Wednesday Workout: So Dodgy!

Get your solving hats on! Here are six positions for you to chew on, including four from the famous Mr. Dodgy 2.0 Invitational and two from the FIDE Women's Grand Prix currently happening in Gibraltar. The problems advance (roughly speaking) in order of difficulty. Can you solve all six and prove you are a stronger analyst than a man cosplaying on a horse?

Answers:

[pgn][Event "MrDodgy Invitational 2"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2021.05.15"] [Round "3.1"] [White "Dubov, Daniil"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2710"] [BlackElo "2780"] [Annotator "Hartmann,John"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "r4rk1/1p3ppp/p2Q1n2/8/P3P2q/2N4b/1PP2PB1/R4RK1 w - - 0 18"] [PlyCount "9"] [EventDate "2021.05.12"] [SourceTitle "Workout 210526"] [SourceDate "2021.05.26"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2021.05.26"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[#]} 18. Qh2 {[%csl Yh3][%cal Gh2h4] Making use of an unexpected pin!} Rad8 19. Qxh3 Qxh3 20. Bxh3 Rd2 21. Rac1 Re8 22. Rfd1 1-0 [/pgn]

[pgn][Event "MrDodgy Invitational 2"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2021.05.15"] [Round "3.2"] [White "Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi"] [Black "Jobava, Baadur"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C42"] [WhiteElo "2726"] [BlackElo "2603"] [Annotator "Hartmann,John"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "4nk2/6p1/1K5p/7P/P1pQ1b2/5P1P/3p4/8 b - - 0 50"] [PlyCount "19"] [EventDate "2021.05.12"] [SourceTitle "Workout 210526"] [SourceDate "2021.05.26"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2021.05.26"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[#]} 50... Be3 $1 {Deflecting the queen away from defense of d1.} 51. Qxe3 d1=Q 52. Qc5+ Qd6+ 53. Qxd6+ Nxd6 54. a5 c3 55. a6 c2 56. Ka5 c1=Q 57. Kb4 Qc4+ 58. Ka3 Qxa6+ 59. Kb3 Qd3+ 0-1 [/pgn]

[pgn][Event "MrDodgy Invitational 2"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2021.05.13"] [Round "1.1"] [White "Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi"] [Black "Nielsen, Peter Heine"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E61"] [WhiteElo "2726"] [BlackElo "2618"] [Annotator "Hartmann,John"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "r2r2k1/pp2ppbp/6p1/2qb4/Q7/2PR1NP1/P3PPBP/3R2K1 b - - 0 16"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2021.05.12"] [SourceTitle "Workout 210526"] [SourceDate "2021.05.26"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2021.05.26"] [SourceQuality "1"] {How about a defensive move? Here Peter Heine Nielsen has to figure out a way to deal with the impending hit on the bishop with either c3-c4 or e2-e4.} 16... Rd6 $1 17. Qb4 $6 (17. c4 {fails to} Bxc4) ({while} 17. e4 {is met with} Bc6 $1 ) ({The computer thinks that White's best is} 17. Nd4 {(with the idea of Nd4-f5!)}) 17... Qxb4 18. cxb4 Bxa2 19. Rxd6 exd6 20. Rxd6 Bf8 (20... Rc8 $1 $15) 21. Rd7 Bxb4 22. Rxb7 a5 23. Ne5 Rd8 24. Bf3 Be6 25. Nc6 Rd1+ 26. Kg2 Bc3 27. Ra7 Ra1 28. Nd8 Bb3 29. Rc7 Bf6 30. Nb7 a4 31. Nc5 $2 Rc1 $1 32. Rc8+ Kg7 33. Ne6+ Bxe6 34. Rxc1 {Now we see the power of the bishops.} a3 35. Bc6 a2 36. e4 Bb2 37. Re1 Bb3 38. f4 Bc2 39. Bd5 a1=Q 40. Rxa1 Bxa1 41. Kf3 f6 42. g4 g5 43. h4 gxf4 44. Kxf4 Be5+ 45. Kf3 h6 46. Be6 Kf8 47. Bf5 Ke7 48. g5 fxg5 49. hxg5 hxg5 50. Kg4 Kf6 51. Bh7 Bd1+ 52. Kh3 g4+ 53. Kh4 g3 54. Kh3 Kg5 55. Bf5 Kf4 56. Kg2 Bf3+ 57. Kh3 g2 58. Kh2 Bd4 0-1 [/pgn]

[pgn][Event "MrDodgy Invitational 2"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2021.05.15"] [Round "3.2"] [White "Jobava, Baadur"] [Black "Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E50"] [WhiteElo "2603"] [BlackElo "2726"] [Annotator "Hartmann,John"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "8/pR6/5pp1/3p1k2/6nP/4PNP1/5PK1/r7 w - - 0 38"] [PlyCount "35"] [EventDate "2021.05.12"] [SourceTitle "Workout 210526"] [SourceDate "2021.05.26"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2021.05.26"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[#]} 38. Nd4+ $5 {Right idea, wrong order.} ({Here Jobava missed the very pretty} 38. Re7 $1 {which threatens 39. Nd4 mate. Black has create luft for the king, but there's no good solution: if} Ne5 (38... g5 39. h5 $1) 39. Nd4+ Kg4 {and now there's the stunning} 40. h5 $1 {which wins by force, i.e.} ({ The human move} 40. Re6 Ra2 41. Rxf6 Kh5 42. Ne6 {also works}) 40... Kxh5 ( 40... gxh5 41. Rg7+ Ng6 42. Rxg6#) 41. Rh7+ Kg4 42. Rh4+ Kg5 43. f4#) 38... Ke5 39. Re7+ $2 {One move too late!} Kd6 40. Rxa7 Rxa7 41. Nb5+ Ke5 $2 ({The ending should be drawn after} 41... Kc5 42. Nxa7 {when the white knight is out of play.}) 42. Nxa7 d4 43. Nc6+ Ke4 44. Nxd4 Ne5 45. Ne2 g5 46. h5 Nf7 47. g4 Nh6 48. Ng3+ Ke5 49. f3 Ke6 50. Kf2 Ke5 51. Ke2 Ke6 52. Kd3 Ke5 53. Kc4 Ke6 54. Kd4 Kd6 55. Nf5+ 1-0 [/pgn]

[pgn][Event "Gibraltar WGP 2021"] [Site "Caleta ENG"] [Date "2021.05.23"] [Round "2.2"] [White "Lagno, Kateryna"] [Black "Kashlinskaya, Alina"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C42"] [WhiteElo "2546"] [BlackElo "2494"] [Annotator "Hartmann,John"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "2r1r1k1/1p1b1ppp/p1n5/3p1N2/3Pn3/q3BQ2/P4PPP/R3RBK1 w - - 0 21"] [PlyCount "35"] [EventDate "2021.05.22"] [SourceTitle "Workout 210526"] [SourceDate "2021.05.26"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2021.05.26"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[#]} 21. Nxg7 $1 Red8 ({White's point is seen after} 21... Kxg7 $2 22. Bh6+ $1 Kxh6 23. Qxa3) 22. Nf5 Bxf5 23. Qxf5 Ne7 24. Qg4+ Ng6 $6 (24... Kh8 25. Bf4 f6 26. Rab1 $18) 25. h4 $1 Qf8 26. h5 f5 27. Qh3 Ne7 28. f3 Nf6 29. Bg5 h6 30. Bh4 Qg7 31. Re5 Rf8 32. Rae1 Rc7 33. Bd3 Kh8 34. Bg3 Rg8 35. Bh2 Nc6 36. Rxf5 Nxd4 37. Rxf6 Rc6 38. Rg6 1-0 [/pgn]

[pgn][Event "Gibraltar WGP 2021"] [Site "Caleta ENG"] [Date "2021.05.25"] [Round "4.4"] [White "Paehtz, Elisabeth"] [Black "Dzagnidze, Nana"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B22"] [WhiteElo "2456"] [BlackElo "2524"] [Annotator "Hartmann,John"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "r3r1k1/pq3p1p/1p2p3/5p1Q/2PP1b2/1R6/P2N1PPP/4R1K1 w - - 0 23"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "2021.05.22"] [SourceTitle "Workout 210526"] [SourceDate "2021.05.26"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2021.05.26"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[#]} 23. Ne4 $1 Qe7 (23... fxe4 24. Qg4+ Kh8 25. Qxf4 Qe7 26. Rxe4 {and the b3-rook will swing to the kingside with devastating effect}) 24. Rf3 fxe4 ( 24... Bc7 25. Rh3 $1) 25. Rxf4 f5 {[#]} 26. Rexe4 $1 Rac8 (26... fxe4 $2 27. Rg4+ Qg7 (27... Kf8 $2 28. Qh6+ Qg7 29. Qxg7#) 28. Rxg7+ Kxg7 29. Qe5+ Kf7 30. Qxe4 {and White will win this without much trouble.}) 27. Rxf5 $1 Rxc4 (27... exf5 28. Rxe7 Rxe7 29. Qg5+ Kf7 30. Qxf5+ Kg7 31. g3 $1 $18) 28. g3 ({Even better is} 28. Rg5+ $1 Kh8 29. h3 $1 {sending the king to h2 avoids any checks on the long diagonal} (29. g3 Rf8 30. Qg4 $18)) 28... exf5 29. Rxe7 Rxe7 30. Qg5+ Kf8 31. Qxf5+ Rf7 32. Qd3 Rc8 33. d5 Rd8 34. Qd4 Kg8 35. h4 Rfd7 36. Qg4+ Kh8 37. h5 Rxd5 38. h6 R5d7 39. Qe6 b5 40. Kh2 b4 41. Kg2 a6 42. Kg1 a5 43. Qe5+ Kg8 44. Qxa5 Kf7 45. Qf5+ Ke8 46. Qe4+ Re7 47. Qxb4 Re6 48. Qb2 Re7 49. Qb5+ Rdd7 50. a4 Re6 51. a5 Kd8 52. a6 Kc8 53. Qc4+ 1-0 [/pgn]