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Sergey Didukh & Ladislav Prokes

This month I am going to present yet another study by Sergey Didukh, but this is at it should be, because Sergey is currently one of the World’s most successful study composers. This recent composition by him won first prize in a tourney to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Mark Liburkin, a study composer mentioned previously in these pages.

Sergey Didukh

1st Prize, Liburkin-100 MT, 2012

White must immediately take advantage of his advanced king and pawn. 1.f7+ Kg7 Retiring to the corner gives White a completely free hand – 1...Kh8? 2.Bd4+ Be5 3.f8Q+ Qxf8+ 4.Kxf8 Bxd4 5.cxd4 1-0 2.h6+ Checking with the bishop only draws - 2.Bd4+? Be5 3.h6+ Kxh6 (3...Kh8? 4.f8Q+ Qxf8+ 5.Kxf8 Bxd4 6.c4 1-0) 4.f8Q+ Qxf8+ 5.Kxf8 Bxd4 6.c4 (6.cxd4 =) 6...Bb6 7.Kf7 Ba5 8.c5 Bc7 9.c6 Ba5 10.Ke7 Kg7 11.Kd6 h5 12.c7 Bxc7+ 13.Kxc7 h4 14.a5 h3 15.a6 h2 16.a7 h1Q 17.a8Q Qh2+ 18.Kd7 Qd2+ 19.Ke6 Qe3+ 20.Qe4 Qb6+ 21.Kd5 Kf6 = 2...Kxh6 If black goes to h8, White can win in a way similar to the main line, though White’s moves aren’t all forced, which is why that isn't the main line. 2...Kh8 3.f8Q+ Qxf8+ 4.Kxf8 Bg1 5.Bg3 1-0 3.f8Q+ Qxf8+ 4.Kxf8 Now we come to the main point of the study. Of Black’s force only the bishop is not locked up, so Black can continually offer it up and White can’t capture it, for that would be stalemate. White must delay the capture of his own bishop until it takes place on a square from where the black bishop cannot stop the white pawns. The duel between the two bishops commences. 4...Bg1 4...Bd6+ 5.Ke8 Bc7 6.Bd4 Ba5 7.Kf7 Bxc3 8.Bc5 Bb4 9.Be7 Ba3 10.a5 Bc5 11.a6 Bb4 12.a7 Ba3 13.a8Q Bxe7 14.Kxe7 Kg7 15.Qf8# 5.Bg3 5.Be1? Bf2 6.Bd2 Be3 =; 5.a5? Bxf2 6.a6 Bc5+ 7.Kf7 Ba7 8.c4 Bc5 9.Kf6 Ba7 10.Kf7 Bc5 11.Ke6 Kg7 12.Kd5 Ba7 13.Kc6 = 5...Bh2 6.Be1 Bg3 7.Bd2 Be1 8.Be3 Bf2 9.Bc1 Be3 10.Bb2 Bc1 11.Ba1 11.a5? Bxb2 12.a6 Ba3+ 13.Ke8 Bc5 = 11...Bb2 12.a5 Bxa1 The duel is at an end. On a1, blocked by the white pawn on c3, the black bishop is powerless. 13.a6 Bxc3 14.a7 1–0

A very worthy offering to the memory of Mark Liburkin!

Now, why not have a go at solving the next study? It’s by Ladislav Prokes (1884-1966), a Czech player and composer. As well as composing hundreds of studies, he also played for Czechoslovakia in three Olympiads!

Ladislav Prokes

Wiener Schachzeitung, 1926

Show solution

1.c3+ Kxc3 2.b5 cxb5 2...Bxc5 3.bxc6 Bd6 [3...Bb6 4.Nd5+ 1-0; 3...Nf5 4.c7 Ne7 (4...Nd6 5.Ne4+ 1-0) 5.Nd5+ 1-0] 4.Ne4+ 1-0; 2...Kd4 3.bxc6 Nf5 4.c7 Ne7 5.Nd7 Bxc5 6.Nxc5 Kxc5 7.Bg4 Kd4 8.Bf5 Kd5 9.Ke2 Kd6 10.c8Q Nxc8 11.Bxc8 1-0; 2...Kb3 3.bxc6 Nf5 4.c7 Ne7 5.Nd5 Nc8 6.Ba6 Na7 7.c6 Bd6 8.c8Q Nxc8 9.Bxc8 Kc4 10.Bb7 Kd4 11.c7 Bxc7 12.Nxc7 1-0; 2...Nf5 3.b6 Bxc5 4.Ne4+ Kd4 5.Nxc5 Nd6 6.b7 Nxb7 7.Nxb7 1-0 3.c6 Nf5 3...Bd6 4.Ne4+ 1-0; 3...Ng6 4.Nd5+ Kd4 5.c7 1-0 4.c7 Ne7 4...Nd6 5.Ne4+ 1-0 5.Nd5+ 1–0