Five Technical Positions (Know your classics !)

Often we ask ourselves how to make progress in chess, gain rating points,etc.
I suggest you play the following positions against the strongest engine you have (Shredder, Rybka, Fritz, Toga, Crafty, Junior,etc). Or against a sparring partner by alternating colors.

All positions with White to play and win

Position I




















Position II



















Position III




















Position IV



















Position V






































If you wonder what is the perfect play in each position, you can consult the answer here:

http://www.shredderchess.com/online-chess/online-databases/endgame-database.html

Improve your endgame technique (training positions)

Practice makes perfect. Here are two technical endgame positions. Both positions are for white to play. Spend 5 minutes assessing each position. I recommend you play from the White's side both positions in 15'+2'' against your favorite chess engine ( Rybka,Fritz,Shredder,Crafty,Fruit 2.1...).

Position I. White to play

Position II, White to play

Both positions come from actual games.

Duchamp's position

White to play, Marcel Duchamp

Duchamp's riddle (1943), according to GM Beliavsky/Mihalcisin.

Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) is a well-known french surrealist artist who decided to gradually remove himself from the art world to explore the chess world as an avid chess player and composer. As an artist, he is remembered primarily as the creator of the "ready-made" pieces and was influential in the dada/conceptual art movements (giving birth later to the "pop-art", made famous by A. Wharol amongst others). He later emigrated to the U.S. Here are a few links :

http://www.marcelduchamp.net/



http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcel_Duchamp (french)



In the chess world, Duchamp cowrote an endgame book with Halberstadt ( about the "cases conjuguees"). I haven't seen it so any reader owning it is invited to comment on the book itself, which is supposed to be very technical and dry. He has played numerous competitive games, some of them available on http://www.chessgames.com/



It appears also that Duchamp has created a chess riddle, according to Beliavsky/Mihalcisin ( in their "winning endgame technique" book). I am not sure where it was first published , but here is the position above, with White to play. Does anyone know if there's a solution, when&where the position was first published, if any endgame expert besides Beliavsky/Mihalcisin has looked at it ? The two GMs think the position leads to a draw, without any win for White. Is there a solution, i.e a win for White ?

I'd love to hear the well-known trainer (and endgame authority) Dvorestky opinion on the matter. Let alone a leading grandmaster. Finally, is there any computer/table-base for 7 pieces total ? Any computer expert out there to come to the rescue ?