It’s been a couple of weeks, so here we go again!
Dipender takes the prize for last week’s puzzle, with his second bite at the cherry – well done Dipender!
Taken from a match in 1976, the finish was produced by 15yr old prodigy, Maia Chiburdanidze, on her way to becoming world champion.
To this week’s challenge then – Black to play and win. Answers in the comments:
Surely black just takes on d1+ and wins
…Rxd1
Kxd1 Rxf5
gxf5 Kf3
Then the black king kills the white pawn and black promotes its remaining pawn
Hi Dipender,
Have you considered, after 3…Kf3, say 4. Kd2 Ke4 5. f6! Kf5 6. Ke3 Kxf6 7. Kf4 draw.
Or similarly if 4… f6 5.Kd3 Kf4 6. Ke2 Kxf5 6. Kf3.
1…Rf1+ looks a better way to liquidate with gain of tempo.
Cheers,
Jim
Hi Dipender,
After 3…Kf3, have you considered, eg. 4.Kd2.
If 4…Ke4 5.f6! Kf5 6. 6. Ke3 Kxf6 7.Kf4 draw
Or similarly, if 4…f6 5. Kd3 Kf4 6. Ke2 Kxf5 7. Kf3.
1…Rf1+! looks like a better way to liquidate with gain of tempo.
Cheers,
Jim
Legend Loco nice solution
1. …………., RxRch
2. KxR, RxR
3. PxR, K-f3
and the black King proceeds to capture the white Pawn,
and then chaperone the Black Pawn until Queened.
Yes Jim, you’re right!
I’m interested in your source for this. Jim Stevenson showed me this position today. I searched in ChessBase and it came up, not with Maia, but with Sidney Bernstein – Arthur Dake US Championship 1936.
Gratifyingly, Dake made the same mistake as I did and only drew a game he should have won.
The game is online at http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1145205.
hi Richard – the Maia game was used in our *previous* puzzle of the week (#022)
Thanks – I see what you’re doing now. Jim and I had both misunderstood the attribution.
Puzzle of the week is a great idea: I’ll have to add this feature to the Richmond website.
Looking forward to seeing you in ThamesValleyLeagueLand shortly.