Nº 24 Sergiy Didukh

Win

Sergiy Didukh (Ukraine)

wKg1,Na8,Bc8,Pb3/bKc6,Nb7

1.b4!
Logical try–1 1.Bg4? Nc5 2.b4 (2.Bd1 Nd3 3.Be2 Ne5 4.Kf2 Kb7=) 2…Na4 3.Be2 Nc3 4.Bf1 Kb7 5.Bg2+ Ka6 6.Bc6 Ne2+! check! 7.Kf2 Nd4 8.Be4 Kb5=

1…Nd6 2.Ba6 Nb5 3.Kh1!! The only safe square.
Logical try-2 3.Kh2? Nc3 4.Bf1 Kb7 5.Bg2+ Ka6 6.Bc6 Nb5 7.Bd7 Nc3 8.Nc7+ Kb6 9.Ne6 Nd5 10.b5 Nf6 11.Bc6 Ng4+! check! 12.Kg3 Ne5 13.Nd4 Kc5 14.Be8 Nc4 15.Ne6+ Kb6 16.Kf4 Nd6=
Logical try-3 3.Kf2? Nc3 4.Bf1 Kb7 5.Bg2+ Ka6 6.Bc6 Nb5 7.Bd7 (7.Ke3 Na7) 7…Nc3 8.Nc7+ Kb6 9.Ne6 Ne4+! check! 10.Ke2 Nf6 11.Ba4 Nd5=

3…Nc3 4.Bf1 Kb7 5.Bg2+ Ka6 6.Bc6 Nb5
6…Ne2 (without check) 7.b5+!

7.Bd7 Nc3 8.Nc7+ Kb6 9.Ne6 Nd5
9…Ne4 (without check) 10.Nd4+-

10.b5 Nc3
10…Nf6 11.Bc6 Ng4 (without check) 12.Nf8+-

11.Nd4 Kc5 12.Kg2!
12.Kg1? Ne4 13.Ne6+ Kb6=

12…Kxd4
12…Ne4 13.Ne6+ /b3+ 13…Kb6 14.Kf3 Nd6 15.Nd4 Kc5 16.Ke3!+-

13.b6+-
The play unfolds very far from the white king. It’s surprising he should bypass 3 mined squares (g1, f2, h2).