The Chess Mind

Here's the problem from a couple of days ago, from the game Ljubojevic-Durao, Orense 1974; it's White to move and win:



The solution is here.

White to move and win: can you solve it? (The answer will be given in a day or two; please don't post solutions to the comments.)

Here's the problem, first mentioned on my blog a few days ago. I discovered it on Tim Krabbé's Open Chess Diary (entry 382), but I don't want to send you there for the solution just yet, as you might find it difficult to see the problem (if you're coming to this anew, or still hope to solve it) without seeing the solution in the P.S. So here's the position; it's White to move (and not necessarily win, but to at least find some way of coping with his many hanging pieces).



When you're ready for the solution, you can traipse over to Krabbé's site, and/or click here.

In this post, celebrating Hungarian-American GM Pal Benko's 80th birthday, I presented two of his problems and one of his studies. Here once again are the positions and their associated tasks:


White to move and mate in three.


White to move and mate in three.


White to move and win.

Before offering the solution, let me express my slight regret at presenting this puzzle, as it's a modification of a 1981 study by D. Gurgenidze and L. Mitrofanov, both colossal figures in the world of chess studies. (I don't mean that Benko's modification is valueless; not at all. But it would be better to present the original first.)

All three solutions, together with the Gurgenidze & Mitrofanov original, can be replayed here.

American GM Pal Benko (we've borrowed him from Hungary) turned 80 years old two days ago (thus Wikipedia) or yesterday (so says Chess Today). While he hasn't been a terror on the world scene for a long time, he's still a player to be celebrated, especially in the United States. He was a two-time candidate, a former Hungarian champion, a star for the U.S. in several Olympics, a player without whom Bobby Fischer couldn't have played in the 1970-1972 world championship cycle, a main popularizer (though not the inventor) of the Benko Gambit, a fine endgame study composer and problemist, and the author of a very long-running endgame column in Chess Life.

He also seems a pretty decent guy. When I was living in New York in the 1990s, he was at the Marshall Chess Club from time to time, and on more than one occasion I had the chance to analyze with him. There was no need for me to show credentials or to receive an introduction from someone else (at least not that I recall!); the analysis started spontaneously and, as far as its conduct was concerned, it took place between peers. (I don't mean that I'm his equal, obviously. My point is that there was no pulling rank, either explicitly or implicitly.) All that mattered was what happened on the board.

So we celebrate his birthday, and to do so, here are a couple of his letter problems and a study (from his excellent autobiographical work My Life, Games and Compositions). We start with the letter problems, one for each of his initials.






In both cases, it's White to move and mate in three.

Next, one of his best-known studies:


Special Prize, Magyar Sakkelet 1990. White to move and win.

The solutions will be given in a day or two. (So please don't comment the answers.)

Here's the position again; your task is to assess 31.Qxd3.



The beautiful solution is here.

My copy of ChessBase Magazine (CBM) 124 arrived in the mail yesterday (if you're 2000 or higher, seriously consider subscribing, and it's worth considering for 18-1900s, too), and in the tactics section IM Oliver Reeh did a special video presentation on his favorite position of that issue. Here it is; your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to assess 31.Qxd3.



After you've had a couple of days to digest it, we'll take a closer look. It's a rich position, and your appreciation of it will only increase if you take some time trying to work through it - with the engines off, obviously!