The Daily Chess Puzzle

Most daze after waking and taking care of business, like turning on the Black and Decker Brew ‘n Go one shot coffee maker, I settle in to scan the blunews while suckin’ down the blessed brew. Then it’s on to the Chess websites, the first being the grandaddy of them all, The Week In Chess, (https://theweekinchess.com/) which contains a new puzzle from Chesspuzzle.net. Then what’s left of the brain begins, hopefully, cogitatin’… Some daze the answer jumps out at me and I feel like a Grandmaster; other daze the thread simply cannot be found, which makes me feel like a Grandpatzer…

The puzzle you are about to see appeared just the other day; the day after publishing the post on GM Andras Adorjan (https://xpertchesslessons.wordpress.com/2023/05/13/gm-andras-adorjan-r-i-p/).

Adorjan vs Jan Timman (https://dailynewshungary.com/uk/chess-grandmaster-andras-adorjan-dies-at-73/)

Truth be told (and who the heck wants to tell the truth?) the brain was racked in a futile attempt at finding ‘the move’. I am man enough to admit the search had to be stopped in order to take a seat on the throne prior to rustlin’ up some grub, but the position stayed in my mind. After a short rest period spent stretched out on the bed to ease my achin’ back I could not get the position outta my mind, which was disconcerting, to say the least. Where the heck was that elusive move? Had I lost it completely? Inquiring mind wanted to know… My thoughts then drifted to other things, like why am I not working Go puzzles…

After getting outta bed and again firing up The Dude you know where the surfin’ began. Within a nanosecond the move appeared in my brain. It was sooooooooooo obvious; why had it eluded me earlier?
May you have better skill…

White to move (https://chesspuzzle.net/Puzzle/35552) Andras Adorjan – Kick Langeweg
Wijk aan Zee I (1), 1972

The only thing I do not like about ChessPuzzle.net is the position is described as, in this particular case, “White to win.” It would be much better if the ChessPuzzler’s would simply inform a viewer of which opponent is on move.

Position after 40 Qf4

Although the material is somewhat balanced, the fact is that Black is hanging on by a thread and simply MUST make the only move to hang on to the rope.

Andras Adorjan (2475) vs Kick Langeweg (2425)
Event: Hoogovens
Site: Wijk aan Zee Date: 01/??/1972
Round: 1 Score: 1-0
ECO: B44 Sicilian, Szen (`anti-Taimanov’) variation
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nb5 d6 6.c4 Nf6 7.N1c3 a6 8.Na3 Be7 9.Be2 O-O 10.O-O Rb8 11.Be3 Qa5 12.Qe1 Rd8 13.Rd1 Bd7 14.f3 Be8 15.Kh1 Nd7 16.Bf4 Nc5 17.Rd2 Na4 18.Nxa4 Qxa4 19.Qg3 e5 20.Bh6 Bf8 21.Be3 b5 22.Bd1 Qa5 23.cxb5 axb5 24.Bb3 Nd4 25.Rxd4 exd4 26.Bxd4 Qd2 27.Bc3 Qh6 28.Nc2 Bd7 29.Nb4 Re8 30.Rd1 Qg6 31.Qf4 Be6 32.h3 Kh8 33.Bd5 Rec8 34.a3 Bxd5 35.Rxd5 Rc4 36.h4 Qe6 37.Rf5 Kg8 38.Nd5 Rbc8 39.Qg4 Kh8 40.Qf4 Kg8 41.Nf6+ Kh8 42.Rh5 h6 43.Qg5 1-0
https://www.365chess.com/game.php?back=1&gid=2412563&m=30

Franciscus Antonius Kuijpers (2400) vs Kick Langeweg (2425)
Event: NED-ch
Site: Leeuwarden Date: ??/??/1972
Round: 3 Score: ½-½
ECO: B44 Sicilian, Szen (`anti-Taimanov’) variation
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nb5 d6 6.c4 Nf6 7.N1c3 a6 8.Na3 Be7 9.Be2 O-O 10.O-O Rb8 11.Be3 Qa5 12.Qe1 Rd8 13.Rd1 Bd7 14.f3 Be8 15.Qg3 ½-½
https://www.365chess.com/game.php?back=1&gid=2409787&m=30

The Discman Plays The Leningrad Dutch

Imagine the surprise when the Ironman brought to my attention one of the Chess puzzles used at chesspuzzle.net was from a game played by none other than my friend, the Discman, aka NM Chris Chambers. (https://xpertchesslessons.wordpress.com/2014/05/16/the-discman/) Then, just when you figure it cannot get any better, it does, because the game was a Leningrad Dutch! I’m not worthy…

goodreads.com

My copy of this book was not in good shape like the one above. ‘Back in the day’ my copy was filled with games copied from the Informants, and other sources, which bloated it to double the normal size. I loved, and devoured that book…

WIM Dana Tuleyeva-Aketayeva (2130) vs NM Chris L. Chambers
Titled Tuesday 19th Oct chess.com INT (5), 2021.10.19

1.d4 f5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 g6 4.g3 Bg7 5.Bg2 O-O 6.Nc3 d6 7.O-O Nc6 8.Qb3 Kh8 9.c5 e5 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.Ng5 Qe8 12.Nd5 Nxd5 13.Bxd5 h6 14.Ne6 Bxe6 15.Bxe6 Nd4 16.Bf7 Qxf7 17.Qxb7 Nxe2+ 18.Kg2 Rab8 19.Qxa7 Qd5+ 20.f3 Nxc1 21.Raxc1 Rxb2+ 22.Rf2 Rxf2+ 23.Kxf2 Qd2+ 0-1

9 c5 is a Theoretical Novelty, and not a good one. Prior to playing the weak move the WIM, according to the Fish, had an advantage of +1.0. After the bad move she found herself -0.2. There is a diagram with the puzzle after the move 14 Ne6:

https://chesspuzzle.net/Solution/426630

The WIM let go of the rope when playing the ill-fated 11 Ng5. It does not take a program to see she violated one of the ‘rules’ by moving an already developed piece, in this case the Knight on f3, when she could have simply developed her dark squared Bishop by moving it to the g5 square. The female player is shown with a rating of only 2130. I have no way of knowing where the rating emanated because it is not specified. Could it be a FIDE rating? Or maybe a USCF rating? There is a huge difference in which rating is used. Then again, it could be a Chess.com rating for all I know. No matter from whence it came, it is the rating of an EXPERT, because an EXPERT Chess player is anyone rated between 2000 and 2199. Years ago I was an expert, and was proud of having earned that crooked number to begin my Expert Chess rating. If one is a woman rated over 2000 she becomes a titled Chess player. It makes me wanna PUKE! ‘Back in the day’ a title meant something. FIDE has so cheapened all titles to the point of irrelevance.

Examine All Checks!

One of the things this Chess teacher has been BIG on is instructing the student to EXAMINE ALL CHECKS! There was an encounter with a student and his mother in a grocery store when I asked the student what he had been up to recently. The reply came immediately, “Examining all checks, Coach!” You know that put a smile on my face, and that of his pretty mother, too.

Black to move

Every day I surf over to The Week In Chess after ingesting enough caffeine to jump start the brain and attempt solving the Daily Chess Puzzle. Frankly, at my age nothing is going to improve my play, but putting some strain on the ol’ brain cannot hurt…much. Some days I feel like the King; other daze I feel like a lowly pawn…

Todaze puzzle emanates from a game played just a few days ago between:
GM Gupta Sankalp (2504) – GM Samvel Ter-Sahakyan (2616)
Airthings Masters Play-In chess.com INT (3), 2023.02.03
https://chesspuzzle.net/Puzzle/848631

Good Skill!