This first one is a study composed by H. Blandford published in 1961.
White to play and win.
The joy is in spotting how the Knight and Bishop choke the Rook.
Once you get the first move and spot the mating pattern (that was a clue)
then you can take great delight in watching the Rook’s attempt to stop
the mate fail to a Knight fork or the agile Bishop outmanoeuvring it.
FEN
6Nk/7p/2p5/8/2K5/6r1/5B2/8 w - - 0 1
[FEN "6Nk/7p/2p5/8/2K5/6r1/5B2/8 w - - 0 1"] 1. Nh6 {1...Kg7 2.Nf5+ and Nxg3.} 1... Rg7 {A good try. If 2.Bd4 c5! and the only move to lift the stalemate is 3.Bxc5 when 3...Rc7 and Rxc5 draws.} 2. Be1 {If the Rook moves then 3. Bc3+ Rg7 and Nf5 is 1-0.} 2... c5 {This stalemate defence is Black's best try.} 3. Bd2 {Black cannot allow a Bishop check so either prevents one or goes for stalemate.} 3... Rg3 {Stops Bc3+} 4. Bf4 {4...Rg5 5.Nf7+ and Nxg5 is 1-0.} 4... Rg7 {5. Be5 is stalemate. The only move that wins here is...} 5. Bd6 {Black cannot prevent 6.Be5+ Rg7 7.Nf5 and 1-0. 5...Rg6 6.Nf7+}
D. Wright - M. Stean, Canterbury 1973 (Whit to play)
White took the b4 pawn. Work out how Black very neatly punished this move.
FEN
6k1/5p2/3r2pp/1B3b2/1p2p3/4P3/6PP/1R4K1 w - - 0 1
[FEN "6k1/5p2/3r2pp/1B3b2/1p2p3/4P3/6PP/1R4K1 w - - 0 1"] 1. Rxb4 Rb6 {White saw this pin coming and thought they had a way to get out of it.} 2. Rb1 {The idea is 3.Bd3 Rxb1 4.Bxb1.} 2... Bg4 {An excellent move. Black is threatening 3...Be2. and if 3.Bd3 exd3 4.Rxb6 d2 wins.} 3. Kf2 {To stop 3...Be2} 3... Bd7 {It would appear white can use their original idea after all.} 4. Bd3 {However there is one slight difference. Black does not take on b1.} 4... Rf6+ {This check is now on the board and after the King moves black takes the Bishop d3.}
This next one is from E. Fielder in the British Chess Magazine, August 1973.
From this position you have to swap over all the pawns so you get this;
I’ve never asked you to solve anything I could not do and because I never even
tried to solve this one we shall go straight to the solution and see how to do it.
Just put the game on auto-pilot and watch. It is only 32 moves long.
We look at a wonderful attacking game from the recent Olympiad. It was played by
Gulnar Mammadova and involves the Bogolollipop Variation of the Two Knights.
(you know who I mean, I can never spell his name, that Russian lad who played
in and lost two world Championship matches against Alekhine in 1929 and 1934.)
White now plays 8.Qf3 pinning the c-pawn. Black can try 8...cxb5 giving up the exchange.
There is a game on here. Yuga - Mitsurugi RHP.2007 where Black played 8...cxb5 and
after 9.Qxa8 not realising they were following a known theoretical exchange sac resigned.
A. Munoz Cortez. - G. Mammadova, Women’s Olympiad 2024
Gulnar Mammadova The Azerbaijan Olympiad board one (picture from wikipedia)
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 {The top choice amongst the good guys is 4.d3. But this move has its ardent followers.} 4... d5 5. exd5 {Here 4...Nxd5 5.Nxf7 is the Fried Liver Attack.} 5... Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Qf3 {The key move in this variation. Nigel Short has played it a few times.} 8... cxb5 {Usual is 8...Be7 or 8...Rb8. Ding Liren has sacced the a8 Rook in the past.} 9. Qxa8 Be7 10. O-O h6 11. Ne4 Qd7 {This move has ideas of Nc6, 0-0 and Bb7 trapping the white Queen} 12. Nxf6+ gxf6 {Black has opened the g-file for business. White has to get their Queen back into the game.} 13. Qe4 Rg8 {The threat is Bb7. Recommended moves here are 14.Qe2 or 14.g3.} 14. f3 {This slip gives Black a tremendous attack.} 14... Bc5+ {15.d4 Bxd4+ 16. Be3 f5! and Black is on top.} 15. Kh1 Rxg2 {The move White missed when playing 14. f3. 16.Kxg2 Qh3 mate.} 16. Qh4 Rg4 {17.fxg4 Bb7+ leads to mate.} 17. Qxh6 {17...Bb7 is very strong here but this move....} 17... Qf5 {...has its points threatening Qxf3+ and Rg1 mate.} 18. d4 Bb7 {19.dxc4 Qxf3+ and mate next move.} 19. Nd2 {Rushing to support the f3 pawn.} 19... Bxd4 20. h3 {Giving the King some running room with a gain of tempo.} 20... Rg6 21. Qh4 {21...Nc4 bringing the Knight in from the cold looks very good here.} 21... Qxc2 {But this move too is very strong. Black has spotted how to wrap this up.} 22. Rb1 {There is nothing better. This stops any Bxb2 and Qxd2 tricks. Black now puts their idea into action.} 22... Bxf3+ 23. Rxf3 Qd1+ 24. Rf1 {Now the move Black had in mind when playing 21...Qxc2.} 24... Rg1+ 25. Kh2 Qe2+ 26. Rf2 {26.Qf2 Bxf2 avoids the mate but not the loss.} 26... Bxf2 27. Qe4 {Black played 27...Be3+ and White resigned. How about playing to the gallery with....} 27... Bg3+ 28. Kxg1 Qh2+ 29. Kf1 Qf2# {Checkmate.}
I mentioned Ding Liren played this line as Black. Let’s have a look at it.
Yu Yangyi - Ding Liren Online Rapid Game.2020
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Qf3 cxb5 9. Qxa8 Be7 10. O-O h6 11. Ne4 Qd7 12. Nxf6+ gxf6 13. Qe4 Rg8 14. f3 Bc5+ {In the previous game White played 15.Kh1.} 15. d4 Bxd4+ 16. Be3 {Now 16....f5 17.Qd3 Bxb2 looks good for Black. But more fun is to be had by going for the White King.} 16... Qh3 17. Rf2 Bb7 18. Qh7 Rxg2+ 19. Rxg2 Bxe3+ 20. Kh1 {I do not know about you but this would scare me if I was White.} 20... Qxf3 21. Qg8+ Ke7 22. Nc3 Bg5 23. Rg1 {There is 23....Nc4 24.Qb8 Ne3 25.Nxb5 Nxg2? 26.Qd6+ and 1-0 lurking in there.} 23... Qf2 {Black goes for a three fold rep.} 24. Qb8 Bxg2+ 25. Rxg2 Qf1+ 26. Rg1 Qf3+ 27. Rg2 Qf1+ 28. Rg1 Qf3+ 29. Rg2 Qf1+ {Game drawn.}
