2 September 2009
Hello everybody!
August is over and I’m ready to announce the winners of my August 2009 Grand-Prix Chess Puzzle Competition.
I received hundreds of emails with answers, but only 3 of the emails were close to the correct answers.
Here are the full correct answers:
The first position above is from the book of Del Rio of 1750. The correct answer is 1. Qa6! Rb8 (1. … bxa6 2. Bc6#) 2. Bc6 Qc8 (the most stubborn defense for Black) 3. Qxa7+! Kxa7 4. Ra1#
The second puzzle above is a study of Leonid Kubbel of 1924. The answer is: 1. g6+ Kg8 2. Rb6 Kf8! 3. Nd5!! exd5 (the best move for Black here) 4. Kc5! d1Q 5. Kd6 Qe1 6. Rb8+ Qe8 7. Rxe8 Kxe8 8. Kc6+- Beautiful!
The third puzzle above is a position from the game Lasker – Pillsbury of 1895. Black won by playing 17. … Nexd4! 18. Qd1 Rxe1 19. Qxe1 Nxf3!! 20. Kxf3 (20. Qd1 Nce5) 20. … f4! (Nobody proposed this move, instead the winners suggested 20. … Ne5+!? which is also interesting 21. Ke2 Qe8 and Black has a dangerous attack) 21. Qd1 (If 21. Ke2 Re8+ 22. Ne3 fxe3 23. fxe3 Black has a beautiful move 23. … Nxd4! (23. … Qg4+ is also possible 24. Kd2 Nd4!) 24. Kd1 (24. cd Qg4+ 25. Kd2 Bb4; 25. Kf2 Rf8+) 24. … Qa4+ 25. b3 Nxb3 -+) 21. … Ne5 and Black won after 22.Ke2 Qg4+ 23.Kd2 Qxd1+ 24.Kxd1 Nxd3 25.Ke2 Ne5 26.f3 Re8 27.b3 Ng4+ 28.Kd2 Ne3 29.Bb2 Ng2 30.h3 Bc5 31.Nh2 Bf2 32.c4 dxc4 33.bxc4 h5 0-1
So the winners for August 2009 AK Grand-Prix Chess Puzzle Contest are:
1. Jeremy Madison, on Twitter @jellybeanmasher
2. Francisco Valiente, on Twitter @fmvgvg
3. Steven J. Blander, on Twitter @stevenjblander
Congratulations!!!!
Soon I will post 3 new September 09 puzzles, get ready!
Women’s World Chess Champion
