A special kind of magic trick is to turn one thing into another a.k.a. a switcheroo. In endgame studies, one such transformation is turning a stalemate into a checkmate. Columnist Siegfried Hornecker shows phenomenal examples which made use of this fantastic ‘magic trick’. | Pictured: Ernest Pogosyants
Summer knight city chessbase.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from chessbase.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Fighting chess all around
The Isle of Man tournament, which by now has become a fixture in the chess calendar, celebrated its first edition back in 2014. With its venue at the Villa Marina on Douglas’ seafront, the first two editions were sponsored by PokerStars, with a number of activities involving original combinations of chess and poker taking place as side events.
Nigel Short was the clear winner that year, as he prevailed in a field that included three 2700+ rated players. Given the success of the inaugural tournament, the second edition attracted a stronger lineup, with Michael Adams, Penatala Harikrishna and David Howell arriving at the island as the top seeds.
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Try winning the above position with the white pieces. You can enter moves, and the diagram will defend with Black. If you want to try a different defence you just go back and enter a black move yourself. The board will switch sides and the engine will continue with the white pieces.
You have solved the study if you can clearly win it against the engine.
We will publish full analysis of the position with all plausible lines in the coming days.
Until then, the challenge is on: can you capture the queen without stalemating the black king?Please do not post solutions in the feedback section below – we do not want to spoil the fun for other readers. Just tell us if you solved the puzzle, how long it took, and your opinion of it. Did you enjoy the mad queen theme?
Israeli Championships: Early upsets chessbase.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from chessbase.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.