Hello all,
Since there are no coaching sessions during August perhaps a daily puzzle might
be some consolation?
Find below 7 positions from the games of Judit Polgar.
Diagrams, marked with double hash signs, are given in 2 formats, choose
whichever you find more convenient.
The solution with analysis is given with each diagram.
Paul Benson.
* * *
Judit Polgar On The Attack!, Part 01, (001).
List of tactical tools.
#1. Battery.
#2. Deflection.
#3. Discovered attack.
#4. Double attack.
#5. Fork.
#6. Interference.
#7. Overloading.
#8. Pin.
#9. Skewer.
#10. Undermining.
Fen diagram: White pieces upper case, black pieces lower case, top line is the
black back rank, bottom line the white back rank.
## 1. Jean-Luc Costa vs Judit Polgar, Biel, 1987.
Black to play.
White pieces: Kd1, Qd4, Ra1, Rf1, Nb1, Nc3.
White pawns: a3, b2, d5, g3, h3.
Black pieces:Kg8, Qf8, Rf2, Re8, Nc5.
Black pawns: a7, b7, g7, h7.
4rqk1/
pp4pp/
8/
2nP4/
3Q4/
P1N3PP/
1P3r2/
RN1K2R1
Solution With Tactical Tools Used.
Key move: 1. ... Qf3+.
(A). 1. ... Qf3+ 2. Kc1 Nb3+ mate.
Black uses a fork, Nb3+, hitting 3 white units on, a1, c1, d4.
(B). 1. ... Qf3+ 2. Ne2 Qxe2+ 3. Qc2+ mate.
Black uses a queen plus rook battery along the white 2nd rank to force mate on
c2.
## 2. ) Judit Polgar vs Snorri Bergsson, Reykjavik, 1988,
White to play.
White pieces: Kc1, Qc5, Rh1, Rd6, Bf4, Bd5, Nb1.
White pawns: b3, c2, e5, f2, g2, h4.
Black pieces: Ke8, Qa2, Rb5, Rh8, Bc8, Bf8.
Black pawns: a7, c6, d7, e6, f5, h7.
2b1kb1r/
p2p3p/
2pRp1p1/
1rQBPp2/
5B1P/
1P6/
q1P2PP1/
1NK4R
Solution With Tactical Tools Used.
Key move: 1. Rxe6+.
(A). 1. Rxe6+ Be7 2. Qxe7+ mate.
(B). 1. Rxe6+ Kf7 2. Re7+ Kg6 3. Qd6+ Kh5 4. Bf3+ mate.
White uses a discovered attack creating a double check, neither checking unit
can be captured, forcing the black king toward the edge of the board.
(C). 1. Rxe6+ Kd8 2. Bg5+ Kc7 3. Rxc6+ dxc6 4. Qxc6+ Kb8 5. Qxb5+, white is a
knight plus 3 pawns up, decisive material advantage.
White uses undermining of both the black c6 pawn and b5 rook to win the black
b5 rook with a Queen fork.
(D). 1. Rxe6+ Kd8 2. Bg5+ Kc7 3. Rxc6+ Kb8 4. Rxc8+ mate.
White uses a queen plus rook battery to give mate on c8.
(E). 1. Rxe6+ dxc6 2. Bxc6+ Bd7 3. Bxd7+ Kxd7 4. Qxb5+, white is a knight plus
2 pawns up, decisive material advantage.
White uses undermining of both the black c6 pawn and b5 rook to win the rook
with the black b5 Queen.
(F). 1. Rxe6+ dxe6 2. Bxc6+ Kf7 3. Qxb5, white is a knight plus 2 pawns up,
decisive material advantage.
White uses undermining of both the black c6 pawn and b5 rook to win the rook
with a bishop skewer.
## 3. Judit Polgar vs Singh, Hastings, 1988.
White to play.
White pieces: Kg1, Qc3, Rc1, Rb7, Bf3.
White pawns: a4, b2, g2, h2.
Black pieces: Kg8, Qc6, Re6, Rc8, Nf6.
Black pawns: a6, d5, f5, g6, h7.
2r3k1/
1R5p/
p1q1rnp1/
3p1p2/
P7/
2Q2B2/
1P4PP/
2R3K1
Solution With Tactical Tools Used.
Key move: 1. Bxd5.
(A). 1. Bxd5 Nxd5 2. Qg7+ mate.
White uses a deflection to open the a1 - h8 diagonal to give mate on g7.
(B). 1. Bxd5 Qxd5 2. Qxc8+ Ne8 3. Qc7 Rf6 4. Qxh7+ Kf8 5. Qh8+ Qg8 6. Qxg8+
Kxg8, white is an exchange plus 1 pawn up, decisive material advantage.
White uses a deflection to win an exchange on c8 which also gives the queen a
powerful invasion.
(C). 1. Bxd5 Qxd5 2. Qxc8+ Re8 3. Qc7 Nh5 4. Qxh7+ Kf8 5. Qf7+ Qg8 6. Qxg8+
Kxg8, white is an exchange plus 1 pawn up, decisive material advantage.
White uses a deflection to win an exchange on c8 which also gives the queen a
powerful invasion.
(D). 1. Bxd5 Qxb7 2. Qxc8+ Qxc8 3. Rxc8+ Kf7 4. Rc7+ Kf8 5. Bxe6,
White uses a pin through the black e6 rook to win that piece.
(E). 1. Bxd5 Qxc3 2. Bxe6+ Kh8 3. Rxc3, white is a rook up, decisive material
advantage.
White uses a pin through the black e6 rook to win that piece.
## 4. Judit Polgar vs Pavlina Chilingirova, Salonika, 1988.
A couple of options for this puzzle.
The game itself is of value, so first comes the game moves.
If you do not wish to play through the game just arrow down to find the
diagram.
J.Polgar (2365) - P. Chilingirova, Womens Olympiad Thessaloniki 1988:
Note, in just over 2 years later black has an Elo of 2240.
1. e4 c5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bb5 g6
4. O-O Bg7
5. c3 e5
6. d4 exd4
7. cxd4 Nxd4
8. Nxd4 cxd4
9. e5 Ne7
10. Bg5 O-O
11. Qxd4 Nc6
12. Qh4 Qb6
13. Nc3 Bxe5
| And black threatens an undermining, 14. ... Bxc3 15. bxc3 Qxb5, winning a
piece.
White to play must deal with this threat, right?
||
14. Rae1 Bxc3
15. bxc3 Qxb5
| Well there you go, white has lost a piece and surely blown the game, right?
||
16. Qh6 Qf5
| It never rains but it pours.
White had a cute, "Master-Plan", of, Bf6, when giving up the piece on the
queenside.
Now that the black queen has come to the rescue of her Kingship, we expect
white to resign, right?
No, this is the position given in the diagram, so we conclude Judit played on,
time to get working on the problem.
||
White to play.
White pieces: Kg1, Qh6, Re1, Rf1, Bg5.
White pawns: a2, c3, f2, g2, h2.
Black pieces: Kg8, Qf5, Ra8, Rf8, Bc8, Nc6.
Black pawns: a7, b7, d7, f7, g6, h7.
r1b2rk1/
pp1p1p1p/
2n3pQ/
5qB1/
8/
2P5/
P4PPP/
4RRK1
Solution With Tactical Tools Used.
Key move: 1. Qxf8+.
(A). 1. Qxf8+ Kxf8 2. Bh6+ Kg8 3. Re8+ mate.
White uses a barrage, this is a sequence of forcing moves, to achieve mate.
## 5. Jonathan Tisdall vs Judit Polgar, Reykjavik, 1988.
Black to play.
White pieces: Ka2, Qe2, Rg2, Re4.
White pawns: a5, b2, c2, d5, g5.
Black pieces: Ka8, Qd7, Rh3, Rh4.
Black pawns: a6, b7, d6, f7, g7.
k7/
1p1q1pp1/
p2p4/
P2P2P1/
4R2r/
7r/
KPP1Q1R1/
8
Solution With Tactical Tools Used.
Key move: 1. ... Qa4+.
(A). 1. ... Qa4+ 2. Rxa4 Rxa4+ 3. Kb1 Rh1+ 4. Rg1 Rxg1+ 5. Qe1 Rxe1+ mate.
Black uses a deflection to make a rook check on a4 forcing the white king onto
an unguarded back rank.
(B). 1. ... Qa4+ 2. Kb1 Rh1+ 3. Qe1 Rxe1+ 4. Rxe1 Qxa5, black has won the white
queen plus 1 pawn for a rook, decisive material advantage.
## 6. Borislava Borisova vs Judit Polgar, Salonika, 1988.
Black to play.
White pieces: Kg2, Qc2, Rc1, Bc3.
White pawns: a2, b3, e2, f4, g3, h2.
Black pieces: Kg7, Qe6, Rd5, Bf6.
Black pawns: a7, b6, f7, g6, h7.
8/
p4pkp/
1p2qbp1/
3r4/
5P2/
1PB1p1P1/
P1Q1P1KP/
2R5
Solution With Tactical Tools Used.
Key move: 1. ... Rc5.
(A). 1. ... Rc5 2. Bxf6+ Qxf6 3. Qd1 Qc6+ 4. Kh3 Rxc1, black is a rook up,
decisive material advantage.
Black uses a check to create a battery along the c-file to win the white c1
rook.
(B). 1. ... Rc5 2. Qd3 Qc6+ 3. Kg1 Rxc3, black is a bishop up, decisive
material advantage.
Black uses a check to create a battery along the c-file resulting in a triple
attack to win the white c3 bishop.
## 7. Judit Polgar vs Zurab Azmaiparashvili, Amsterdam, 1989.
White to play.
White pieces: Kd2, Qf4, Re1, Rb5, Bd3, Bf6, Ne4.
White pawns: c2, d6, g4, h3.
Black pieces: Kg8, Qd4, Ra8, Re8, Bc4, Bg7, Ne5.
Black pawns: a7, b7, f7, g6, h7.
r3r1k1/
pp3pbp/
3P1Bp1/
1R2n3/
2bqNQP1/
3B3P/
2PK4/
4R3
Solution With Tactical Tools Used.
Key move: 1. Bxe5.
(A). 1. Bxe5 Rxe5 2. Nf6+ Bxf6 3. Qxd4 Rxe1 4. Qxc4, white has traded 2 minor
pieces plus rook for 2 black minor pieces plus queen, decisive material
advantage.
White uses a discovered attack with check, the end-product of an x-ray attack,
resulting in winning the black queen at the cost of a rook.
(B). 1. Bxe5 Bxe5 2. Rxe5 Rxe5 3. Nf6+ Kg7 4. Qxd4, white has traded bishop
plus rook for black knight, bishop plus queen, decisive material advantage.
White uses an undermining of the black d4 queen, Rxe5, to leave her undefended.
White uses a discovered attack with check, the end-product of an x-ray attack,
resulting in winning the black queen at the cost of an exchange.
(C). 1. Bxe5 Bxe5 2. Rxe5 Qxe5 3. Nf6+ Kg7 4. Rxe5 Rxe5 5. Bxc4, white has
traded bishop plus a pair of rooks for black knight, a pair of bishops plus
queen, decisive material advantage.
White uses a deflection, Rxe5, to draw the black queen into an x-ray attack.
White uses a discovered attack with check, the end-product of an x-ray attack,
resulting in winning the black queen at the eventual cost of a rook.
(D). 1. Bxe5 Bxe5 2. Rxe5 Qxe5 3. Nf6+ Qxf6 4. Qxf6, white has traded bishop,
rook plus knight for black knight, bishop plus queen, decisive material
advantage.
White uses a deflection, Rxe5, to draw the black queen into an x-ray attack.
White uses a discovered attack with check, the end-product of an x-ray attack,
resulting in winning the black queen at the eventual cost of a rook.
* * *
