Author: John Merlino
Date: 19:39:35 06/03/02
Go up one level in this thread
On June 03, 2002 at 19:06:31, Dieter Buerssner wrote: >On June 02, 2002 at 22:32:25, Dana Turnmire wrote: > >>-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- >>-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- >>-- -- -- -- -- -- BK -- >>-- -- BP -- BP -- -- -- >>-- -- WP -- WP -- WK -- >>-- -- -- WN -- -- -- -- >>-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- >>BB -- -- -- -- -- -- -- >> >>Here is the test position found in "The Mammouth Book of Chess." >> >>1Nxc5? >> >>This obvious, materialistic move throws away the win. White's c-pawn cannot be >>advanced to the queening square without the help of the king, but this allows >>Black to counter by attacking the e-pawn. White should not take the c-pawn, but >>instead make progress on the kingside by manoeuvring his knight. > >Can you please show a (sample) winning line. My program went also for Nxc5 for 4 >hours (on rather slow hardware). I tried to understand the pos myself. All I >came up with - I cannot find improvement for white after this move, and I think, >it is draw. However, I have no better idea, that secures the win. > >Regards, >Dieter We just happened to have that book laying around, and since I hadn't done ENOUGH typing today, I figured I'd quote the entire passage from "The Mammoth Book of Chess", pg. 386, under the section entitled "Computer Chess". ------------ From Pachman-Hromadka, Prague Ch, 1944 Nxc5? This obvious, materialistic move throws away the win! "White's c-pawn cannot be advanced to the queening square without the help of the king, but this allows Black to counter by attacking the e-pawn" - Pachman Supposing it were instead Black to move, the following variation is enlightening: 1...Bd4 2.Ne1 Bf2 3.Nf3 Kf6 (or 3...Bd4 4.Nh4+ Kf6 5.Nf5) 4.Kh5 Bg3 5.Nh4! Bf2 6.Nf5 Bg1 7.Nh6 Bd4 8.Ng4+ Ke6 9.Ng6 [D]8/8/4k1K1/2p1p3/2PbP1N1/8/8/8 White will now play Nf6-h7-g5+, etc., and win easily. However, if there were no black pawn on c5, then Black would have sufficient counterplay to hold the draw, since his king could use the c5-square to attack White's pawns. Thus, in our start position, White should not take the c-pawn, but instead make progress on the kingside by manoeuvring his knight. ------------ So, the question is, is that correct? Anybody care to throw some serious CPU cycles at it? jm
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