This is the actual position between GM-elect Aagaard and IM Gordon. It is White to move. Black just played 23…Ne5.
How would you assess this position? What is the plan for White? Play this position out against your computer and see if you can win with White or hold with Black?
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
1.f6 followed by
2.Rf4 seems good to me.
And white is better.
Meanwhile, at http://ecmc.ru:8080/mantis_test/broadcast/live.html and after 20 moves, Joel Benjamin seems to be gaining ground
He is 2.5-3.5 down with 2 to play: should be 2-4 but RYBKA was set up wrong for Game 1.
RYBKA-Benjamin: B’s 32…Rd5 seems to lose ground. Advantage down to ~-1.0 now, which is more than the ~-0.5 it was at the beginning. B under time-pressure though.
For ‘live’ in the URL, read ‘live.html’.
Gordon’s position improved greatly in the actual game. He managed to free himself.
I wonder if Susan had particular idea here (e.g. that of anonymous first?).
If so, Aagaard doesn’t seem to have seen it…
Banjanx
RYBKA-B: B’s advantage slipped away from move 36, maybe under time-pressure and RYBKA forced a 3x-repetition.
Interesting experiment in variants of chess, but I think the schedule and clock-budget is against JB
Black is better here. I have set up rybka against toga (based on fruit 2.1) and toga against rybka and black wins in both cases. Well, it’s a long way but after about 30 moves black is about +3 ahead.
The move played 1. Rd1 appears solid at first glance, but is passive. In this position, any passive play will lose.
In the game f6 doesn’t achieve much.
Would love to play 1. Ne4, but it fails to 1…Qb7.
The next aggressive alternative is 1. R1f1. However, after 1 …nc4:
if 2. bc1, bxd4, 3 fxg6, fxg6. 0-1.
if 2. ne6?! nxe3+ 3. qxe3, fxe6, 4. fxe6, rf8 5. rxf8, bxf8 wins for black.
Another idea is 1.nf3, and if 1…nc4, 2. bd4. Exchanging B’s will make Black’s king vulnerable. If 1…qc6, 2. kg1.
Wonder what Susan had in mind!