4th Tata Steel Studies Composing tourney

by ChessBase
3/16/2013 – During the Tata Steel Chess Tournament this January there was a special study composing tourney, which produced 89 entries, of which 20 received awards. Tournament judge Yochanan Afek has been showing us the prize-winning studies, with explanations of their solutions. After parts one and two here is part three.
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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 three

3rd Hon. Mention: Sergiy Didukh (Ukraine)
In a middle-game like position White is building up in secret the unexpected opening of the crowded "g" file. A surprising triple ambush which should appeal to players of any level.

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1.Nd7! Rxd7 1...Qxd5 2.f8Q bxc1Q 3.h6+- 2.f8N+! fork Kg8! 2...Kh8 3.Ng6+! fork Nxg6 4.hxg6+ Kg8 5.Rc8++- 2...Kh6 3.Nxd7 Qe4 4.Rh1 g4 5.Qg3 Nf5 6.Qf4++- with check 3.Nxd7 Qe4! 3...bxc1Q 4.Nxe5 dxe5 5.Qe6+ Kf8 6.d6+- 4.Rg1! Invisible ambush behind three pawns! 4.Rd1? g4 5.Qg3 Nf5 6.Qf4 no check g3+ 7.Ke1 b1Q= 4...g4 4...b1Q 5.Rxb1 g4 6.Qh1! g3+ 7.Kxg3 Nf5+ 8.Kh2 Nxe3 9.h6+- 5.Qf3! gxf3 5...b1Q 6.Qf8+ Kh7 7.Rxb1 Nf5 8.Nf6+! gxf6 9.Qf7+ Kh8 10.Qxf6+ Kh7 11.Rd1 Qxe3+ 12.Ke1+- 6.Nf6+! fork gxf6 7.gxf3+ Qg6! 8.hxg6 Nxd5 9.Rb1! Nc3 10.Rxb2 Nd1+ fork 11.Ke1 Nxb2 12.Kd2 1–0
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Didukh,S-White to play and win-1–02013(71) 3rd HM Tata Steel -75 JT

4th Hon. Mention: Stanislav Nosek (Slovakia)
The power of the bishop pair in a charming miniature.

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1.e7! 1.Bd7? Qxe1 2.e7+ Kf4 3.e8Q Qh1# 1...Qe3+ 2.Bg3 b3! 2...Qxe7 3.Bd3+ Ke6 4.Bc4+ Kd7 5.Bb5+ Kc8 6.Ba6+= 3.Bd7+! 3.e8Q? Qxe8 4.Bxe8 b2 5.Bh5 5.Bc6 b1Q 6.Bf3 Qf1+! 7.Bg2 Qd3! 8.Bc6 Kg5 9.Ba8 Qf5+ 10.Kg2 Kg4 5.Bd7+ Kg5 6.Bh4+ Kg6 7.Be8+ Kh6-+ 5...b1Q 6.Kg2 Qb2+ 7.Kg1 Ke4-+ 3...Kg5! 4.e8Q Qxe8 5.Bf4+! 5.Bxe8? b2 6.Bc6 6.Bf4+ Kf5!-+ 6...b1Q 7.Bf3 Qf1+!-+ 5.Bh4+? Kh6 6.Bxe8 b2-+ 5...Kf6 5...Kxf4 6.Bxe8 b2 7.Bg6= 6.Bxe8 b2 7.Be5+! Kxe5 8.Bg6 ½–½
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Nosek,S-White to play and draw-½–½2013(25) 4th HM Tata Steel -75 JT

5th Hon. Mention: Peter Krug (Austria)
A pair of rooks artfully tames the enemy queen. A remarkable development of an old scheme by Ladislav Prokes.

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1.Kf6! Qf2+ 2.Kg6 Qf8 3.Rh7+ Kg8 4.Rd7 cxd5 5.Rg1! 5.Rgxd5? Qe8+ 6.Kf6 Qf8+ 7.Kg5 Qb4 8.Rd8+ Kf7 9.Kf5 Qb1+= 5...d4 6.Rg5 zz d3 7.Rgd5 Qe8+ 8.Kf6 Qf8+ 9.Kg5 Qb4 10.Rd8+ Kf7 11.Kf5 1–0
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Krug,P-White to play and win-1–02013(09) 5th HM Tata Steel-75 JT

Special Hon. Mention: Jan Timman (The Netherlands)
A similar idea in a similar setting has been already shown by Tkachenko a6a8 (#57608) however the daring sacrificial fore-play is a considerable improvement.

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1.Bf7+ Kh8 2.Rb8 2.Rd7? Rxe4+ 3.Kf5 Bd4!= 2...Rxb8 3.c7 Rf8 4.Ra8! Rxa8 4...Be5+ 5.Kf5! Rxa8 6.b7 Re8 7.c8Q Rf2+ 8.Kg4 Rg2+ 9.Kf3 Rg3+ 10.Kf2+- 5.b7 Rxe4+ 6.Kf3! Re3+ 6...Rf4+ 7.Kxf4 Nd5+ 8.Bxd5 Bd8! 9.Kf5!+- 7.Kxe3 Nd5+ 8.Bxd5 Bd8! 9.Bb3! Rb8 10.cxb8N! 10.cxb8Q? stalemate 10.cxb8B? Bc7 11.Ba7 Bb6+! 12.Bxb6 stalemate 1–0
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Timman,J-White to play and win-1–02013(50) Special HM Tata Steel-75 JT

1st Comm: Iuri Akobia (Georgia) & Richard Becker (USA)
Positional draws following consecutive reciprocal Zugzwangs. A Rook ending with theoretical merits rather than artistic ones.

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1.Rb8+! 1.Rd7? h3 2.Rxd5 h2 3.Rd8+ Kh7! 4.Rd1 Rxf3+-+ 1.Kg4? h3! 2.Rb2 Kf7 3.Rf2 Ke6 4.Kxh3 d4 5.Kg3 Kd5-+ 1...Kf7 1...Kh7 2.Kg4! Ra4+ 3.f4 Ra6 4.Kxh4 Rd6 5.Kg3 d4 6.Kf2 d3 7.Ke1 d2+ 8.Kd1 e.g. Kg6 9.Rb5= 2.Rb7+ Kf8 3.Rd7! Rxf3+ 4.Kg4 Rd3 5.Kxh4 Rd1 5...Rd2 6.Kh3! Rd1 7.Kg2! Rd4 8.Kg3!= 6.Kh3! Rd2 7.Kh4! Thematic try: 7.Kg3? Rd4 zz 8.Kf3 Kg8! zz 9.Ke3 Re4+ 10.Kf3 Re5 11.Kf4 Rh5 12.Rd8+ Kf7!-+ Not 12...Kh7? 13.Rd6 see main line 7...Rd1 8.Kh3 Rd4 9.Kg3 zz 9.Kg2? Rg4+ 10.Kf3 Rg5 11.Kf4 Rh5 12.Kg4 g6-+ 9...Kg8 10.Kf3 zz Kf8 11.Kg3 positional draw, or Kg8 12.Kf3 Kh7 13.Ke3 Rd1 14.Ke2 Rd4 15.Ke3 Re4+ 16.Kf3 Re5 17.Kf4 Rh5 18.Rd6! 18.Kg4? Kh6 19.Rd6+ g6-+ 18...g6 2nd main line: 18...Kg8 19.Kg4 Re5 20.Kf4 Rh5 21.Kg4 positional draw with perpetual check along the 5th rank 19.Rd7+ Kh6 20.Kf3 or 20.Kg3 20...Rg5 21.Kf4 Rf5+ 22.Kg4 Re5 23.Kf4 Re4+ 24.Kf3 Rd4 25.Ke3 Rd1 26.Ke2 Rd4 27.Ke3 positional draw with perpetual attack along the d-file ½–½
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Akobia/Becker,I-White to play and draw-½–½2013(27) 1st Commend. Tata Steel-75 JT

– Part four to follow soon –

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