www.arves.org - Quartz 2024-2025

Studies awarded for bi-annual Quartz 2024-2025 tournament.

Judged by Vladislav Tarasiuk.

[Event "1st prize Quartz"] [Site ""] [Date "2025"] [Round ""] [White "Michael Pasman"] [Black ""] [Result "1-0"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "4N3/3P1N2/8/k7/8/3r2p1/5B2/4K1b1 w - - 0 1"] [PlyCount "21"] [EventDate "2025"] 
 1. Bd4 $1 {Novotny} (1. Bxg1 $2 Rxd7 $11) 1... Rxd4 (1... Bf2+ 2. Ke2 $1 Rxd4 3. Ned6 Rxd6 4. Nxd6 Bb6 5. Nc4+ $18) (1... Bxd4 2. d8=Q+ {with check}) 2. Ned6 $1 {Now bishop can't access b6, so black must play} ({Logical try:} 2. Nfd6 $2 Rd1+ $1 3. Kxd1 Bb6 4. Nc4+ {Position X1 white knight on e8, e.g.} Ka6 {(b5)} 5. Ne3 (5. Nxb6 g2 6. d8=Q g1=Q+ $11) (5. Ke2 g2) 5... Kb7 {difference: white can't defend d7 pawn from e5} 6. Ke2 Kc6 7. Nf6 g2 $1 8. Nxg2 Bd8 $11) 2... Rd1+ $1 (2... Rxd6 3. Nxd6 Bb6 4. Nc4+ $18) 3. Kxd1 Bb6 4. Nc4+ {Position X2} ( 4. Ke2 $2 g2 $11) 4... Kb4 (4... Ka6 5. Ne3 {difference : white can defend d7 pawn from e5}) 5. Ne3 $1 (5. Nxb6 $2 g2 6. d8=Q g1=Q+ $11 {is perpetual check}) 5... Kc5 6. Ke2 $1 ({Logical try:} 6. Kd2 $2 g2 $1 7. Nxg2 Kc6 8. Ne5+ Kd6 9. Ne3 {Position Y1} Ba5+ $1 10. Kd3 Kxe5 $11) 6... g2 7. Nxg2 Kc6 8. Ne5+ Kd6 9. Ne3 $1 {Position Y2, Switchback} Kxe5 10. Nc4+ Ke6 11. Nxb6 {win. Promoting a pawn to a queen - the correct choice 2.Ned6! and 6.Ke2! An elegant logical study.} 1-0

[Event "2nd prize Quartz"] [Site ""] [Date "2025"] [Round ""] [White "Volker Hergert"] [Black ""] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "1r6/2k3K1/2b4R/2P4P/n5P1/8/8/8 w - - 0 1"] [PlyCount "17"] [EventDate "2025"] 
 1. Rf6 $1 (1. Re6 $2 Nxc5 $19) (1. g5 $2 Nxc5 $19) 1... Bd5 $1 {Only the threat on g8 prevents White from advancing the h-pawn on the spot.} (1... Nxc5 2. h6 Bd5 3. h7 $11) 2. Rf8 (2. h6 $2 Rg8+ $19) 2... Rb4 (2... Rxf8 3. Kxf8 $11 ) (2... Rb7 3. h6 Kc6+ 4. Kg6 $1 Be4+ 5. Rf5 $1 Nxc5 6. h7 $11) 3. h6 $1 (3. g5 $2 Nxc5 $19) 3... Rxg4+ (3... Nxc5 4. h7 Rxg4+ (4... Ne6+ 5. Kh6 $11) 5. Kh8 Rh4 {leads to the same position as in the main line}) 4. Kh8 $1 Rh4 (4... Nxc5 5. h7 Rh4 {leads to the same position as in the main line}) 5. h7 Nxc5 (5... Be4 6. Rf7+ Kc6 (6... Kd8 7. c6 $1 $11) 7. Re7 $1 Nxc5 8. Kg8 Bd5+ (8... Kd6 9. Rxe4 $11) 9. Kg7 Ne6+ 10. Rxe6+ $11) 6. Rf5 Ne6 $1 (6... Kd6 7. Rxd5+ $1 Kxd5 8. Kg8 Rg4+ 9. Kf7 Rf4+ 10. Kg8 Ne6 11. h8=Q Rf8+ 12. Kh7 Ng5+ 13. Kg7 $11) 7. Re5 $1 {The point of White's defense!} (7. Rxd5 $2 Rf4 $1 8. Kg8 Rf8#) 7... Rf4 (7... Bc4 8. Rxe6 Bxe6 9. Kg7 $11) 8. Rxe6 $1 Bxe6 9. Kg7 {draw. By the final stalemate (7.Re5! and 8.Rxe6!), all the thematic pieces have found their places. The initial position and material are attractive in themselves.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "2 hm. Quartz"] [Site ""] [Date "2025"] [Round ""] [White "Luis Miguel Gonzalez"] [Black ""] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "8/k2p4/8/8/2n5/2Pp4/5Pr1/2K1Q3 w - - 0 1"] [PlyCount "37"] [EventDate "2025"] 
 1. Qf1 $1 (1. Qd1 $2 d2+ $1 2. Kb1 Rg5 3. Qa4+ Kb6 $1 4. Kc2 d1=Q+ 5. Kxd1 Nb2+ $19) 1... Rg3 $1 2. Qd1 $1 (2. fxg3 $2 d2+ 3. Kb1 Ne3 $1 4. Qd3 d1=Q+ 5. Qxd1 Nxd1 $19) (2. Qh1 $2 Rg6 $1 3. Qd1 d2+ 4. Kc2 Rb6 $19) 2... d2+ 3. Kc2 Rg5 $1 4. Kb3 $1 (4. Qh1 $2 Ra5 $1 5. Kb3 d5 6. Qh7+ Kb6 7. Qg6+ Kc5 $1 8. Qg4 Rb5+ 9. Ka2 Rb2+ 10. Ka1 Rb8 11. Qd4+ Kc6 12. Qf6+ Nd6 13. Qd4 Ra8+ 14. Kb1 Ne4 $19) 4... Na5+ 5. Kb4 Rd5 6. c4 Nc6+ 7. Kc3 $1 (7. Kb3 $2 Rd4 $1 8. Kc2 Rxc4+ 9. Kb3 Na5+ 10. Kb2 Rd4 11. Kc3 Rd6 $19) 7... Rd4 8. c5 $1 (8. f4 $2 Kb6 $1 9. f5 Kc5 $1 10. f6 Kd6 11. f7 Ke7 12. Qf1 Kf8 $19) 8... Ka6 9. Kc2 $1 (9. Qb3 $2 d1=N+ $1 10. Kc2 Nb4+ 11. Kb1 Kb5 $19) (9. f4 $2 Kb5 $1 10. f5 Kxc5 11. f6 Nd8 $19) 9... Na5 $1 10. Qf1+ $1 (10. Qe2+ $2 Nc4 $1 11. Qd1 Kb5 12. Qb1+ Kc6 $1 13. Kd1 Rg4 $1 $19) 10... Ka7 11. Qd1 Rd5 (11... Rc4+ 12. Kd3 Rxc5 13. f4 Rd5+ 14. Kc3 $1 Kb6 15. f5 Rc5+ 16. Kb2 Rxf5 17. Qg1+ Rc5 18. Qd4 $1 $11) 12. f4 Kb7 $1 13. f5 $1 (13. Qb1+ $2 Kc8 $1 14. Kd1 Nc4 $1 15. Qb3 Rd4 16. c6 dxc6 17. Qc3 c5 18. f5 Re4 19. Qh8+ Kc7 20. Qh2+ Kd7 21. Qh7+ Re7 $19) 13... Nc4 (13... Kc7 14. f6 $1 Nc4 15. Kc3 Ne3 16. Qb3 d1=N+ $1 17. Kb4 $11) 14. Kc3 Ne3 15. Qe2 $1 (15. Qb1+ $2 Kc8 $1 16. Qa1 d1=N+ $1 17. Kb3 Rd3+ 18. Ka4 Nc3+ 19. Ka5 Ned5 $19) 15... d1=Q (15... Kc6 16. Qa6+ Kxc5 17. Qa5+ Kd6 18. Qb6+ Ke7 19. Qxe3+ Kf7 20. Qxd2 $1 Rxd2 21. Kxd2 $11) 16. Qb5+ Kc8 17. Qa6+ Kd8 18. Qf6+ Ke8 19. Qg6+ { perpetual check. The painstaking work of the white queen brings a saving perpetual check in the final.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "com. Quartz"] [Site ""] [Date "2024"] [Round ""] [White "Michal Hlinka & Lubos Kekely"] [Black ""] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "8/6p1/2p5/2P1k3/K1P5/4P3/2P5/8 w - - 0 1"] [PlyCount "24"] [EventDate "2024"] 
 1. Ka5 $1 (1. Kb4 $2 g5 2. Kc3 Ke4 3. Kd2 Kf3 $19) 1... Ke6 $1 (1... g5 2. Kb6 g4 3. Kxc6 g3 4. Kb7 g2 5. c6 g1=Q 6. c7 $11) 2. Kb4 (2. Kb6 $2 Kd7 $19) 2... Kf5 $1 3. Kc3 $1 ({Try:} 3. Ka5 $2 g5 4. Kb6 g4 5. Kxc6 g3 6. Kb7 g2 7. c6 g1=Q 8. c7 Qb1+ 9. Kc6 Qh1+ 10. Kd7 Qb7 $19) 3... Ke4 4. Kd2 Kf3 (4... g5 5. Ke2 g4 6. Kf2 $11) 5. Kd3 g5 6. e4 Kf4 7. Kd4 $1 ({Try:} 7. Ke2 $2 Kxe4 8. Kf2 Kd4 9. Kg3 Kc3 10. Kg4 Kxc2 11. Kxg5 Kc3 12. Kf4 Kxc4 13. Ke3 Kxc5 14. Kd3 Kb4 $19) 7... g4 8. Kd3 (8. e5 $2 g3 9. e6 g2 10. e7 g1=Q+ $19) 8... g3 9. Ke2 Kxe4 10. Kf1 Kf3 (10... Kd4 11. Kg2 $11) 11. Kg1 {zz} g2 (11... Ke2 12. Kg2 Kd2 13. Kxg3 Kxc2 14. Kf2 $1 Kd2 (14... Kd3 15. Ke1 Kxc4 16. Kd2 Kd4 17. Kc2 Kxc5 18. Kc3 $11) 15. Kf1 Ke3 16. Ke1 Kd3 17. Kd1 $11) 12. c3 {zz} Kg3 {stalemate. The precise play of the white king neutralizes the advantage of the dangerous passed pawn of the Black's.} (12... Ke3 13. Kxg2 $11) 1/2-1/2

[Event "sp. com. Quartz"] [Site ""] [Date "2025"] [Round ""] [White "Ilham Aliev"] [Black ""] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "2b5/8/8/2P4n/1P1P4/7k/8/4K3 w - - 0 1"] [PlyCount "24"] [EventDate "2022"] 
 1. b5 $1 ({Try:} 1. Kd2 $2 Ba6 $1 2. Ke3 Nf6 3. Kf4 Nd5+ 4. Ke5 Nxb4 5. Kd6 Be2 6. c6 Bf3 7. c7 Bg4 8. Kc5 Na6+ 9. Kb6 Bc8 10. d5 Nb4 11. d6 Nd5+ 12. Kc6 Nf6 $19) (1. d5 $2 Nf6 $19) 1... Be6 $1 (1... Kg4 2. c6 Nf4 3. b6 $11) (1... Nf6 2. Kd2 Kg4 3. c6 Nd5 4. Kd3 Kf5 5. Kc4 Ke6 6. Kc5 $11) 2. Kd2 $1 (2. c6 $2 Bd5 $1 3. Kd2 Kg4 4. Kc3 Kf5 5. Kb4 Nf6 $1 6. Kc5 Ke6 7. b6 Ne4+ 8. Kb5 Kd6 9. b7 Kc7 $19) (2. b6 $2 Bd5 $19) 2... Kg4 3. Kc3 Kf5 4. Kb4 Bd5 5. Ka5 Ke6 6. c6 (6. Kb6 $2 Kd7) 6... Nf6 7. b6 $1 Bxc6 ({main:} 7... Kd6 8. Ka6 Kxc6 9. b7 Kc7 10. Ka7 Nd7 (10... Bxb7 {stalemate}) 11. b8=Q+ Nxb8 {stalemate}) 8. Ka6 Kd7 9. d5 $1 Bxd5 10. b7 (10. Ka7 $2 Kc8 $1) 10... Kc7 11. Ka7 Nd7 (11... Bxb7 {stalemate}) 12. b8=Q+ Nxb8 {stalemate. White pawns against minor pieces. A similar idea with stalemate was found in a study by H. Bernleitner & A. Gschwend, Schach-Echo, 1976.} 1/2-1/2