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Bilek-75 JT

GM Istvan Bilek decided to celebrate his 75th birthday by holding a study composing tournament for wins or draws in which some unprotected pieces of either side (not pawns) are not captured at least twice. The judges were Bilek himself and Pal Benko. They awarded first prize to one of today’s most successful composers, Sergey Didukh, for this study which shows 6 such capture refusals in the main line. Readers may care to count them as they play through the solution.

Sergey Didukh

1st Prize, Bilek-75 JT, 2008

White is a piece down and must try and utilise his passed pawn. 1.f7 Bd6 The black bishop has to be sacrificed to allow the rook access to the f-file. Black can try giving up his rook instead, in which case there follows 1...Ra3+ 2.Rxa3 Bd7+ 3.Kb3 Be6+ 4.Kc2 b3+ 5.Kb1 Bxf7 6.Ra7 1-0 2.Rxd6 Rf3 White's plan now is to protect his pawn with his bishop and then use his rook to help promote that pawn. Doing this immediately though doesn't work - 3.Bg6? Bf5 4.Bh5 Bg4 5.Rd3 (5.Rd1+ Kg2 =; 5.Bxg4? Rxf7 =) 5...Rf2 (5...Rxd3 6.f8Q+ 1-0) 6.Bg6 Be6 =. So White first plays to decoy the black king to f2, to block the black rook from that square. 3.Bd3+! Ke1 3...Kg1 4.Bg6 Bf5 5.Bh5 Rf4 6.Rd4 Bc2+ 7.Kb5 Rf6 8.Kxb4 Kh1 9.Rd8 1-0; 3...Kg2 4.Be4 1-0; 3...Kf2 4.Bg6 Bf5 5.Bh5 Bg4 6.Rd3 has transposed to move 7 of the main line. 4.Bg6 Bf5 5.Bh5 5.Rd1+? Kf2 6.Bh5 Bc2+ 7.Kb5 Rf5+ 8.Kxb4 Bxd1 9.Bxd1 Rxf7 = 5...Bg4 6.Rd1+ Kf2 6...Kxd1 7.Bxg4 1-0 Mission accomplished. Time now to harry the black rook, which must stay on the f-file. 7.Rd3 Rf6 7...Rf4 8.Rd4 Rxd4 (8...Rf5 9.Rxg4 Rf6 10.Rg8 1-0) 9.f8Q+ 1-0; 7...Rf5 8.Bg6 Rf4 9.Rd4 1-0 8.Bg6 Bf5 8...Ra6+ 9.Kxb4 Ra8 10.Rd6 Kg3 11.Rf6 Rf8 12.Kc5 1-0 9.Rd6 Attacking the caged rook. 9...Bc2+ Black sacrifices his second bishop to mobilise his rook. 10.Ka5! Wins, though White must be careful. Blocking the b-file leaves Black with a drawing resource - 10.Kb5? Rxf7 11.Bxf7 b3 = After the text, White picks up the bishop and the game - 10...Rf4 (10...Rxf7 11.Bxf7 b3 12.Rb6 1-0) 11.Rd2+ 1–0

Our study for solving this month is by one of the great names of study composition, Henri Rinck (1870-1952). He was born in France, and spent most of his life in Spain.

Henri Rinck

Deutsche Schachzeitung, 1901

Show solution

1.Nf3! exf3 1...c4 2.Nb6+ Kc5 3.Na4+ Kd5 4.bxc4+ Kxc4 5.Bb5+ Kxb5 (5...Kd5 6.c4+ Qxc4 7.Bxc4+ Kxc4 8.h6 1-0; 5...Kb3 6.Nd4+ 1-0) 6.Nd4+ 1-0; 1...Qxb3 2.Nc7+ Kc4 3.Nd2+ 1-0 2.Nb6+ Ke5 2...Ke4 3.Bg6+ 1-0 3.Nd7+ Kd5 3...Kf5 4.Bg6+ 1-0; 3...Ke4 4.Bg6+ 1-0 4.Nf6+ Ke5 5.Ng4+ Kd5 5...Kf5 6.Bg6+ 1-0; 5...Ke4 6.Bg6+ 1-0 6.Ne3+ 1–0