Why You Can't Just Have One Style
Hi chess friends,
I didn't play much over Thanksgiving, but did have time for a couple of games against the Play Magnus phone App (age 10 this time). The most interesting game featured the position below.
The key move in the position is Rd8+, which should win in all variations. However, black's two key defensive ideas Rxd8, and Ne8 give white very different plans. Many chess players consider themselves either attackers or technicians, but top players (even Tal) are all strong in any phase of the game. To win here, you need to be able to win with a mating attack or an endgame squeeze. See if you can find the path to victory against either defense.
See if you can find the tactical win against Ne8.
However, in the game, black defended differently.
Here's the full game, although some of it was poorly played.
