White to move. What is the absolute best continuation? 
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1.Rf8+ Rxf8 (as Bxf8 leads to exf8=Q+ Rxf8(forced)with Qe5#)
2. exf8=Q+ Bxf8 (forced)
3. Qe5+ Bg7 (forced)
4. Qe8+ Bf8 (forced)
5. Qxf8#
Hi Susan!
1. Rf8+ …
if Bxf8 then 1. … exf8=Q+
2. Rxf8 Qe5+ 3. Rf6 Qxf6#
if Rxf8 then 1. … exf8=Q+
2. Bxf8 Qe5+ 3. Bg7 Qe8+ 4. Bf8 Qxf8#
Good Day!
Susan,
You might have learned that we developed our skills far beyond anything you may have imagined. Any problem of difficulty level less than 2700 we solve with ease! Got anything more challenging?
I personally don’t think here puzzles are meant for higher rated players for good reason. They may be easy to you, but if you know anything about what Susan is doing in the chess world it mostly has to do with the kids. I am perhaps a 1400-1600 USCF rated player( My actual rating is in the upper 1200s but I haven’t done OTB tourneys in a while and have taken some lessons and improved a bit since), and I solved this on my own. With the proliferation of Chess programs it isn’t difficult to plug this position into Fritz or any other reasonable chess engine and come up with the solution and post it here. I would estimate this puzzle as a 7.5 difficulty for myself which I would in turn estimate at around a 1300-1400 ELO level…perhaps a bit higher just because I have a better fell for puzzles than actual results OTB for some reason as well. Don’t be critical of the choice of puzzles because it’s easy for you. There are plenty of other places for you to be challenged if you need to be. I appreciate what Susan is doing for chess as a whole and not gearing everything towards upper rated individuals. Make things challenging but not impossible for some youngsters and they will enjoy the “win” much more than being stumped by a puzzle meant for 2200 ELO players.
What is the ideal number of boards at the Open Olympiad?
What is the ideal number of boards at the Womens’ Olympiad?
What is the ideal number of reserves at the Open Olympiad?
What is the ideal number of reserves at the Womens’ Olympiad?
“I am perhaps a 1400-1600 USCF rated player”
I would disagree. Your USCF elo doesn’t represent your individual problem tactical solving capabilities, especially when hinted who is winning.
Mr. Grand Master Roman Dzindzichachsvili hints that any 1400, 1500 player can find moves (many, but not all) played by a grandmaster, if he/she thinks logically.
Too hard for me.
What is the problem with these kind of people? Why insult someone (Susan) who strives hard keep the blog going? It’s a fun and instructional blog. I appreciate it very much. Though I find this puzzle easy, the previous one got me thinking hard (’till I turned on my professional help – Shredder 9. Hehe). Keep it going, Susan. BTW, bloggers should have a name.
Psychologist DeGroot did a study, and found that class A players and Grandmasters can calculate about the same, the difference was the personal evaluation of the positions that arose from those calculations. The Grandmasters evaluations were more precise, their understanding of both the tactical and positional nuances were more present than those of the “A” players.
A bit of politics to brighten the day:
http://www.chessdon.com/new_page_6.htm
“Why insult someone (Susan) who strives hard keep the blog going?”
Why insult the blogger, who pointed out that Susan’s teachings in this blog have raised the level so high, that many can solve what they could not dream about solving before?
Don’t be negative about every post, Gerald, think positive and pray for the US teams!
I want to encourage people to register a handle and stop posting as anonymous. even an anonymous handle allows people to get to know each other.
I agree with Tommy. Get a handle.
It’s often difficult to sort out all the anonymous posters, making it harder to understand and to reply to posts.
As far as analysis goes, remember that the great Botvinnik advised up-and-coming players to publish their analyses. Only if you submit your chess thoughts to the scrutiny of others can you really improve, he said.
Hiding behind “Anonymous” encourages sloppy work.
so i’ll throw in my two cents worth …
i’m used to get up at the crack of dawn – about 6 o’clock in the morning (GMT-1 that is -6 NY time – if i calculated right …!) you guys and gals were all still asleep – dreaming well – hopefully …
– i turn my computer on to look for new endgame puzzles on susan’s blog – i’m really weak in endgames – i see a tactic’s puzzle – and i’m really good in tactics – and i say to myself – Vohaul, keep your mouth (u need to know, that there is a real chess board next to my comp and if the 2-d positions are too complicated to me old man i use 3-dimensional help … in my brain a chess board is ALWAYS 3-d and fully RIGHT coloured – ^^)
the puzzles here are really good tasting together with my morning coffee – i do not look tv, i need no newspaper (im a journalist and have to read newspapers all along the day)- I LIKE THE PUZZLES
– but there is one point to criticize: the overwhelming majority of puzzles is given as “white to move” (and win, of course); i like to play the black pieces – and statistical reviews of chess combinations reveal, that there is no clear preference for white in tactical or even endgame success – PLEASE SUSAN – turn the board sometimes – and mention it, of course – stop that “white dominance of terror on the 64 black and white squares” – black is beautiful – i prefer it – there might be others,too…
and – by the way – former world champion Petrosian won’t agree with your accomplishments on “how to become a champ”! but Tigran Petrosian is more my generation than your’s, he was armenian, and the armenians do very well those days in Torino…
sincerly – and exhausted from writing, your’s, Vohaul (hoping, that his english is comprehensible …)