 |
The Talent Test II
December 25, 2001
|
|
You are absolutely right,
the only way to win is with the sacrifice 1.b6+!.
Click here to play through the solution.
How Garry Kasparov could not solve this puzzle
It was in the Spring of 1999. Garry Kasparov was attending
the Hannover trade fair CeBit, a guest of the young industrialist
Lars Windhorst, who had actually founded the Windhorst Group
when he was 16. Garry played some special guests, including
the German Interior Minister, a popular actor, the East
German talent Elisabeth Pähtz, and of course a computer.
The following pictures were all grabbed from the multimedia
report on the event in ChessBase Magazine Extra Vol. 69.
Garry in exhibition games against Fritz |
With German film star Heiner Lauterbach |
The public is fascinated to see the
world champion at the CeBit. |
German Interior Minister Otto Schily,
Lars Windhorst, Garry Kasparov |
A special guest at the Windhorst stand: Michael Jackson
(really!)
Well, so much for the intro. That evening there was a gala
dinner in honour of Garry Kasparov, attended by top industrialist
figures, famous personalities, editors of major German newspapers.
Everyone was fascinated by the incredible tales of chess
skill that were told about the the world chess champion.
At some stage I decided to show the guests something dramatic.
"Now everybody watch," I announced, "I'm
going to ask Garry to solve a complex problem in his mind."
Then I dictated the position you have just solved to him
and, beaming at everyone around the table. Garry frowned,
shook his head and said: "Sorry, you gave me the wrong
position." Oops, how embarrassing. I dictated it again,
slowly and carefully, but Garry still kept shaking his head
and muttering "something is wrong," and was incapable
of giving the required answer.
What was the explanation? The problem was simply too
easy, he could not understand why I would ask him something
as elementary as that. I suppose it is similar to having
a world-famous mathematician and asking him to demonstrate
his skills by multiplying the numbers 7 and 3.
"It is part one of a two-part problem, Garry,"
I said. "Please just give me the solution!" That
was of course no problem, and he rattled it off in a disgruntled
mutter at high speed. "Okay, now we come to part two,"
I said, and proceeded with the problem I am going to share
with you.
Part two of the Talent Test
In part two of our Christmas Day puzzle you move the white
king from the square c8 to d8, so that you get the following
position:
D. Joseph, British Chess
Magazine 1922
White to play and win
The two questions we have for you today are:
-
In what way does moving the white king from c8 to d8
change anything? For your information Garry answered
this with a smile of approval in about 15 seconds.
-
How does White win this position? Garry took 2 minutes
and 15 seconds, sitting at the dinner table without
a board or pieces.
I have given the problem to many other great chess talents
and timed them from five to fifteen minutes to not at all
– always without a board or pieces. Please try to solve
it first straight off the diagram above. If you do not succeed,
get a board and pieces. Do not show it to Fritz or
any other top chess program (especially not at Christmas
time).
Please make a note of the time you took with or without
a board. We will be asking you to send it in, together with
a short description of how you found the solution, at the
end of this series. Remember there is a valuable prize to
win. The solution will be given at the beginning of February.
A very happy Christmas to all of you,
and stand by for tomorrow's problem!
Solution
Frederic Friedel
|
