By GM Kevin Spraggett
Kevin's blog (parental advisory)
5 more instructive tactical puzzles brought to you GM Kevin Spraggett:
TACTICAL ENDING!
GM Norwood,David
IM Macias Murillo, Bryan
From the Andorra Open taking place right now. Position after Whites 45th move (45.d5). The English grandmaster has a positional advantage with his passed c3-pawn and well entrenched King and Knight. Whites last move seeks to eliminate the dangerous pawn, hoping that Norwood will trade it for the White d-pawn.
Norwood finds a very original solution to the task on hand:
45. Bxb4! 46.axb4 Nxb4+ 47.Kb1 Nxd5 48.Bg5 Kb3 49.Ne1
49 Nb4!
The real point of Blacks 45th move. This move stops Nc2 and intends to advance the a-pawn in most lines. Whites next move is not the most resistant, but White is lost in any case.
50.Kc1 Nd3+! 51.Nxd3 exd3 52.Bd8 d2+ 53.Kd1 c2+ 54.Kxd2 Kb2 0-1
David Norwood (born in England, 1968) became an IM in 1985 and a GM four years later. David is also a well known chess author. He currently plays for Andorra.
IM PLAT,V
GM NEVEROV,V
Position after 18 moves from a round of the Pardubice Open in Czech Republic. Black had played a risky opening that backfired and now his King finds himself still uncastled. Ofcourse, White stands much better. He could now proceed with 19.Rfd1 and then after 19Rd8 simply take the a-pawn. HOWEVER, Neverov is not a grandmaster to let escape the opportunity to show his tactical skill
WHITE TO PLAY AND CRUSH BLACK!
A pic of the playing hall in the Pardubice Open
WIM Matras-Clement,A
GM Socko,M
From a tournament in Chorzow, Poland earlier this year. Position after 25 moves. Black had just played 25Qg5, threatening to take on f2, devastating the White defences, especially as g2 is a hot point, often mate!. If now 26.Kh2 Black continuesas plannedwith 26Rxf2! when White can resign. INSTEAD, White found what is , relatively, the best defence under the circumstances:
26.Nc5!?
Closing the a7-f2 diagonal
Black must have felt that Whites last move solved his problems, as she now simplified with 26BxN (?) 27.RxN Rf7!?, when the game is about even (it was eventually drawn in more than 70 moves!
INSTEAD, BLACK CAN WIN BY TAKING ON F2!
26Rxf2!!!
Your task is to calculate accurately and show why White is defenceless! GOOD LUCK!
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AFTER 26Rxf2!! Black wins in every line_ 27.Kxf2 ( 27.Bxf2 Qxg2#; or 27.Nxe4 Rxb2+! 28.Kh2 Qxc1 29.Rxc1 Rxb3 30.Nd6 Rxg3 with an easily won ending; finally 27.Rxe4 Qxc1+ 28.Kxf2 Bxc5+ 29.Ke2 Qh1! and it is all over but the shouting ) 27 Qd2+! 28.Re2 Rf8+ and White must throw in the towel. In short, 26Rxf2!! leaves White busted and more
FINESSE!
N.N
Belzberg, Sid
From a recent 5-minute game played on the internet. Position after 28 moves. White has played well to reach a dominating position. But if White now takes the b-pawn then Black can get some counterplay with 29h5! followed by taking on e5. Sid found a better idea!
WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN!
My Canadian readers will no doubt remember Canadian businessman Sid Belzberg ( and his better half, Alicia). Sid and Alicia did a lot to sponsor and promote Canadian chess from 2000 to 2008.
ORIGINALITY!
FM Minko,Vlad
IM Satyaprapyan,Sway
From a game played in Barcelona (San Marti) just the other day! Position after 21 moves. Black had just played 21d4, hitting the g2 pawn and undermining the position of the White Queen. If now 22.QxQ?? Bxg2+ is forced mate (23.Kg1 Bf3+ etc). If instead 22.f3 then Black gets the upper hand with 22QxQ 23.PxQ Rxc2 24.Bxb5+ Kd6!
HOW DID WHITE SAVE HIMSELF?
SOLUTIONS
Belzberg,SidN.N: 29.e6!! winning If now 29PxP 30.f7+ wins the Rook. The same is true for 29Bxf6. The game continued 29Rf8 (as good as any) 30.e7 Re8 31.Rd8! etc.
Satyapragyan, Swayangsu-Minko, Vladimir: 22.Ra7!! Qxa7 ( 22Qxb4 loses to 23.RxB+ Kc6 24.Bf3+) 23.Qe7+!! the idea 24Kc6 24.Rb1! And now Black must play accurately to make a draw: 24d3! 25.Bxd3 Rg5! 26.Qxf7 Kb6 27.Qxe6+ Bc6 28.Qe3+ Rc5 29.c4 and the game should be drawn) INSTEAD, Black blundered with the natural-looking 24Qa2?? and after 25.Bf3+ he resigned.
Other posts by GM Kevin Spraggett:
Tactical workout
Knight-mares
6-time Portuguese Chess Champion Rui Damaso's Chess Brilliancies
Ode to the Kings's Gambit
Good news for old chess players
Lothar Schmid
Chess un-plugged!
Deceptively simple chess
Erich Eliskases
Robert Byrne
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