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John Nunn's Chess Puzzle Book John Nunn's Chess Puzzle Book

05-02-2015 , 03:42 PM
Just started going through this book for the first time. In the foreword, Nunn mentions that the puzzles are intended to be difficult and solved with a board in front of you, not just casually while traveling or something. He wasn't kidding. This book is really tough. Anyone else worked through it and enjoy it? I think it'll be really helpful, but it's awfully discouraging to get so few correct haha.

http://www.amazon.com/John-Nunns-Che.../dp/1906454035

John Nunn's Chess Puzzle Book Quote
05-02-2015 , 05:31 PM
I think I may buy this.
John Nunn's Chess Puzzle Book Quote
05-02-2015 , 06:06 PM
I'm not very far into it, but so far the puzzles are really good. Plus, as is the case with all of Nunn's books, his analysis in the solutions is top notch and includes good prose, not just computer variations. I've had multiple titled players recommend this book and say that they also use it as a training tool, so it's plenty challenging.
John Nunn's Chess Puzzle Book Quote
05-02-2015 , 11:16 PM
Here's a sample puzzle from the book. White to play. All comments are in the spoiler.



Spoiler:

Solution
1. Nd6 Bxd6 (if 1...Ra8, for example, then 2. Nxf7+ Rxf7 3. Rxf7 Bxf7 4. Rxg7! Be6 5. Qh6 wins) 2. Rxg7 Bc5 3. Qh6 Bxd4+ 4. cxd4 Bf5 5. Rg5 f6 6. Rgxf5 Qxa4 7. Rxf6 Qxd4+ 8. Kh1, 1-0

Nunn rates this problem difficult as a 3 on his scale of 1-5, with 1 being easy and 5 being the hardest.

Here is the PGN.

Quote:
[Event "YUG-ch"]
[Site "Podgorica"]
[Date "1996.03.03"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Damljanovic, Branko"]
[Black "Kosic, Dragan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "1996.??.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Nxd4 9. Bxd4 Nb8 10. Qd2 Nc6 11. Bb5 Bd7 12. Bxc6 Bxc6 13. O-O Be7 14. f5 exf5 15. Rxf5 O-O 16. Raf1 Bd7 17. R5f3 Be6 18. Nb5 Qd7 19. Rb3 b6 20. a4 Rac8 21. Rg3 Kh8 22. c3 a6 23. Nd6 Bxd6 24. Rxg7 Bc5 25. Qh6 Bxd4+ 26. cxd4 Bf5 27. Rg5 f6 28. Rgxf5 Qxa4 29. Rxf6 Qxd4+ 30. Kh1 1-0
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05-03-2015 , 03:21 AM
give a hard position, that was lol easy but very nice
John Nunn's Chess Puzzle Book Quote
05-03-2015 , 10:58 AM
Spoiler:

Starting observations:
- material is equal
- black is attacking white's knight
- rest of white's position looks solid/not under attack or subject to tactics
- black's king isn't super well defended, g7 in particular is weak while white has 1 heavy piece on it and the bishop has a potential discovered attack

Nd6 with the threat of nxf7 looks strong. E.g. something like:

1. Nd6 Rb8 2. Nxf7 Bxf7 3. e6 Qxe6 5. Bxg7+ Kg8 6.Bf6+ leading to mate.

Not sure about other defenses but it looks like the Nxf7 sac is good to me.

Therefore black has to remove the knight with his e7 bishop:

1. Nd6 Bxd6 2. exd6 f6

Then I don't see anything better than Bxb6 Qxd6 and black has a pretty weak pawn structure and white can continue to build up pressure vs. the dark squares on the kingside while black kind of just has to sit there.

Hmm, I missed Rxg7 before moving or capturing with the e5 pawn, taking advantage of the fourth point I made when I started. Ooops.
John Nunn's Chess Puzzle Book Quote

      
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