[Event "Schach"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1997.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Nikolai Glinskikh"]
[Black "Mate in 3"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "David Friedgood"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1n4KQ/8/2pPppP1/2B1k2P/b2NP1R1/5ppr/2P2r2/1B4n1 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "5"]
[EventDate "1997.??.??"]
{It is clear that the Pc2 must move, only the destination square needs to be
decided:} 1. c4 $1 {Now that e4 is protected the rook is free to execute the
threat (see below). Black defends by shutting off the Bb1 from protection of
e4.} -- (1... Rc2 {Now f3 is protected only by the Ng1, so White decoys it with
} 2. Qh6 Ne2 (2... -- 3. Qf4#) 3. Nxf3#) (1... Bc2 2. Kf7 {Now decoying the
Nb8 from protecting c6. Note that, had we played 1.c3? Black would have the
refutation 2...Bxe4! at this point.} Nd7 (2... -- 3. Qxf6#) 3. Nxc6#) ({
Finally there is the non-thematic variation} 1... Rxh5 2. Qxh5+ f5 3. Qh8#) 2.
Rg5+ $140 Kf4 3. Nxe6# *
[Event "4th Prize, Chervony Girnik"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1984.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Mario Matous"]
[Black "White to play and win"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "David Friedgood"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "k3q3/3N4/1P5p/8/8/3B3K/8/2B5 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "23"]
[EventDate "1984.??.??"]
1. Nc5 {This move succeeds in saving the knight by virtue of a tactic.
Nevertheless, a solver could well waste valuable time looking for another
solution, as one is reluctant to give up control of b8, the promotion square
of the white pawn.} Qc8+ (1... Qh5+ 2. Kg3 Qe5+ (2... Qxc5 3. Be4+ Kb8 4. Bf4+
Kc8 5. b7+ Kd7 6. b8=Q) 3. Bf4 Qe1+ 4. Kg2 Qb4 5. Be4+ Qxe4+ 6. Nxe4) 2. Kh2 $1
({A close try is} 2. Kh4 Qd8+ 3. Kg4 h5+ $1 (3... Qxb6 $2 {leads to play
similar to the main line after} 4. Be4+ Ka7 5. Be3 h5+ 6. Kh3 $1 ({Avoiding} 6.
Kxh5 Qb5 {pinning the knight.}) 6... h4 7. Kg4 h3 8. Kxh3 {Now Black is in
zugzwang and the queen is lost} Qb5 9. Nd7+ Ka6 10. Bd3 Qxd3 11. Nc5+) 4. Kh3
Qc8+ 5. Kh2 Qb8+ 6. Kh1 Qxb6 7. Be4+ Ka7 8. Be3 h4 9. Kg1 h3 10. Kh1 (10. Kh2
$2 Qb8+) 10... h2 {and now White is in zugzwang!}) 2... Qb8+ (2... Qxc5 3. Be4+
{again leads to a simple win, so Black has to be content with winning the pawn}
) (2... Qg4 {is also inadequate after} 3. Be4+ Kb8 4. Na6+ Kc8 5. b7+ Kd7 6.
Bg2 $1 Qh5+ 7. Bh3+ Ke7 8. b8=Q) 3. Kh1 $1 Qxb6 4. Be4+ Ka7 5. Be3 {Now the
queen is dominated and the tempo moves of the pawn work out in White's favour,
in contrast to the 2.Kh4 variation} h5 6. Kg1 h4 7. Kh1 h3 8. Kg1 h2+ 9. Kh1
Qb5 10. Nd7+ Ka6 11. Bd3 Qxd3 12. Nc5+ {and wins the queen. A beautiful study
combining domination of the queen with reciprocal zugzwang. In such studies,
it is important, if possible, to have a false trail which ends with White in
zugzwang; this has been elegantly achieved by the composer.} *
[Event "Springaren"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Friedrich Binder"]
[Black "Mate in 4"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "David Friedgood"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "3R3N/2P1k1p1/b4b2/1P1Bp1r1/2NP2rB/p4p2/2K3p1/6nq w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "5"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]
1. Nd6 {This crude key has two threats - see below.} -- (1... Rf4 {Guarding f5
as well as opening a diagonal for the queen} 2. Nf5+ {This looks like a
Plachutta (two like-moving pieces interfere with each other on the same square)
, but it isn't - it actually decoys the rook onto f5} (2. bxa6 Qh3) 2... Rfxf5
3. Be1 {Now the queen has no check on h7 and the rook is absent from f4 so
can't prevent the mate by 3...Rxd4. I'm sure some solvers overlooked this - it
is an 'invisible move'!} -- 4. Bb4#) (1... Rh5 {This guards against the 2.Ng6+
threat with an 'anti-Plachutta' move, while preparing to deal with 2.bxa6 with
2...Bxh4} 2. Bg5 {Now this is a genuine Plachutta interference} -- (2... Rgxg5
3. Nf5+ Rxf5 4. Ng6#) (2... Rhxg5 3. Ng6+ Rxg6 4. Nf5#) (2... Bxg5 {And this
turns out to be a self-block!} 3. Nf5+ Kf6 4. Rf8#) 3. Ng6# $140 (3. Nf5# $140)
) 2. Ng6+ (2. bxa6 -- 3. Nc8#) 2... Rxg6 3. Nf5# {A somewhat haphazard problem
thematically - it looks as though the composer tried to show two genuine
Plachutta interferences but ended up with one - but this doubtless contributed
to its difficulty.} *