Getting in shape

Or at least thinking about it. I'm being coaxed back into tournament chess after a six and a half year (and counting) absence. Not sure if I'll jump back into the deep end soon or not, but anticipating that I might I've decided I should perhaps work on my game a little. ('A little' is about all I ever really work on my game.) This means it's time to start working on my tactics, so out come the puzzle books! Additionally, I've been looking through copies of recent Chess Life magazines and studying the problems therein.

The early results have not been encouraging: even when I'm getting the correct answers I'm often missing something in the solution.  Nuance matters! (See my earlier post, for example, though in that one I did find the nuance. Well, I found the problem with the solution - my favorite silicon monster found the solution. Still, half-credit is better than none!)

So it's been a slog. The work, if I stick with it, will pay off, but what discouraging early returns! One of the problems that made me shake my head in annoyance was this one, from GM Andy Soltis's Chess to Enjoy column in the February 2015 Chess Life.

IM Basheer Al Qudaimi (2396) - GM Bassem Amin (2635)

2014 World Rapid Championship, Dubai

27 ... ?

Black to play and win

I looked at this one off and on for a couple of days, before finally glancing at it and realizing the obvious winning idea. I felt like a chump not seeing it right away.

Worse still, while writing this post I discovered that my solution was wrong! AAUGH! The only solace I can take is that GM Amin actually goofed up the combination himself at the end, although he won anyway. (If I think of it later I'll try to look up old coverage to see if his opponent lost on time or simply didn't see that he had an out.) Ah well, it's a process, right?

(Solution below the fold. Don't worry, it's short this time!)

What I had seen (eventually), was the 27 ... Rh1+ 28 Kg2 Reh5 leads to ... R5h2#. What I had missed was that 29 Bxg4 turns Black into a chump.

Correct is the move Amin played: 27 ... d3 deflects the white bishop, making everything possible. 27 ... d3 28 Bxd3 Rh1+ 29 Kg2 Reh5 and mate next move. The only catch is that Amin played  29 ... Ree1 letting White off the hook! But White either lost on time or resigned anyway.