Full Analysis of Selected Games

Listed below are full annotations of selected games.  I will not claim that this is a definitive analysis, but it will provide insight (via Chessbase) into obvious blunders and alternative lines in the selected games.

Pedersen-Kushner (posted 10/1/08)

The following game is from the last round of our recently completed “Hard Labor Swiss” tournament.  The game was very interesting and spawned three new entries in our Chess Problems section below.  You may wish to check out the problems first, then come back to the analysis for further insights.

Chess Problems & Solutions

Problem #1 – Black to Move (mate in 3) – Pedersen-Winokur

[Elmwood Park - Mel Rappaport Memorial Swiss]

After 39. Rf3 (see solution below)

Problem #2 – White to Move and win - Feuerstein-Seidman

[from the 1957 US Championship as noted in the 12/07 Chess Life magazine]

Problem #3 – Black to Move – Winokur – Pascalicchio

[April Fool's Swiss - Round 3, April 2008]

Problem #4 – Black to Move – Bloise – Kaudern

[April Fool's Swiss - Round 5, April 2008]  

Problem #5 – Black to Move - Pedersen-Kushner

[Hard Labor Swiss - Round 5, September 2008]

Problem #6 Black to Move - Pedersen-Kushner

[Hard Labor Swiss - Round 5, September 2008]

Problem #7 White to Move - Pedersen-Kushner

[Hard Labor Swiss - Round 5, September 2008]

Problem #8 Black to Move – Zonenberg-Winokur

[Goodbye to Summer Swiss - Round 1, September 2009]

 … as viewed from the black side of the board …

Problem #9 – White to Move –  Tkachiev-Lagrave

To see the full transcript of this game, click the following link:

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1426743

Problem #10 – White to Move – Winokur-Rubenfeld

[Turkey Trot Swiss - Round 5]

(see solutions below)

Solutions:

Problem #1: (38. … Rch2  39. f5+ Kg5  40. Rf2 R8h3#), note: in the actual game black chose 38. … Rhh2? and the game continued 39. Rf1 Rhg2 40. Kf3 etc. 1/2 – 1/2

Problem #2: (1. Re7! Re7 2. Rxf6 – threatens both 3. Rf8 mate and 3. Rxc6)

Problem #3: after 18. c4?? black should reply … Bf2! and win a piece (note: the continuation 19. Kf2?? only makes it worse after de and 19. Be4  Re4, which snags the other bishop due to the Queen’s pin on the king).

Problem #4: White has just played 26. Be3 to block the revealed check (after the black Knight moved from f2 with 25. Ne4).  In the game, black played 26. … Be3+, missing the following tactic – 26. … Nd2!  27. Qc1 Nf3+, winning the other Rook.  After this black can follow with Be3+, further reducing white’s material.

Problem #5: The best continuation for black is 35. … f3!, (threatening Nf6 which wins the bishop).  The best continuation for white is … 36. c4 bc 37. bc Nf4 38. Bf3 Nf3 39. Ke3 Nh3 40. Kf3 but black will have solidified his advantage.  In the actual game, black missed this opportunity and chose 35. … h3

Problem #6: The missed shot was 49. … f3! which forces off a piece.  A possible continuation would be 50. Nf2 ef 51. Bh3 Nf5 etc.  The full line is noted in the analysis of Pedersen-Kushner noted above.

Problem #7: Black overlooked mate in 1, and has just queened a pawn.  The finish is 51. c3 # (note: black could have remained even by underpromoting and choosing a Knight)

Problem #8: (note: this problem is setup from the black point of view) White had less then 3 minutes on his clock and had just played Qg4 to try and break the pin.  The reply Ne3!, capturing the Knight and offering the queen, ends the game because black’s checkmate threat can only be stopped by a sacrifice of material by white.

Problem #9: Black has just pushed a pawn to drive the Knight away, but missed the surprising reply – Nc6!  Black played … bc (pawn takes Knight), and was crushed by the x-ray attack Rd7.  All he could do at this point was resign.

Problem #10:  In a drawish endgame, black played Kh5 in an effort to eliminate one of white’s pawns.  Unfortunately, he has also trapped his king and after Ne6, it’s mate in 1 – on either Ng7 or Nf4.