National Scholastic Chess Foundation
 

Missed Opportunities
"Missed opportunity 101"

The final round of the Championship section in the 2002 Ridgeway Spring Classic saw a missed opportunity on the top board. In the following position, White failed to find the right path to victory and the game was drawn.



The pressure on White's d-pawn makes the win look more difficult than it is. White can ignore Black's counterplay and play 1.Qf8, threatening 2.Qd6+ followed by the rapid advance of the e-pawn. Black can not play 1...Bxd4 because then 2. Qd6+ wins the Bishop.
The game might proceed 1... Kd5 2.Qd6+ Kc4 3.e6 Qxf2 4.e7 Bxd4 5.Qc6+ Kb3 6.e8(Q) and Black has no perpetual check.
The lesson: look for the opportunity to advance your passed pawn as rapidly as possible.

Ed Eusebi, content editor, www.nscfchess.org




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