My best original endgame study

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  • My best original endgame study



    This one has a first move that is not obvious. White to play and win





    [Event "?"]
    [Site "Ottawa Canada"]
    [Date "2012.11.25"]
    [Round "?"]
    [White "A6 pawn Study"]
    [Black "by Alan Tomalty, Alan"]
    [Result "1-0"]
    [Annotator "Tomalty,Alan"]
    [SetUp "1"]
    [FEN "1k5r/1p3R1P/8/P7/8/8/1P6/1K5n w - - 0 0"]
    [PlyCount "5"]

    {The legitimacy of this study depends on
    proving the following 8 alternatives as only drawn.} 1. a6!!!!! (1. b4 Ng3 2. a6 {
    Diagram [#] Black doesn't have to take the a pawn because the black knight has
    an extra tempo. The difference now is that the black knight is active soon
    enough to capture the h pawn.} Ne4 (2... bxa6 $4 3. Rg7 $18) 3. Rxb7+ Ka8 4. b5
    Nf6 {Diagram [#]} 5. Rf7 Nxh7 6. b6 Nf8 7. Ra7+ Kb8 8. Re7 Ng6 9. Re6 Nf4 10.
    Rd6 Re8 11. Kb2 Ne6 12. Rc6 Nf4 13. Rd6 Ne6 $11) (1. Kc2 Nf2 2. Rxf2 (2. a6 Ne4
    3. Rxb7+ Ka8 4. b4 Nf6 $11 {The difference between this position and 3rd
    diagram is that the white king has advanced versus the b pawn going to b5
    hardly a winning try.}) 2... Rxh7 $11 {Diagram [#] BCE pg 346 gives this piece
    setup as drawn}) (1. Ka2 {It is difficult to see how this is any better than 1.
    Kc2}) (1. Kc1 {Same comment as above}) (1. Rd7 Ka7 {Now the black king is
    active}) (1. Re7 Ka7 {Same comment as above}) (1. Rg7 Ka7 2. b4 Nf2 {Diagram
    [#] Now the black knight and the black king are active}) (1. b3 {Surely cannot
    be better than 1.b4}) 1... bxa6 (1... Ng3 2. Rxb7+ Ka8 3. Rg7 $18 {Diagram [#]}
    ) 2. Rg7 Rxh7 3. Rxh7 {Diagram [#] Nalimov tablebase gives this as a win for
    white with black to move} 1-0

  • #2
    Re: My best original endgame study

    http://budapestchesnews.blogspot.hu/

    Checked and blogged. A nice study. I couldn't figure it out at all in my head.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: My best original endgame study

      Al, can you give me some recent news on you so I can add it to the blog entry.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: My best original endgame study

        Thanks Michael. I retired from government life and have been a chess teacher for the last 5 years both in elementary French and English schools as well as personal one-on-one tutoring. I have recently developed an advanced chess course for players up to master level that has 331 strategical and 434 tactical chess positions ordered by difficulty. All have been checked by Houdini and are clearly the best moves in the position. The strategical positions cover every known concept of strategy and the tactical positions cover all known tactical motifs.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: My best original endgame study

          Originally posted by AlanTomalty View Post


          This one has a first move that is not obvious. White to play and win
          This looks pretty obvious to me, considering that the main line goes one move deep and that after 1.a6 Black has virtually no choice. It may be a decent conclusion to a study but to make it a worthy study some imaginative foreplay would be necessary.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: My best original endgame study



            In response to Jean Hebert's request for foreplay may I present this orgasmic improvement to my study? White to play and win. 1.Rxh1!!!!!!! leads to the main line after1......Nxh1. However for the study to be valid the only other reasonable move
            1.R7xf2 must be examined. After 1.....Rxf1 2.Rxf1Rxh7 is a dead draw. Thanks to Jean Hebert for challenging me to do better.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: My best original endgame study

              Blog entry has been updated :)

              Has it been that long since we last talked??

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: My best original endgame study

                Originally posted by Michael Yip View Post
                Blog entry has been updated :)

                Has it been that long since we last talked??
                Yes A long time my cell phone is 613-601-5555

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: My best original endgame study

                  Originally posted by AlanTomalty View Post
                  In response to Jean Hebert's request for foreplay may I present this orgasmic improvement to my study? White to play and win. 1.Rxh1!!!!!!! leads to the main line after1......Nxh1. However for the study to be valid the only other reasonable move
                  1.R7xf2 must be examined. After 1.....Rxf1 2.Rxf1Rxh7 is a dead draw. Thanks to Jean Hebert for challenging me to do better.
                  Would you like some more challenge or are you pleased with your study as is ? :)

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: My best original endgame study

                    Originally posted by Jean Hébert View Post
                    Would you like some more challenge or are you pleased with your study as is ? :)
                    Do you suggest he start over? To me it looks like the difficulty level is not very high.
                    Gary Ruben
                    CC - IA and SIM

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: My best original endgame study

                      I solved this in two seconds. I am great at chess.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: My best original endgame study

                        A student and I while playing a game today reached this position:

                        White to play and win.



                        It could prove an amusing finale to some study, perhaps.
                        "Tom is a well known racist, and like most of them he won't admit it, possibly even to himself." - Ed Seedhouse, October 4, 2020.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: My best original endgame study

                          I suggest that Mr. Davies didn't find the a6 move in 2 seconds. Sure IMs like Mr Hebert may find the a6 move almost immediately but that doesn't negate the study's pedagogical value or its legitimacy. Finding a non obvious move for IMs and GMs in a study is extremely difficult to do but if you will pardon the fact that I stumbled on this position while looking at the Qvs NN tablebase, perhaps Jean Hebert might want to tackle this original study .



                          WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN

                          [Event "?"]
                          [Site "?"]
                          [Date "2012.11.22"]
                          [Round "?"]
                          [White "queenvs2knights"]
                          [Black "?"]
                          [Result "1-0"]
                          [Annotator "Tomalty,Alan"]
                          [SetUp "1"]
                          [FEN "4nk2/5n2/8/8/8/8/4KQ2/8 w - - 0 1"]
                          [PlyCount "67"]

                          {Diagram [#]} 1. Qe3 $8 {white is aiming for diagram 5} Nd8 (1... Nf6 2. Kf3 $8
                          Nd8 3. Qe5 (3. Qc5+ Kf7 4. Qc7+ Ke8 5. Qd6 Ng8 6. Qg6+ Kf8 7. Kf4 Ne7 8. Qh7
                          Nf7 (8... Ndc6 9. Kg5 Ke8 10. Kf6 Kd7 11. Qd3+ Ke8 12. Ke6 Nd8+ 13. Kd6 Nf7+
                          14. Kc7 Nh6 (14... Ng8 15. Qe2+ Kf8 16. Kd7 Nf6+ (16... Ng5 17. Qe5 Nf7 18. Qd4
                          Ngh6 19. Ke6 Ke8 20. Kf6 Ng8+ 21. Kg7 {See diagram 5}) (16... Kg7 17. Qg4+ Kf8
                          18. Qd4 Ngh6 19. Ke6 Ke8 20. Kf6 Ng8+ 21. Kg7 {See diagram 5}) (16... Ngh6 17.
                          Qb2 Ng8 18. Qd4 Ngh6 19. Ke6 Ke8 20. Kf6 Ng8+ 21. Kg7 {See diagram 5}) 17. Ke6
                          $8 Ne4 18. Qe3 (18. Qc2) 18... Kg7 19. Qg1+ (19. Qa7) (19. Qf4 Neg5+ 20. Kf5
                          Nh7 21. Qd4+ (21. Qc7) (21. Qg3+ Nhg5 22. Qe3 Nh7 23. Qc3+ Kg8 24. Qg3+ Nfg5
                          25. Kg6 Ne6 26. Qb3 Nhf8+ 27. Kf6 Nd7+ 28. Ke7 Ndf8 29. Qa2 Kg7 (29... Kh7 30.
                          Kf6) 30. Qg2+ {Diagram [#] Diagram 2} Kh7 (30... Kh6 31. Kf6 Nh7+ (31... Kh7
                          32. Qg4 Kh8 (32... Nd7+ 33. Kxe6) 33. Kf7 Nd8+ 34. Kxf8) 32. Kxe6) 31. Kf6 Kh8
                          32. Kf7 Nd8+ 33. Kxf8))))) (3. Qd4 $4 Ke7 $11 {Diagram [#] Diagram 3}) 3... Kf7
                          ) 2. Kf3 Nf6 3. Qe5 (3. Qc5+) 3... Kf7 4. Qc7+ $8 Ke8 5. Qd6 Ng8 6. Qg6+ Kf8 7.
                          Kf4 Ne7 8. Qh7 Nf7 (8... Ndc6 9. Kg5 Ke8 10. Kf6 Kd7 11. Qd3+ Ke8 12. Ke6 Nd8+
                          13. Kd6 Nf7+ 14. Kc7 Nh6 (14... Ng8 15. Qe2+ Kf8 16. Kd7 Nf6+ (16... Ng5) (
                          16... Kg7 17. Qg4+ Kf8 18. Qd4 Ngh6 19. Ke6 Ke8 20. Kf6 Ng8+ 21. Kg7 {See
                          diagram 5})) 15. Qe4 (15. Qd7+ Kf7 (15... Kf8))) 9. Qd3 (9. Qb1) (9. Qc2) 9...
                          Kg7 10. Qc3+ Kf8 11. Qa3 Ke8 12. Qa4+ Kf8 13. Qd7 Ng8 14. Kf5 Ngh6+ (14... Kg7
                          15. Ke6 Ngh6 16. Qb7 {transposes to next diagram}) 15. Ke6 Kg7 16. Qb7 {
                          Diagram [#] Diagram 4} Kg6 (16... Kf8 17. Qf3 (17. Qb6) 17... Kg7 18. Qf6+ Kf8
                          19. Qd4 Ke8 20. Kf6 Ng8+ 21. Kg7 {See Diagram no. 5}) 17. Qb1+ Kg7 18. Qg1+
                          Kf8 19. Qd4 Ke8 20. Kf6 Ng8+ 21. Kg7 {Diagram [#] Diagram No.5 John Nunn
                          didn't find this important winning crossroad position in his excellent book.
                          Perhaps the positions that he started out with were on a different cycle
                          within this endgame.} Nd8 {mate in 16} (21... Ngh6 $4 {mate in 13} 22. Qa7 Kd8
                          23. Kf6 Kc8 24. Ke7 Ne5 25. Qc5+ Kb7 26. Qxe5) (21... Nfh6 $4 {mate in 14}) 22.
                          Kxg8 Ke7 23. Qd5 (23. Qf4) (23. Qc5+) 23... Ne6 24. Qe5 Kd7 25. Kf7 Nd8+ 26.
                          Kf6 Kc6 (26... Nc6 27. Qc5) 27. Qe8+ (27. Qe3) (27. Qe4+) 27... Kc7 28. Ke7 (
                          28. Ke5) (28. Qe7+) 28... Nc6+ 29. Ke6 Nd8+ (29... Kb6 30. Kd6 Nb4 (30... Na5))
                          (29... Na5) 30. Kd5 Nb7 31. Qc6+ Kb8 32. Qd7 Na5 33. Qd8+ (33. Qb5+) (33. Kc5)
                          33... Kb7 34. Qxa5 1-0

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: My best original endgame study

                            Originally posted by AlanTomalty View Post
                            I suggest that Mr. Davies didn't find the a6 move in 2 seconds. Sure IMs like Mr Hebert may find the a6 move almost immediately but that doesn't negate the study's pedagogical value or its legitimacy.
                            Well, I'm far from being an IM, but with these studies, my first reaction is often to look for 'the trick'. What's the tricky, non-obvious move.

                            In the specific case of your study, I saw 1.a6 in about 2-3 seconds. The problem with the study is that once you see 1.a6, you can basically stop calculating.

                            Still a nice problem and a nice move. As you said, it also has some pedagogical value (destroy the king's protection, 7th rank etc.). I'd be glad if I had the chance to play it in a real game.

                            Just not that challenging.

                            Let's just say that your best original endgame study is yet to come.

                            Mathieu

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: My best original endgame study

                              Originally posted by AlanTomalty View Post
                              I suggest that Mr. Davies didn't find the a6 move in 2 seconds. Sure IMs like Mr Hebert may find the a6 move almost immediately but that doesn't negate the study's pedagogical value or its legitimacy. Finding a non obvious move for IMs and GMs in a study is extremely difficult to do but if you will pardon the fact that I stumbled on this position while looking at the Qvs NN tablebase, perhaps Jean Hebert might want to tackle this original study.
                              I will pass that one. A position taken as is in a tablebase can hardly be called "original study". It can be the final part of a study though.
                              The first move of a study does not necessarily have to be difficult. It is the continuation (and/or the variations) that somehow must be a challenge for the solver and express some beautiful/interesting idea.




                              DRAW

                              This position is actually from a study by L. Prokes with colour reversed. According to Prokes, Black (White) wins. However I think that he is wrong. The position is a draw and thus becomes a new study. I would be surprised if anyone could find the right first move in 2 seconds and why the alternatives are wrong.
                              Last edited by Jean Hébert; Monday, 26th November, 2012, 12:47 PM.

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