Our popular series of extracts from Willie Ryan's Tricks Traps & Shots of the Checkerboard continues this month with a shot flashy enough to be worthy of the great Bronx Comet himself. Here is how Willie describes it.
"The idea shown in the adjoining example occurs in several mid-game structures, and belongs to the vast family of in-and-out strokes. The first move in some coups is so startling and unexpected that players have been known to fall out of their chairs in sheer surprise! This one has unseated quite a few staunch sitters!
11-16 | 28-24 | 10-17 |
24-19 | 8-12 | 21-14 |
8-11 | 31-27 | 2- 6 |
22-18 | 6- 9 | 18-15 |
4- 8 | 26-23 | 9-18 |
18-14 | 1- 6 | 23-14 |
9-18 | 25-21 | 3- 8 |
23-14 | 16-20 | 25-22 |
10-17 | 30-26 | 16-19 |
21-14 | 11-16 | 22-18 |
16-23 | 32-28 | 12-16---A |
27-18 | 6-10 | See the |
12-16 | 29-25 | diagram. |
W:W14,15,18,24,26,27,28:B5,6,7,8,16,19,20.
A---Gone with the wind. Black's proper play for a draw is: 19-23, 26-19, 7-11, 19-16, 12-19, 14-10, 6-9, 10-7, 19-23, 7-3. Sam Levy, Manchester, England."
Can you solve this one, or will you get zapped instead? In either case, clicking on Read More will charge on over to the electrifying solution.
Solution
"Continue: 15-10*, 6-31, 24-15, 31-24, 28-3, and white wins."
Now that's a fine one!