2018 Chess Olympiad and a Cardboard Box

A picture of a cardboard box with the word CHESS on it.

...er....that’s it.

This charming wee book dropped into my lap a few days ago.

page 40 has this to chapter.

along with this problem which a 1961 computer took 12 minutes to solve.

White to play and mate in 3 moves.


OK you have 12 minutes. Beat the 1961 computer.
A modern computer solves it in one or two seconds.

Solution at the bottom of the page.

Page 40 also has this delightful problem.


White to play and mate in two moves and when you have solved that
try Black to play and mate in two moves . I guarantee once you have
found the White solution the Black solution will be practically instant.

Again the solutions will be at the bottom of the page.

This position with White to play and win is discussed on page 36.


To win this, which I will explain, White must get this position.


....with Black to play. Look at the following attempt.

So to get to the ideal position which as we know is:


With Black to play.

White must lose a tempo and he can only do that by going onto a light square.
but that would allow a Bishop check and f2-f1=Q. However, there is a solution.



Two Bishops Are Better Than a Queen.

Taffin Khan from Guyana displayed a moment of humour and had the arbiters not
believing their eyes in his game against the Ethiopian player Haftom Ghebremedhn.

White played a pawn from a7 from to a8 and because Black was obviously
going to take on a8 next move White decided to under promote to a Bishop!


The Black Rook took the Bishop and White won with ease.

Another under promotion featured in the following game

Alexander Ortiz (Guatemala) - Rupesh Jaiswal (Nepal)


Black saw the threat of Qg7 mate so captured the f1 Rook taking a Knight CHECK!

19....gxf1-N+ 20.Rxf1

And then Black forgot about Qg7 mate played 20...Qh4 and then he suddenly
remembered about Qg7 mate and resigned before White had a chance to play it

I usually stay away from using any games from the lower boards at the Women’s
Olympiad because a lot of the girls are there for the experience of it all and are
having a wonderful time in a foreign country often going abroad for the first time.

However look at this from White who is (was) a 1400 player.

Lucy Wanjiru (Kenya) - Binta Sy Mame (Senegal)

Now how about what I think is the coolest finish of the 2018 Olympiad.

Moulaye Brahim Hemam (Mauritania) - Giancarlo Berardi (San Marino)

This was also the quickest checkmate in the Open Section of the Olympiad

Al-Saffar (Iraq) - Tomas Petrik (Slovakia)

White tries to get the Queens off. He succeeds but is mated in the process.


Do you want to see what time trouble does to a good player over the board.

Kiril Georgiev (2590) - Bacallao Alonso (2588) Batumi Olympiad 2018


Black to play his 39th move. Time control is move 40.
This one has the clammy stench of time trouble all over it.

Black played 39....Nd7 (OOPS!) 40. Rc8 Checkmate.

And now another good player playing a move that will keep him awake at night.

Al-Zendani (2301) - G M H Thilakarathne Batumi Olympiad.2018


Black to play. How about playing e4. Make White work for his win.

Black played 43...Bc4 to protect the b-pawn. White replied.


44. Rf6 Checkmate.

Beat the computer in under 12 minutes solution


White or Black to play and mate in two moves.


White: 1. e8=Knight and 2. Nc7 Checkmate.
Black: 1. d1=Knight and 2. Nc3 Checkmate.

The thread accompanying this blog is Thread 178808