Fun in the sun - Bedford Chess Club

The Summer specials promised much and delivered more as ever, providing July challenges and amusement, and August Indian indulgence. Thanks to all for their support and contributions.

The endgames, courtesy of Richard, are reiterated below:-

Puzzle 1, White to play and win

   [SetUp "1"]  [FEN "5k2/8/4K3/8/7R/4n3/8/8 w - - 0 1"]  [PlyCount "15"]   1. Re4 Nd1 ({If} 1....Ng2 then 2 Kf6 Kg8 3 Kg5 {followed  by }4 Re2 wins the knight Or 1... Nc2 2 Kd5 Na3 3 Kc5 Nb1 4 Kb4 Nd2 5 Rf4+  Ke7 6 Kc3 Nb1+ 7 Kb2 Nd2 8 Kc2 trapping the knight} 2. Rf4+ Kg7 3. Rf3 Kg6 4.  Ke5 Kg5 5. Kd4 Kg4 6. Rf1 Nb2 7. Rb1 Na4 8. Rb4 {Winning the knight The  purpose is to use the king and rook to trap the knight away from the king} 1-0

Puzzle 2, White to play and win

   [FEN "r6k/3R3p/4p1pB/1n1p1p2/3P4/2P2P1P/6PK/8 w - - 0 0"]  [PlyCount "23"]   1. Kg3 {Using the king actively to make the difference  - the game is Tarrasch v Reti from Vienna 1922} Nxc3 {There is no better reply  - if 1....g5 2 Bxg5 Rg8 3 Kf4 Rg6 4 h4 h6 5 Be7 Nxc3 6 g4 Kg8 7 h5 Rg7 8 Rd8+  Kf7 9 Bb4 Ne2 10 Ke3} 2. Kf4 Nb5 3. Ke5 Re8 {If 3....Kg8 4 Rg7+ (not 4 Kxe6?  Nxd4+ 5 Kxd5 Nc2 and black has drawing chances) 4... Kh8 5Rb7 Na3 6 Kxe6 Kg8 7  Rg7+ Kh8 8 Rc7 Kg8 9 Kxd5 Nb5 10 Rg7+ Kh8 11 Kc5 Nc3 12 d5} 4. Kf6 {Black  actually resigned here, the threat of Kf7 is devastating, play might have  continued....} Kg8 5. Rg7+ Kh8 6. Rb7 Nd6 7. Rd7 Nb5 8. Kf7 Rg8 9. Rd8 $1 Nd6+  10. Rxd6 g5 11. Rd8 Rxd8 12. Bg7#

Puzzle 3, this is Janowski v Schlecter – Vienna 1898 and is white to play and win

   [FEN "3k4/4n1p1/1p1pPp1p/p1p2P1P/P1P1K1P1/1P6/1B6/8 w - - 0 1"]  [PlyCount "17"]   1. g5  Ng8 {Best If 1...hxg5 2. Bxf6! g4 (if gxf6 3 h6) 3 Bxg7. If 1...fxg5? 2 Bxg7  Ng8 3 f6+ If 1... Ke8 2 gxf6 gxf6 3 Bxf6 Ng8 4 Bg7 Ke7 5 Kd5} 2. gxf6 gxf6 {If  2... Nxf6= 3 Bxf6+ gxf6 4 Kd5 Kc7 5 e7 Kd7 6 e8=Q+ Kxe8 7 Kxd6} 3. Bc1 $1 Kc7 {  If 3..Ke7 4 Bf4 or Kd5 If 3... Ke8 4 Bf4 Ke7 5 Kd5} 4. Bd2 Kc6 5. Bf4 Kc7 6.  e7 Kd7 7. e8=Q+ Kxe8 8. Kd5 Ne7+ {If 8....Ke7 9 Kc6 If 8...Kd7 9 Bxd6 Kd8 10  Kc6} 9. Ke6 {Black resigned If 9...Nc6 10 Bxh6 If 9... Ng8 10 Bxd6 If 9....  Nc8 10 Bxh6 If 9... Kd8 10 Bxh6} 1-0

Puzzle 4, White to play and win – no-one found the correct method which is:

   [FEN "6k1/3p4/5Q2/1q3pKp/8/8/P7/8 w - - 0 0"]  [PlyCount "27"]   1. Kg6 Qc6  2. Qxc6 {Not 2 a4 Qxf6+ 3 Kxf6 h4} dxc6 3. a4 f4 4. a5 f3 5. a6 f2 6. a7 f1=Q  7. a8=Q+ Qf8 8. Qa2+ Kh8 9. Qb2+ Kg8 10. Qb3+ Kh8 11. Qc3+ Kg8 12. Qc4+ Kh8 13.  Qd4+ Kg8 14. Qd7 {and wins} 1-0

Puzzle 5, White to play and win

   [FEN "8/4k1b1/8/3BP3/4KP2/8/8/8 w - - 0 1"]  [PlyCount "11"]   1. Kf5 {Not 1 f5 as f6 can never be played as the  bishop is sacrificed for the pawns} Bh6 {[%emt 0:00:00] Best If 1...Bf8 2 Kg6}  2. Kg4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bg7 {If 2.... Kf8 3 f5} 3. Kg5 Kf8 4. Kg6 Bh8 5. Kh7  Bg7 6. Bc4 {1-0 Black is in zugzwang} 1-0

Puzzle 6, Polugayevsky v Mecking at Manila 1975 and is White to play and win. Black
hopes that his king will tie the rook down

   [FEN "8/5pp1/7p/7P/1p1K1PP1/kP6/P1R5/4r3 w - - 0 1"]  [PlyCount "23"]   1. Rc7 Rg1 {If 1... Kxa2 2 Rxf7  Kxb3 3 Rxg7 Black's passed pawn looks strong but white can win as follows 3....  Kc2 4 Rg6 b3 5 Rxh6 b2 6 Rb6 b1=Q 7 Rxb1 Rxb1 8 g5 Rb4+ 9 Ke5 Rb5+ 10 Kf6 Rb6+  11 Kg7 Kd3 12 f5 winning} 2. Rxf7 Rxg4 3. Ra7+ $1 Kb2 4. Ke5 Rg2 {If 4....Rh4  5 Rxg7 Kxa2 6 Rg3 Rxh5+ 7 f5} 5. Kf5 Kb1 {If 5...Kc3 6 Ke6 g6 7 hxg6 Rxg6+ 8  Kf7 Rg2 9 f5 h5 10 f6 is winning} 6. Rb7 $1 Kxa2 7. Rxb4 Kb2 8. Rb6 Rc2 9. Kg6  Rg2+ 10. Kh7 Rf2 11. Kxg7 Rxf4 12. Kxh6 {and wins} 1-0

Puzzle 7, White to play and win

   [FEN "8/3pp2p/8/1kPP4/5P2/8/1K6/8 w - - 0 1"]  [PlyCount "11"]  [EventDate "2017.??.??"]  [TimeControl "300+5"]   {1200MB, Fritz 14.ctg, Welcome} 1. c6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kb6 {[%emt 0:00:03] If  1....dxc6 2 d6 exd6 f5} 2. d6 exd6 {[%emt 0:00:03] If 2...Kxc6 dxe7 If 2...  dxc6 3 dxe7} 3. f5 Kc7 4. f6 Kd8 5. c7+ Kxc7 6. f7 1-0

Puzzle 8, Finally a position that wasn’t part of the evening but shown at the end and
is White to play and win

   1. h4+ Kh5 2. Rf5+ gxf5 3. Bf7# 1-0  [FEN "4r3/5R2/p5pp/6k1/8/1B4KP/P1P1r3/8 w - - 0 0"]  [PlyCount "5"]   {Finally a position that wasn't part of the evening but shown at the end and  is White to play and win} 1. h4+ Kh5 2. Rf5+ gxf5 3. Bf7#