Monday, November 03, 2008

Eight studies (Exercise 7)

A solution contest (De Feijter Study Competition) with eight studies was held in 2003, at Deventer in Holland. Several solvers participated, and some of them were champions in their countries.

What happened there was unprecedented. Mr Daniel Stellwagen, a 16 years old solver from Holland, solved all the studies in perfect manner. Today Stellwagen is Grand Master in chess, a solver and a composer.

The studies presented various grades of difficulty. The percentage of the solved studies is shown below :
Study 3rd: 81,25% (Zachodjakin, 1930)
Study 7th: 70,83% (Vukcevich, 1951)
Study 2nd: 65,58% (Bergqwist, 2002)
Study 6th: 56,67% (Clausen, 1927)
Study 5th: 45,83% (Bazlov, 1971)
Study 1st: 39,58% (Smyslov, 2000)
Study 4th: 35,00% (Stavrietsky/Ryabinin, 1999)
Study 8th: 30,00% (Smyslov, 2000)

The points of the solvers (7 points per study) were the following :
01 Daniel Stellwagen: 56
02 Marcel van Herck: 47, (4 times champion of Belgium)
03 Hans Boehm: 37
04 Eddy van Beers: 34
05 Harold v.d. Heijden: 32
06 Dolf Wissmann: 32, (champion of Holland in 1999)
07 Bert v.d. Marel: 26
08 Peter v.d. Heuvel: 25
09 Ed van de Gevel: 25
10 Harm Benak: 19
11 Andy Ooms: 12
12 Ward Stoffelen: 5

We took these studies (and the rest of the information) from the page with puzzle-17 of the Chessbase and we present them here. The impatient readers can see the solutions, prepared nicely by TD Rene Olthof, here.

Our proposal : Try to solve these studies. Take your time. After a few days we will post the solutions and you will compare these with your solutions. (Look at the end of this post).


Study 1st
(Problem 253)
Smyslov V.
Moi Etyudi #41, 2000
White plays and draws
= (4 + 5)
[8/5k1p/b3p3/2K3RP/5P2/8/p7/8]


Study 2nd
(Problem 254)
Bergqwist D.
Tidskrift for Schack, 2002
White plays and wins
+ (9 + 7)
[2q1SQSR/3k1PP1/3Prr2/4bR1p/8/3p4/8/4K3]


Study 3rd
(Problem 255)
Zachodjakin G.
First Prize, Shakmaty Listok, 1930
White plays and draws
= (5 + 4)
[5B1k/7p/6P1/4SsP1/8/8/K4p2/8]


Study 4th
(Problem 256)
Stavrietsky / Ryabinin
Studium, 1999
White plays and wins
+ (4 + 4)
[5K1k/1R1P4/8/b7/4r3/3B4/3p4/8]


Study 5th
(Problem 257)
Bazlov Y.
First Prize, Shakmaty v SSSR, 1971
White plays and wins
+ (4 + 3)
[s7/2S4K/8/k7/7R/2r5/8/S7]


Study 6th
(Problem 258)
Clausen S.
2nd/3rd prize, Sveriges SF, 1927
White plays and wins
+ (5 + 4)
[K5R1/7p/1B3PP1/1k7/8/8/6r1/7r]


Study 7th
(Problem 259)
Vukcevich M.
1951
White plays and draws
= (3 + 4)
[1R6/8/B7/8/8/1K6/1p2p3/k3s3]


Study 8th
(Problem 260)
Smyslov V.
Moi Etyudi #44, 2000
White plays and draws
= (4 + 4)
[8/8/6p1/5p2/p1k2P2/8/P6P/4K3]



(2008-11-07) Here are the solutions of the studies


Study 1st : Smyslov, V. - White plays and draws

Key : 1.Rg1! (the wR must stop the promotion of the Pawn) Bd3
2.h6 (planning 3.Rg7+ 4.Ra7, not 2.Ra1? Bb1 3.Kd6 h6!! –+ Black wins) Kf6
3.Ra1 Bb1
4.Kd6 (zz) Kf5 (or 4...Kg6 5.Kxe6 Kxh6 6.Kf6 Kh5 7.Kg7 h6 8.f5 Bxf5 9.Rxa2 = draw)
5.Ke7! (not 5.Kd7? e5! 6.fxe5 Kxe5 7.Ke7 Kd4 8.Kf6 Kc3 9.Kg7 Kb2 10.Rxa2+ Kxa2 –+ Black wins]) Kxf4
6.Kxe6 Kg5 (or 6...Ke4 7.Kf6 Kd3 8.Kg7 Kc3 9.Rxa2 Bxa2 10.Kxh7 Bb1+ 11.Kg7 = draw)
7.Kf7! Kxh6
8.Kg8! Kg6
9.Kh8 h5
10.Rxa2 Bxa2 = (stalemate!)


Study 2nd : Bergqwist, D. - White plays and wins

Key : 1.Qe7+! Rxe7
2.f8=S+ Rxf8
3.gxf8=S+ Kxe8
4.d7+ Qxd7
5.Sf6+ Bxf6+
6.Se6+ Kf7 (if 6...Bxh8 7.Rf8#)
7.Rf8+ Kxe6 (if 7...Kg6 8.R8xf6+ Kh7 9.Rxh5+ Kg8 10.Rf8#)
8.R8xf6#


Study 3rd : Zachodjakin, G. - White plays and draws

Key : 1.g7+! Sxg7 (if 1...Kg8 2.Sg4 f1=Q 3.Sf6+ Kf7 4.g8=Q#)
2.Sf7+ Kg8
3.Bc5! f1=Q
4.Sh6+ Kh8
5.Bd6! = (and this is a positional draw, because if the bS is lifted then wB checks the bK from the square e6, where the wB cannot be captured by the bQ, because of the fork of the wS).


Study 4th : Stavrietsky / Ryabinin - White plays and wins

Key : 1.d8=S! [2.Sf7+ [3.Be4#]] (not 1.d8=Q? Rf4+! = draw)
1...Re8+ (not 1...Bxd8? 2.Bxe4 Be7+ 3.Rxe7 d1=Q 4.Rh7#, nor 1...Rf4+? 2.Sf7+ Rxf7+ 3.Kxf7 d1=Q 4.Rb8+ Bd8 5.Rxd8#)
2.Kxe8 d1=Q
3.Kf8 Bb4+ (not 3...Qxd3? 4.Sf7+ Kh7 5.Se5+ +– White wins)
4.Rxb4 Qf3+ (not 4...Qxd3? 5.Rh4+ Qh7 6.Sf7#)
5.Bf5 (not 5.Sf7+? Qxf7+ 6.Kxf7 = stalemate) Qxf5+ (if 5...Qh5 6.Rh4 Qxh4 7.Sf7#)
6.Sf7+ Kh7
7.Rh4+ Kg6
8.Rh6#


Study 5th : Bazlov, Y. - White plays and wins

Key : 1.Rh5+! (not 1.Sxa8? Ka6!) Ka4
2.Sxa8 Rc1 (not 2...Ka3 3.Rh2! +- )
3.Sb6+ (not 3.Rh6? Ka3 = ) Ka3
4.Rb5! Ka2 (not 4...Rxa1 5.Sc4+ Ka2 6.Rb2#)
5.Sb3 Rb1
6.Sc4! Rxb3
7.Ra5+ Kb1
8.Sd2+ + (White wins)


Study 6th : Clausen, S. - White plays and wins

Key : 1.f7! (not 1.Ba7? Rxg6 2.f7 Rf6 = draw, nor 1.gxh7? Ra2+ 2.Ba7 Rxh7 = draw) Rf1
2.gxh7 (not 2.f8=Q? Rxf8+ 3.Rxf8 Rxg6 = draw) Rh2
3.Bf2! Rfxf2
4.Rg2 (not 4.Rb8+? Kc6 5.Rc8+ Kd7 6.Rc2 Rxc2 7.f8=Q Ra2+ 8.Kb7 Rhb2+ -+ Black wins) Rhxg2
5.h8=Q Rxf7
6.Qe8+ (if 6.Qe5+ Kb6 7.Qe6+) +- White wins


Study 7th : Vukcevich, M. - White plays and draws

Key : 1.Bd3! (not 1.Kc3? Sd3 -+ Black wins, nor 1.Ka4? Sd3 2.Bxd3 e1=Q 3.Rb3 Qd1 -+ Black wins)
1...Sxd3 (not 1...b1=Q+ 2.Bxb1 Kxb1 3.Re8 = draw)
2.Kc2 [3.Ra8#] Sc1 (not [2...e1=S+ 3.Kd2 b1=Q 4.Rxb1+ Kxb1 = draw, nor 2...Se1+ 3.Kd2 = draw)
3.Rxb2 e1=Q
4.Rb1+ Ka2
5.Ra1+ Kxa1 = stalemate


Study 8th : Smyslov, V. - White plays and draws

Key : 1.a3! (not 1.Kf2? a3! 2.Ke3 Kc3 3.h3 Kc4! 4.Kf3 Kd3 5.Kf2 Ke4
6.Kg3 Ke3 7.Kh4 Kd2 8.Kg5 Kc2 9.Kxg6 Kb2 10.h4 Kxa2
11.h5 Kb3 12.h6 a2 13.h7 a1=Q -+ Black wins) Kd3
2.Kf2 Ke4
3.Kg3 Ke3
4.h3 Ke4
5.Kh4 [6.Kg5] Kxf4 = stalemate


(This post in Greek language).

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