Level
4-Rook
Chess Diagram
[Event "Puzzle #188"][Date "2012.03.10"][Result "1-0"][SetUp "1"][FEN "8/3r1nkp/pq1P1p2/1p2rPpP/2pRN1P1/4R3/1P1Q1PK1/8 w - - 0 1"]
Black has positional advantage on the Queen side, White's powerful center attack has been stopped and the King side is blocked. What should each side do? Your tasks:
a) Propose the best plans you can think of for each side
b) White (to move) has a number of Black defenders to target, should break the defence the right way and obtain a winning position
Total available points for this puzzle is 20. The answers will be published next week together with puzzle #189.
Puzzle #187 solution:
Gass - Kindi, Stuttgard 1979. Congratulations to Leo and Jeffrey for their very good answers! Overall there was a high percentage of good results. Here is Jeffrey's:
a) Analysis:
White is up a pawn. This is not significant in this kind of a position, although it does mean that if the game trades down into a quiet endgame, White will have the advantage. Black must make sure this does not happen.
Both sides are attacking the enemy King. The White Rook is off to the side and is currently not actively participating, while the Bishop and Knight are placed nicely and the Queen is balancing with a little bit of offense and good defense. Black, on the other hand, has a coordinated attack with all the pieces participating, and some of the pieces are helping with the defense as well. Because of this, the position seems to favour Black.
Weaknesses:
On Black's Kingside, the dark squares are quite weak. Although Black has a dark-squared Bishop it is unable to defend these dark squares.
White's Bishop here is effectively taking advantage of the dark-square weakness.
White's dark squares are also weak, although the Queen is defending most of them. The Black Bishop is not immediately taking advantage of this as it is blocked by the Nf4, but once that piece moves, the Bishop is cutting into White's position. Another weakness for White is the h3-pawn. It is backward and attacked as many times as it is defended. Its defender, the Qf3, is overloaded, defending both Ne4 and h3. This is another fact that Black must exploit.
b) See solution
c) Distracting the defender:
Yes, Black can use this concept. The defender that needs to be distracted is the White Queen. It is pretty much the sole defender of the Kingside, and if Black can lure it away the Kg1 will be helpless.
[Event "Puzzle #187"][Date "2012.03.05"][Result "0-1"][SetUp "1"][FEN "5rk1/R3p2p/3bq1pB/1p6/1P1PNnP1/2P2Q1P/8/6K1 b - - 0 1"]1...Qxe4! {This move leaves the White King helpless. It eliminates, one defender, the Ne4, and more importantly, distracts the Qf3 from its defensive duties} 2.Qxe4 {If White doesn't do this it is down a piece and Black is easily winning. White may have a material advantage here, but Black has far more play. White's pieces are a scattered mess, not coordinated at all, while the 3 Black pieces on the board are working together extremely well and are all aimed at a defenseless King} 2...Nxh3+ 3.Kh1 (3.Kg2 Rf2+ {Same as the main line}) 3...Rf1+ 4.Kg2 Rf2+ 5.Kxh3 (5.Kh1 Rh2#) 5...Rh2# {Black was able to win here because he took advantage of the overloaded Qf3, and all his pieces participated in the attack. In the final mating position, every Black piece plays a part in blocking the White King's movement}
Correct solutions:
Jeffrey, Harmony, Leo, Ziyao, Philip - 30 points
Alex, Daniel, James, Coco - 29 points
Leroy - 25 points
Derrick - 15 points
Standings:
Philip - 184 points
Ziyao - 151 points
Harmony - 147 points
James - 142 points
Daniel, Jeffrey - 141 points
Leroy - 105 points
Leo - 103 points
Derrick, Alex - 96 points
Coco - 95 points
Kevin - 27 points
a) Propose the best plans you can think of for each side
b) White (to move) has a number of Black defenders to target, should break the defence the right way and obtain a winning position
Total available points for this puzzle is 20. The answers will be published next week together with puzzle #189.
Puzzle #187 solution:
Gass - Kindi, Stuttgard 1979. Congratulations to Leo and Jeffrey for their very good answers! Overall there was a high percentage of good results. Here is Jeffrey's:
a) Analysis:
White is up a pawn. This is not significant in this kind of a position, although it does mean that if the game trades down into a quiet endgame, White will have the advantage. Black must make sure this does not happen.
Both sides are attacking the enemy King. The White Rook is off to the side and is currently not actively participating, while the Bishop and Knight are placed nicely and the Queen is balancing with a little bit of offense and good defense. Black, on the other hand, has a coordinated attack with all the pieces participating, and some of the pieces are helping with the defense as well. Because of this, the position seems to favour Black.
Weaknesses:
On Black's Kingside, the dark squares are quite weak. Although Black has a dark-squared Bishop it is unable to defend these dark squares.
White's Bishop here is effectively taking advantage of the dark-square weakness.
White's dark squares are also weak, although the Queen is defending most of them. The Black Bishop is not immediately taking advantage of this as it is blocked by the Nf4, but once that piece moves, the Bishop is cutting into White's position. Another weakness for White is the h3-pawn. It is backward and attacked as many times as it is defended. Its defender, the Qf3, is overloaded, defending both Ne4 and h3. This is another fact that Black must exploit.
b) See solution
c) Distracting the defender:
Yes, Black can use this concept. The defender that needs to be distracted is the White Queen. It is pretty much the sole defender of the Kingside, and if Black can lure it away the Kg1 will be helpless.
[Event "Puzzle #187"][Date "2012.03.05"][Result "0-1"][SetUp "1"][FEN "5rk1/R3p2p/3bq1pB/1p6/1P1PNnP1/2P2Q1P/8/6K1 b - - 0 1"]1...Qxe4! {This move leaves the White King helpless. It eliminates, one defender, the Ne4, and more importantly, distracts the Qf3 from its defensive duties} 2.Qxe4 {If White doesn't do this it is down a piece and Black is easily winning. White may have a material advantage here, but Black has far more play. White's pieces are a scattered mess, not coordinated at all, while the 3 Black pieces on the board are working together extremely well and are all aimed at a defenseless King} 2...Nxh3+ 3.Kh1 (3.Kg2 Rf2+ {Same as the main line}) 3...Rf1+ 4.Kg2 Rf2+ 5.Kxh3 (5.Kh1 Rh2#) 5...Rh2# {Black was able to win here because he took advantage of the overloaded Qf3, and all his pieces participated in the attack. In the final mating position, every Black piece plays a part in blocking the White King's movement}
Correct solutions:
Jeffrey, Harmony, Leo, Ziyao, Philip - 30 points
Alex, Daniel, James, Coco - 29 points
Leroy - 25 points
Derrick - 15 points
Standings:
Philip - 184 points
Ziyao - 151 points
Harmony - 147 points
James - 142 points
Daniel, Jeffrey - 141 points
Leroy - 105 points
Leo - 103 points
Derrick, Alex - 96 points
Coco - 95 points
Kevin - 27 points
Distracting the defender (2)