Kings and rooks

by Oliver Reeh
3/8/2025 – In the diagram position White wins despite the black passed pawns. Do you see how White can weave a mating net?
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1.c4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 a6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nf3 Nf6 6.Bg5 Be6 7.Qb3 Nbd7 8.e3 Rb8 9.Qc2 Bd6 10.Bd3 c6 11.0-0 Qc7 12.Ne2 Bg4 13.Ng3 h6 14.Bxf6 Nxf6 15.Nh4 0-0 16.Nhf5 Bxf5 17.Bxf5 h5 18.Rfe1 g6 19.Bd3 Bxg3 20.hxg3 Kg7 21.Qe2 Rbe8 22.b4 Ng4 23.Qd2 f5 24.f3 Nf6 25.Qf2 Re6 26.Rab1 Ne8 27.a4 b5 28.Ra1 Nd6 29.axb5 axb5 30.Qa2 Nc4 31.Qa7 Rf7 32.Qxc7 Rxc7 33.Kf2 Rce7 34.Bxc4 bxc4 35.Ra5 Rb7 36.Rb1 Rb6 37.Ke2 Re8 38.Kd2 Kf6 39.Ra4 Kg5 40.Ra7 Reb8 41.Kc3 Re8 42.Re1 Reb8 43.Ra4 Re8 44.e4 fxe4 45.fxe4 Kg4 46.e5 Kxg3 47.Ra2 Reb8 48.Re3+ Kg4 49.Ra4 g5 50.e6 Kf5 51.e7 Re8 52.Ra7 h4 53.Rd7 Kf6 54.Re5 g4 55.Rd6+ Kf7 56.Rh6 Ra6 57.b5 Ra3+ 58.Kb4 Rb3+ 59.Kc5 c3 60.Rxc6 Rxe7 61.Rf5+ Ke8 62.Kb6 h3 63.gxh3 gxh3 64.Rh5 Re3 65.Rc7 Re6+ 66.Kc5 Kd8 Kings and rooks In the diagram position White wins despite the black passed pawns. Do you see how Black can weave a mating net?
White to move and win. Step 1?
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Grigoryan,K2658Garcia Martin,M23171–02021D37Guimaraes op5

Oliver Reeh in ChessBase Magazine

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Topics: ChessBase Magazine, tactic column, Tactics
Oliver Reeh has been working for ChessBase for many years as a translator and presenter of the internet show TV ChessBase, and he also looks after the tactics column in ChessBase Magazine, for which he has also been responsible as editor-in-chief since 2019. The International Master has contributed to the CB "MasterClass" series and is the author of the DVDs "Strike like the World Champions" and "Master Class Tactics - Train your combination skills!" Volumes 1 & 2. Oliver Reeh lives in Hamburg.
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See also

The other day in the centre

3/1/2025 – In view of the double attack against Bc5 and Rh1, White needs a good idea in the diagram position. Anything up your sleeve?
More...
 3

See also

Checks and non-checks

2/22/2025 – From the diagram position, White managed to coordinate his queen and rook against the black king without allowing any counterplay. Please imitate!
More...
 3

Video

60m The Two Knights

This entry into the 60 minutes series concentrates on the Modern variation of the Italian game where White opens the centre early : 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 d4 exd4 5 e5!. This line can be reached by various move orders, most frequently from the Scotch 3 d4 exd4 4 Bc4. It's a sharp variation and Grandmasters such as Evgeny Sveshnikov have used it frequently,with very good results. It's a perfect line for club players to adopt which is relatively easy to learn and which contains many traps. All the main responses are covered here, including 5...d5, 5...Ng4 and 5...Ne4 and the conclusion is that is is difficult for Black to equalize in a straightforward way. Problems are being posed, which over the board might prove tough to solve.

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arzi arzi 3/10/2025 08:48
Some tasks are easy, others are hard. Sometimes what is easy for one is hard for another. This time this task was actually easy because white's moves were practically forced. A great solution found in the real game.
Rezonator Rezonator 3/8/2025 09:30
Excellent!
PhishMaster PhishMaster 3/8/2025 02:29
Oliver, you are slipping. I have actually gotten two in a row right from the beginning. I like it when you pick games that blow my mind, and I cannot see the solution without some hints.

Anyway, this is written with a light tone, more jokingly, as I think you do an INCREDIBLE job picking examples that are very cool. How you find them is beyond me.
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