📕18.Rb1!
Black is prevented from disrupting the white center with ...b5-b4, putting a pawn alongside his furthest advanced pawn in thematic style, when after the capture c3xb4 he has ...Bxf3 followed by ...Qxd4+. He is also restrained from utilizing his queenside pawn majority with ...a7-a5 and ... b5-b4, when he might have created a passed pawn. Black's cause is greatly hampered by the fact that his king's bishop is buried on g7: White's own dark-squared bishop has no rival when it comes to restraining any counterplay on the queenside.
Black is prevented from disrupting the white center with ...b5-b4, putting a pawn alongside his furthest advanced pawn in thematic style, when after the capture c3xb4 he has ...Bxf3 followed by ...Qxd4+. He is also restrained from utilizing his queenside pawn majority with ...a7-a5 and ... b5-b4, when he might have created a passed pawn. Black's cause is greatly hampered by the fact that his king's bishop is buried on g7: White's own dark-squared bishop has no rival when it comes to restraining any counterplay on the queenside.
📕 25.e5!
The e-pawn moves up to the fifth rank to join its comrade on d5. Nevertheless, no matter how desirable from a strategic point of view, such a move is useless unless it can be justified tactically. It is essential that 25...dxe5 can be answered by 26 Qf5! which ends the game at once due to the double attack on c8 and h7. Notice that he has cleared a diagonal for his bishop; also that he is poised to create a passed pawn with e5-e6 which will be far more mobile than the black one on d4.
The e-pawn moves up to the fifth rank to join its comrade on d5. Nevertheless, no matter how desirable from a strategic point of view, such a move is useless unless it can be justified tactically. It is essential that 25...dxe5 can be answered by 26 Qf5! which ends the game at once due to the double attack on c8 and h7. Notice that he has cleared a diagonal for his bishop; also that he is poised to create a passed pawn with e5-e6 which will be far more mobile than the black one on d4.
Unity Chess Multiple Choice 371
B: Nd2 – 6
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 75%
C: Rb1 – 2
👍👍 25%
A: h3
▫️ 0%
👥 8 people voted so far.
B: Nd2 – 6
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 75%
C: Rb1 – 2
👍👍 25%
A: h3
▫️ 0%
👥 8 people voted so far.
Unity Chess Multiple Choice 372
C: Qd3 – 7
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 58%
B: Bb4 – 3
👍👍👍 25%
A: Nge7 – 2
👍👍 17%
👥 12 people voted so far.
C: Qd3 – 7
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 58%
B: Bb4 – 3
👍👍👍 25%
A: Nge7 – 2
👍👍 17%
👥 12 people voted so far.
Cambridge & Oxford varsity chess teams have met 135 times since 1873 (organized by Steinitz). Cambridge has won 59, lost 54, and drawn 22.
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The Yugoslav grandmaster Ljubomir Ljubojević, pictured at the Amsterdam OHRA tournament, July 1986.
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Ian Fleming (1908-1964) wrote Moonraker in 1954, his 3rd Bond novel. The novel mentions Paul Morphy & his habit of staring at his opponent.
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Viktor Korchnoi v. Paul Keres, 1st round, 33rd USSR-ch final, Tallinn, 22nd November 1965.
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23.R×g7!!
A brave and intuitive sacrifice from Naiditsch to expose the opponent's king.
23...K×g7 24.0-0-0 (f4!) Rf7 25.Rg1+ Kf8 26.Q×h6+ Rg7 27.R×g7 N×g7 28.Qf6+ Kg8 29.B×e5 Nef5 30.B×f5 Q×f6 31.N×f6+ Kf7 32.B×d6 +/-
A brave and intuitive sacrifice from Naiditsch to expose the opponent's king.
23...K×g7 24.0-0-0 (f4!) Rf7 25.Rg1+ Kf8 26.Q×h6+ Rg7 27.R×g7 N×g7 28.Qf6+ Kg8 29.B×e5 Nef5 30.B×f5 Q×f6 31.N×f6+ Kf7 32.B×d6 +/-