Black to move. Assess the position. How should Black continue?
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
- About Us
- Chess Improvement
- Chess Puzzles
- Chess Research
- College Chess
- General News
- Home
- Major Tournaments
- News
- Polgar Events
- Privacy Policy
- Scholastic Chess
- SPICE / Webster
- Susan’s Personal Blog
- Track your order
- USA Chess
- Videos
- Women’s Chess
- Contact Us
- Daily News
- My Account
- Terms & Conditions
- Privacy Policy
The Ra1 is unguarded; it would be nice if …Qf6 hit it, even better if the move hit sth else, too.
So maybe 1…Bh3!?
cuter?
1…Nxf3+ 2.Bxf3 Qh4 and now if 3.g3 Qf6 wins.
so 3.h3 Bxh3
Looks sorta even; both sides are still developing, black has an isolated QP, an active N on e5. White could be vulnerable on the f6-a1 diagonal, since his R is unprotected. Let’s try something forcing:
1 … Nxf3+ seems good for Black. 2. gxf3 loses the exchange to 2 … Bh3 (with the threats of Bxf1 and Qg5+ and Qg2#). So, 2 Bxf3, and now 2 … Qh4 threatening mate on h2. There are a few defences:
3. h3 Bxh3 4. gxh3 (if 4. Bxd5, Bf5 5. g3 Bxc2 6. gxh4 Bxf1 wins) Qxh3 and Black wins back the piece (at least), remaining 2 pawns up.
3. g3 Qf6, forking the Ra1 and Bf3. I saw the line 4. Bxd5 Qxa1 5. Bb2 Qa2 6. Qc3 and now Qxb2 is forced to prevent mate! However, after 5. … Qa5 Black is fine, and a Rook up.
4. Rd1, looks like the best try to hang onto material. The point is that Black can take on h2, but won’t be able to defend his isolated d-pawn. However, after 4 … Qxh2+ 5 Kf1 d4! White is in deep doo-doo whichever way he takes: 6 Rxd4 Be5 skewering the Rooks, or 6. exd4 Re8 and the thread of Qh1# is deadly, e.g. 7 g3 Bh3+ followed by mate, or 7. Be4 f5 winning the Bishop.
–gb
Hehe, my analysis of 3 h3 Bxh3 4 Bxd5 has an illegal move in it. Instead, after 4 … Bf5 5. g3 , Qf6 is good: e.g. 6 Qb2 Be5 or 6 Bb2 Bxc3 Bxf6 gxf6.
–gb
1…Nxf3 seems to take the advantage, mostly based on the fact that white has basically two “weaknesses”: The unprotected Ra1 and the possibility of an attack on the king with both bishops and queen. But it’s not so clear and I found some interesting traps:
A) The natural
2.Bxf3 Qh4 (threatening mate on h2)
3.g3 (alternatives are 3.h3 Bxh3 gaining quality; Re1 or d1 to give the king an escape (but loose h2 and black is still attacking)
3…Qf6!? (double attack on the unprotected Ra1 and Bf3)
4.Bg2 Qxa1 BUT THE ROOK IS POISONED
5.Bb2 Qxa2 6.Ra1 Qxa1 (black has two rook for the queen… it’s seems both players have their chances now)
B)
2.gxf3 Qg5+ 3.Kh1 Qe5 (threatening mate on h2 and attacking the unprotected Ra1)
4.f4 Qxa1 BUT THE ROOK IS POISONED
5.Bb2 Qxa2 Rg1 threatening mate… very hard to defend (black’s queen is so out of play!)
Ra1 is poisoned in some lines, but it would not kill…
jean-luc: I think the correct line after
1 … Nxf3+ 2 Bxf3 Qh4 3 g3 Qf6 4 Bxd5 is 4 … Qxa1 5 Bb2 Qxf1+ (My proposed 5 … Qa5 is brilliant and saves the day, but is of course impossible :). On the other hand, after 5 … Qxa2(?) 6. Qc3 forces Qxb2, since the Black f-pawn is pinned.
–gb
Very interesting.
I prefered Bg2 instead of Bxd5 because now the bishop could be subject to other tactical threat (in fact these threats could be ghosts and we should make practical calculation…)
I propose:
4.Bxd5 Bf5 (attacking the unprotected queen (black’s queen is protected so now 5.Bb2 counterattacking is not good …Bxc2 6.Bxf6 gxf6)
A) 5.e4 and I will try the typical mating attack 5…Bh3 6.– Qf3 7.– Qg2# (Ra1 is still attacked and …Bh3 attacks Rf1, I could although play (in between) …Be5 attacking Ra1 with my bishop)
B) 5.Qd2 Be5 and the rook is lost
I agree with you that in this line black could go for the poisoned rook and this would be interesting; one line could be:
4.Bxd5 Qxa1(?) 5.Bb2 Qxf1 6.Kxf1 Bh3+ (conecting the rooks with tempo; but…)
7.Kg1 Rac8 (developing with tempo; black seems to catch up, has the initiative for his material deficit (one pawn; 2R for Q); but…)
8.Qd1 Rfd8 (x-raying the queen) 9.Bxf7+! Kxf7 10.Qh5+ (double attack on the Bh3; white is 2 pawns up and wins)
In this variation Qc3 forces Qxb2 and white is much better because here the Bd5 pins f7 while in the variation I gave (4.Bg2) this resource was possible.
As I said the Ra1 is poisoned in many lines and black should try to improve his position first:
…Bf5 connects rooks with tempo
…Be5 attacks the Ra1
…Rc8 or Rd8 or Re8 and so on
I haven’t had my coffee yet, and it says to assess the position, so here’s my superficial take on this position:
It’s an IQP position. Material is even. If Black were to develop his B or Q next move, development would be even, otherwise Black is down a tempo. Black has an advantage in space in the center and more piece activity.
Two of the main themes of the IQP are to either use your space and activity advantage to launch an attack, or to aim to push the d-pawn. The latter will often favour the side with the more active pieces. The side with the IQP avoids exchanges, and the side playing against the IQP tries to control the square in front of the IQP.
What jumps out of the position here, to me, are potential knight exchanges. In general, Black wants to avoid them, but since White’s N helps to control d4, maybe exchanging is OK if it’s followed by an immediate …d4.
As for variations: with white to move, 1.Nxe5 Bxe5 2.Rb1 d4 3.Re1 Qb6 suggests perhaps that Nxe5 isn’t yet a threat? I’m trying to decide which plan Black wants to adopt here. Black still needs to develop, so it seems too early to launch an attack.
If Black retreats the N, moves like Bb2, Nd4, and Bf3 control d4 and hit the d-pawn. However, if 1…Nxf3 2.Bxf3 Be5 3.Rb1 d4 4.Re1 Qb6 and the d-pawn is liquidated.
Short answer: I dunno. NM Alex Betaneli showed us in a lot of IQP positions that the side with the IQP goes through great lengths to retain pieces, but I’m feeling like going against this principle here in order to push …d4.
>>3. g3 Qf6, forking the Ra1 and Bf3. I saw the line 4. Bxd5 Qxa1 5. Bb2 Qa2 6. Qc3 and now Qxb2 is forced to prevent mate! However, after 5. … Qa5 Black is fine, and a Rook up.
>>I think the correct line after
1 … Nxf3+ 2 Bxf3 Qh4 3 g3 Qf6 4 Bxd5 is 4 … Qxa1 5 Bb2 Qxf1+
Sorry wrong line again. That rook looks so juicy we just want to have it. haha.
4…..Qxa1 is a huge blunder.
With that in mind no one has the correct answer so far. Find the correct 4th move for black and you should have this puzzle solved.
The correct answer for black is 4…Bf5! that will give the advantage. Forget about taking the rook. Black should play 4…Bf5 after either 4.Bxd5 or 4.Bg2.
Great puzzle, you can start pondering positional considerations but to get to the bottom of it, you need to calculate concrete variations. This is the essence of chess.
Yup, renzo’s right about 4 … Bf5 (jean-luc had seen it in a different variation). I wonder if I’d have found that OTB?
Nice puzzle …
–gb
Here’s the long version of my answer:
After all nice positional considerations explained by “grandpatzer” above it is time to think about variations. Especially since it is black’s turn to move. Positionally, we already have all the ideas mentioned by “grandpatzer” and we will need to continue playing towards that positional direction if we cannot find anything better tactically now. Remember – you can miss a winning position by only sticking to positional considerations and not visualizing tactical opportunities. On the other hand, you can waste too much time “seeking oil in the rocks” just to conclude that there is nothing and return to strategical play. Success is achieved when you are able to balance both approaches.
With the aim of truing to find something tactical out of the position, the only promising forced line that exists here is 1..Nxf3+ 2.Bxf3 Qh4 and white has two possibilities: 3.h3 or 3.g3. Let’s see each one of them.
After 3.h3 Bxh3 4.Rd1! (white cannot take the Bishop due to 3.gxh3? Qxh3 and besides the mate in h2, black threatens the f3 bishop, for example 4.Rd1 Bh2+ 5.Kh1 Be5+ 6.Kg1 Qxf3 and it’s over) 4..Be6 5.Bb2 Qh2+ 6.Kf1 Rac8 7.Qd2 and white should win as he is a pawn up and has the initiative, though there is no decisive advantage. Observe that the three last moves of both sides (Be6 by black responded by Bb2, Qh2+ responded by Kf1 and Rac8 responded by Qd2) can occurin a different order with no signifficant difference in the evaluation of the position.
The other alternative 3.g3 is met by the already mentioned 3…Qf6. Interesting as it seems, after 4.Bg2 or 4.Bxd5, taking the a1 rook will be a mistake by black, as he will get an almost even position in one case and advantage for white in the other! Look at the variations:
4.Bg2 Qxa1? 5.Bb2 Qxa2 6.Ra1 Qxa1+ 7.Bxa1 Be6 and it’s equal. Note that the attempt 6.Qc3!? threatens mate but does not achieve much after 6..f6 7.Bxd5+ Kh8 8.Ra1 Qxa1+ 9.Bxa1 a5 and it’s equal – white might try the plan h4-h5-h6. However, after 6.Qc3 black even has the interesting response 6…Be5! with the idea of deviating the white queen and allowing the black queen to survive after 7.Qxe5 f6! 8.Qxd5+ Kh8 9.Bd4 and the black queen escapes,leaving the position almost equal with a slight advantage for black. If 8.Bxd5+ (instead of 8.Qxd5+) 8..Kh8 white needs to lose a tempo to remove her queen from the threatening f6 pawn, which allows the black Q to also escape: 9.Qd4 Qa6 and black would even be better.
However, after 4.Bg2 black simply plays 4..Bf5! 5.e4 (forced as both 5.Bb2 Bxc2 6.Bxf6 gxf6 and 5.Qd2 Be5! fail) 5..Bxe4 6.Bxe4 dxe4 7.Be3 and black is a pawn up and should win.
Now if 4.Bxd5 (after 3…Qf6) again 4..Bf5! (not 4..Qxa1? due to 5.Bb2 Qxf1+ [5..Qxa2 6.Qc3! this time would work as the f pawn is pinned, forcing to trade the black Q for the Bb2 to avoid mate] 6.Kxf1 and white has the advantage and should win) and white loses as it has to opt to be a piece down after 5.Bb2 Bxc2 6.Bxf6 gxf6 because this time 5.e4 is not an option for the simple reason that the bishop at d5 no longer protects the white king and is blocked by its own e4 pawn, so black wins even more quickly by taking advantage of white’s weak white squares: 5.e4 Bh3! 6.e5 (protecting f3 again) Bxe5 and both white rooks are attacked.
This is all extremely interesting! In summary, to answer this puzzle, black remains with the advantage after the forcing 1…Nxf3+ 2.Bxf3 Qh4! even after either 3.h3 or 3.g3. In the first case, the advantage is obtained by 3…Bxh3 4.Rd1 (forced) Be6 and black’s a pawn up, and in the latter, 3.g3 Qf6 4.Bg2! Bf5! 5.e4! and after taking on e4 black is also a pawn up.
Again, EXCELLENT puzzle. So many tricks and ways to go wrong. The answer comes only after a detailed tactical analysis and avoiding “tempting” continuations. Bottom line is: with accurate play by both sides, black will remaing with the advantage, being a pawn up in a good position. Not so hard to see at home analysis… extremely hard to assess over the board and the clock ticking. The puzzle title “Understanding the position” could be follow by “.. and calculating accurately”.
Cheers!
Renzo
black is better
1.. Nxf3+ 2. Bxf3 Qh4 3. g3 Qf6 4. Bxd5
4… Qxa1? 5. Bb2 Qxa2 6. Qc3! and white wins [6. Ra1?! Qxa1+! (6… Bf5 7. Qc3 +-) 7. Bxa1 Rd8 8. Qc3 Bf8 looks dangerous but by no means hopeless (= ? +/= ?)] After qc3 I see nothing beter than Qxb2 +/- though even that may not be lost.
4… Bf5 5. Qd2 (5. Qe2 Qxa1 -+; 5. Bb2 Bxc2 6. Bf6 gf 7. Bf7 -/+) Be5 -/+
so Black has advantage
I think that 1. … Bg4 is the more interesting idea for Blacks in this position.
Xargon, the true one …
1..Bg4 is only equal after 2.Nxe5! Rc8 (winning a tempo) 3.Qd2 Bxe2 4.Qxe2 Bxe5 5.Bb2
with 12. Nxf3
13. Bxf3 Qh4
14. h3 (best)
we have
Portisch, Lajos 2625 –
Ribli, Zoltan 2605 , 0-1, Montpellier 1985 Tournament (cand.) (cat.14)
Lengyel,Levente (2450) – Hamann,Svend (2475) [D45]
(Hospitalet de Llobre IT Las Palmas (6), 27.10.1973)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Qc2 Bd6 7.b3 0–0 8.Be2 e5 9.cxd5 Nxd5 10.Nxd5 cxd5 11.dxe5 Nxe5
here the famous hungarian grandmaster, usually known for his fine positional understanding, uncorked the disastrous 12.0–0? a move, never seen on grandmaster level thus far.
[main line: 12.Bb2 Bb4+ 13.Kf1 Nxf3 14.Bxf3 Be6 15.Qd3 (15.g3 Bh3+ 16.Ke2!? (16.Kg1) 16…Qg5 17.Qd3 Rfd8 18.Rhd1 Bg4? (18…Rac8 19.Rac1 Rxc1 20.Rxc1 Be7 21.Rc7 Bf6 22.Bd4 Bxd4 23.Qxd4; 18…Bc5 19.Rac1 Bb6) 19.Rac1 Qh5 20.Bxg4= 1–0 Huebner,R (2620)-Westerinen,H (2410)/Solingen 1986/TD (52)) 15…Be7 16.h4 (16.Ke2 Bf6 17.Bd4 Bxd4 18.Qxd4) 16…Qd7 17.g3 Rfd8 18.Kg2 Bf5 19.Qe2 Be4 20.Kh2 ½–½ Agdestein,S (2500)-Pinter,J (2540)/Taxco 1985/IZT (51)]
The experiment finished only five moves later:
12…Nxf3+!
[of course not 12…Qf6? 13.Bb2 Bf5 14.Qd2 Nxf3+ 15.Bxf3 Qh6 16.g3 Be4 17.Bxe4 dxe4= 1–0 Eliskases,E-Milner Barry,P/Helsinki 1952/MCD (41) – the game Lengyel might have beared in mind whilst playing 12.0-0.]
13.Bxf3 Qh4 14.g3…
[By the way – the 12.0-0 line of the Anti-Meran is for sure an hungarian trauma! It haunted their greatest…! More than 10 years after Lengyels devastating loss, Portisch’s attempt to improve the line with 14.h3 was painfully refuted by an other fellow countryman of both grandmasters, Zoltan Ribli, who played 14…. Bxh3 15.Rd1 Bh2+ 16.Kf1 Qf6 17.Bxd5 Bf5 18.e4 Bg4 19.Ba3 Qa6+ 0–1 Portisch,L (2625)-Ribli,Z (2605)/Montpellier 1985/Candidates]
14…Qf6 15.Bxd5?
[better is 15.Bg2 Bf5 16.e4 Rac8 17.Qd1 dxe4 18.Bb2 Be5 19.Bxe5 Qxe5 20.Re1 h6 -/+]
15…Bf5!
[15…Qxa1? 16.Bb2 Qxf1+ 17.Kxf1+-]
16.e4…
[16.Qd2 Be5 17.Ba3 Bxa1 18.Bxf8 Rxf8 19.Bxb7 Bc3 20.Qe2 0–1 Minev,N-Fichtl,J/Munich 1958/MCD (40)]
16…Bh3 17.Rd1?!
[not much better is 17.e5 Bxe5 18.Rb1 Bxf1 19.Kxf1 Rac8–+]
17…Be5 0–1
I was too lazy to analyze by my own, so I checked my data base … 🙂
Wow, so it was a real game (or more than one game).. I am proud of my analysis 🙂