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]
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