Test your silicon

This is a compilation of a large set of positions posted by Sune Larsson at the CCC computer chess forum. Try your silicon and find out that there is still hope for human kind as these are the strategic kind of positions computers still have a hard time. You even may find out you will do better than the silicon.

Enjoy!

Gelfer
Manievich

Clearing the Path (1)
Jerusalem
1985

This is Gelfer-Manievich, Jerusalem 1985. The theme is about central supremacy and active king in the endgame. The penetration of the king into the enemy camp is many times decisive and often worth a pawn. Gelfer bought a ticket for his king to the holy land, in a very instructive way:

1.Be6+! Nxe6 2.dxe6 Rxe6 [The sacrifice has cleared a path for the white king. 2.-c6 wouldn't do, owing to 3.b5!] 3.Kd5 Re7 4.Kc6 Kg7 5.Rf2 Re4 6.Rc2 Re7 7.b5 Kf6 8.Ra2 Re4 9.Kxc7 Rxc4+ 10.Kxb6 d5 11.Ka7 d4 12.b6 Ke5 13.b7 Rb4 14.b8Q+ Rxb8 15.Kxb8 d3 16.Kc7 Ke4 17.Kd6 Ke3 18.Ke5 d2 19.Ra1 Ke2 59.Kf6 d1Q 60.Rxd1 Kxd1 61.Kg7 1-0

Test: The move 1.Be6+! should give a high +score for white. If a program plays this move it recognizes the value of entering into the enemy camp with the king. [Don't do that in the middlegame]

1. Be6+! Nxe6+ 2. dxe6 Rxe6 3. Kd5 Re7 4. Kc6 Kg7 5. Rf2 Re4 6. Rc2 Re7 7. b5 Kf6 8. Ra2 Re4 9. Kxc7 Rxc4+ 10. Kxb6 d5 11. Ka7 d4 12. b6 Ke5 13. b7 Rb4 14. b8=Q+ Rxb8 15. Kxb8 d3 16. Kc7 Ke4 17. Kd6 Ke3 18. Ke5 d2 19. Ra1 Ke2 20. Kf6 d1=Q 21. Rxd1 Kxd1 22. Kg7

1-0

White
Black

A Sparking Jewel (1)
My 60 Memories
2001

Take off your hats folks, cause this is a real piece of art! A stunning performance by a great player. If you can figure out who handles the white pieces this way, you'll win a nice price - "My 60 Memories" by Ossi Weiner, provided of course that some justice is done in the old country [ Sorry, this was a little European joke that slipped out of my mouth.] Back to the game - we have a knight ending with 7 pawns each. If black's knight was on c6, his queenside majority would be a menace. As things stand, white can engineer a dramatic central breakthrough:

1.f5!! [ If now 1.-gxf5 2.gxf5 exf5 3.Nf4 wins - and 1.-Nc6 2.Nf4! ] Black stops Nf4, but succumbs to a brilliant diversion.

1...g5 2.Nb4 a5 3.c6! Kd6 4.fxe6! Nxc6 5.Nxc6 Kxc6 6.e4! with a winning pawn ending. [ 6...dxe4 7.d5+ etc.]

Test1: White is winning in a forced, sparking way. Too hard for the comps?

Test2: Who played white and composed this beauty? [ Sorry, no price ]

1. f5 g5 2. Nb4 a5 3. c6! Kd6 4. fxe6! Nxc6 5. Nxc6 Kxc6 6. e4!

1-0

Tarrasch
Rubinstein

Activity in Rookending (1)
San Sebastian
1911

This is Tarrasch-Rubinstein, San Sebastian 1911. Black is a pawn down and the b6 pawn is under attack. Passive defence with 1...Rd6 or 1...Rb8 is doomed to failure. Rubinstein grasps his only chance: To mobilize his rook and king. Activity is vital in rook endings.

1...Rd2! 2.Rxb6+ Kg5 3.Ke1 [3.a4 f4 4.a5 f3! is more than welcome to black.] 3...Rc2 4.Rb5 Kg4! 5.h3+ Kxh3 6.Rxf5 Rxb2 [and black drew without effort.]

Test: Big + for your program if it chooses 1.-Rd2! combined with activating the king.

Thumbs down if it chooses passive defence with 1...Rd6 or 1...Rb8.

1... Rd2! 2. Rxb6+ Kg5 3. Ke1 Rc2 4. Rb5 Kg4! 5. h3+ Kxh3 6. Rxf5 Rxb2

1/2-1/2

White
Black

Good vs Bad Bishop (1)
Averbakh study
1954

This is one of Averbakh's positions from 1954. It's a typical winning position in a good versus bad bishop ending. The black pawns on h5, f5, d5 and a6 are vulnerable and curtail the movements of the black bishop. To seal black's fate, all white need to do is lose a move. That is - repeat the initial position with black to move. This may be accomplished as follows:

1.Be2 Be8 [1...Bg6 2.Bd3 Bh7 3.Bf1 leads to instant zugzwang, be it after 3...Bg6 4.Bg2 Bf7 5.Bf3 or after 3...Bg8 4.Be2 Bf7 5.Bf3]

2.Bd3 Bg6 3.Bc2 Bh7 4.Bb3! Bg8 5.Bd1 Bf7 6.Bf3! and so on

Test: The above position is won for white so your program should be able to win it. The evals should differ distinctly between white and black.

1. Be2 Be8 2. Bd3 Bg6 3. Bc2 Bh7 4. Bb3! Bg8 5. Bd1 Bf7 6. Bf3!

1-0

Eliskases
Capablanca

Bishop ending (1)
Semmering
1937

This is a position used by chesstrainers in Georgia [former USSR]. Got it from the horse's mouth during a combined vacation/chesstraining stay in Tbilisi a few years ago. It's from the game Eliskases-Capablanca, Semmering 1937. We have a bishop ending (same colors) with 4 pawns each. White is on the move and to conserve winning chances, he must avoid early simplification and - if possible - keep the pawns on both wings. Thus 1.Bxa6 Kb6 followed by 2...c5 constitutes a wrong approach whereas 1.Kd4 is the right one.

1.Kd4 Kb6 [otherwise 2.Kc5] 2.Bc4 Bg4 [the pawn ending is lost] 3.e5 fxe5+ 4.fxe5 h6 5.h4 Bh5 6.e6 Be8 and black had many problems to overcome. White ultimately won the game.

Test: 1. Kd4! should be chosen by your program. 1.Bxa6? draws.

1. Kd4 Kb6 2. Bc4 Bg4 3. e5 fxe5+ 4. fxe5 h6 5. h4 Bh5 6. e6 Be8

1-0

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Download all positions in PGN and EPD format.