Wednesday Workout: Play like Naroditsky!

Currently in its 9th of 10 rounds, the Pro Chess League continues to produce tremendous fighting games for chess fans around the globe to enjoy. Last week saw a particularly beautiful attack by Chess Life columnist and San Francisco Mechanic Daniel Naroditsky. His victory over IM Cameron Wheeler helped propel the Mechanics to a 10-6 win over Wheeler’s Dallas Destiny.

Here’s your Wednesday Workout: can you play like Daniel Naroditsky? Three key positions from Naroditsky-Wheeler are given below, and in each case, you’ll have to find White’s best move. Answers are given below, and complete game analysis follows. Enjoy!

Position 1 - White to play:

Position 2 - White to play:

Position 3 - White to play:

Answers: Position 1: 22.Nf5 Ng5 23.Qg3 Leela and Stockfish prefer another idea: 23.Qd3! axb4 (what else?) 24.Nd6 Rd8 25.Nxf7 Rxd3 26.Nh6+ gxh6 27.Rxd3+– 23. ... Nxe4 24.Nh6+ Kf8 Position 2: 25.Bxf6! 25.Qh4 is a pedestrian way to win. After 25. ... Qg6 (25. ... gxh6? 26.Bxf6 threatens 27.Ba1!! with a pin on the queen and impending mate) 26.Nf5 White will play Rde1 next and Black is in a straight jacket. 25...gxf6 Forced. If 25...Nxg3 26.Be7+! Kxe7 27.Rxf7+ Ke6 28.Re1+ Kd5 29.Rxe8+– 26.Rxf6 Qxf6 26. ... Nxf6 is worse: 27.Nxf7 Kxf7 28.Qc7+ Re7 29.Qc8 and the rook will come to f1 or d8 with devastating effect. Black is, for all intents and purposes, playing a rook (a8) and knight (b8) down! 27.Qg8+ Ke7 28.Qxh7+ Kf8 29.Rf1 Nf2? 30.Qg8+ Ke7 31.Re1+ Kd6 32.Qxe8 Na6 33.Qxa8 Nd3 Position 3: 34.Nf5+! 34.Ng4 also wins, but it allows Black more chances to complicate. The game continuation is clearer - and beautiful to boot! 34. ... Qxf5 34...Kd5? 35.Qg8+ Qf7 36.Qxf7#; 34...Kd7? 35.Qe8# 35.Qd8+ Qd7 36.Qxd7+ Kxd7 37.Rd1 axb4 38.Rxd3+ Ke6 39.h4 c5 40.axb4 Nxb4 41.Rc3 1–0

And the full game, for those who are still reading!

[pgn] [Event "Pro Chess Week 8"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2019.02.26"] [White "DanielNaroditsky"] [Black "Caminator2000"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A09"] [WhiteElo "2615"] [BlackElo "2103"] [Annotator "Hartmann,John"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2019.??.??"] [WhiteClock "0:00:53"] [BlackClock "0:00:58"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 d4 3. b4 f6 4. e3 e5 5. c5 dxe3 6. fxe3 Be6 7. Bb2 a5 8. a3 Ne7 9. Nc3 Nd5 $6 {It's hard to see how this might be a mistake this early in the game, but Black's vulnerabilities on the a2-g8 diagonal, coupled with the loose bishop on e6, give White targets to work with.} 10. Be2 (10. Qb3 $1 a4 11. Qa2) 10... Be7 (10... axb4 11. Nxd5 Bxd5 12. axb4 Nc6 {and White is only slightly better.}) 11. O-O O-O 12. Bc4 (12. Qb3 {is again good}) 12... c6 13. e4 {White ramps up operations.} Nf4 14. Bxe6+ Nxe6 15. Qb3 Qd7 16. Na4 $1 { with the obvious, but powerful, idea of Na4-b6!} Bd8 17. d4 $1 exd4 18. Nxd4 Re8 19. Rad1 Bc7 20. Nb6 (20. Nf5 $1 {attacks the queen, but also helps prepare one of two knight jumps into b6 or d6. Black's position is being overrun!}) 20... Bxb6 21. cxb6 Qf7 {[#] Can you play like Daniel Naroditsky?} 22. Nf5 Ng5 23. Qg3 ({Leela and Stockfish prefer another idea:} 23. Qd3 $1 axb4 {(what else?)} 24. Nd6 Rd8 25. Nxf7 Rxd3 26. Nh6+ gxh6 27. Rxd3 $18) 23... Nxe4 24. Nh6+ Kf8 {[#]} 25. Bxf6 $1 (25. Qh4 {is a pedestrian way to win. After} Qg6 (25... gxh6 $2 26. Bxf6 {threatens 27.Ba1!! with a pin on the queen and impending mate.}) 26. Nf5 {White will play Rde1 next and Black is in a straightjacket.}) 25... gxf6 {Forced.} ({If} 25... Nxg3 26. Be7+ $1 Kxe7 27. Rxf7+ Ke6 28. Re1+ Kd5 29. Rxe8 $18) 26. Rxf6 Qxf6 (26... Nxf6 {is worse:} 27. Nxf7 Kxf7 28. Qc7+ Re7 29. Qc8 {and the rook will come to f1 or d8 with devastating effect. Black is, for all intents and purposes, playing a rook (a8) and knight (b8) down!}) 27. Qg8+ Ke7 28. Qxh7+ Kf8 29. Rf1 Nf2 $2 {Hastens the end.} (29... Qxf1+ $142 30. Kxf1 Nd6 31. Qc7 Re6 32. Nf5 $1) 30. Qg8+ Ke7 31. Re1+ Kd6 32. Qxe8 Na6 33. Qxa8 Nd3 {[#]} 34. Nf5+ $1 (34. Ng4 {also wins, but it allows Black more chances to complicate. The game continuation is clearer - and beautiful to boot!}) 34... Qxf5 $8 (34... Kd5 $2 35. Qg8+ Qf7 36. Qxf7#) ( 34... Kd7 $2 35. Qe8#) 35. Qd8+ Qd7 36. Qxd7+ Kxd7 37. Rd1 axb4 38. Rxd3+ Ke6 39. h4 c5 40. axb4 Nxb4 41. Rc3 1-0 [/pgn]