Malcolm Pein Follows…A Nunn on a Run

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Malcolm Pein follows a Nunn on a run in today’s Daily Telegraph chess column.

We refer to Grandmaster John Nunn, of course, whose checkmating skills were featured in a recent episode of Checkmate Monday. Today we have a chess problem and one of Nunn’s finest games of chess.

Malcolm Pein Follows…A Nunn on a Run

The Winton British Chess Solving Championship was staged by the British Chess Problem Society on Zoom rather than face to face and run as a fun event with no prize money. Yet again, John Nunn won the competition with 60 from a maximum of 65 points, making just one error in the 13 problems set. Eddy van Beers (Belgium) and Martynas Limontas (Lithuania) matched Nunn’s score, but couldn’t match him for speed, as Nunn used just 120 minutes from the available 230.

Here is a beautiful endgame study from the competition. Composed by V.Bron and first published in Shakhmaty v SSSR #544, 15.08.1931. White to play and win. If White can save his dark bishop, the three minor pieces will prevail over the rook.

Chess Problem

1.Bb6 Kb7 2.Ba5! (2.Bg4? Rg8! 3.Be6 Rg1) 2…Ka6 3.Nd2! (3.Ne3? Re8!) 3…Re8 (3…Kxa5 4.Nxc4+ Ka4 (4…Kb5 5.Nd6+ Kc6 6.Nxc8) 5.Nb6+ Ka5 6.Nxc8) 4.Bf1! Kxa5 (4…Re3+ 5.Kc2! Kxa5 6.Nxc4+) 5.Nxc4+ Ka4 (5…Ka6 6.Nd6+) 6.Bg2! Re6 (6…Kb5 7.Nd6+ Ka5 8.Nxe8; 6…Rc8 7.Nb6+ Kb5 8.Nxc8) 7.Bd5 Ra6 8.Bf7! Kb5 (8…Ra8 9.Nb6+ Kb5 10.Nxa8)

Test Your Strength

White to play and win

Nunn, who lives in Bude, is one of the few people to hold the Grandmaster title in over-the- board chess and problem solving.

A. Beliavsky – J. Nunn
Hoogovens Wijk aan Zee (2) 1985
King’s Indian Saemisch

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 0–0 6.Be3 Nbd7 7.Qd2 c5 8.d5 Ne5 9.h3 Nh5 10.Bf2 (10.f4 Ng3!) 10…f5 11.exf5 Rxf5!! 12.g4 Rxf3 13.gxh5 Qf8 14.Ne4 (14.0–0–0 Rxf2 or if 14.Bg2 Rxf2 15.Qxf2 Nd3+) 14…Bh6 (or 14…Qf5 15.Ng3 Rxg3! 16.Bxg3 Qe4+ and picks up the rook in the corner. If 14…Qf5 15.Nc3 Nd3+ 16.Bxd3 Rxd3 17.Qc2 Rxc3 or 17…Re3+! or here 17.Qe2 Rxc3) 15.Qc2 Qf4 (15…Be3! 16.Qe2 Rxf2 17.Nxf2 Qf4) 16.Ne2?! Rxf2! 17.Nxf2 Nf3+ 18.Kd1 Qh4 19.Nd3 Bf5 20.Nec1 Nd2! 21.hxg6 hxg6 22.Bg2 Nxc4 23.Qf2 Ne3+ 24.Ke2 Qc4 25.Bf3 Rf8 26.Rg1 Nc2 27.Kd1 Bxd3 0–1

Highlight the space below this line to reveal the answer.

9.Be8+ Rc6 10.Kd3 (Zugzwang, 10.Kb3 and 10.Bd7 also work) 10…f5 11.Ne5 1–0 White rounds up the remaining pawns and wins with bishop and knight vs king.

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