I said I would post 4 positions for the lads playing
in OTB tournaments for them to set up on their boards
in a effort to boost their board vision.
Not too hard but a good work out and should build confidence
in trusting one's own ability.
Try to do them without moving the bits about as you would OTB.
Don't post any idea,clues or solutions.
I'll post them next week.
(1) White to play (does 1.Ng6 work?)
(2) White to play.
A real brain buster. A choice of candidate moves.
Find the forcing clear cut win.
(3) White to play. Calcualtion, vision and counting.
Win both the Bishop and Knight in 9 white moves.
(4) Black to play.
Common situation - level heavy bits one side has an exposed King.
The kind of position you could see coming and head for as Black.
Now dig in and finish it.
I forgot about about these.
Here are the solutions.
(1)
White to play (does 1.Ng6 work?)
Usually when one see notes like this (does 1.Ng6 work?) added
to a tactical puzzle the answer is always no.
And here is no exception though it does look tempting
and in Simagin - Beilin Russia 1946, White was tempted.
(2) Smyslov - Airapetov Russia 1948
Remember no moving the bits about like a C.C. game.
All in the head sitting on the hands.
This was a hard one. Loads of good choices.
I never got this correct though my choice
the brutal 1.Rxd8 Rxd8 2.Rxg7+ does lead to a winning position.
(Black does not take Rook but plays 2...Kh8 it's still a game).
1.Rxg7+ Kxg7 2.Rxd8 Ke8 is also winning but not smooth.
The Queen sac 1.Qxe7 looks juicy but after staring at
it for ages I could not see the follow up.
(By then I had made up mind that 1.Rxd8 was the way.)
(3)
White to play. Calcualtion, vision and counting.
Win both the Bishop and Knight in 9 white moves.
A study by E.Pogosiants 1977
(4)
Black to play.
Common situation - level heavy bits one side has an exposed King.
The kind of position you could see coming and head for as Black.
Now dig in and finish it.
Possible the most instructive of the lot.
Enjoyable once you see mating nets.
Hi Calhoun.
Did you notice the coincidence in those mates you had.
Calhoun v grandoldchessmaster
Black saw the mate and defended against it
with a Rook cutting off the King's flight square.
18...Rg8 19.Qhg5 mate
Colhound v kquinn909
I can use the exact same note.
Black saw the mate and defended against it
with a Rook cutting off the King's flight square.
23...Rd7 24.Qa8 mate.
Well played!
Keep plugging away it soon all starts to fall in place.
You are just coming out of the 'giving the pieces away for nothing' phase.
We all went through that.
You are spotting the blunders and taking the mates.
Far too many pawns moves in the opening.
Game 2551952 You had moved them all bar one in 14 moves.
(By the way Queens can move backwards. You had a free Queen
in that game but you missed it.) 😉
Move only two/three centre pawns in opening, let the pieces do the work.
Leave the a & h pawns alone.