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In her recent interview, Hou Yifan mentioned that she once dreamt of becoming a detective and coincidentally, (not so coincidentally) she found out that there are some similarities between the two things, because both need thinking mechanisms.
In this series, I will share 5 Sherlocking tools to aid you in calculation. Be the detective on the chess board and decipher the correct move! I learnt this from International Master and renowned coach Rajaravisekar in 2006. I always experience sheer joy after executing combinations with the help of the tools. Attempt the positions before reading further
Position 1:
White has just played Nc6, intending to capture on e7. What would you play as black in this position?
Position 2:
White to play
Position 3:
After seeking inspiration from Seirwan’s Take my rooks, white sacrificed two rooks to launch a mating attack. How did he succeed?
Position 4:
Black had thirty seconds to spot the winning move. How did Black win the game?
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Analyse all the checks!
In a critical position, always look for checks. If you see a check, you don’t have to play it. But, it is important to consider it.
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#2. Analyse all the sacrifices
After analyzing the checks, think of the possible sacrifices in the position.
Practical Example :
In this position, there are three checks possible. 1) Bh7+, 1)Rh8+ and 1)Qe8+. The first two can be rejected after some calculation; they do not profit white by any means. Note that Bh7+ and Rh8+ are also sacrifices. 1)Qe8+ is a powerful check, forcing the black rook to interpose with Rf8.
Applying the Sherlock tools, white has Bh7+, +, Qxf8+ and Rh8+ at his disposal. Can you go ahead with a few moves in each variation?
2.Bh7+ is met by Rxh7 and there is no firepower left. 2. Qxf8 gives nothing to white 2.Rh8+ keeps the game going and this should serve as a clue to spot the checkmate!
Black is forced to capture with the king – 2…Kxh8
3.Qxf8+ Rg8
and then
Qh6#
If you haven’t got the answers to the above mentioned positions, you might want to try them out again. You have two tools to guide you!
[rockthemes_steps steps_bg_color=”#787878″ min_width=”1140px” margin_top=”160px” margin_bottom=”190px” start_steps=”first” steps_mode=”connect”][rockthemes_step_single step_title=”Sherlock tool #1″ step_color=”#dd3333″]Analyse all the checks[/rockthemes_step_single][rockthemes_step_single step_title=”Sherlock tool #2″ step_color=”#dd9933″]Analyse all the sacrifices[/rockthemes_step_single][rockthemes_step_single step_title=”Sherlock Tool #3″ step_color=”#eeee22″]Coming Soon[/rockthemes_step_single][rockthemes_step_single step_title=”Sherlock Tool #4″ step_color=”#787878″]Coming Soon[/rockthemes_step_single][rockthemes_step_single step_title=”Sherlock Tool #5″ step_color=”#787878″]Coming Soon[/rockthemes_step_single][/rockthemes_steps]
Position 1: Solution
Position 2: Solution
Position 3: Solution
Position 4: Solution
Position 5: Solution
I will be back with the next article with more tools Happy Sherlocking!
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