“A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer”
Bruce Lee
A quick reminder how it works:
- Have a look at the position for 1 minute (watch the clock)
- Think about the choices in front of you and pick the one you feel it is right
- Verify it in your mind the best you can
- Compare it with the solution
GM Maurice Ashley is a top player I connect well with from a chess point of view. It is his overall approach that makes me feel that way. In my opinion he treats all chess lovers the same because this is what unites us all. What better way to promote the game? Of course he wears many hats as presented in his online bio. It is no surprise his chess courses and puzzles are highly entertaining and educational. This week’s puzzle has been proposed by him.
At the first glance Maurice is stating the obvious. The double pin (relative and absolute) is indeed deadly. Probably the first thing all realize is moving any of the heavy pieces loses on the spot. Secondly, there is the obvious 1. g5+ and the question of how useful it is. The double pin remains and the Black king is going to run behind the protection of its pawn chain.
The only other reasonable choice is to move the king instead of the pawn. It feels a bit counter intuitive, doesn’t it? Depending where you move the king, White loses a full rook with no compensation. You look at the options and the only one making any sense is 1. Kh4. What does it accomplish you might ask? It should trigger the survival idea of achieving stalemate! The king traps itself intentionally and blocks the h3-pawn.
So far, so good. Probably many have reached this moment while looking for the solution. Now you might have looked back and asked yourself if you could have moved the king after 1. g5+ for the same result, right? Does the move order matter? If you read again Maurice original comment, it does matter. Here is the crucial point in your analysis. Since 1. g5+ is pretty straight forward, what can Black do differently after 1. Kh4? Coming up with the correct answer in 1 minute is a nice accomplishment. Congratulations if you found it!
Eugen Demian