let's finish this one out because i hate these things hanging around too long - if you have a board, i'd advise setting it up so you can see how the sequence develops
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white's 1st move has to be the knight's check on f6 and, as previously discussed, the only move black can sensibly make is king to g7 - remember, black's king must avoid the f7 square at all costs so it's knight can go there should white's pawn promote on d8 - if white queens unchallenged, the game is lost
white continues with the checking strategy and moves the knight to h5 - black's king cannot move to either the 8th rank or f7 or white will queen with no chance of immediate recapture - it also can't return to h7 or a bishop check will lead to either mate within 2 or forcing the king to occupy the f7 square - so black's king has to move to g6
white now moves the bishop to c2 - again, black's king must avoid f7 - only move is black king takes knight on h5
next move is the killer - white now promotes to queen on d8 - black must move it's knight to f7 - any other move is as good as admitting defeat
white's king moves to e6 and black's knight takes the queen on d8, checking the white king
white's king moves to safety on f5, where there is no danger of being immediately checked - this is the vital position - black's king is now trapped on the h5 square, being unable to move to the g file (white's king on f5 blocks), h6 (black's own pawn blocks) or h4 (white's pawn blocks) - black's king now sits on a light square and white has a light square bishop on c2 to play with - checkmate looms large
the only move black has to avoid mate in 2 is pawn to e2 - white's bishop replies by moving to e4, now threatening mate on f3
black's only reply is to promote the pawn on e1 to a knight, protecting the f3 square (anything else is an instant win for white) - white replies with bishop to d5, with a view to mate via c4 and e2
the only possible defence against this line involves black moving it's pawn immediately to c2 - white's bishop goes to c4 - black moves the pawn to c1 and promotes to another knight, now protecting e2 (again, any other promotion leads to mate for white)
white's bishop now moves to b5, with the threat of mate on e8 - the only logical reply to try and stop this is black's knight from a6 to c7, covering the e8 square
white's bishop now goes to a4, threatening mate on d1
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if you've set a board up to follow this sequence, you should now be seeing that black has no moves that will help now - white's bishop will land on d1, delivering mate - the only prolonging moves black has is to block the way with it's knights but that doesn't stop the inevitable
as i said, tal was the only grandmaster who managed to beat this puzzle at the tournament it was showcased at, which is perhaps unsurprising - tal, of all the famous chess players going, had the reputation of throwing in mad moves that nobody else would probably even think of
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Last edited by sp88; 04-17-2020 at 01:57 AM.
"i know enough to know what's instantly forgettable"
try this puzzle on for size …..
thanos to play and win
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"i know enough to know what's instantly forgettable"
2 grandmasters are playing chess - they have played 3 games - each player has 2 wins
how is this possible?
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Last edited by sp88; 04-28-2020 at 05:28 AM.
"i know enough to know what's instantly forgettable"
^
yep, a nice easy one - they're both playing other people
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"i know enough to know what's instantly forgettable"