Nº22 Richard Becker

Draw

Richard Becker (USA)

wKe6,Nc5,Bg6,Pg3,h5/bKh3,Nd7,Rc2,Pf3

1.Ne4!
1.Kxd7? Rd2–+
1.Bxc2? Nxc5–+
1.Nxd7? Re2–+
1st thematic try 1.Nd3? Nc5+! 2.Kf6 (or Kf7) 2…Nxd3 3.Bxd3 Rd2 4.Bc4 Rd4 5.Bb5 (Not 5.Be2? ) 5…Rd5 6.Bf1+ Kg4 7.h6 Rd6+ 8.Kg7 Kg5 9.h7 Rd7+ 10.Kg8 Kg6–+

1…Nc5+ 2.Kf7!
2nd thematic try 2.Kf6? Nxe4+ 3.Bxe4 f2 4.Bf5+ (4.Bd3 Rd2 5.Bb5 Rd6+! 6.Kg7 Rd5 7.Bf1+ Kg4 8.h6 Kg5 9.h7 Rd7+ 10.Kg8 Kg6–+) 4…Kg2! 5.Be4+ (5.Bd3 Kf3 (or Rd2)–+) 5…Kf1! 6.h6 (6.Bxc2 Ke2–+) 6…Re2 7.Bf5 (7.Bd3 Ke1 8.Bxe2 Kxe2 9.h7 f1Q+ 10.Kg7 Qa1+–+) 7…Kg2 8.h7 f1Q 9.h8Q Qa1–+

2…Nxe4 3.Bxe4 f2 4.Bf5+!
3rd thematic try 4.Bd3? Rd2 5.Bc4 Kg4 6.h6 Kg5 7.h7 Rd7+ 8.Kg8 Kg6 9.Bf7+ Rxf7 10.h8Q f1Q–+

4…Kxg3 5.Bd3 Rd2 6.Bc4 Rd4 7.Be2 Rd2
7…Rd6 8.Kg7 Kf4 9.h6 Kg5 10.h7 Rd7+ 11.Kg8 Kg6 12.Bh5+! Kg5 13.Be2 Kg6 14.Bh5+ Kxh5 15.h8Q+ Kg6 16.Qh4=

8.Bc4 Rd6 9.Kg7 Rd7+ 10.Kg6 Rd6+ 11.Kg7 Kg4 12.h6 Kg5 13.h7 Rd7+ 14.Kg8 Kg6 15.Bf7+! Kg5 16.Bc4 Kg6 17.Bf7+ Rxf7 18.h8Q Re7 19.Kf8 Rf7+ 20.Kg8 f1Q 21.Qh7+! Rxh7 stalemate.

Synthesis of three thematic tries from two old studies