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Winton British Chess Solving Championship, 2012-2013

In April, I provided a brief report on three solving events. I promised to show, in a later column, the two studies I set for the 2012/2013 Winton Capital British Chess Solving Championship at Eton College in February. This is that later column.

At this final, competitors are set five timed rounds of assorted chess problems and one round of endgame studies. They get two endgame studies to solve in that round, which is timed at one hour. Here is the first study they saw on the sheet in front of them when the starter's whistle blew.

A Zinchuk

7th Place, USSR Championship, 1983

1.Qd2+ Ke8 Black has several options other than this main line. The ‘strongest’ is 1...Rd7 2.Qa5+ Ke7 3.Qc5+ Ke8 4.Qc8+ Ke7 5.f6+ Rxf6 6.exf6+ Bxf6+ 7.Kh7 with a tablebase win, although 2.Qxb2 also wins, of course. Black's other choices lose quicker: 1...Kc8 2.Qxb2 Rf2 3.e6 Rh2+ 4.Kg8 Rg2+ 5.Kf8 Rc7 6.e7 or 1...Kc7 2.Qd6+ Kc8 3.Qxe7. 2.Qxb2 Threatening 3.Qb8+. 2...Kf8! So the rook can interpose on e8 should White check. Other moves lose material quickly: 2...Rd7 3.e6 Rd6 4.Qf6; 2...Rh3+ 3.Kg8 Rh4 4.Nf4 Rg4+ 5.Ng6 Rg5 6.e6 Rxe6 7.Qb8+ Kd7 8.Qb7+ Kd6 9.Qb6+ Kd5 10.Qxe6+, 2...Kd8 3.Qb8+ Kd7 4.e6+ Kc6 5.Nd4+, 2...Kd7 3.Qb7+ and 2...Rxf5 3.Qb8+ Kd7 4.Qd6+ Ke8 5.Qg6+. 3.Nf4!! Threatening a mating attack by 4.Qb8+ Re8 5.Qc7 Rg3 6.Ng6+ Rxg6 7.fxg6 Re7 8.Qd8+ Re8 9.Qf6#. This is the start of a manoeuvre to decoy the rook to f5, for reasons to be seen later. 3...Rxf4 3...Rf1 to be able to reach h1 with check doesn't put off the mate: 4.Ng6+ Ke8 5.e6 Rh1+ 6.Kg8 Rd1 7.Qb5+ Rdd7 8.f6 Rh7 9.f7+ Rxf7 10.exf7+ Kd8 11.Qb8#. 4.Qh2 Rxf5 or 4... Rf1 5.e6 Rxf5 6.Qh6+ Ke8 7.Qg6+ Kd8 8.Qxf5 and wins. 5.Qh6+ Kf7 5...Ke8 loses to 6.Qg6+ Ref7 7.Kg8 Ke7 8.Qd6+ Ke8 9.Qe6+ Kd8 10.Qxf7 Rxf7 11.Kxf7 and the e-pawn decides. 6.e6+! White sacrifices his last pawn to decoy the e7-rook to e6. All Black's alternatives to the main line past this point lead to a win by White on material. 6...Rxe6 If 6...Ke8 7.Qg6+ Kd8 8.Qxf5. 7.Qh7+ Kf6 Now it's mate, but if 7... Kf8 8.Qxf5+ or 7... Ke8 8.Qxf5. 8.Qg7#

A pretty mate with the two black rooks blocking the black king. Only the white king has not moved into position during the play leading up to this tableau.

There is a lot of analysis outside the main line for the solver to undertake in this study, and that's one of the factors that make it difficult to solve. Only seven of the 35 finalists at Eton College got full points for this one.

The other study set at Eton is our study for solving this month. Unlike the competitors at Eton, you can have almost as much time as you like to solve it, so do have a go!

Jens Kristiansen

Problem-Skak, 2008

Show solution

1.Bc8+ Kc6 2.Rh6+ Not 2.Rc7+? Kd6 3.c5+ Qxc5 4.Nxc5 Nc6+ 5.Rxc6+ Kxc6 6.Nxa6 Ra7 with a draw. 2...Qd6+ The second in a series of forced moves for Black. 3.Rxd6+ Kxd6 4.c5+ Kc6 5.Bb7+ White continues to force the play, the aim being to box Black's king in on a7. Kxb7 6.Na5+ Ka7 7.Kc7 Mission accomplished. Now the knight must move from b8, after which 8.N(x)c6# follows.