What Actually Happened

This is the position from the previous post which we discussed. The ideas suggested were an eventual h4-g5 push to open the black king and the other was b3 to increase the stranglehold on the queenside.

Here is what I played:

27. Nxd6 Bxd6
28. Rxd6 Qxa4
29. g5 hxg5
30. Bxg5 Qxa5
31. Rxf6 gxf6
32. Bxf6 Qc5
33. Rd4 exd4
34. Qh4 dxc3+
35. Kh1 Black Resigns

There are some mistakes in here, but it sure looks pretty. Thoughts?

Position to Discuss

Hi readers, this time I thought I would try to do something more discussion-based. I am going to post a position from one of my recent games and we will (hopefully) have a discussion on what white can do.

There are a few options for white in this position, so there should be plenty to discuss. White is visually winning, so I would like the discussion to be more based around how white should continue to press the advantage. Once we have discussed for a while I will post what happened in the game (I think you'll enjoy the finish).

Here is the position for white's 27th move after 26. ...Qc6-d7.


Don't feel like you have to look for tactics or any deep positional ideas, just share your thoughts about the position and some potential ideas.

I'll even go first - I like the white pieces a lot more than the black pieces here. The black pieces are pretty tied down and aren't very active, while white's pieces are attacking and (mostly) well-placed.

Ending with a flourish

I have a couple positions for you to look at from some of my recent games. The first position I will give the answer to, but the second one I will wait a few days before posting the answer. Try your best to solve both!

Position 1 - Difficulty: 2/10, white to move:


Answer will be posted in a comment.

Position 2 - Difficulty: 9/10, black to move:


The answer to this one is much more involved than the previous one. As such, I will give you a few days to work through it before I post the answer.

**EDIT** The answer to position 2 follows.

1. ...Bg4!!
Deep, precise, and devastating. The white queen has no squares.
2. hxg4 hxg4!
3. f5
Only way for white to keep playing on. This is where it is easy to get stuck since it is hard to find the follow-up.
3. ...Qh7!
This is actually the hard part.
4. Qf4
In the game, white played Qe4?? and then tipped the king over.
4. ...Rh8!
Here it is very difficult to find a move for white. I personally think that the best try for white is 5. Rff1!? making black earn it, but black should still be winning. Any differing opinions or comments?