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Can you totally trust the books?

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20th December 2008, 06:47am
#1
by Phil_from_Blayney
Blayney, NSW Australia
Member Since: Apr 2008
Member Points: 256

Here is a puzzle from '303 Perplexing Chess Puzzles', a 2004 book compiled by Fred Wilson and Bruce Albertson and endorsed as an official MENSA Puzzle Book. Fairly high recommendation indeed.

This is #57 from the book, a reasonably good looking problem.

 

 

 

 

 

Now the problem for you is, is this correct?

Have a go at it now.

 

 

 

 

 

I read once before that one should read analysis but never trust it until you have confirmed it as correct. I guess the same applies to books!

20th December 2008, 07:32am
#2
by kid_of_chess
Ottawa,Ontario Canada
Member Since: May 2008
Member Points: 7426

ur right! cool!

20th December 2008, 07:47am
#3
by DimKnight
Connecticut United States
Member Since: Mar 2008
Member Points: 399

Chess history is chock-full of "cooked" problems, and any number of chess books (including many pre-computer classics) contain faulty analysis. The challenge is, knowing the "cook" in the problem above, can you repair it to make the idea work?

20th December 2008, 08:02am
#4
by Webhead
Mississippi United States
Member Since: Oct 2008
Member Points: 507

Nice find dude.  No, you can't always trust the books.  By the way, you can't always trust the computers either.  Laughing

20th December 2008, 08:25am
#5
by DimKnight
Connecticut United States
Member Since: Mar 2008
Member Points: 399

Yes, but black will have turned a position of some advantage into a draw, which can't be a positive conclusion. In any event, a Ra2 by white may serve to stop some of the perpetual threats.

20th December 2008, 08:36am
#6
by Phil_from_Blayney
Blayney, NSW Australia
Member Since: Apr 2008
Member Points: 256

 

 

 

 

 

@ DimKnight, the fix in this one is easy Smile but I agree with you, sometimes finding a bust and then finding the fix can be a fun thing to do.

 

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