Izvestia Chess Puzzle Contest Winners

Photo courtesy Vladimir Suvorov/"Izvestia"

Hello everybody!

A few posts ago I let you know about the Puzzle Contest in the Russian newspaper "Izvestia". On March 3 the winners of this contest were announced and the solutions for the Puzzles#5 and #6 were posted:

Puzzle #5. A. Kosteniuk, 2009,

White to move and make a draw.

SOLUTION:

1. b8Q h1Q 2.Kd4+! Rс1 3.Qg3+ Kh5 4.Qh3+ Kg5 (4. .. Qh3 stalemate) 5. Qg3+ Kh6 6. Qh3+ Kg7 7. Qd7+ Кf8 8.Qd8+ Kh7 9.Qd7+ Kh6 10.Qh3+ Kg5 11. Qg3+ Kf5 12.Qh3+ Kf4 13.Qh4+ Kf3! 14.Qf4+ Kg2 15.Qg4+ Kf2 16. Qh4+ Ke2 17.Qf2+ Kd1 18.Qd2+ Kd2 stalemate

Puzzle #6, О.Pervakov, 2008,

White to move and win.

SOLUTION:

1.с3!

1.cb? doesn't win in view of Kh6! 2.Rg6+ Qg6 3.Bg6 Kg6 4.b4 Kf6 5.Kd2 Ke7 6.Ke3 Kd7 7.Ke4 Kc7 8.Kf5 Kb6 with a draw

1. ... b2+ 2.Kb2 Kh6! (2. ... Kh8 3.Rg8+!),

Now doesn't win 3.Bd3? in view of Qа4! 4.Rg6+ Kh7 5.Rg4+ e4! 6.Rе4 Qd1!

7.Bc2 Qg1! 8.Rg4+ Kh8! (9. ... Kh6? 10.Rg6+!) 9.Rg1 stalemate

The correct continuation is 3.Bс2!! Qс4! (3. ... Qd5 4.Rg6+ Kh7 5.Rd6+ winning the Queen and the game)

4.Rg6+ Кh7 5.Rg4+ e4! 6.Rе4 Qс7! 7.Re7+ Kh6 8.Rh7+! - winning

I hope you enjoyed solving these puzzles and can assure you that daily solving of different tactical and endgame problems and puzzles will increase you level of chess.

Link to the original Izvestia Chess Puzzle Contest 2010.

Solve many puzzles on my CHESS KILLER TIPS podcast page.

Posted by: Alexandra Kosteniuk

Women's World Chess Champion

www.chessblog.com