How good is your chess?:Part I

We live in a world of numbers.For many of us the GM rating is a magic figure that we cannot dream of. So a grandmaster who has attained that status is a rare human being. He sees and understands everything about the position.Now that is a contradictory statement. If he sees and understands everything, how does he lose a game?We all tend to forget that a grandmaster is also human, and it can be terrible for him to enter a mortal combat day after day in a gladiator contest.

Away from the tournament table, a grandmaster may be a friendly figure, and you can join him in a game of analysis. Who knows, if you are sharp, you may even find a better move than him.

So here is a test of 10 positions. It is interesting to note that the assessment of  quite a few positions here changed because the kibitzers found something new.Who knows what you may find? It may  also change everything. In that case you deserve a trophy.

 In this part there are 5 questions.Note that Positions, 1, 2 and 3 are not the usual White to play and win or Black to win variety.What you have to do is just to find the right idea with a few moves in the opening. Positions No. 4 and 5 feature combinations you may not have seen before.Each question carries two points.Enjoy!

Q.NO.1

This position was reached in a grandmaster game and Black played the obvious move, 9...Bf6.Although he won, he was reproaching himself for having entered this line with so many murky complications. Imagine that you are Black. How would you improve on his play?

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Q.No.2

This position was seen in the 3rd and 5th Games of the Anand-Kramnik World Championship Match, Bonn 2008. Here Kramnik refrained from playing the obvious 13.Nxd4.What would you have played if you had to face 13.Nxd4? Remember,this was the variation that decided the World Championship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Q.No.3

This is a standard position in the King’s Indian. For quite some time 13.c5 has been abandoned by White on account of a sharp counter by Black. Would you spot it for yourself?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Q.No.4

 Here is a position from the analysis of a famous classic. Once upon a time 16…Rf7 was suggested as a reasonable alternative for Black. But this also fails to a beautiful variation.Can you find the combination?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 Q.No.5

Here is a miniature of an opening variation that even grandmasters may not know about. It is an inspired creation of Wilhem Steinitz, the First World Champion. Can you see the finish?

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Here is the Link to the second part of the test:

http://www.chess.com/article/view/how-good-is-your-chess-part-ii

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