPad (Blogsy, recommended) allows blog postings to be timed.

So, in a few weeks time there is a puzzle with a lot of similarities to this, and when I saw it, I recognised the game position as being from the line of the Philidor which I have played countless times, and (as here) if white is greedy, his king gets munched..so for the Reitstein puzzle which will be published later, I saw the pattern immediately.

The game continuation was 1…Qg1+! 2 Kd2[] Be1+! 3 Qe1 (3 Kd3 Ne5 mate) Qd4+ 4 Ke2 Bc4 mate.

Quite nice: of course, it was a nice finish to play but, alas, the pattern of attack, Q to the back rank, push the king forward, Nf7-e5, Bc8-e6-c4 is very typical of this line: the black pieces explode outwards (basically, if white takes the Ra8 in this line, black plays <<Qd8-e8-g6-g2; Ng4; Be7-h4+; Nf7-e5; Bc8-e6-c4>> in some order, and normally it is 0-1.

Remember this for the next few weeks….

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White to play and win

M Kolnik v GS Miller 1959

Solution

White, in time trouble, missed the following forced mate.

1 Nc7+ Kd7 2 Rfd1+ Bd6

3 Bc6+ bc 4 Rd6+ Kd6 5 Rd1 mate. If 3…Kc6 then 4 Rd6+, 5 Qb6+ and 6 Rd1 mate.

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White to play and win

Allan Beardsworth (allanbeard) v Pacipapa, 3min blitz, Playchess.com, 21.1.14

Solution

Not too hard, but pleasing nevertheless, especially because it is blitz: 1 Be6+! with the idea of 1…Ke6 2 Qa2+ with ruinous consequences. Particularly pleasing because I chose to look for a move, rather than lazily swapping off rooks and playing f4-f5.

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Black to play and win

D Morschel v AN Rubinsztein 1965

Solution

Reitstein says there is only one move by black that wins, but that isn't the case. The move he was referring to was 1…Nf7! which means the king can never approach the h pawn, so that black can then gather the a pawn and then bring his king over. However, 1…Kc6 also works, since if 2 Kg7 h5! by passes the king anyway, and if 2 Kg5 then Nf7 blocks again.

A rest day.

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Black to play and win

N Woodward v M Katz 1971

Solution

This is the first problem in the book that I failed to solve, despite giving it some effort. In my confusion, having seen a lot but seen nothing, was to play the wrong move, 1…Nf5??, which of course loses the queen 2 Bb4 1-0: 'could do better'.

The winning move is 1…Ne4, which I saw, but couldn't make work (in my head- maybe if I had put the pieces onto a board, and moved them, I might have solved it, but that, of course, is not chess). White must take the queen (otherwise the Bd2 is LPDO) when 2…Nf2+ comes.

If 3 Qf2, the key is both white's bishops are LPDO. So 3…Bf2 and eg 4 Be1 Rg3+ 5 Kh4 Be1 and Rd3. If 3 Kh2, 3…Nhg4+ and 4…Nd3; and if 3 Kh4 Bf6+ 4 Kh5 Nhg4 and Kf7, when white's king is in a net.

I doubt in a game I could see it all- perhaps, if I had enough time, but the positions were there are lots of open tactics aren't my forte.

A good problem. Shame I messed up.

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