Sunday, September 10, 2017

Coin flipping

Alexander Igorevich Grischuk – David Navara
7th Chess World Cup; match game 1; Tbilisi, September 9, 2017
8/8/3K2k1/4P2p/5n2/8/6P1/4N3 w - - 0 58

Position after 57. ... h6-h5

58. e6. The only winning try. Nevertheless Grischuk is perfectly aware that the game will end as a draw. 58. ... Nxe6! 59. Kxe6 Kg5 60. Ke5 Kg4 61. Nd3 h4 62. Nf4 Kg5 63. Nd3 Kg4 64. Ke4 Kg3 65. Nf4 Kg4 66. Ke5 Kg5 67. Ke4 Kg4 68. Ng6! One last trick. 68. ... h3! Not 68. ... Kg3?? 69. Nxh4! Kxh4 70. Kf4 and White wins. 69. Ne5+ Kg3 70. gxh3 Kxh3 ½ : ½.

Mario Baldanello – Giorgio Porreca
2nd International Festival (Section A), Imperia 1960
5k2/7p/1n2P3/4KNP1/8/8/8/8 w - - 6 1

White to move and win

In the above diagram is illustrated a much more favourable version of the same ending. Curiously enough, however, Mario Baldanello, under severe time pressure, did not succeed in finding the right way and a draw was soon agreed. Instead, the solution was 1. e7+ Kf7 (1. ... Ke8?? 2. Ke6 and mate next move) 2. Kd6 Nc4+ 3. Kc6! Ne5+ (or 3. ... Ke8 4. Kd5) 4. Kd5 winning easily.

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