Chess
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Who said endgame studies have nothing to do with real life? Here are a study and a game with something in common.
First the study: the diagram position, composed by F Prokop in 1926, is White to play and draw. The natural 1.f8=Q loses prosaically to 1...Bxd7 2.Bb1+ g6 since 3.Qf7+ is met by Qg7+, forcing the exchange of queens. 1.Bb1+ g6 comes to the same thing, so White must look for something more dramatic. Noting that 1.f8=N+ Kh8 offers no hope, the only other forcing move is 1.Nf8+ Kh8, and now the only chance is 2.Ng6+ Qxg6 3.f8=Q+ Kh7. Both 4.Bg8+ and 4.Qg8+ now lead nowhere, but White has another trick up his sleeve: 4.Bb1! with the idea that 4...Qxb1 is met by 5.Qf5+! Qxf5 stalemate.
But Black does not have to take the bishop immediately. he can play instead 4...Bc3+! when 5.Kxc3 Qxb1 6.Qf5+ Qxf5 is no longer stalemate. But White declines the bishop with 5.Ke3! and keeps up the dance with 5...Bd4+! 6.Kd2!! This time 6...Qxb1 is met by 7.Qh8+! Kg6 8.Qh7+! Kxh7 stalemate. So on it goes in circles with 6...Be3+ 7.Kc3! Bd2+ 8.Kd4! with a draw either by stalemate or by perpetual harassment.
The latter theme is shared by the following miniature from the Dortmund tournament. When Anatoly Karpov has the white pieces against Judit Polgar, he usually grinds away hard for many hours trying to squeeze out a positional victory. Here's what happened at Dortmund last week:
White: Anatoly Karpov
Black: Judit Polgar
1 d4 d5 8 Nxb5 axb5
2 c4 e6 9 Qxa8 Bb4+
3 Nf3 Nf6 10 Bd2 Nb6
4 Nc3 dxc4 11 Qc6+ Bd7
5 Qa4+ Nbd7 12 Qb7 Bc8
6 e4 a6 13 Qc6+ Bd7
7 Bf4 b5 Draw agreed
If White had played 10.Nd2, then 10...e5! 11.dxe5 Nb6 would have led to the same finish: a draw by perpetual harassment.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments