Puzzle of the Week #013

Unlucky for some, we are back for our thirteenth installment with another puzzle.

But first, to last weeks. It was another superb response from Hammerites with no fewer than 10 attempts – many of them not from Charlie!

The first correct reply was from Mohammad – well done to you sir! An honourable mention must also go to Gokhan with a slightly later, but equally correct, effort.

It was no mean feat – full solution as follows:

1.f6! gxf6
2. f4 Kd4
3. g5 fxg5
4. fxg5 Ke5 (if hxg5, h6 and black is outside the square, now it looks like he can stop the pawn except for…)
5. gxh6 Kf6
6. Kc2!!

Ed. Lasker – Moll, Berlin Ch 1904.

Black is now in Zugzwang! The actual game went 1.f4 f6, and black won, a tragedy for “Die Kleine Lasker” who would have won the city championship with a win in this game. (Source: The Bobby Fischer I Knew, Arnold Denker).

So to #13- White to move, answers in the comments please:

 

13 thoughts on “Puzzle of the Week #013”

  1. So after pawn advance pawn takes knight on c8 rook takes c8 then knight takes on d6 and it’s queen and rook versus two rooks and two knights?

    1. Charlie, I think it’s a bit more than that, after this sequence the R on c8 is hanging, so has to move, notice Rd8 doesn’t work due to Nxf7+ (same for Rc7) and anywhere else the rook moves white has Nxe5,as the night is taboo due to Qxe5, Nxf7+ followed by Nxe5, so white gets Rook, Bishop, Knight plus at least one probably two pawns (c6 is now hanging as well). I’ve not checked with a computer so may have overlooked something

  2. However, if white then takes the c6 pawn with the queen, they still end up winning a piece (rook on a8 or more likely bishop on d6)

  3. Sorry the queen has been taken before pawn advances to c6. I Probably wansnt clear in my prev blogs. So white does not have a piece that is able to take on c6. But a queen for a rook, a knight and a bishop is pretty good

  4. best move for black would be 3. – a6 after:
    1. Qd5 – Rb8
    2. Qb7 – Rb7
    3. ab7

    This way at least black get the night for rock

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