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White to move....

Posers and Puzzles

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white to play and win.

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Originally posted by schakuhr
[fen]8/8/1KP5/3r4/8/8/8/k7 - - 5 3[/fen]

white to play and win.
SPOILER:

1. c7 Rd6+
2. Kb5 Rd5+
3. Kb4 Kb2
4. c8=Q Rd4+
5. Kb5 Kb3
6. Not so pretty now, is it? 🙄

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Originally posted by THUDandBLUNDER
SPOILER:

1. c7 Rd6+
2. Kb5 Rd5+
3. Kb4 Kb2
4. c8=Q Rd4+
5. Kb5 Kb3
6. Not so pretty now, is it? 🙄
What is the problem? White wins after the 5 full moves you gave. 6.Qc5+ for instance and we have a 'standard' K+Q vs K+R endgame with no built-in draw.

The point of the problem (I think) is that white has to play 5.Kb4 and not 5.Kb7? because Rc7 would force a draw.

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Originally posted by Mephisto2
What is the problem? White wins after the 5 full moves you gave. 6.Qc5+ for instance and we have a 'standard' K+Q vs K+R endgame with no built-in draw.

The point of the problem (I think) is that white has to play 5.Kb4 and not 5.Kb7? because Rc7 would force a draw.
This is the famous Saavedra position, the main line of which features a neat little underpromotion.

My 'spoiler' was merely to point out that if Black plays the best defence the solution is not so pretty.

www.xs4all.nl/~timkr/chess/saavedra.htm

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Originally posted by THUDandBLUNDER
Yes, well spotted.

Having scored 24/25 on the quiz below (and 25 if we admit an alternative spelling for one question), I am quite confident that my spelling is better than Mr Bowmann's. 😛

http://books.guardian.co.uk/quiz/questions/0,5957,1303707,00.html
Well, I apparently got a few wrong. And there are 23 words, not 25.

However, allowing for three alternative spellings and one incorrect spelling in the list itself, I did equally well.


I'm sure there are better spelling tests on the Web than this one.

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Originally posted by Bowmann


However, allowing for three alternative spellings and one incorrect spelling in the list itself, I did equally well.

OK, I got 22/23 and the one I got 'wrong' (#7) has an alternative spelling.

Which do you claim have alternative spellings and which do you claim is wrong?

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Originally posted by THUDandBLUNDER
Which do you claim have alternative spellings and which do you claim is wrong?
Well, the numbers I gave earlier where not entirerly accurate. So here's what I've concluded.


millenium is a variant spelling of millennium

miniscule is a variant of minuscule


The following are also variants, though rarely used nowadays:

ecstacy is a variant of ecstasy

irresistable is a variant of irresistible

brocoli is a variant of broccoli


And dumbbell is incorrect. It should be either dumbell or dumb-bell.

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Originally posted by Bowmann

millenium is a variant spelling of millennium

miniscule is a variant of minuscule


The following are also variants, though rarely used nowadays:

ecstacy is a variant of ecstasy

i incorrect. It should be either [b]dumbell or dumb-bell.[/b]
Millenium: American?

Miniscule: Agreed.

Ecstacy: Doesn't agree with the Greek root 'ekstasis'.

Irresistable: Reference?

Brocoli: Doesn't agree with Italian root ' broccolo'.

Dumbell: Concise Oxford has 'dumb-bell'. Although dictionary.com has 'dumbbell', I am not considering any American corruptions. Neither has 'dumbell'.

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Originally posted by THUDandBLUNDER
Millenium: American?

Miniscule: Agreed.

Ecstacy: Doesn't agree with the Greek root 'ekstasis'.

Irresistable: Reference?

Brocoli: Doesn't agree with Italian root ' broccolo'.

Dumbell: Concise Oxford has 'dumb-b ...[text shortened]... considering any American corruptions. Neither has 'dumbell'.

I used the two-volume Shorter Oxford English Dictionary. The spellings are all British.



You also failed to spot the two deliberate spelling errors in the first line of my previous post 😛

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Originally posted by Bowmann
I used the two-volume Shorter Oxford English Dictionary. The spellings are all British.



You also failed to spot the two deliberate spelling errors in the first line of my previous post 😛
entirerly and where.
Where wasn't really a spelling mistake so much as a word substitution.

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Originally posted by Bowmann
You also failed to spot the two deliberate spelling errors in the first line of my previous post 😛
Failing to spot and 'failing' to gleefully point out typos (as you do) are not the same thing.

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Originally posted by XanthosNZ
Where wasn't really a spelling mistake so much as a word substitution.
Yew could be right.

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Originally posted by THUDandBLUNDER
Failing to spot and 'failing' to gleefully point out typos (as you do) are not the same thing.
How kind.

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Here's an easy one. White to play and win.

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Originally posted by schakuhr
Here's an easy one. White to play and win.

[fen]2r1r1k1/1p1q1ppp/3p1b2/p2P4/3Q4/5N2/PP2RPPP/4R1K1[/fen]
Adams-Torre? 😉 Yep, a nice one.