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Natalia Pogonina (2496) - Elena Zaiatz (2391) White to move
While in most chess puzzles there is only one solution, in regular games you often have to choose between a few promising continuations. This position is from round 3 of the Russian Club Cup. I could have won by sacrificing a rook:
35.Rd8! Bd8 36.Rd8 Rc1 37.Kg2 and Black has to give up a queen to avoid mate - Qd8 38.Nd8 Rd8 39.f6 Rg8 40.fg Rg7 41.Qe8 Rg8 42.Qe5 and White is winning. However, why calculate all this and risk blundering something, if it is possible to win much easier?
Can you see what move I played instead of 35.Rd8?
Comments (4)
1. Written by
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on 06:35 04 2010 .
Because any movement of those rooks would spell disaster for black. Especially Rg8 which will have to be sacrificed since Whites next move is R-d8.
Alternate line could go:
35...Q-b8 36 Nxg7 Bxg7 37 f6 winning bishop. If ...B-h6 38 R-d7 mate in one. Any movement by white couldn't stop the mate; even if black played R-g7, then 38 pxg7+ Bxg7 39 Qxg7++
That's my line of thinking. How'd I do?
2. Written by Sihoko on 13:42 04 2010 .
R-d7
If winning needs to be carried out in an ugly materialistic way, 35. Nxg7 Rc7 followed by 36. Qe6 would have won too.
But what is wrong with taking risks and discovering beauty not otherwise revealed? Isn't Talj the most admired chess player all time?
3. Written by
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on 22:09 04 2010 .
Not Qe6 and Image is everything
Shiokio - I disagree here. When you play at the level of Natalia as an IGM, your play is scrutinized by everyone. Taking unnecessary risks would be a disadvantage to Natalia just as going for it on 4th down in a crucial football game (American Football). If Natalia were to lose the game because of the risk she took, that game would be scrutinized as to how to get her in that position. There is a psychology basis for chess in that the blunders that occur at 2500+ FIDE level will occur again if pressed into a similar situation but not the same. I don't have time to research that, but if someone wants to, I'm sure they can find supporting documentation. The play I offered is swift, does not induce risk and comes away with a sure victory.
