⚪️#117 (Strategy-White to Move)
🔸Hesham,Abdelrahman (2408)
🔸Nayhebaver,Martin (2466)
🔸Olympiad 2018 Batumi

24.Bh3! [White chooses the most accurate move to put more pressure on the opponent's position. The f5 pawn cannot be defended easily.]

[24.Nf4 Rf6 25.e3 h6 26.h5 Kh7 27.Bf1 Qf7 28.Qa4 a6 29.Be2 Nf3+ 30.Kg2 Nxd4 31.Rxd4 a5±; 24.Qa4 g5 (24...a5 25.Nf4 Bc6 26.Nxc6 Rxc6 27.Rd5 g5 28.hxg5 Bxg5 29.e3²) 25.hxg5 Bxg5 26.Qxa7 Qf7 27.Nxf5 Qxf5 (27...Bxd5 28.Qxf7 Bxf7 29.Nxh6 Bxh6 30.Bxe4+–) 28.Qxb7 Rf8„]

24...Rc5 [24...g6? 25.Ne6 Qg8 26.Qe3 Bxd5 27.Nxd8 Qf8 28.Rcd2+–; 24...Ng4 25.Bxg4 fxg4 26.Qe3 b5 27.Qxe4 Rxc4 28.Rxc4 bxc4 29.e3 Qf7 30.Ne2 g5 31.hxg5 Bxg5 32.Qxg4 Bxd5 33.Qd4+ Bf6 34.Qxd5±]

25.Nxf5 Bc8 26.Nxh6 Bxh3 27.g4! Bxg4 28.Nxg4 Nxg4 29.Qg3 Qf5 30.Ne3 Nxe3 31.fxe3 Be7 [31...Qh5 32.Rd5+–]

32.Rf1 Qe6 33.Rf4 Rxc4 34.Rxc4 Qxc4 35.Qg4 Qc1+ 36.Kg2 Bf6 37.Rxe4 Qc6 38.Qf3 Qa8 39.Re6 Qg8 40.Rxd6 h6 41.Qd5 Qe8 42.h5 Qxe3 43.Re6 Qg5+ 44.Qxg5 hxg5 45.b3

1–0

⚪️#117 (Endgame-‌White to Move)
🔸Makhnev,Denis (2449)
🔸Kjartansson,Gudmundur (2428)
🔸World Chess Olympiad 2018 Batumi

30.Ra8+ [30.Rc5! Nb8 31.Rb5 Na6 32.Rb6 Nc7 33.Rc6 Na8 34.Ra6 Nc7 35.Ra7 Bf5 36.Rd1 Bc2 37.Ra1 Ne6 38.a5 d4 39.Ra8+ Kg7 40.a6 d3 41.exd3 Bxd3 42.a7 Be4 43.Rb8 Kf6 44.Re1 Bf3 45.Re3 Bd5 46.a8Q Bxa8 47.Rxa8 Bb2 48.Rf3+ Kg6 49.Rg8++–; 30.Rb5 Kf8 31.a5 Ke7 32.Rd1 Kd6 33.Rd2²]

30...Kg7 31.a5 d4 32.a6 Bf5 33.Ra1 Bb2 34.Ra2 Bc3 35.a7 b3 36.Rg8+ Kxg8 37.a8Q+ Kg7 38.Ra3 b2 39.Rb3 Nb4 40.Rxb2 Bxb2 41.Qa5 Kg6 42.Qxb4 Ba1 43.Qa3 Bc3 44.e3 f6 45.Qc5

1–0

⚪️#118 (Strategy-White to Move)
🔸Pelletier,Yannick (2544)
🔸Perez Candelario,Manuel (2590)
🔸Olympiad 2018 Batumi

Unity Chess Strategy Multiple Choice 118
public poll

C) e5 – 11
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 85%
@shahrook, future, Gavin, Nikhil, Jayden, @SteveWongso, @h_a_d_I_1169, @AryanLeekha, @WataxPin, Michael, Daniel

B) Bg3 – 2
👍 15%
@Somebody_Sophia, @RichardPeng

A) Ne2
▫️ 0%

👥 13 people voted so far.

⚫️ #118 (Endgame-‌Black to Move)
🔸Vocaturo,Daniele (2615)
🔸Matamoros Franco,Carlos S (2494)
🔸World Chess Olympiad 2018 Batumi

Unity Chess Endgame Multiple Choice 118
public poll

B) Ra6 – 14
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 82%
@shahrook, mehran, Gavin, Nikhil, @BehroudR, Jayden, @h_a_d_I_1169, @Somebody_Sophia, @RichardPeng, @AryanLeekha, Atharva, Adith, Michael, Daniel

A) K×d5 – 2
👍 12%
@aadiib, @SteveWongso

C) Kc5 – 1
👍 6%
@WataxPin

👥 17 people voted so far.

◼️ Today is death day of Alexander Kotov
▪️ Soviet chess Grandmaster

▪️ Born: August 12, 1913, Tula, Russia
▪️ Died: January 8, 1981, Moscow, Russia
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
@unitychess

"If you are weak in the endgame, you must spend more time analyzing studies; in your training games, you must aim at transposing to endgames, which will help you to acquire the requisite experience."

🔸Mikhail Botvinnik (1960). “Botvinnik: 100 Selected Games”

@UnityChess

Paul Keres v. Hugh Alexander, Round 1, Board 1, Great Britain v. USSR match, 21st September 1947.

@UnityChess

For the 103rd anniversary of the birth of Paul Keres, a photo of the Estonian grandmaster in play at Beverwijk, January 1964. Keres shared 1st-2nd place in the event, together with his compatriot, Iivo Nei.

@UnityChess

🔸chess.com IoM Masters Douglas ENG 2018
🔸Round 6
⚪️Kramnik,Vladimir (2779)
⚫️L'Ami,Erwin (2639)
🔸1-0

33.d7! [Kramnik finds the exact move order that brings him victory.]
[33.Qd5? b3! 34.Qxa5 bxa2+ 35.Kxa2 Rc2+ 36.Ka3 Bb2+ 37.Ka2 Bc3+ 38.Ka3 Bb2+=; 33.e7!? Rxb3+ 34.Rxb3 Qf5+ 35.Rbd3 Qe4 36.f3! Qg6 37.f4! △f5 37...Rd7 38.f5 Qe8 39.f6 Bh8 40.Rf1+–]
33...Rxb3+ [33...Qd8 34.e7!+–]
34.Rxb3 Qd8 35.e7! [It is time to throw in the towel!]
1–0

⚪️#118 (Strategy-White to Move)
🔸Pelletier,Yannick (2544)
🔸Perez Candelario,Manuel (2590)
🔸Olympiad 2018 Batumi

24.e5! [A multi-purpose move: It opens up the light-squared bishop diagonal, clears the e4 square for his knight and prepares the conditions for a coordinated attack on the enemy's king.]

[24.Ne2 Be5 25.Bh6 f6 26.Ng3 Bxg3 27.hxg3 Ne5 28.Be2 Rad8=; 24.Bg3 Be5 25.Qf2 Rad8 26.Bxe5 Nxe5 27.Be2²]

24...dxe5 25.d6 Qd8 [25...Qxd6?? 26.Bxg6 Qxd2 27.Bxd2 fxg6 28.Rxf6]

26.Bxg6 fxg6 27.Nd5 Qxd6 [27...exf4?? 28.Rxe8+ Qxe8 29.Nxf6+ Kg7 30.Nxe8+]

28.Bg3 Bg7 29.Bh4 [29.Nf6+ Qxf6 30.Rxf6 Bxf6 31.Qd5+ Re6 32.Qxb7 Rd8 33.Kg1 e4 34.Bf2„]

29...Re6 30.Qg2 Rae8 [30...e4! 31.Rxe4 Bh3! 32.Qxh3 Rxe4–+]

31.h3 Bf5 32.Rxf5 gxf5 33.Rg1 Qf8 34.Ne3 R8e7?? [34...Kh8 35.Nxf5 Bh6 36.Rf1 e4–+]

35.Bxe7 Rxe7 36.Qg6 Rf7 37.Rg5 Qd8 38.Rxf5 Rxf5 39.Nxf5 Qd1+ 40.Kg2 Qe2+ 41.Kg1 Qe1+ 42.Kg2 Qe4+ 43.Kf2 Qf4+ 44.Kg2 Qd2+ 45.Kg3 Qf4+ 46.Kg2 Qd2+ 47.Kg3 Qf4+
½–½