The Chess Mind

This puzzle was presented a couple of days ago, based on this position:



White's down a piece and objectively lost, but won after 27...Ng5 28.Bxg5+ Kxg5 29.Rxe6 Kxh4 30.g3+ Kg5 31.Rg6#. The puzzle was to determine the last place Black could save (and not only save, but win) the game. The solution is here.

Here's a puzzle sent to me by an anonymous reader, from a recent 5-minute game he(?) won:



White, down a piece for next to nothing, has just played 27.Bc3-d2. The move doesn't threaten anything, but Black now goes into helpmate mode: 27...Ng5 28.Bxg5+ Kxg5 29.Rxe6 Kxh4 30.g3+ Kg5 31.Rg6#. White's idea was very clever, but (especially with the benefit of hindsight) it's clear that Black didn't have to be so cooperative. So here's the question/puzzle: what was the last moment where Black could save himself? Try to figure it out without software assistance, and I'll supply the answer in a couple of days.

It's game-like enough to suggest a study, but it's actually a directmate problem - White to move and mate in 5:


Steven Dowd & Joaquim Crusats, Probleemblad 2008

I presented it (c/o Mr. Dowd himself) on Wednesday; the solution, if you're ready for it, is here.

Most directmate problems look pretty ridiculous by the standards of OTB realism, but here, brought to you by co-author Steven B. Dowd, is a mate in five problem that looks like it could arise in a real game.


Steven Dowd & Joaquim Crusats, Probleemblad 2008; White to move and mate in 5

The solution will be given on Friday.

This is really terrific. YouTube has the full video of Karpov-Korchnoi from the recent Pivdenny tournament in Odessa, and unless you already know the game well, it's worth the 20 minutes it takes to watch both parts. (Part 1 here, part 2 here [or find and follow the link after watching part 1].)

The game is fascinating on a number of levels: it's a very interesting game, and despite the G/10 + 5 second increment time control, the players, especially Karpov, feel free to take surprisingly long thinks from very early in the game - a good lesson for those of us who race through the opening like jackrabbits, whether we know what we're doing or not! As early as move 5 Karpov starts taking substantial "thinks", but more about this below. The game is also fascinating in its own right, with some neat tactical ideas from both players before the winner has the last laugh.

I don't want to spoil anything before you've had the chance to watch anything yourself, but for those who are interested in a guided tour of the game, offering various questions and exercises for you to solve during the videos, click on.