A Study

Via the Chess Unlimited twitter feed, I was directed to a reddit involving a problem posted on LiChess, apparently published in 1928 by a composer named Birnov. Here is the problem.

Birnov (1928)

White to play and draw

I saw a solution pretty quickly. Knowing that it is a composed problem means that everything on the board has a purpose, which directs one's attention to the e-pawn. So e2-e4 is likely to be involved in the solution. From there the rest is easy. But then I thought I saw a second solution. I am sad to report that I did not figure out why only one of the solutions is correct. I will post the answer below the fold.

A couple of endgames to ponder

First, a puzzle from LiChess, who take their puzzles from users games. Find the best move for White.

The answer later.

Second, another position with White to move.

Black's ...Kd7-e6 targets White's h-pawn. White clearly has to move his king now. Which way should the White king go?

Chess Puzzle Sites Reviewed ...

...by Johan Salomon, a young Norwegian Grand Master, on his blog. If you're looking for websites to work on puzzles, his review is an excellent place to start.

A simple problem

Via Norway's newest grandmaster, Johan Salomon:

Very funny and instructive puzzle from @chess24com 😂😂
White to move and win! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/UsBs4p1n7T

— Johan Salomon (@JohanSalomon) June 17, 2017

I'll post the answer in the comments, if no one beats me to it.

"The last soldier."

The last soldier. pic.twitter.com/PL1Krq7Kp5

— Mohamed Al-Medaihki (@almodiahki) June 6, 2017

Someone responding to this claims it's from Kotov's Play Like a Grandmaster, but that's not one of the three Kotov books I own, so I can't verify it.  Anyway, it's quite clever!

Merry Christmas

Now don't strain your eyes....

White to play and mate in 8 moves!https://t.co/fPEDHmr07b pic.twitter.com/WtdJreUrha

— lichess.org (@lichessorg) December 25, 2016

It's always dangerous.

One can never be too careful. Peter Doggers tweeted the following yesterday.

Last night I played myself; a rare thing these days. Went for a solid setup and out of the opening there was a sudden win! Black to play. pic.twitter.com/izrOBONL5x

— Peter Doggers (@peterdoggers) October 26, 2016

So Black played a solid set-up, nothing ambitious about it at all. But White's position doesn't look good, and the king's position looks awful. In fact, Black is winning tactically. Can you find the move?

The main sequence can be found here. I have left out the details, but put in the most essential moves.

Alibis II

I saw the following on Twitter yesterday.

Chop it up 😝 pic.twitter.com/ped835K3cF

— Jennifer Shahade (@JenShahade) September 26, 2016

Forty-five seconds to solve it - seems sufficient, but it took me between two to three full minutes, maybe even a little longer.

But I have an alibi! Just as I started to solve it, my daughter (age six) walked up and wanted to discuss the care and ownership of a cat which not only hasn't been born, it hasn't even been conceived yet. Such are the vagaries of life with a young child!

Wow.

From Rashit Ziatdinov's Facebook page: White to play and win. The first move is obvious. After that it gets hard! This one requires a little technique, as well. Unfortunately I don't know the origin of the study, but it's a beauty!

Fun with pawns!

The pawn looks unstoppable. Can you find the impossible defense? pic.twitter.com/RmcqY4IJpP

— Johan Salomon (@JohanSalomon) August 26, 2016

"I'm going to build a wall! It's going to be a great wall!"

UPDATE: Hints & solution in white font below the fold.

I broke discipline yesterday and looked at Facebook for a while, lured there by Emil Sutovsky's statement about the Israeli Olympiad team on Twitter. Looking at Sutovsky's feed, I saw that he presented the following study by Hasek, with the comment:

Cute one from the Czechoslovak composer Hasek. White to play. The idea is clear - but how to make it work? Not obvious, and very aesthetically pleasing solution. Don't publish a solution, just leave a smile if you are sure you got it right.

Hasek, date unknown

White to play & draw

I saw the initial idea quickly, and then saw how it failed. I didn't figure it out on my own, I must confess, and needed a hint. Feel free to use a computer program on it, as Stockfish didn't help at all - the hint came from a commenter to the Facebook post, and then I had to figure out what he meant.

Warning: The title of the post may or may not be misleading.

Hints & solution below the fold in white font.

And now some actual chess!

Tonight a study from Herbstmann, as relayed in Eugene Znosko-Borovsky's classic work, The Middle Game in Chess.

Problem Time: Anwuli-Nakamura Solution

From yesterday:

I was watching some blitz games on Chess.com and happened to catch the following.

Anwuli-Nakamura, 3 minute game

Black to move

Can Black save the game?

Answer:

Problem Time: Anwuli-Nakamura

I was watching some blitz games on Chess.com and happened to catch the following.

Anwuli-Nakamura, 3 minute game

Black to move

Can Black save the game?

Answer tomorrow.

Karsten Müller is at it again.

Karsten Müller presents a new endgame position for our edification.

Lissang, C.2295–Al Hadarani, H.2280

White to move. Can you find a line that draws?

Solution at ChessBase: Taking the shorter route.

Even more fun with Twitter!

Yes, another problem from Twitter. What can I tell you, I'm an addict.

As before, I haven't worked this one out yet. Also as before, this looks hard. What can I tell you, I'm also a masochist.

White to play and win (D.Przepiorka, early 1920s)... been puzzling over this for ages and still can't do it. pic.twitter.com/s4Lr4xDiZg

— John Saunders (@johnchess) April 12, 2016

7k/5p1p/8/7N/P1P5/8/K1R5/6Q1 w - - 0 1

Answer to follow as soon as either I figure it out or admit to abject defeat.

More fun with Twitter! [Updated]

I saw this on Twitter and want to remember to look at it later. I haven't looked at it yet, and have no idea what the answer is. At least one player significantly stronger than I am gave up after a while and plugged it into his computer! Have fun!

Hort-Arakhamia, Copenhagen 1997, ended in a draw here by repetition. Was there anything better for White? pic.twitter.com/6YdjXslIPn

— Martin Bennedik (@bennedik) April 8, 2016

r1bq1k2/1p3p2/5N1p/p2PQ3/8/5B2/PP3PP1/n5K1 w - - 0 1

UPDATE: I've added the fen for the position. This thing is a beast. White's winning move (I won't reveal it) is not forcing, meaning you have to look at a lot of replies. I'd suggest plugging it into the program of your choice and exploring it that way, OR sitting down with a board, pieces, pad and pencil, and writing down your variations.

The Zipper of Doom.

V Korolkov, Revista De Sah, 1957

White to play and win

Answer below the fold.

Tim Krabbé's Chess Curiosities does it again....

There is no better site for chess oddities than Tim Krabbé's Chess Curiosities. His site isn't very active now, but occasionally something new does come up. Recently he put up another post in his chess diary, wondering what chess position would be furthest removed from the initial position. That is, if you start with a position and go backwards to the initial position move by move without repetitions, what would the position look like that has the longest shortest move order? It wouldn't be bare kings, as Sam Loyd showed that bare kings could be achieved from the initial position in 17 moves.

Read more about it at Mr. Krabbé's excellent site, where he might explain things a little more clearly than I have. The diary entry in question is number 397. Here's the position that one of his friends came up with for the furthest position:

Harry Goldsteen, after L. Ceriani & K. Fabel
The Furthest Position, 185 moves
Original, 2008

 After 185...Ba5+

Krabbé provides the moves to get to this position at his website, so this is a legal position! If this kind of thing interests you, give it a look.

Knight, knight.

Problem time again. I'm going to give the problems in jpeg format, and then have the solutions in the windows below. That way the problems, if not the solutions, will be visible across more formats.

Herbstmann & Kubbel

1st Prize, Troitzky Tourney, 1937

White to play and draw

Next up....

Korani, 1982

White to play and draw 

Solutions below the fold.