It’s been a while!BSAeagle solved Problem #30 – after LOTS of struggle (hehe) – early on. Because no one else has solved this puzzle since then and everyone seems baffled into silence, BSAeagle gets the SOLE KUDOS. Congrats!
27. … Qc6??is in fact a crass blunder. The problem is that Black, in targeting the R on e8 (so that after, for instance, 28. Bg5?? Qxe8 leading to a better opposite-color B endgame for Black), forgets that he needs to watch out for R checks on e7. White quickly bashes through with 28. R1e7+!(and not28. R8e7+?, allowing the K to escape to the bank rank) , forcing Black’s K into the center of the board. After 28. … Kf6 29. h4! (threatening 30. Bg5+) g5 30. Bxg5+ or 30. hxg5+, Black’s K is wide open and in serious trouble.
Therefore the correct answer to (2) is (b). Since in (1) Black cannot safely move his Q to c6, he should consider what his Q can do while still on c5. In fact, the Q supports the advance 27. … g5 that gives Black’s K an escape square on g6. So that’s the answer to (1). Thanks again to its_only_me for the problem submissions.
Problem #31 goes back to one of my own games.You are asked here to evaluate the move 20. exf5, my continuation against 19. … f5.Was this the best move, or was there something better?
Fellow NESA Memorial problem solvers,
It’s been a while! BSAeagle solved Problem #30 – after LOTS of struggle (hehe) – early on. Because no one else has solved this puzzle since then and everyone seems baffled into silence, BSAeagle gets the SOLE KUDOS. Congrats!
27. … Qc6??is in fact a crass blunder. The problem is that Black, in targeting the R on e8 (so that after, for instance, 28. Bg5?? Qxe8 leading to a better opposite-color B endgame for Black), forgets that he needs to watch out for R checks on e7. White quickly bashes through with 28. R1e7+!(and not28. R8e7+?, allowing the K to escape to the bank rank) , forcing Black’s K into the center of the board. After 28. … Kf6 29. h4! (threatening 30. Bg5+) g5 30. Bxg5+ or 30. hxg5+, Black’s K is wide open and in serious trouble.
Therefore the correct answer to (2) is (b). Since in (1) Black cannot safely move his Q to c6, he should consider what his Q can do while still on c5. In fact, the Q supports the advance 27. … g5 that gives Black’s K an escape square on g6. So that’s the answer to (1). Thanks again to its_only_me for the problem submissions.
Problem #31 goes back to one of my own games. You are asked here to evaluate the move 20. exf5, my continuation against 19. … f5. Was this the best move, or was there something better?
Good luck!
Xenophon98