That's SO sexy!

Oooh that's awesome!

@Rocky64 : I was going to post these infos but found out you had already beat me to it ;). Also the study stops after 12.e8=R! but Liburkin gave the continuation 12...Bg7 Re6 as an example (there are other moves which win, any move attacking the bishop but they're just losses of time ultimately as white does have to go through this continuation with the key move Rb1! when the pawn is on c4) : 13.Be6 Bd4 14.Re1 (Rd4 or Rd6 are again winning but just losing time) Bf6 15.Rb1! (15.Re6 just loses time again) Kd3+ 16.Rb2 and the ending is won (Liburkin still gives more moves, but they're no longer forced even though the idea stays the same: 16...Ke2 17.c5 Kd118.a4! (only move) c1Q+ 19.Nxc1 Kxc1 20.a3 Bxb2+ 21.Ka2 and the pawns are unstoppable (white could also have played for instance 17.a4, 18.a3 and 20.a5 or 20.Ka2 instead with still a won endgame). Also to be noted that black can't try to go to a3 with their king to attempt to exploit the pin and try to mate while taking some of the pawns : after 16.Rb2 Kxc4 17.a4 Kb4, there is 18.Nd4+! which unpins the rook with an easy win (same thing after 16.Rb1 Kxc4+ 17.Rb2 Kb5 18.Nd4+!) To finish, it migth be worth mentionning that 8.b7 is forced because after white gave their bishop, black now has gained access to the d4 square as an extra square on the long diagonal to threaten mate. So 8.Nf6? would allow 8...Be5 9.Nd7 Bd4! (not Bg7 or Bh8 10.f6!) 10.Nxd4 c1=Q# Edit : last thing, in the version without the pawn c4 that you showed, 8...Kd3 is indeed a cook, but the best attempt for white would be to keep their b pawn and their d8 knight and to play immediately 9.Nc1+. Then the following contiuation is forced : 9...Kd2! 10.Kb2 Be5+ 11.Kb3 Kxc1 12.Nc7!? Kb1! 13.b8Q c1Q 14.Ka4+ Ka1! and the c7 knight is lost and with queens on board, the white passed pawns don't compensate enough for the bishop to grant a win.

Like how many puzzles mentioned here is going to have a flaw until it gets fixed because of missing a pawn or piece? Feels like two in a row.

@@emphyriohazzl1510 Thanks for the info!

Impressive that you had the intuition to know getting the queen was incorrect. I was thinking “if getting the queen is wrong then I’m okay being wrong.” After seeing the stalemate, I was not okay being wrong

This position is mate in 35

@@keymasta3260 Thanks I will test my grandma Frances

Just add more white pawns or have them better placed

@@keymasta3260 how? I tried it vs stockfish it's not win, it's draw

@@rasulrahimov744 Just add a pawn on c4.

Nice spot, but it seems to be easily countered since black seems to be out of moves after white moves Bf4. I think this option may have been cut from discussion to save on the length of the video.

@@ryanpaulmarcoux3813 then still white could move back Bg1 and and if black takes it's no more attacking that diagonal, and if not then bishop with take it on d4

@THE LEGENDERIAN It's Black's turn after white goes to Bf4. Black would not want to play Bd4, in the first place, since after white goes Bf4 there is no good answer from Black.

Yeah thats what I was thinking as well, if Bd4 then white can return back to Bg1 and repeat moves.

If white go bg1 then black can take it from bd4 and come back to d4, so it can escape b8 diagonal ..isn't it?

too bad its a draw, even with the c4 pawn added in a later iteration from liburkin

@@synka5922 Actually, with the fix it's a win for White, as was intended.

@@MrEdwardCollins after playing it a few times I found the win, but its extremely different and involves sac'ing the rook It turns to a normal endgame in fact

That ad seems to be showing up a lot lately.

Bro Just get YT premium

@@Illuminex_XD paid Adblock? No thank you

@@chickennugget993 Your problem I guess

@@Illuminex_XD it’s not, because I have free Adblock kid

Unlike some other "flawed" puzzles shown on this channel, this one is easily fixable by just adding a white pawn on, say, h3.

@@liamsun2543 How does that extra pawn change anything?

The flaw is that 7:15 Is by technicality a stalemate merely because black can't move without checkmating themselves when by all means they should lose

There is a class of chess players called solvers that take composed studies and solve the (or “cook” them, if they are flawed). Might be worth checking into…

It's a beautiful game whether you want to be a watcher, a player, a problem solver, or whatever. Between the geometry and the logic and the complexity with so few pieces and a small board size, I find it irresistable.

Yeah, this line indeed. It gives White winning chances but it isn't actually winning.

Yes just found this with SF so I am not the only one ;)

Honestly the white pawn can be in a lot of squares and it probably counters Kd3, because the line after Kd3 is simply a positional variation rather than a tactical one.

Cheer up. It's not all so bad. Did you try to go to church?

​@@user-ks6ft5ut4zmaybe hes not Christian?

Under promotion to rook is for less slatemates

Neither of the knights can go to c2 from that position. Nc1 Kd2 line is also a draw, not a win for white. Neither of the kings can go to b4, either, from where they are. And queens do not get traded under optimal play.

Bd4 Bxd4 If your idea is to take with the knight, then black just promotes with a checkmate.

@@thetaomegatheta I'm thinking Bd4 too but by black ie. right after Bh2 - why is that not better than leaving the diagonal to capture White's bishop?

@@fifiwoof1969 White responds with Bf4, preventing promotion.

@@thetaomegatheta so if after that black play Kd3 is that not checkmate? Nah, forgot Nxd4 and either the knight or bishop capture the pawn or promoted piece next move and white wins with remaining material.

No, because black can play Be5+ straight away.

@@RJSRdg Not in the original variant where the black king is in the way of the check!

Was thinking about that also

Brilliant idea I thought that too

Bf4! to cover the promotion square.

​@Masterpiece Not sure if you got a notification from my first reply so replying to you so you can see it.

​@@FustinJieldsok

That doesnt work here

If Be5 and Ng4, black plays Bd4 and you can't stop mate

After knight takes, black promotes with checkmate

@@thetaomegatheta Good call. I didn't see that. It should definitely have been mentioned in the analysis though.

@@Paul-sj5dbno it shouldn’t

After Bf4, black don't have any good moves

it results in a win for black, black plays bishop back to e5, then according to SF white can't defend

You didn't even consider black's moves

B8 doesn't do anything as the bishop can just ignore it and go straight for the checkmate

In the end, the line Nc1+ Kd2 Is a draw. It is also the best outcome for white from the position at 11:00

I was thinking the same

For 6:00, after Bd4, I think white can play Bf4, replacing white knight's job to protect c1 square. So, If black move the king and check with black bishop, white can simply take that bishop with knight without worrying c1 square. Correct me if I wrong

@@maylene1945 indeed, didn't see that line, thx

1st point that is the best move but still it leads to a draw 2nd point after Bd4 theres a good move Bf4 after black does Bxb6 and white does e7 its checkmate in a view turns

Black king can still go to d3, so Nd6 is not working here

Nd6 is mate in 3 ? lol

You gave yourself the answer why this doesn't work. Sometimes he miss ideas people could have, but i think it would be to much work and a to long video to cover every single move.

@@lenalittle4193 I agree with respect to "similar ideas" like all the different pawn moves. I just felt that this particular variation was an exception to the same idea that he illustrated before the bishop deflection to h2 and worth a call out that it would not work. And in comments, a large number of viewers also noted that idea and wanted to explore it. Nelson does a great job with these and I don't think constructive criticism diminishes his work. He's even made videos correcting himself when he feels the gap is egregious enough and I respect him for doing that. That's why I made the comment. To give him the choice :)

It ends with a draw, because white have no good checks when blacks king is on a1

Batman's reply is simply "Holy crap, Robin!".

No, it won't work since black can just take white's bishop with their bishop, and the knight can't capture the bishop or it stops guarding the square where black's pawn can become a queen. If white doesn't capture black's bishop, black can just move their king, forcing white to capture black's bishop, which then allows black to promote the pawn to a queen, resulting in checkmate.

After Bd4, Bf4 adds a second guard to the queening square, and black has no more tactics.

Thanks! @@antarath517

If black goes Bd4, white seems to be out of good options.

'but does knight to f6, bishop to e5, knight to d7 work' No. Black bishop just goes to d4.

@@thetaomegatheta had a feeling it wouldn’t, just forgot the other knight couldnt help

Nf6 Be5 Ng4 Bd4 If white takes with the knight on b3, then black promotes with checkmate. Nf6 is not a winning move.

When white plays N g4, black can play B d4. If white knight gets the black bishop, the black pawn will become queen and black will win. Otherwise, any other moves from white would lead to black king to d3 and win

The same plan as in Nc7? Pretty sure the bishop can ignore that knight and just go back to it's original place

'After Nc1, Ke4' Why would black go Ke4?

@@thetaomegatheta That's the example he used @12:00 to demonstrate that it's a drawn position. Granted the position was slightly altered from the final position the video ended with, so maybe he wasn't trying to imply that would be the response to Nc1, but that's how I viewed it at the time.

D2*

In case of a bishop trade, black promotes with a checkmate

Then the pawn will promote to a queen or rook and the white queen can't capture because it is pinned - so checkmate

If knight blocks bishop's attack, then it stops guarding c1, so black promotes to queen or rook with checkmate

At that point (12:00) in the video there is no more b pawn. But either way, if Kd2 for Black, White wins. 1...Kd2 2.Kb2 Be5+ 3.Kb3 Kxc1 4.e7 Kb1 5.e8=Q c1=Q 6.Qxe5 and White has an easy win.

@@MrEdwardCollins What if instead: 1...Kd2 2.Kb2 Be5+ 3.Kb3 Bf6? Stops e7 while maintaining pressure on the knight on c1.

@@DataMetrics Hmmm... not sure exactly which line (from the main line) you're referring to... but the goal now is to find a win for White. It's already been determined that Black can draw. We are now trying to prove otherwise. I believe this is the main line of the composition with the improved 8... Kd3. 1.Ne4+ Kd3 2.Nc5+ Kc3 3.Nb3 Be5 4.f4 Bg7 5.e8=N Bh8 6.f5 Be5 7.Bh2 Bxh2 8.b7 Kd3! 9.b8=B Bxb8 10.Nc7 Bxc7 11.Nc1+ Ke4! 12.Kb2 Bd8 So, the goal is to try to improve on any of these moves for White, and find a win.

That's wrong. By your definition, a standard checkmate would be a stalemate, because there would also not be any legal moves. The correct definition for stalemate is that there are no more legal moves AND the king isn't in check

never mind, noticed black just goes D4 to get our Knight on b3 out and we can't defend both C4 and D3 in a safe manner.

... Kd3 Kb2 Be5+ Kc1 Kc3 After this, black threatens Bf4 checkmate.

@@thetaomegatheta I could stretch it a few moves, but you are basically right.

No, ...Kc2+ fxe5.

@@Rocky64 ah, I see. Thanks

Blunders the white bishop. Black takes with their bishop. Knight can't take, as that means black promotes with checkmate.

After Nf6, black plays Be5 threatening mate, and if you play Ng4, then black plays Bd4 and you can't stop the mate

nvm i just saw it white plays Bf4

'when bishop takes bishop, we have the move either pawn b2' There is no pawn that can move to b2. 'knight to f6, treathing the defense of the bishop e5 by placing the knight then on g4' Bishop avoids by going to d4. White knight on b3 can't take because then black promotes with checkmate. 'I also considered moving the king to b2, if check, then I came into the conclusion that the knight its undefended so yeah lost game from there and didn't considered it at all' White going Nc1+ and then Kb2 seems to be the only way to a draw.

Almost. White goes Bf4 to prevent promotion.

'But after the first bishop sacrifice you move knight to F6 instead of pawn to B7, then next move, move knight to G4, after, it controls check mate threat' Nf6 Be5 Ng4 Bd4 White has no good followup, and black is going to checkmate white shortly thereafter.

This line is simple and doesn’t need any other under promotions

What about black's Bd4?

@@peteneville698 Same threat still remains even after under promoting to Bishop. Going by the solution provided in this video at 7:39 after under promoting to Bishop, black Bd4, Ba7, Bxa7. This is a winning option for black.

you take with the other knight@@peteneville698

The same thing I was wondering

White can plays Bf4 after Bd4, protecting c1 with the bishop instead, and if black moves the king we just take the black bishop, no more pawn promotion mate.

@@CasualAzusaEnjoyertysm for answering, its mb. i wish Nelson could talk about each different case like this bishop move because it is not easy to see..

Then, instead of Kd3, black goes Be5. After Ng4 black responds with Bd4, leaving white with no good followup.

After Nf6 instead of b7, white easily lose after Be5

Nc1 Kd1 Kb2 Be5+ Nd4 c1=Q+ You end up with a material disadvantage immediately, and fall off even harder shortly thereafter.

Yeah, you lose Nc1, but you get your Q first with optimal play, because Kxc1 forces a King to block his own pawn, which lets you block the bishop with underpromoted knight.

Nc1 Kd2 Kb2 Be5+ Kb3 Kc1 It will take black two moves to get a Q (move the king then move the pawn). White has 2 moves before the queen appears, 3 before it can check and the bishop is no longer able to threaten king.

@@Barghaest 'Nc1 Kd2 Kb2 Be5+ Kb3 Kc1' You have king and knight both on the same square. 'the bishop is no longer able to threaten king' If the white king is on c1, and black king is on c3, with a black pawn between them, Bf4 is checkmate.

@@thetaomegatheta you are reading it wrong. First column is white, second is black. WNc1+ BKd2 WKb2 BBe5+ WKb3 (now on white square immune to bishop but sacrifices knight) BKc1 (takes knight). And this is assuming the last scenario where black moves king to d3 before moving bishop.

'you should go kf6' There is no position in the game where either of the kings can go to f6, so I assume you meant 'Nf6'. Nf6 Be5 Ng4 Bd4 (an option that you have just ignored in your analysis) If white takes with the knight on b3, then black just promotes with checkmate.

Nah, doesn't work. If I take the bishop with the knight the pawn will queen.