WINNERS of AUGUST 2009 AK GRAND-PRIX CHESS PUZZLE CONTEST

Hello everybody!

August is over and I'm ready to announce the winners of my August 2009 Grand-Prix Chess Puzzle Competition.

I received hundreds of emails with answers, but only 3 of the emails were close to the correct answers.

Here are the full correct answers:

The first position above is from the book of Del Rio of 1750. The correct answer is 1. Qa6! Rb8 (1. ... bxa6 2. Bc6#) 2. Bc6 Qc8 (the most stubborn defense for Black) 3. Qxa7+! Kxa7 4. Ra1#

The second puzzle above is a study of Leonid Kubbel of 1924. The answer is: 1. g6+ Kg8 2. Rb6 Kf8! 3. Nd5!! exd5 (the best move for Black here) 4. Kc5! d1Q 5. Kd6 Qe1 6. Rb8+ Qe8 7. Rxe8 Kxe8 8. Kc6+- Beautiful!

The third puzzle above is a position from the game Lasker - Pillsbury of 1895. Black won by playing 17. ... Nexd4! 18. Qd1 Rxe1 19. Qxe1 Nxf3!! 20. Kxf3 (20. Qd1 Nce5) 20. ... f4! (Nobody proposed this move, instead the winners suggested 20. ... Ne5+!? which is also interesting 21. Ke2 Qe8 and Black has a dangerous attack) 21. Qd1 (If 21. Ke2 Re8+ 22. Ne3 fxe3 23. fxe3 Black has a beautiful move 23. ... Nxd4! (23. ... Qg4+ is also possible 24. Kd2 Nd4!) 24. Kd1 (24. cd Qg4+ 25. Kd2 Bb4; 25. Kf2 Rf8+) 24. ... Qa4+ 25. b3 Nxb3 -+) 21. ... Ne5 and Black won after 22.Ke2 Qg4+ 23.Kd2 Qxd1+ 24.Kxd1 Nxd3 25.Ke2 Ne5 26.f3 Re8 27.b3 Ng4+ 28.Kd2 Ne3 29.Bb2 Ng2 30.h3 Bc5 31.Nh2 Bf2 32.c4 dxc4 33.bxc4 h5 0-1

So the winners for August 2009 AK Grand-Prix Chess Puzzle Contest are:

1. Jeremy Madison, on Twitter @jellybeanmasher

2. Francisco Valiente, on Twitter @fmvgvg

3. Steven J. Blander, on Twitter @stevenjblander

Congratulations!!!!

The winners can send me an email with their postal address and the prizes will be shipped out soon!

Soon I will post 3 new September 09 puzzles, get ready!

Posted by: Alexandra Kosteniuk (follow me on Twitter @chessqueen)

Women's World Chess Champion

www.chessblog.com