Over the summer, on each Saturday we will be providing a Weekly Quiz Question on Find the Plan (and Move)! This will be taken from an actual game position and you will be provided with a number of possible options but only one might be best! These will be different to the Puzzles as they do not lead to an immediate win or draw but will focus more on the right plan so we recommend that you spend 5 to 10 minutes considering the position.
There will be at least one better plan (and move) and one weaker plan (and move) with other plans (and moves) assessed as being somewhere in between.
Martin Simons welcomes your feedback on the weekly quiz and any game submissions you may have for inclusion.
In today’s position you have White alongside one of England’s top Grandmasters, Tony Miles, and your opponent is GM Ljubojevic Ljobomir. The game was played in Argentina in 1980 and you are about to play your 24th move.
1.Nf3 c5 2.c4 Nf6 3.g3 Nc6 4.Bg2 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.d4 Bf5 7.O-O Ndb4 8.Be3 Be4 9.d5 Bxd5 10.Nc3 e6 11.Rc1 Nxa2 12.Nxa2 Bxa2 13.Qa4 Bd5 14.Bxc5 Bxc5 15.Rxc5 Qb6 16.Rb5 Qa6 17.Qxa6 bxa6 18.Rc5 O-O 19.Rfc1 Nb4 20.Rc7 Rfd8 21.Ne5 f6 22.Nc6 Nxc6 23.Bxd5 Nd4
Your options are:
A) Play 24.Bf3 to protect the e2 pawn. If Black exchanges his knight for the bishop into the double rook ending then the White rooks are so active with potential to double on the 7th rank and is better.
B) Play 24.e3 to keep the e-pawn. No matter how Black swaps off into a single or double rook ending, White is better.
C) Play 24.Bc4 to keep the minor pieces on the board whilst also protecting the e2 pawn.
D) Play 24.Bxa8 when the resulting single R+B v R+N ending is clearly superior for White.
