DAY 226 Rook vs. Queen

Tactics lurk when a rook and an enemy queen lie on the same file.

Eduard Gufeld White
Janis Klovans Black
Moscow 1956
Ruy Lopez C79

1 e4 e5 2 f3 c6 3 b5 a6 4 a4 f6 5 0-0 d6

Note that 6 d4 b5 7 b3 xd4 8 xd4 exd4 9 xd4? is another version of the Noah’s Ark Trap (9...c5! wins).

Question 255: What happens on 9 c3 dxc3 10 e5 ?

6 c3 d7 7 e1 e7 8 a3 0-0 9 h3 c8

Black prepares d8 for a rook and the opening of the center.

10 d4 exd4!? 11 cxd4 d5

If Black gets his knight to e4 he should be fine, 12 e5 e4. And then 13 c3 xc3 14 bxc3 a5 and ...c4.

12 c3!? dxe4 13 d5

illustration

This is based on 13...exf3 14 dxc6 as well as a pawn sacrifice, 13...b8 14 xe4 xd5! 15 b3!? (not 15 xd5 xa4). Black unwisely rejects that.

13...d8?

He saw that 14 xe4 e6! favors him because of the file pin (15 dxe6? xd1).

14 dxc6! xh3!? 15 cxb7 g4

Black threatens mate on g2, as well as ...exf3.

16 h4!

But now 16...xd1 17 bxa8()+ or 16...ab8 17 xg4 are quite lost.

16...xh4 17 bxa8() xa8 18 g3! resigns.

Wolfgang Unzicker White
Bogdan Sliwa Black
Gothenburg 1955

1 e4 e5 2 f3 c6 3 b5 a6 4 a4 d6 5 c3 d7 6 d4 f6 7 0-0 e7 8 bd2 0-0 9 e1 exd4 10 cxd4 b4 11 xd7 xd7 12 f1 d5 13 e5 e8 14 a3 c6 15 xc6 xc6 16 e5 e8? (16...e4!) 17 e3 f5? 18 f3 and wins after xd5 or xf5.