J Healy V M Lia, Barbican Open - 1980.
White (to move) is a piece down and threatened with exchange of queens. If White moves his queen away, then his knight his doubly attacked by Black's queen and bishop. How, in this seemingly desperate situation, did White turn the tables?
More by luck than judgement the last Sunday before Christmas finds us at a series end. Today we have our final puzzle from www.thegrassarena.net. This one, like all the others, started life as Leonard Barden's Evening Standard chess column.
So no more chess puzzles but I'm hoping to write a post or two about John Healy's life and chess career in the new year so if anybody has any information about the man himself please do get in touch.
Previously ...
TGA IV
TGA III
TGA II
TGA
Bit random this one.
ReplyDeleteRichard
Would that be the Barbican that opened in 1982?
ReplyDeletePG
1. Rxb7 looks sound
ReplyDeleteBecause 1...Qxd6; 2. Nf7+ gives Black a good forking; while 1...Qxb7 allows 2. Qd8+ mating
Rxb7 is the easy answer.
ReplyDeleteMaybe not the usual number
of people reading your blog
today.
George
If it matters, we were about 10% up on the previous Sunday.
ReplyDeleteYes do tell us which "major" (see the Grass Arena) tournaments Healy won, and which strong (BCF 180+) players Healy beat.
ReplyDeleteTry not to make it up.
Alu Chin
So how about many people look in here per day. Do tell.
ReplyDeletePG
Typically around 200 on weekdays; less on the weekend.
ReplyDeletePG: if you scroll down the lefthand column until you find
ReplyDeleteDetailed, public site stats here
and then click on the little bluey globe thing, you may find everything you need to know and a great deal that you don't.
x
ReplyDeletere John Healy:
ReplyDeleteI commented on an earlier post about my random encounter with him in a simul he gave in association with Hampstead Chess Club (now defunct) perhaps 15 or so years ago. He fetched up at the Working Men's College (a thriving institution of Life Long Learning in Camden Town, ill-served by its antediluvian title) where I was doing a life class run by the redoubtable George Callaghan, RIP.
In the same class was an amiable giant of an Irishman called Danny, who played a decent game of chess, and painted exquisted portraits of the edifices of Camden and the Euston Road. I never understood from where Danny got his chess, or his art, but he knew John Healy, who dropped by once or twice to play.
The WMC chess club was run by a Mr Benjamin (also RIP) and I believe that his son Martin, now plays for Richmond CC, and it was he who thrashed me earlier this year.
If he reads this, maybe he can shed some light on the whereabouts of John Healy.