The Indian GM Vidit Gujrathi is having difficulty putting a tie on?
(BTW this is your first puzzle but do not try and solve it because it is wrong.)
It appears Vidit is trying to solve a white to play and win study blindfold..
If this is the kind of thing Indian G M’s get up to when getting dressed
in the morning then it is little wonder India is the leading chess nation.
I could have added this to a ‘Mistakes in Chess Books’ feature (see below)
The position is wrong and according to ‘1234 Modern End-Game Studies.’
it was composed not by Henri Rink but by Richard Reti in the year 1928.
Composed by Reti in 1928. White to play and win.
Solution below.
Next is the type of puzzle I am never fond of. This is a Black to play puzzle.
I hate solving upside down and have lost count of the number of times I’ve
not noticed it is Black to play and have gone nearly insane trying to solve it.
Grigoriev - Nadisewa, USSR 1975 (Black to play).
I’ll repeat that - It is Black to play
1.Qc1+ Kxa2 2. Rxa3+ no matter how White recaptures it is checkmate next move.
Another Black to play but this time there is a difference.
I. Borocz - J. Horvath Budapest 1995 (Black to play)
Black played 32....exf4 is that OK?
The game went 33. Rxe8+ Bxe8 34. Rxe8+ Qxe8 35. Qd5+ 1-0
Every chess player, and that includes me and all of you lot, plays a game we can be
proud of. A game when it is our time to shine in the sun, every move we make is
perfect, our opponent takes on the role of being a canvas as we paint our masterpiece.
We know nothing about the two players in the following game or the event.
If could have been a casual game or whatever. It is ‘The Unknown Immortal.’
Panke - Kranenberg, Poland 1941
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e6 3. e4 b6 4. f4 Bb7 5. Bd3 {Now 5...Bb4 looks best here.} 5... d6 6. Nf3 Be7 {You would expect 0-0 here but White thinks they are ready to attack.} 7. e5 {Certainly looks good.} 7... dxe5 {Opens the f-file. 7...Ng4 with Nh6 and perhaps Nf5 ideas. If 8.h3 Bh4+ and Black is winning.} 8. fxe5 Nfd7 9. O-O c5 {This seems plausible, White's next move is a surprise.} 10. Ne4 {If 10...c4 11.Nfg5! and all kinds fun on f7 and 11...Bxg5 12.Nd6+ and Nxf7.} 10... cxd4 11. Nd6+ Bxd6 12. exd6 {12...0-0 then 13. Bxh7+ 12...Nc6 looks like a good way to hold the d4 pawn.} 12... e5 {Possibly played to prevent Bf4 but now White kicks it all off.} 13. Nxd4 exd4 {13...Nf6 and try to hold on but it is looking pretty bleak. Black is in trouble.} 14. Qe2+ Kf8 {Puzzle No. 4 White to play....Just do it, you know you want too.} 15. Rxf7+ {Well done. It is the best move.} 15... Kxf7 16. Bc4+ {16....Kg6 17.Qg4+ mate next move.} 16... Kf8 17. Bg5 {Beautiful. The attack is playing itself and the a1 Rook even gets in on the act.} 17... Nf6 {Of course 17...Qxg5 18.Rf1+ is 1-0.} 18. Rf1 Nd7 {White is two pieces down but on the board two Rooks up.} 19. Qe6 {Sneaking in for a mate in one move threat and setting up a glorious finish.} 19... Qe8 {Nothing can save Black. Now comes a neat wrap up.} 20. Rxf6+ Nxf6 21. Qxf6+ gxf6 22. Bh6 {Checkmate. Bravo!}
This weeks RHP example has the same wrap up (Queen sac and Bh6 mate) sit back and enjoy.
Diamond Jim - deke RHP 2018
1. e4 e5 2. f4 Bc5 {Refusing the King's Gambit and developing a piece. A popular and sound choice.} 3. Nf3 {Of course 3.fxe4 seen over 70 times on RHP results in carnage after 3...Qh4+} 3... exf4 {Wrong! 3...d6 is the move. White now gets all the joys of a King's Gambit.} 4. d4 {Seizing the centre with tempo.} 4... Bb4+ {4...Bb6 was better. At least this move stops a Knight from landing on c3.} 5. c3 Ba5 6. Bxf4 {White gets back the gambit pawn without having to work for it.} 6... d5 {Gong active but opening the files for the better developed side. 6...Qf6, Ne7 and hopefully 0-0 was a plan.} 7. exd5 Qxd5 8. Nbd2 {Nice. Bc4 and Bxf7+ ideas. The f7 square is always a target in the King's Gambit.} 8... Bg4 {With thoughts of Bxf3 and chopping wood to ease the lack of development.} 9. Bc4 {Black now sees 9...Bxf3 10.Bxd5 Bxd1 11.Bxb7 and White is the exchange and a pawn up.} 9... Qd7 10. O-O {Nine moves played, every piece moved once and castled. Nothing clever about it. Good Chess.} 10... Bxf3 {Brings the Queen into the game but Black is in trouble no matter what they play here.} 11. Qxf3 c6 {To prevent Qxb7. 11...Nc6 12.Rae1+ Nge7 13.Bxf7+ and the roof caves in.} 12. Ne4 {I like this. With c6 played the d6 square hangs. Nd6+ just like the previous game is coming.} 12... b5 13. Rae1 {All pieces in action. Threat Nf6+ winning the Black Queen.} 13... Ne7 14. Nd6+ {14....Kd8 15.Nxf7+ etc The Move 14.Bxf7+ Kxf7 15.Nd6+ was also very good.} 14... Kf8 15. Bg5 {The end is not far off. Checkmate on f7, a King's Gambit player's dream is threatened.} 15... f6 {And now....} 16. Qxf6+ gxf6 17. Bh6# {Checkmate.}
M. Najdorf - J. Donner, Amsterdam 1950
1. d4 e6 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 d5 4. Bd3 Nbd7 5. b3 Bb4+ 6. c3 Bd6 7. c4 e5 8. c5 Bxc5 9. dxc5 e4 10. c6 {Here Black should play 10...Nb8 but Donner has missed White's next move} 10... bxc6 11. Nd4 {Donner now realised he could not win back the piece (11...exd3 12 Nxc6 winning the Black Queen.)}
And according to ‘More Chess Miniatures’ the 1953 follow up to the
1941 ‘200 Miniatures of Chess’ by Julius Du Mont, Donner resigned.
But Donner did not resign, he played on a piece down for 28 moves and then resigned.
The Reti Study. White to play and win.
FEN
8/3k4/1K6/4R3/4B3/4p3/4p3/8 w - - 0 1
[FEN "8/3k4/1K6/4R3/4B3/4p3/4p3/8 w - - 0 1"] 1. Bf5+ {1. Bc6+ Kd6 2.Rxe3 Stalemate.} 1... Kd8 { 2.Rxe3 e1=Q 3. Rxe1 is Stalemate.} 2. Bd3 {2.Bd7 also works. 2...Kxd7 3.Rxe3 etc.} 2... e1=Q 3. Bb5 {Black can only stop 4.Re8 mate by 3...Qa5+ then it would be a simple win.}
