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Last update: Friday June 3, 2005 9:44
The following position is from the final round of the quickplay at the first Mini-Squad Chess Group training event, held last weekend at Yateley Manor School in Hampshire. The venue was excellent and the weekend proved to be quite a success. Details of the Mini-Squad and further training sessions/venues can be obtained from Tony Corfe on 01707-659080.
Henry Kingston(Cambridge) - Thomas Pym(Shropshire)
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1...Qxg2+!
In fact Black
can mate one move quicker with 1...Rf1+! 2 Rxf1 (2 Kxf1 Qxg2#) 2...Qxg2#.
However the text leads to a finish which is also very pleasing to the eye. 2
Kxg2 Rg8+ 3 Kh1 Rf1#
Tal was known as the magician from Riga, not without just cause, as the following finish from a game in a simultaneous played in Stuttgart in 1958 shows. His ability to spot ‘flash’ tactics was legendary.
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This position, arising from a Sicilian Dragon, almost
looks normal apart from the fact that Black has played ...h7-h6 and therefore
decided not to castle kingside. Tal notices though that
a) Black’s
queen is unprotected and
b) should Black be able to exchange queens on d2
at an opportune moment it will not be with check.
That kind of information
is all he needed to launch the bombshell!
14 g5 hxg5 15 hxg5 Rxh1
In hindsight Black should have played 15...Nh5.
16 gxf6 Rxd1+ 17 Nxd1!! Qxd2 18 fxg7
and Black resigned in view of 18...e6 19 g8Q+ Ke7 20 Qg7 Qa5 (or
20...Qb4) 21 Bg5+ Ke8 22 Qg8#.
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And now for a bit of fun! White to play and mate in 15
moves! Don’t be put off by the length of the solution, once you get into
the swing of it the moves flow naturally!
1 Rh8+
Kxh8 2 Rh1+ Kg8 3 Rh8+ Kxh8 4 Rh1+ Kg8 5 Rh8+ Kxh8 6 Rh1+ Kg8 7 Rh8+ Kxh8 8
Rh1+ Kg8 9 Rh8+ Kxh8 10 Rh1+ Kg8 11 Rh8+ Kxh8 12 Rh1+ Kg8 13 Rh8+ Kxh8 14 Qh1+
Kg8 15 Qh7#
And finally a real tricky one, White plays 1 f3, 2 Kf2, 3 Kg3 and 4 Kh4 on his first four moves (shown on the following diagram) only to find he is mated! What were Black’s moves to deliver the mate?
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They were 1...e5 (or 1...e6), 2...Qf6, 3...Qxf3+ and 4...Be7#.
