Unity Chess Club
Training position Konstantin Landa Black to move
It is obvious that Black has a fine concentration of pieces around the white king. But where is the mate? Players with a sharp tactical vision will have no trouble spotting the finish.
Unity Chess Club
Konstantin Sakaev 2669 Yuri Yakovich 2560 Kazan ch-RUS sf 2005 White to move
White has excellently-coordinated pieces, a far advanced passed pawn, and a lovely knight in the centre. With the help of...
a mating net is created around the black king. The threat of 31.Qf7+ and 32.Qf8 is unstoppable, and so Black resigned. On 30...Qxb6, the game ends by force after 31.Qf7+ Kd8 32.Qf8+ Kc7 33.Qxe7+ Kb8 34.Nd7+.
Unity Chess Club
Efim Geller 2620 Anatoly Karpov 2695 Moscow ch-URS 1976 White to move
The black king is boxed in on all sides by its own pieces, and this makes possible a tactical blow, which White had undoubtedly seen in advance:
Whether the queen is taken or not, there is no defence against a deadly knight check on g6.
Having extra material, it is better to defend the ‘base’ pawn, to win the game without undue adventures.
29...Ne7 30.Bxe7 Kxe7 31.Ng6+ Kf7 32.Nf4 Bxe5 33.dxe5 Rxf4 34.Rc1 Ke8 35.c6 Kd8 36.c7+ Kc8 37.g3 Ra4