Chess - with Leonard Barden

Daily chess challenges from the London Evening Standard (solutions below)...

WEDNESDAY 23 MAY, 9654

Alexander Morozevich v Matthew Sadler, European Club Cup, Reykjavik 1999. Sadler was ranked in the world top 30 and had won an Olympiad gold medal for England when, aged just 25, he suddenly abandoned chess in favour of a career in information technology. His comeback in 2011-12 after a decade's absence at first brought successes before a more modest result at Tata Wijk this year. In an interview, he recalled today's puzzle game. It was the last of his professional career, just three days before starting IT work, and it also turned out probably his best-ever game, a creative attack with rooks against a Russian great. Can you spot Black's winning move?

TUESDAY 22 MAY, 9653

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave v Lenier Dominguez, Mind Games festival, Beijing 2011. The top grandmasters of France and Cuba met here, but it is the event which has an interesting rationale. China is No1 in women's chess, strong in men's chess, and would like both to be included in the Olympic Games. The IOC is firmly against it, so the Beijing event was part of a long-term public relations campaign which China hopes will bear fruit a few years from now. Back at the board, material is level but the Frenchman has a clear advantage. His pieces are active, the black king's defences have been broken, and White's compact two-island pawns contrast with Black's four isolated pawn islands. How did White (to move) win rapidly?

MONDAY 21 MAY, 9652

Pentala Harikrishna v Damiele Vocaturo, Tata Steel Wijk aan Zee B 2012. India's No3 Harikrishna is a powerful player when he gets going on a streak of wins, and he dominated most of this event. Here his Italian opponent (Black, to play) is temporarily ahead rook for bishop, but has to return it due to the pressure from White's bishop pair. The choice is between (a) Rc7 when White regains material by 2 Qxd7 Rxd7 3 Bc6 and (b) Rec8 2 Bxc6 Rxc6. At first glance there is little to choose between them, but Vocaturo’s selection turned out to be a grade one blunder. Can you spot Black's error?

FRIDAY 18 MAY, 9651

Boris Gelfand v Hikaru Nakamura, Tata Steel Wijk aan Zee 2012. Israel's No1 Gelfand is challenging for world champion Vishy Anand's title in Moscow this month, but the Israeli entered the match in poor form after conceding several defeats at Wijk due to miscalculations. Here material is level, and although Black has some advantage due to his passed f2 pawn White should be able to hold on with accurate play. Black's immediate threat here is Rd8-d2, so White (to move) needs to select between (a) 1 Rd6 challenging Black's rook or (b) 1 Rc2 guarding the invasion square. Which is right, and what happened when Gelfand made the wrong choice?

THURSDAY 17 MAY, 9650

Hikaru Nakamura (US) v Michael Adams (England), London Classic 2011. The American No1's swashbuckling style has established him in the world top ten despite a well publicised break with the legendary Garry Kasparov who had been his coach. Nakamura uses sharp openings like the Dutch and King's Indian and relies on his tactical skills to escape from any subsequent trouble. In today's puzzle England No1 Adams had been winning a few moves earlier, and it still looked good for Black who threatens to promote his b2 pawn to queen. How did Nakamura (White, to play) win speedily?

WEDNESDAY 16 MAY, 9649

Lazaro Bruzon (Cuba) v Jan Timman (Netherlands), Tata Steel Wijk aan Zee 2012. Sometimes chess is less about finding the exact move to play than avoiding a plausible blunder. Here Dutch legend Timman (Black, to play) is under some pressure but has counter chances with his passed c4 pawn. The best for Black would be 1...e4. but that's not what happened. Can you find Timman's plausible error and how it was refuted?

TUESDAY 15 MAY , 9648

Simone De Filomeno (Italy) v Jakob Aperia (Sweden), Rilton Cup, Stockholm 2011-12. Positions like today's make any strong player instinctively look hard for a winning tactic. Though material is level, White (to move) has queen, rook and bishop targeting the black king while Black's defensive rook and bishop are still stuck at base camp. White is a rising 16-year-old talent and he broke through for a finish which, though spectacular, would be regarded as bread and butter by most attackers. Can you spot White's winner?

MONDAY 14 MAY , 9647

Veselin Topalov v Vasily Ivanchuk, Tata Steel Wijk aan Zee 2012. Once in a while a top grandmaster will miss a relatively obvious trick, and that is what happened here. Bulgaria's former world title finalist Topalov has just played g4-g5 trapping Ivanchuk's h4 bishop, and now he looked forward to Bd2 followed by Kf3-g4 when the bishop has no escape squares. But after the game Topalov admitted "I'm very disappointed" while Ivanchuk could hardly contain his laughter at his rival's discomfiture. How did Ivanchuk (Black, to move) rescue his bishop?

SOLUTIONS

9651 1 Rd6! should draw. Gelfand went 1 Rc2? Red4! and White resigned since there is no good defence to Rd1+ winning.
9650 1 c7! b1Q 2 Qxf6+! Rxf6 3 c8Q+ and mates.
9649 1...c3?? 2 Ra4! Resigns. So often it is strong retreat moves which are overlooked. Black has no decent defence to Rg4+ and Qg7 mate.
9648 1 Bxf6! gxf6 2 Qh5+ Ke7 3 Rxe6+! Kxe6 4 Re1+ Kd7 5 Qxe8 mate.
96471...Nd8! 2 Bd2 Nc6 3 Kf3 Nd4+ 4 Kg4 Nf5 and Black is completely safe. White has nothing better, so they soon agreed a draw.

FRIDAY 11 MAY, 9646

Hikaru Nakamura v David Navara, Tata Steel Wijk aan Zee 2012. Nakamura is America's hope for the world title and his victory in today's puzzle advanced him to No 7 in the daily rankings. His swashbuckling approach paid dividends when he found the chance for a knight offer to expose his Czech opponent's king. Navara hopes to hold on because 1 Qxd8 is well met by Qxf7. Can you find White's winning move?

THURSDAY 10 MAY, 9645

Hans Tikkanen (Sweden) v Etienne Goudriaan (Netherlands), Tata Steel Wijk aan Zee 2012. Chess experts have to be alert to sudden and fleeting tactical opportunities which can decide a game that had seemed calm and level. Here the position looks routine, and Black's last turn Bc8-b7 offered an exchange of bishops expecting to head towards a draw. In fact, Black's bishop move was a losing blunder. Can you find White's winning sequence?

WEDNESDAY 9 MAY, 9644

David Howell v Wang Yue, Hastings 2011-12. The traditional Hastings event, staged annually since 1919, has had winners from Russia, the US, India and many other nations, but till now nobody from the fast emerging chess power China. Wang Yue, ranked in the world top 50 and easily the No1 seed on ratings, remedied that as he took the £2,000 first prize unbeaten. The 24-year-old grandmaster played some classy finishes, notably in this puzzle against England's young hope. Black (to move) is a pawn up but the game could last a long time if the rooks stay on the board so Wang Yue played 1...Rc3! and after some thought and calculation Howell played a couple of moves then resigned. Just why he gave up is a valuable endgame lesson in itself. Can you explain why Rc3 made White concede defeat?

TUESDAY 8 MAY, 9643

Arghyadip Das v Babu Lalith, Hastings 2011-12. The traditional Hastings New Year tournament has become a Mecca for India's aspiring young masters keen to gain international experience. Das had shared first prize the previous year but this time he was trounced by his 19-year-old compatriot in today's puzzle. Material is level, but the white king lacks its h pawn defender so looks ominously exposed on this open board with queens and rooks in action. That is how it turned out as Black (to move) let loose with a checkmating attack. Can you spot Lalith's winner? Golders Green holds another one-day open-to-all competition on Sunday. This popular monthly event is staged close to the tube station, and has a friendly ambiance plus cash awards for winners. You can find full details online.

SOLUTIONS

9646 9646 1 Qf1! creates a decisive double threat to win the black queen either directly by 2 Rf6 or by using the standard tactic 2 Qh3+ Qh5 3 Rh7+. Black resigned after a few hopeless moves.
9645 1 Bxb7 Rxb7 2 Qg4+ Kh8 3 exf6 Bxf6 4 Qf3 forks the b7 rook and the f6 bishop so wins a piece and the game.
9644 1...Rc3! 2 Rxc3 bxc3 3 Kxc3 Kh5 4 Kb4 Kh4 5 Ka5 Kxh3 6 Kxa6 g4 7 b4 g3 8 b5 g2 9 b6 g1Q 10 b7 Qa1+ 11 Kb6 Qb2+ 12 Ka7 Qa3+ 13 Kb6 Qb4+ 14 Ka7 Qa5+ 15 Kb8 Kg4 and Black wins. Every time the WK tries to escape from in front of the pawn, the black queen checks it back again and Black continues to approach with his own king until he can checkmate. The key principle which strong players know is that king and queen win against king and pawn on the seventh unless the pawn is a rook or bishop pawn (that is a,c,f or h pawns) in which case the pawn player has stalemate tricks to draw. With so few men left on the board and knowing the key principle, it is possible to visualise many moves ahead.
9643 1...Rxd5! 2 Qxd5 Qh6+ 3 Kg1 Bh2+ and if 4 Kf2 Qe3 mate or 4 Kh1 Bg3+ 5 Kg1 Qh2 mate.

FRIDAY 4 MAY, 9642

Glenn Flear v Samuel Franklin, Hastings 2011-12. One of the biggest upset results at the traditional Hastings New Year tournament came in today's puzzle where a grandmaster was taken off guard by a Dulwich College sixth-former. Black has given up two pawns for a promising attack, but White could steer the game to a draw if he made the right choice here between (a) 1 Kh2 and (b) 1 Nb3. Both look plausible. Can you work out which move is the loser and how Black exploited the error with a decisive tactic?

THURSDAY 3 MAY, 9641

Fabiano Caruana V Anish Giri, Reggio Emilia 2011. The Italian champion Caruana, 19, and Holland's Giri, 17, are the two best teenagers in chess today and both have their eyes on the world top. They advanced at the strong Reggio tournament where Giri won, Caruana was second, and their mutual game decided the outcome. It was a lacklustre performance by the Italian, and here Black's queen and rooks are very much in control while the white king is far from safe. Just two accurate and powerful moves ensured victory for Giri (Black, to play). Can you work out the finish?

WEDNESDAY 2 MAY, 9640

aniel Naroditsky (US) v Levon Gazoyan (Armenia), Groningen Open 2011. The white player achieved early fame when he became world under-12 champion then cashed in on his success by having his first chess book published at age 14. Since then Naroditsky has sensibly made improving his play the top priority, and has followed the tradition of past American masters by taking on the competitive European tour and finishing near the top at the traditional Groningen event. Here as White (to play) he has given up rook for bishop but has a promising attack against Black's vulnerable king. Can you spot White's winning move?

TUESDAY 1 MAY, 9639

Vojtech Plat (Czech Republic) v Erik Sparenberg (Netherlands), Groningen Open 2011. White (to move) has rook for bishop and two pawns, and the outcome looks unclear. White can go ahead on material by 1 Rxa6, but Black's supported passed e3 pawn is a strong counter. Contrary to expectations, the diagram is actually a forced and brilliant win for White. Plat spotted the winning move and quickly scored his victory. Can you do as well? Coulsdon stages an open-to-all speed chess tournament next Bank Holiday Monday. Everyone from expert to novice is welcome, the venue is within walking distance from two rail stations, and Coulsdon events are noted for their friendly ambiance. You can find full details online.

MONDAY 30 APRIL, 9638

Andrei Istratescu v Jovanka Houska, Hastings Masters 2011-12. If an expert blunders, one of the most frequent causes is choosing a move which is strategically excellent but has a big tactical flaw. Here England's No1 woman grandmaster Houska is Black against a French male GM and has been holding her own, though White has some initiative with his pair of bishops. Houska's last turn to reach the puzzle diagram was Nd5-e7, planning to regroup her knight to f5 where it simultaneously menaces White's isolated d4 pawn and acts defensively to allow her to counter Bf6 (threat Qh3-h8 mate) by Bg7. Impeccable logic, but instantly refuted by Istratescu (White, to play) whose next turn forced Black's resignation. Can you find White's winner?

SOLUTIONS

9642 1 Kh2! and if Qg4 2 Qh3 Re2+ 3 Rg2 holds for White. The game ended 1 Nb3? Re2! 2 Nd4 ( if 2 Qxe2 Qh3+ 3 Qh2 Nf2 mate) Nf2+ 3 Kh2 Ng4+ 4 Kh3 Rxg2 5 Nxf5 Rh2 mate.
9641 1...Re4! 2 Qb5 Qg3! and White resigned. The winning threat is Rh4 followed by Rh1 mate, or if 3 fxe4 Rf8+! forces mate.
9640 1 Nf6+! gxf6 2 Qxf6 and Black resigned. White threatens both Bxd5 winning the queen and Bxe5 with Qg7/h8 mate.
9639 1 g4+! fxg3 en passant (if Kh4 2 gxf5 wins) 2 Qg4+! Bxg4 3 hxg4+ Kh4 4 Rh6 mate.
9638 1 Qf3! Resigns. White's winning double threat is Qxf7+ and Qxb7.

FRIDAY 27 APRIL, 9637

Rajkumar Preethi v Rajpara Ankit, Commonwealth championship, Delhi 2010. Black (to play) is potentially two pawns up, so he captured Rxd3 without much thought. But then 2 Rc7+ and 3 Rxb7 gave White strong counter chances, and Black was finally lucky to draw. Can you improve?

THURSDAY 26 APRIL, 9636

White to move and win. This endgame composition by Abram Gurvich (Moscow, 1959) at first glance looks a likely draw. The black king will capture White's a4 pawn, then the white bishop will be sacrificed for Black's pawn when it advances to b3 to leave just rook and h pawn against rook. In fact, the answer to the puzzle is a completely different and quite astonishing two-move white sequence which ensures a dramatic victory. Can you find White's winner?

WEDNESDAY 25 APRIL, 9635

Peter Svidler v Vlad Kramnik, Tal Memorial, Moscow 2011. The tournament was planned as a tribute to the brilliant Latvian legend who dazzled the chess world with his imaginative attacks, but in the event 80 per cent of the games were drawn and today's puzzle was one of the few finishes to evoke memories of Tal. Can you find Svidler's winning white move?

TUESDAY 24 APRIL, 9634

Martin Neubauer v Jakob Glud, Austria v Denmark, European teams 2011. Rook and bishop against rook is normally a theoretical draw, but in practice there are often mistakes. It is an endgame which arises when both players are fatigued after a session of several hours. Here White had a clear draw a few moves earlier, but went wrong and now Black (to play) can win. Care is needed, though. An incorrect choice will only draw. Can you find Black's winning move?

MONDAY 23 APRIL, 9633

No mistake, the chessboard really is empty. In today's puzzle (by Henry Dudeney) the players have a perfectly constructed chessboard with an unlimited supply of pawns of exactly identical dimensions. The first player places a pawn anywhere on the board, not necessarily in the middle of a square, and the second player then does likewise. They continue until one player cannot put another pawn on the board; that player loses. With optimum play, who wins and how?

SOLUTIONS

9637 1...Kf7! 2 Rxc3 (or 2 Bxf5 exf5) Rh5 mate.
9636 1 Bb3!! Rxb3 2 Ra8! followed by 3 Kb7 mate or by Kxa4 3 Kb6 mate. The bishop offer stopped the black king's escape via b4-b3 and Kb4.
9635 1 Qa8+! Rxa8 2 Rxa8+ Re8 3 Rxe8 mate.
9634 1...Rg5! (threat Rg1 mate) 2 Kc1 Rb5! and the threat Rb1 mate forces White to give up his rook. The immediate 1...Rb5?? 2 Rc7! Rb1+ 3 Rc1 is only a draw.
9633 The first player places a pawn in the geometric centre of the board. However his opponent counters, he matches the move symmetrically until no spaces remain for the second player.

Friday 20 APRIL, 9632

Avnar Gunnarsson v Ivan Sokolov, Reykjavik 2001. A journeyman Icelander had the tournament winner on the brink of defeat, but missed the knock-out punch. Gunnarsson (White, to play) was a pawn down, but the black king was on the ropes. As White considered his next turn, Sokolov's rivals gathered behind Gunnarsson's back smirking at the top seed's palpable fear as he awaited the decisive blow. Instead the Icelander tamely chose 1 gxf7+? Qxf7 2 Qe2 Qf2+ and they agreed a draw in the level material endgame. What did White miss?

Thursday 19 APRIL, 9631

Vlastimil Hort v Ivan Sokolov, Biel 1989. Play went 1 Ra1 Qe2 2 Re4 Nxd5! 3 Qc4 Qxc4 and Black won with his two extra pawns. England's first grandmaster, Tony Miles, was watching, and later commented "Big Vlastimil played a fine game, built up a great position, set himself up for the knock-out, took a huge swing, but unfortunately hit himself. Every fool in the room could see the right move". A touch exaggerated, perhaps, but essentially right. Maybe Hort was disconcerted because the obvious 1 Ne4 is countered by Nxd5! but White has another winning move. Can you find it?

Wednesday 18 APRIL, 9630

If you could not defeat Anatoly Karpov in yesterday's puzzle, here is another chance. In this position from Karpov v Bojan Kurajica, Tilburg 1994, they were playing a two-game mini-match where Karpov had already lost the first game and was now a pawn down with a dubious position. "If Black (to play) had found the right move, I would have resigned" the Russian legend said later. Kurajica failed to see it, and Karpov won the game and later the match. Can you find Black's winning move?

Tuesday17 APRIL, 9629

Can you defeat Anatoly Karpov? Today's puzzle is from Karpov v Antonio Antunes, Tilburg 1994, where the Russian legend as White threatens to win the black queen by Rc8. Portugal's top player chose the defensive Bf8, Karpov went on to win and then after the game showed his opponent the golden opportunity he had missed. How can Black (to move) win the game?

Monday 16 APRIL, 9628

Kevin Spraggett v Jonathan Speelman, Hastings 1989-90. One of the best opportunities ever missed by a grandmaster. As White (to play) Canada's world title quarter-finalist Spraggett continued with the obvious 1 Nxg3 and the game was later drawn. Perhaps there was some poetic justice, for a year earlier Spraggett had eliminated a Russian from the world championship by a blindingly obvious knight fork of king and queen. What did White miss in the diagram?