Most miraculous problem ever.
























Black to move

This is the weirdest problem I have ever seen. I had great problems to believe that it actually works!

Comments

  1. Yes..I saw the double attack on the c3 Knight and when it falls the protection of the white rook disappears. If the pawn captures the sac'd black rook on c3, Qxd1+ and the white queen must retreat, allowing a knight advantage for black with a won endgame.

    If Instead the white rook captures the black queen, then black plays Rc1+ and both the white rook and queen will fall, leaving a won endgame again for black.

    If after 1...Rxc3 2. Qc8+ Rxc8 the white rook can capture the hanging black queen, but when the the knight recaptures the white rook we again get the winning endgame for black.

    I like your scan technique as it did not take me long to see this as it normally would.

    At least thought I saw the essence quickly!

    Grampmaster (An old codger trying to learn new tricks)

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  2. Grandpmaster,
    but what do you do after 1. ... Rxc3 2.Qf1?

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  3. Nice! 2 Qf1 is indeed pretty tricky. Fortunately, the back rank weakness gives Black a chance to grab the White queen. 2...Rc8! 3 Rxd4 Nxd4 4 Kh1 (otherwise 4...Rc1) and 4...Ne2 and 5...Rc1 winning. This Knight/Rook collaboration is quite remarkable.

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  4. The Nd4 Rc1 Ne2 motif showed up in a side line of a recent game under Bayonet and Knights Errant. I was able to see Rxc3 removing the guard and the back rank problem as well as Rc1 Ne2+ after Qf1, but I didn't even consider Qe2.

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  5. I don't understand? this was a knee-jerk problem for me. one second to spot the move, maybe five seconds to make sure there isn't any cheapos for defense.

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  6. oh, right, now I see. once again I spoke too soon. :)

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  7. 1... RxNc3, took me three seconds.
    then again, i can clearly see this infront of me, as white. CT-Art: stuff i clearly remember, or is it Lev Alburt's pocket chess?

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