Level
4-Rook
Chess Diagram
[Event "Puzzle #67"][Date "2009.04.17"][Result "0-1"][SetUp "1"][FEN "b3k1r1/5p1p/4q3/1p6/4pP2/2PnN3/1PQ1BP1P/5R1K w - - 0 26"]26.f3
Have you guys heard before of the expression "The threat is stronger than the execution"? What this means is sometimes all you need to do is play good solid chess; this will make your position dominant and put your opponent under pressure. A dominant position is one where your pieces are very well placed and threatening to break the opponent's defence. This creates a situation where your opponent, playing under pressure, could choose a wrong plan and lose easily. Remember: you have not launched the attack yet, but were simply threatening to unleash it!
The above position is from one of my recent games: Asbjorn Woldmo - Valer Eugen Demian, played over 3 and a half months using an online chess server. Your tasks:
a) Analyse the position to identify the positives and negatives for each side (10 points)
b) In this situation White moved 26.f3 ... hoping to simplify the position after a few exchanges and relieve some of the pressure. Black to move and win (10 points)
Total available points for this puzzle is 20. The answers will be published next week together with puzzle #68.
Puzzle #66 solution:
Very interesting responses this time with a few very nice surprises, meaning the names of students who managed to solve it. See that you guys can do it? It was a bit harder to choose the response of the week, but in the end I chose the one prepared by Karl:
a) See solution
b) Two points:
1. White needs to make sure Black doesn't get a chance to check him, or else a move will be gone.
2. White needs to make a battery or make a pin, the rook attacking the same space on which the Queen attacks too in the pin. In the battery, white's Queen can checkmate on 2 spaces, so Black can't defend
[Event "Puzzle #66"][Date "2009.04.09"][Result "1-0"][SetUp "1"][FEN "8/7K/8/8/6Q1/5R2/6bP/6k1 w - - 0 1"]1.Rf6 Kxh2 (1...Kh1 2.Rg6 Be4 (2...Kxh2 3.Qxg2#) 3.Qg1#) 2.Rf2 Kg1 3.Qxg2#
Correct solutions:
John, James, Karl, Andy Y - 20 points
Andy Q - 18 points
Wilson - 17 points
Joshua - 16 points
Alex Ge - 15 points
Jin-Lang, Nathaniel, Humphrey - 1 point
Standings:
John - 308 points
Joshua - 302 points
Andy Qian - 296 points
Karl - 253 points
Andy Yee - 243 points
Jeremy - 235 points
Mark - 223 points
James - 187 points
Wilson - 160 points
Humphrey - 112 points
Marcus - 101 points
Katerina - 87 points
Jacky - 80 points
Nathaniel - 53 points
Joanne - 21 points
Darren - 20 points
Alex Ge - 15 points
Jin-Lang - 1 point
The above position is from one of my recent games: Asbjorn Woldmo - Valer Eugen Demian, played over 3 and a half months using an online chess server. Your tasks:
a) Analyse the position to identify the positives and negatives for each side (10 points)
b) In this situation White moved 26.f3 ... hoping to simplify the position after a few exchanges and relieve some of the pressure. Black to move and win (10 points)
Total available points for this puzzle is 20. The answers will be published next week together with puzzle #68.
Puzzle #66 solution:
Very interesting responses this time with a few very nice surprises, meaning the names of students who managed to solve it. See that you guys can do it? It was a bit harder to choose the response of the week, but in the end I chose the one prepared by Karl:
a) See solution
b) Two points:
1. White needs to make sure Black doesn't get a chance to check him, or else a move will be gone.
2. White needs to make a battery or make a pin, the rook attacking the same space on which the Queen attacks too in the pin. In the battery, white's Queen can checkmate on 2 spaces, so Black can't defend
[Event "Puzzle #66"][Date "2009.04.09"][Result "1-0"][SetUp "1"][FEN "8/7K/8/8/6Q1/5R2/6bP/6k1 w - - 0 1"]1.Rf6 Kxh2 (1...Kh1 2.Rg6 Be4 (2...Kxh2 3.Qxg2#) 3.Qg1#) 2.Rf2 Kg1 3.Qxg2#
Correct solutions:
John, James, Karl, Andy Y - 20 points
Andy Q - 18 points
Wilson - 17 points
Joshua - 16 points
Alex Ge - 15 points
Jin-Lang, Nathaniel, Humphrey - 1 point
Standings:
John - 308 points
Joshua - 302 points
Andy Qian - 296 points
Karl - 253 points
Andy Yee - 243 points
Jeremy - 235 points
Mark - 223 points
James - 187 points
Wilson - 160 points
Humphrey - 112 points
Marcus - 101 points
Katerina - 87 points
Jacky - 80 points
Nathaniel - 53 points
Joanne - 21 points
Darren - 20 points
Alex Ge - 15 points
Jin-Lang - 1 point
Pinning all the way