Tata Steel-75 AT 2013: Provisional Awards
By Yochanan Afek
Tata Steel Tournament, arguably the most prestigious contemporary chess
event celebrated its 75th edition this year, and among other festivities
a special composing tourney was announced by its organizing committee with
a generous prize fund. I was expecting a great happening and indeed my colleague
composers did live to the expectations in regards to both quantity and quality.
I am grateful to each and every one of them for their much appreciated efforts.
Israeli IM and problem expert Yochanan Afek
I received 89 entries from our devoted tournament director Harold van
den Heijden in anonymous files (one with the full solutions and another
one with just the artistic lines) as well as a detailed report specifying
correctness and originality of all entries. The general standard was one
of the highest I have witnessed for years and decision making turned to
be a rather tough job.
As we are celebrating an over-the-board major event I tried to pay a special
attention to human and player friendly entries. I sincerely hope that the
following selection would achieve this aim. It certainly is a combative
one with a clear majority of winning studies over the more peaceful ones
notably among the prize winners.
The studies – part four
2nd Comm.: Petromir Panaiotov (Bulgaria)
Domination of a Rook by a pair of minor pieces with a little help of friends
and enemies.
[Event "(06) 2nd Commend. Tata Steel-75 JT "] [Site "?"] [Date "2013.??.??"]
[Round "?"] [White "Panaiotov, Petromir"] [Black "White to play and win"]
[Result "1-0"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "8/4pk2/4p2P/8/1NB3P1/5r2/8/6K1 w - - 0
1"] [PlyCount "17"] [EventDate "2012.??.??"] 1. Nd3 (1. Nc6 $2 Rh3 2. Kg2
Rxh6 $11) 1... Rh3 (1... Kg8 2. Ne5 $1 (2. Bxe6+ $2 Kh7 3. Ne5 Rf6 4. Nf7
Kg6 $11) 2... Re3 3. Bxe6+ Kh7 4. Nf7 Kg6 5. Bd5 Re1+ 6. Kf2 Rd1 7. Bb3
Rd2+ 8. Ke3 Rb2 9. Bc4 Rb4 10. Kd4 e5+ 11. Kc5 $18) 2. Bxe6+ $1 Kf8 (2...
Ke8 3. g5 $1 Rg3+ 4. Kh2 Rxg5 5. Nf4 Kf8 6. Kh3 Rg1 7. Kh4 Rh1+ 8. Kg5 Rg1+
9. Kf5 Rh1 10. Kg6 $18) (2... Kf6 3. g5+ $18) 3. Nf4 Rxh6 4. g5 Rh7 ( 4...
Rh4 5. Ng6+ $18) (4... Rh8 5. Ng6+ $18) 5. Bf5 $1 Rf7 6. Ne6+ Kg8 7. Be4
$1 Kh8 8. Kg2 Kg8 9. Bg6 1-0
3rd Comm.: Aleksandr Stavrietsky (Russia)
The Roman theme in action: A double sacrifice lures the black bishop to
a remote square from which check would allow the crucial pawn push to vacate
the second rank for the decisive pin. The thematic try should end with the
thematic refutation 4...Bd4+! avoiding the unnecessary black "duals"
afterwards.
[Event "(53) 3rd Commend.Tata steel -75 JT "] [Site "?"] [Date "2013.??.??"]
[Round "?"] [White "Stavrietsky, Aleksandr"] [Black "White to play and win"]
[Result "1-0"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "2B4R/4PP2/r7/4b3/8/3p3P/1k1PP1P1/3R1K2
b - - 0 1"] [PlyCount "14"] [EventDate "2012.??.??"] 1... Rf6+ 2. Bf5 $1
({Thematic try:} 2. Kg1 $2 dxe2 3. Re1 Rf1+ $1 4. Rxf1 Bd4+ 5. Kh2 exf1=N+
$1 6. Kh1 Ng3+ 7. Kh2 Nf1+ $11) 2... Rxf5+ 3. Kg1 dxe2 4. Rb8+ $1 Bxb8 5.
Re1 Rf1+ $1 6. Rxf1 Ba7+ 7. d4 $1 Bxd4+ 8. Rf2 $1 1-0
4th Comm.: No. 56 – Vitaly Kovalenko (Russia)
A logical effort to secure Black an extra move and consequently a vital
tempo for mating instead of just stalemating.
[Event "(56) 4th Comm.Tata Steel-75 JT "] [Site "?"] [Date "2013.??.??"]
[Round "?"] [White "Kovalenko, Vitaly"] [Black "White to play and win"]
[Result "1-0"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "8/6pr/8/7p/5pkP/6pp/3N2pQ/5BK1 w - - 0
1"] [PlyCount "15"] [EventDate "2012.??.??"] 1. Be2+ $1 ({Thematic try:}
1. Qxh3+ $2 Kxh3 2. Bd3 g6 $1 3. Bxg6 Rg7 4. Bf5+ Rg4 5. Bd7 f3 6. Nxf3
{stalemate, because of wPh4}) 1... f3 $1 2. Bxf3+ Kxh4 3. Qxh3+ Kxh3 4.
Be4 $1 g6 $1 5. Bxg6 Rg7 6. Bf5+ Rg4 (6... Kh4 7. Nf3#) 7. Nf3 $1 {zz} h4
8. Ng5# $1 1-0
5th Comm.: Janos Mikitovics (Hungary) & Anatoly Skripnik (Russia)
A messy struggle fails to stop Black's promotion but somehow things eventually
go right. A decent piece of healthy street-fighting.
[Event "(38) 5th Comm. Tata Steel -75 JT "] [Site "?"] [Date "2013.??.??"]
[Round "?"] [White "Mikitovics/Skripnik, Janos/Anatoly"] [Black "White to
play and draw"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "3R4/1N2kBN1/8/3K1P2/8/4q3/5pP1/5n2
w - - 0 1"] [PlyCount "27"] [EventDate "2012.??.??"] 1. Nh5 $1 Qd3+ 2. Kc6
$1 Qc3+ 3. Kb6 Kxf7 4. Rc8 $1 Qd4+ 5. Kc6 $1 Ng3 (5... Qe4+ 6. Kb6 Qb4+
7. Kc6 Ne3 8. Rc7+ Kg8 9. Nf6+ $1 Kf8 10. Nh7+ Kg8 11. Nf6+ { positional
draw}) 6. Nd8+ $1 ({Thematic try:} 6. Rc7+ $2 Kg8 $1 7. Rc8+ Kh7 8. Rc7+
Kh6 $19) 6... Ke7 ({2nd main line:} 6... Kg8 7. Ne6+ $1 Kh7 8. Nxd4 Nxh5
9. f6 Nxf6 (9... f1=Q 10. f7 Qa6+ 11. Kc7 Qa7+ 12. Kc6 Qxf7 13. Rc7 $11)
10. Rc7+ Kg8 11. Rc8+ Kf7 12. Rc7+ Ke8 13. Rc8+ $1 Kf7 14. Rc7+ {positional
draw, or:} Kg6 15. Rg7+ $1 Kxg7 16. Nf5+ $11) 7. f6+ Qxf6+ 8. Nxf6 Kxf6
9. Rc7 $1 Nf5 $1 (9... Kg6 10. Rf7 Nf5 11. g4 $11) 10. g4 $1 Nh6 $1 11.
g5+ $1 Kxg5 12. Nf7+ $1 (12. Ne6+ $2 Kf5 $1 13. Nd4+ Kg6 $1 $19) 12... Kg6
13. Nxh6 f1=Q 14. Nf7 1/2-1/2
Special comm.: Luis Miguel Gonzales (Spain)
How many knight underpromotions can be displayed in a drawn pawn ending?
Here is a serious attempt to improve on the records achieved of late in
the continuous race between Richard Becker and Siegfried Hornecker. This
one surely shatters records of complexity, yet lacks the charm of its elegant
predecessors. But it still deserves attention in the sub-genre of multiple
minor promotions.
[Event "(49) Special Commend. Tata Steel-75 JT "] [Site "?"] [Date "2012.??.??"]
[Round "?"] [White "Gonzales, Luis Miguel"] [Black "White to play and draw"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "7K/P1PPPp2/7k/p7/8/5p2/7p/8 b - - 0
1"] [PlyCount "60"] [EventDate "2012.??.??"] 1... h1=Q (1... Kg6 2. e8=Q
h1=Q+ 3. Kg8 Qh7+ 4. Kf8 Qg7+ 5. Ke7 Qf6+ 6. Kf8 $11) 2. e8=N $1 (2. Kg8
$2 Qg2+ 3. Kxf7 Qg6+ 4. Kf8 Qg7+ 5. Ke8 Qg8#) 2... Kg6+ (2... Qa1+ 3. Kg8
Qg1+ 4. Kf8 Qc5+ 5. Kg8 Qg5+ 6. Kf8 $11) 3. Kg8 Qh7+ 4. Kf8 f5 $1 (4...
f6 5. Nd6 Qxd7 6. c8=Q Qxd6+ 7. Ke8 Qe5+ 8. Kf8 f2 9. Qg4+ Qg5 10. Qe4+
f5 11. Qe8+ Kh6 12. Qe6+ Qg6 13. Qe3+ Qg5 14. Qe6+ Kh5 15. Qe2+ $11) 5.
d8=N $1 Qh6+ 6. Ke7 Qe3+ 7. Kd6 $1 Qd3+ $1 8. Ke6 $1 (8. Ke5 $2 Qe4+ $1
9. Kd6 f2 10. c8=Q Qd4+ $1 11. Kc6 f1=Q 12. Qe6+ Kg5 13. Qg8+ Kh4 14. Qh7+
Kg3 15. Qg6+ Kh3 16. Qh6+ Kg2 17. Qg5+ Kh2 18. Qh5+ Kg1 19. Qg5+ Qg2+ 20.
Qxg2+ Kxg2 21. Kb7 Qxd8 22. Nc7 f4 23. a8=Q Qxa8+ 24. Kxa8 f3 $19) 8...
Qe4+ 9. Kd7 $1 Qd4+ 10. Ke6 $1 Qe3+ 11. Kd6 $1 f2 12. a8=Q $1 (12. c8=Q
$2 f1=Q 13. a8=Q Qff4+ 14. Kc6 Qee4+ 15. Kd7 Qd4+ 16. Ke7 Qg5+ 17. Ke6 Qge3+
$11) 12... f1=Q 13. Kd7 $1 Qfd3+ $1 (13... Qd1+ 14. Nd6 Kf6 15. c8=N $1
f4 16. Qxa5 Qg4+ 17. Kc7 f3 18. Nc6 f2 19. Qa1+ Kg5 20. Qg7+ Kh4 21. Qh7+
Kg3 22. Nf5+ Qxf5 23. Qxf5 Qf4+ 24. Qxf4+ $11) 14. Nd6 Kf6 $1 15. c8=N $1
f4 $1 16. Qxa5 $1 Qh3+ 17. Kc7 $1 Qc3+ 18. Qxc3+ $1 Qxc3+ 19. Nc6 $1 Qd3
$1 20. Nb6 $1 Qh7+ 21. Nd7+ Ke6 22. Nd4+ $1 ( 22. Nd8+ $2 Kd5 23. N6f7 Qc2+
24. Kb7 f3 25. Nf6+ Kc5 26. Ne6+ Kb4 27. Nd4 Qa2 28. Ne5 f2 29. Nd3+ Kc4
30. Nxf2 Qxf2 $11) 22... Kd5 23. N6b5 $1 $11 {e.g.} Kc4 24. Kd6 Qg6+ 25.
Ke7 Qg5+ 26. Ke6 Qd5+ 27. Ke7 Kd3 28. Nf6 Qe5+ 29. Ne6 Qxb5 30. Nxf4+ Kd4
31. Ne6+ 1/2-1/2
Special thanks go to:
- the organizing committee of Tata Steel tournament for the moral and
financial support to an anniversary tourney of such calibre;
- the tourney director Harold van der Heijden for a tremendous job well
done thoroughly checking all entries, preparing the supporting reports
and giving useful advises;
- ARVES for promoting this tourney and supporting the composition events
in Tata Steel tournament.
This award will remain open to appeals till March 31st 2013.
Links
