SOLUZIONE DEL QUIZ

Dalla partita Reshko, Aron - Kaminski, Oleg URSS 1972.

( Note del GM Daniel Naroditsky tratte dal sito chess.com ).

1. Qe8!

Threatening promotion and keeping the defensive cocoon watertight. As you can imagine, the fun is only beginning.

1... Qb7!

A devilish idea. It is tempting to assume that no stalemate tricks are possible after 2.a8=Q, simply because the g-pawn can still move. But after the incredible 2...Qf7+ 3.Qxf7 the pawn is suddenly immobilized, and White's queens are too powerful for their own good. Underpromoting to a rook fails for the same reason. A third idea is to make a knight, but after the cold-blooded 2...Qa7 White is all tangled up and there is no clear way to make progress. The queen is the only piece that can liberate the knight, but it has more important things on its mind. The rules of chess state that one cannot promote to a king, or simply leave the pawn on the eighth rank, so we have arrived at the correct idea by process of elimination:

2. a8=B!!

This move leaves me speechless every time. It is not particularly hard to find, but an idea of such unadulterated beauty occurs very infrequently in tournament practice. Now, of course, 2...Qf7+ loses its meaning, and the queen is unable conjure up enough counterplay against White's king. In other words, White is simply up a piece for no compensation!
(2. a8=Q?? Qf7+ 3. Qxf7 an incredible position! )(2. a8=N? Qa7 and now 3. g5 is the only chance, but after 3... hxg5 4. hxg5 fxg5 5. f6!? (5. Kxg5 Qg1+ 6. Kf4 Qf2+ and the king is imprisoned. )(5. Qe4 Qf7+ 6. Kxg5 Qf6+ 7. Kg4 g6 trading the final pawn and drawing immediately (Nunn) )5... gxf6 6. Qg6+ Kh8 7. Qxf6+ Qg7 Black calmly deflects the check and reaches a theoretically drawn ending. )

2... Qb3

Black staves off immediate checkmate, but the win is a matter of patience and straightforward technique.

3. Qd7 Qg8 4. Bd5 Qf8 5. Bf7

Total domination. , without queens Black will have no chances whatsoever.

5... Kh8 6. Qe8 Qxe8 7. Bxe8 Kh7 8. Bf7 Kh8 9. Kg6

Now would have been a perfect time to resign, but Black was evidently too shocked to raise the white flag.

9... h5 10. Kxh5 Kh7 11. Be8 Kg8 12. Kg6 1-0