[Event "?"] [White "White to move and win"] [Black "?"] [Site "?"] [Round "?"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [Result "*"] [Date "2024.12.10"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "8/4qp2/7b/7p/1RKB1N1k/4P3/6PP/8 w - - 0 1"] [PlyCount "13"] [GameId "2121487112313686"] [EventDate "2024.12.10"] {[%evp 0,13,-58,211,191,339,292,353,29993,29994,29995,29996,29997,29998,29999,29999] White to move and win.} 1. Ng6+ $1 fxg6 {Otherwise White takes the queen and wins with the extra material.} 2. Bf6+ $1 Qxf6 3. Kd5+ $1 {The only square that works, as you'll realize when you see the final position.} Kg5 4. h4+ Kf5 5. g4+ $1 {White will sac the rook next, so he needs to make sure the g4 square is occupied.} hxg4 6. Rf4+ $1 Bxf4 7. e4# * [Event "?"] [White "Mate in two"] [Black "?"] [Site "?"] [Round "?"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [Result "*"] [Date "2024.12.10"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "8/1N2N3/2r5/3qp2R/QP2kp1K/5R2/6B1/6B1 w - - 0 1"] [PlyCount "2"] [GameId "2121488409562447"] [EventDate "2024.12.10"] {This was given to Magnus Carlsen to solve it, who succeeded in doing so in less than two minutes. To be fair, it's not clear that he directly worked it out as much as he understood on aesthetic grounds that the solution would be 1.Qa8. Once you've had some exposure to the world of problems and studies, you'll start to develop appropriate "suspicions" about likely key moves as well.} 1. Qa8 $1 {The next move in every case will be 2.N(x)d6 or 2.N(x)c5#.} Qd8 * [Event "Published Work and Notebooks#134"] [White "Blandford=H"] [Black "(+4311.11f3h4) PH"] [Site "?"] [Round "?"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [Result "1-0"] [Date "1993.??.??"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "8/8/4r2p/2q5/7k/5K2/4N1PB/1Q6 w - - 0 1"] [PlyCount "13"] [GameId "2121488982105131"] [EventDate "1993.??.??"] {[%evp 0,13,189,244,295,332,391,398,395,414,407,413,434,408,425,424] This one was solved by Vachier-Lagrave in just a few seconds, assuming no cuts in the footage. This was the only study I could trace to its composer, who apparently created it on March 10 of 1980.} 1. Bg3+ Kg5 (1... Kh5 $2 {leads to a straightforward disaster:} 2. Nf4+ Kg5 3. Nxe6+ $18) 2. Bh4+ $1 Kxh4 (2... Kh5 3. Nf4+ Kxh4 4. g3+ Kg5 5. Nxe6+ $18) 3. Qh1+ Kg5 {Now White forces Black into the serial forks we've already seen:} 4. Qh5+ $1 Kxh5 5. Nf4+ Kh4 6. g3+ Kg5 7. Nxe6+ 1-0 [Event "?"] [White "Mate in nine"] [Black "?"] [Site "?"] [Round "?"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [Result "*"] [Date "2025.01.02"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "6q1/3r1p2/2N1nk1K/3rp3/8/5PP1/8/1Q1N4 w - - 0 1"] [PlyCount "17"] [GameId "2129725661253951"] [EventDate "2025.01.02"] {[%evp 0,17,29983,29984,29985,29986,29987,29988,29989,29990,29991,29992,29993,29994,29995,29996,29997,29998,29999,29999] White to move. (It's mate in nine.)} 1. Qf5+ $1 {It's a good move, but since White will be mated once Black gets to choose a move there really isn't any choice.} Kxf5 2. Ne7+ $3 {Both deflection and obstruction: the rook is pulled away from d7, where it defends d5, and is drawn to e7 where it takes a flight square away from the king.} Rxe7 {Now it's time for the remaining knight to avenge its mate, and then some.} (2... Kf6 3. Nxd5+ Kf5 4. N1e3#) 3. Ne3+ Kf6 4. Nxd5+ Kf5 5. Nxe7+ Kf6 6. Nxg8+ Kf5 7. Ne7+ Kf6 8. Nd5+ Kf5 9. g4# *