[blind-chess] Spoiler Alert WAC029
- From: "Paul Benson" <paul.benson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <blind-chess@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2010 03:26:06 +0100
Hello all,
.
This posting is divided into various parts. You can jump to the headings of the
sections by search/find for **, 2 asterisks
.
** Positional evaluation of the problem
.
White has made significant positional gains, and has a few trump cards.
Firstly, a mobile queenside pawn majority, which has claimed a good amount of
space. Such a majority on the queenside, when one has castled kingside, should
be considered for quick advancement, providing the pieces coordinate to assist
them. The idea is to create a passed pawn, which will force black to defend
with pieces, reducing black's attacking chances. Secondly, white also has 2
bishops against the black bishop and knight. Finally, the white light-squared
bishop can not be challenged by it's black counterpart, it is not playing
anymore
.
Furthermore, the black night has no real prospects of trading it off. The best
that knight can hope for, is to try to occupy d5 to block the diagonal. The
white dark-square bishop sits on a parallel diagonal to it's brother,
controlling important squares deep in the black camp. This set-up with bishops
on adjacent diagonals can be strong
.
Black is rather cramped, nothing passed the third rank. However, there are a
number of positive points for black. The knight can occupy d5, to restrict that
g2 bishop. The e7 bishop is firing through two white pawns, if either pawn
moves, the other may fall prey to it. If black can get in a5, then the
undermining process of the short pawn chain may give rewards. The queen is
behind a rook, offering support for invasion down the d-file. The a8 rook is
waiting to move to c8, to pressure those white pawns. So, future prospects for
black seem fine, do they? Just one problem, it is white to move
.
** Hints section, 3 hints
.
** Hint 1, to find the key move
.
There is an x-ray attack here , can it be utilized?
.
** Hint 2, to find the key move
.
Can one of those positional trump cards be played?
.
** Last hint, to find the key move
.
The black light-square bishop, observing off-board, looks on in helpless disgust
.
** Proposed solution to WAC029
.
The positional evaluation indicated white had much light-square power. So, 1.
c6, forking rook and pawn forces matters. Since, in a fork, both attacked
pieces can not move away. If one does then the other will be left under attack.
Black has 2 replies
.
Firstly, 1. ... bxc6, but 2. Bxc6 forks the rooks, and wins an exchange. There
is no dynamic move for either rook, note how the f4 bishop backwardly guards d2
from entry.
.
Secondly, 1. ... Rd4, which allows 2. cxb7, and black has only 2. ... Rb8 which
allows the dark-square bishop to capture it. As if that was not bad enough,
there is still a powerful pawn on b7
.
** Other tactical variations considered, and rejected
.
.
A positional approach might be 1. Rfd1 to challenge the d7 rook, possibly
exchange it, and then take the d-file with the b1 rook. Nothing actually wrong
with that, only there are tactics to be analysed
.
Perhaps 1. Bg5, intending to capture the black f6 knight. This would produce an
opposite-coloured bishop middle game, which is a totally different ball-game to
an opposite-coloured endgame. In such a middle game, the player who is
attacking hass an extra attacking unit, his bishop can not be challenged or
blocked by an opposing bishop or knight
.
** Alarm bells
.
This problem is about a pair of bishops on adjacent diagonals. White has
understood the potential power of this piece arrangement, and played for it
.
Perhaps black also understood the power, but missed the sequence of moves to
arrive at this position. At some point earlier, a different strategy should
have been played, to neutralise at least one of those white bishops
.
.Paul Benson.
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