Solution for April combinations

After you have plenty of time to solve these combinations, I decided to publish the solution.
Many of you were wondering if this site is on it´s way to be closed or not updated. I can assure you that it will not happen. Sometimes, I have more inspiration to write and sometimes I do not have inspiration. Also, sometimes the priorities are different, so the frequency of writing is always different, but blog will definitely go on. Chess is one of my passions, I will always play chess and I always has something to write about it and I like to share my opinions.
These lines are just for those who had some speculations in the last period. I have to thank the readers for patient and visits, as blog reached the record of monthly visitors already today  (there are six more days in April) and for comparison, in March and April Chess & Life had more visits then in whole 2012.

April combinations

It took really long time for me to finally write an article on the blog.
What can I do, some other priorities in other parts of my life, and one really pleasant travel to Madrid and Toledo (expect pictorial reports) deprived om writing.
In any case, everyone prefers quality over quantity, right?
Right?
All right, so due to really busy schedule in March, I could not publish monthly combinations during last month, but as a compensation, this months article will be extended.
As always, try to solve these combinations (and studies) by your own, and you are always welcome to write your answers in the comments.
Besides that, I really need to thank the readers for visiting this blog, as the last month visits  set the new record in monthly visitors (nearly 9000).
It seems that this month it will be even more readers.

February Combinations - Solutions

It is time to show the solutions for the combinations.
I thought that the first one was hard, but some of the readers solved it without any problems.

1...Rxd4

White is winning now with

2. Qxd4, Ne2
3. Bf4!!

The third move was very hard for me.
White has alternative in 2. Bxf4 but after 2...Rxf4 Black has enough compensation for knight on h2 (three pawns and some positional pluses).

February combinations

For this month I prepared some combinations which have unexpected solutions, but are not so hard to solve.
Some of them are from my games, and others are from my database on combinations.
The first one is the combination that I failed to solve.
Black is on move, and the question is:
How do you evaluate a chances after 1...Rxd4 ?
Is White better?
Is Black better, or maybe the position is equal after some Ne2-Ng3 perpetual?
Calculate, and you will see.
This combination has very clear solution that does not leave a place for speculations.

January combinations - Solutions

Usually this rubric draws the most comments.
This time one of the regular readers answered on all five combinations, even if in one example he proposed the solution which was not my choice during the game.
You can see his answers if you follows the link January combinations .
I will complete his thoughts and analysis by my comments and the names of the players from the games.
Enjoy the solutions!

January combinations

It is time for an article about combinations.
In the next period I will write some articles about different subjects such as strategy, opening preparation, attack and so on.
I shall explain my thoughts on examples from my own games, as I believe I do that the best.
In this rubric, about combinations, usually I do a mix between random combinations that I found interesting in different books or magazines, and the combinations from my own games.
This time I will show only the combinations from my own games.
Some of them are pretty old.

Solution for December combinations

The solutions for December combinations will be published in clear and simple form.
The positions demands more analysis, but  the purpose of this rubric is to inspire you to analyse these positions and eventually improve in chess.
As always, if something is not clear you can ask in the comments or by messaging me on Facebook.
As there were no combinations published during November I decided to show somehow harder combinations for December.
I hope that you enjoyed.

December Combinations

The rubric about combinations was not updated in November due to other things in schedule, but in December we will continue as before.
I will always continue to underline an importance of solving combinations in order to improve in chess.
If you are the regular reader of this blog you could solve around one hundred combinations in 2013.
If you are not, then you can open the archive of all combinations published on this site, and solve it as in the chess book.
The link is here Monthly combinations .

Solution for October combinations

If you select the option on the menu just under the header on this blog Monthly combinations, you can see only the articles with the exercises and solutions for the exercises.
Solving the combinations are one of the most important parts of chess training.
On this blog, during the time, I collected about 130 combinations which have high instructional value.
They are free to use for all the readers, and the experienced eye can spot the most important parts of the combinations, for their own training, or for the training of the others.
Here are the solutions for the month of October.

October combinations

As very soon I will travel again (this time in the opposite direction from the last trip), and as my texts about travels has to go through some phases (idea, planing, conceptual, physical) I decided to at least publish something in the regular rubric on this blog.
As it is a tradition on Chess & Life, I will publish the combinations in the order of the level of complexity, from easier to harder exercises.
The first three combinations is somehow easier and the latest two, are harder.
The latest two are from my own games.

Solutions for September combinations

My very intensive period eventually finished...and I can spend more time writing articles on this blog.
It will last almost to the end of this month, when I have very interesting non-chess projects on the edge of our continent.
It will involve many characters that you already had a chance to know better if you are the regular reader of this blog, and I am sure that some of the most passionate readers will enjoy the new adventures of them.
However, for today I have the solutions of combinations from my last article.
Let´s start...

Sptember Combinations - Tactics from Neum

For Sptember´s monthly combinations rubric I chose to show you some combinations from my recent tournaments
(before I start to publish the games from it).
Due to very tight schedule during August (I played in the two tournaments, Manhem GM chess week, and Bosnian first A division) I could not publish the combinations for that month, but I will compensate with double tactics article in September.
This time I will publish four positions, in which you have to find the best continuation.
In some position more then one move is good enough to achieve the goal, but the task is to find the best.

Solution for July combinations

It is July, and it is not the month when you suppose to do the most of a work.
That´s why, dear reader, I did not published very hard combinations.
The purpose of these was to keep you a little with a chess board, or in the most cases the electronic (screen) version of it.
As most of you noticed, in the last period blog was lacking very serious articles about chess improvement, trainings and deep analysis.
This is of course just a temporary...

July combinations

Okay, the Swedish Championship is over, and as you can see, it was not the end of the World, as you can still read this lines.
The chess calendar in Sweden is approaching it´s middle, with a GM tournament in Gothenburg in the middle of August, but before the focus of this blog move to that competition, it is the time for our regular rubric.
The new (old) Swedish Champion is Hans Tikkanen, who played even in the play off against Marley Grandelius, but under the worse conditions (Black pieces and minute less in the last game).
On the third place was Tiger Hillarp Persson.

Solution for June combinations

This position is from the game
IM Bejtovic Jasmin - GM Pikula Dejan ,
The question was about black´s move Bg4.

1...Bg4??
2. Rxc7!

This was my trick (Black did not fall for this and played 1...Nf5). White is winning now.

2...Qxc7
3. Qxg4 +-

June combinations

It is a right time for this monthly rubric.
This time I will publish five combinations, of which some are very hard, and some are very easy. The common thing of all combinations is that they are from my own games.
Some of them are from my old games, but some of them are from my recent games from Bosnian tour.

For those who are interesting in professional opening analysis, there are the banner (click on the picture to navigate on the site) on the left side of the blog, with the most professional analysis that I found on the Internet.

Solution for May combinations

In this position White´s first move is logical:

1. Rg3

By taking with bishop on e6 Black can achieve a draw, because White needs to take it, but...

1...Re4+

Nice try..

2. Kf1

May combinations

This rubric is not forgotten of course.
For this month I prepared seven combinations.
The seventh is really hard, clearly Grandmaster level, and it is very challenging.

Anyway, we can start from the beginning.
I am sure that many of you will find the first move for White here, but to find all the resources for Black, and to evaluate how this game should finish with the best possible play is another story.
So, White is on move, find the best sequence!

Solutions for March combinations

Here comes the solutions for the combinations, despite that one of the readers solved it all and wrote his solutions in the comments.

1. Bxh6!

This is the trick.

1...Nxh6

This is the only move, and now

2. Qg6+...with a mate on the next move.

This one is very tricky. Black has to calculate very precisely.   I will give only the main line of the combination. 1...gxh6 2. Bxd7, h5! Only this wins. 3. Qf4, Nxc3  ...and Black wins a piece because of the threat of Ne2+

As I wrote in the introduction for the combinations, White can play Qg7+, but there is something much better.

If you are looking for the combination (if somebody tells you that you are looking for the solution) then you can find it by a method of elimination.

In the reality, you need certain amount of tactical vision.

1. Re1!!

Simple as that, after exchange of queens White is piece up in the endgame.

After the sacrifice on h7 White goes even further: 1. Qxf6!!, gxf6 2. Rg1 A mate on h4 is hanging, and if you solved up to this point, then you did the most of the job, but one extra point for those who calculated further. 2...Qxc2+! 3. Kxc2, Ba4+ 4. Kd3 ...and White has an endgame with exchange up.

This is the easiest combination in this group.

It does not mean that you can not come in this position in your thoughts during the game and considered it as winning for Black and chose something else earlier.

However as a exercise it provides a little or none possibilities for White to go wrong.

1. Qh7+, Kxh7

2. Bg6+, Kg8

3. Rd8 #

Nice!

I like the combinations in which the main point comes a little further in them, as they presents the real game situation. 1. Qxf7+, Kh8 2. Qxe7, Nxf1 Everybody can come to this point, and everybody can find a combination if they look for it at this point. The main thing is to find it from the distance and separate it from the forest of other variations. 3. Ra1!!  1-0

March combinations

It is time to do some work on the combinations.
This regular monthly rubric is back.

In this position it is White on move.
A question is if there is a breakthrough on the king side.
Black is pawn up and for now stands his ground.
I really like this combination because as a part of the solution there is the same tactical motive which I used in one of my games as a junior.
However, the solution is pretty but not so hard.
Try to find it!

In this position, Black is on move. White has tremendous pressure against the pawn on g7 and all his minor pieces are extremely active.  The knight on e4 are hanging as well. It seems that Black can only take on h6 and after exchange on d7, and White takes on e4, he will be clearly worse (if not lost).  However there is a one small detail that decides the fight in Black´s favour.  Try to find it! I failed when I try to solve this combination.

This is one more position in which I failed to find the right solution.

You see, there are substantial number of these.

White can play: 

1. Qg7+, Qxg7 2. Rxg7, Rxd4 3. Rff7

...and White is better.

Anyway, White has something much better.

Your task is to find it.

White just sacrificed the bishop on h7, and he has to show something for it. If he checks on h5 Black will just cover everything with a rook on h6. There is other solution which is in the principle of revolution/evolution according to Jacob Aagaard. So after one more revolutionary move, White is doing evolution (He/She builds up his position) in order to do the next revolutionary step. Enough about theory. What is the winning sequence?

This one is rather easy but nice.

Black just moved his queen on f4.

There are a plenty of threats but the most important think is that White is on move.

After some short calculation, we can conclude that White has no good defencive possibilities.

So what can he do in the attack?

If there is no bishop on e8 then it is trivial.

So your task is to eliminate the bishop on e8.

Think that the bishop can do every important task that White queen can do in this position.

In this example the main thing is an accurate calculation, and when I say accurate calculation, it is about candidate moves. There are some sequences that have to be calculated, but in order to solve this one, you need to find one nice detail. This example is one more time, the example which I failed to solve. It is that I usually like the exercises which I fail to solve. I think than the combination number two is the hardest, and this one is on the second place. The third hardest is the combination number three, and then the combination number four. The fifth combination is easiest.