Monday, October 06, 2008

Miss Easy Tactics! with Justin XI

[Our pedagogical series in which we look at a portion of a game I played the previous week in which some obvious tactic is overlooked. Readers are invited to practice their skill by seeing if they can spot what was missed.]


PĂ©rez Puyal - Horton, individual championship of Huesca Province, 2008, round two, position after White's 17.h2-h4.

Play now proceeded 17...Rd6 18.h5 Qd3 19.Qxd3 Bxd3 20.Rfd1 Bb5 and the game finished much, much later in a draw.

But in the above sequence, what did both players miss?

The complete game is given below.

[Miss Easy Tactics! index.]

13 comments:

ejh said...

It's a funny thing. Yesterday I looked at the first one in this series - and I still couldn't get it.

Even though I wrote the piece myself.

Jonathan B said...

overworked f pawn relevant?

Anonymous said...

Got it - I think.

Both queens are potentially short of squares. After 17... Rd6, Black may be lining up Ra6. However, it's White's move and he has 18. Bxd5 Rxd5 19. h5 Qd3 20. Rxc2! Qxc2 21. Rc1

Is that it?

Angus

Anonymous said...

Oops. I meant 18... Nxd5 in my previous comment.

Angus

Jonathan B said...

I was thinking ... Nxe3 based on the knight on g3 hanging if pawn retakes.

Then you've got Qxe3 Nxa2 and if then Bxb7 Rb8/Bmoves Rxb2.

If White chucks in h5 after ... Nxe3 then ... Qd3 seems to be OK.

ejh said...

I've not got a chess computer where I am at the moment, but neither line is what I had in mind. Does Black have ...Ra6 at the end of Angus' variation?

Jonathan....I spent a lot of time trying to do something like that. But don't forget that where they are at the moment, Black's knights are protecting one another. So if one of them moves....

Anonymous said...

Justin,

Unless I've miscounted or misseen, White will be a piece up 21... Ra6 22. Rxc2 Rxa3 23. ba

Angus

Anonymous said...

Umm... What Black does have in the line I suggested is 21... Nxe3 and if then 22. Rxc2 Nxc2. Here White has won Black's queen for a rook and a knight but only after having given up the exchange. This leaves White with Q + N against Black's 2R + N and maybe (?) a roughly equal position. Unless there's something else I missed.

Angus

ejh said...

OK. And I assure you, it's not "a roughly equal" outcome we're looking for.

Anonymous said...

17...Rd6 18.h5 Qd3 19. Be2 Qxa3 20. bxa3 and black looses a piece?

Carsten

ejh said...

He does, Carsten, he does.

Anonymous said...

Well done chaps, good show. Can't beat a bit of strength in depth.

Richard

Tom Chivers said...

Thanks Richard. Not the strongest Hackney side we've ever faced I think!