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Subject: Re: Test Position Revisited -- Quote from original book

Author: J. Wesley Cleveland

Date: 10:12:40 06/04/02

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On June 03, 2002 at 22:50:10, John Merlino wrote:

>On June 03, 2002 at 22:39:35, John Merlino wrote:
>
>>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
>
>The last move here should be 9.Kg6, of course.... Sorry about that....
>
>>
>[D]8/8/4k1K1/2p1p3/2PbP1N1/8/8/8 w - -
>>
>>  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

I let crafty run overnight and got nothing.



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