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 future World Champion Anatoly Karpov, and your opponent is Grandmaster Gennadi Kuzmin. The game was played Nice in 1973 and you are about to play your 26th move.
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.f4 Qc7 7.a4 g6 8.Nf3 Bg4 9.Bd3 Nc6 10.h3 Bxf3 11.Qxf3 Bg7 12.O-O O-O 13.Bd2 e6 14.Ne2 Rac8 15.Kh1 e5 16.Nc3 exf4 17.Bxf4 Nb4 18.Bd2 Nd7 19.Qg3 Qc6 20.Bg5 Rce8 21.Rad1 Ne5 22.Qh4 Nexd3 23.cxd3 Qd7 24.Bf6 a5 25.d4 Re6
Your options are:
A) Play 26.d5 to fix Black’s weak d-pawn on d6 so that it can be attacked with moves like Nb5, Qf4 and Rf6.
B) Play 26.e5 to overprotect the bishop and recapture with the pawn if Black exchanges on f6.
C) Play 26.Bxg7 to swap off Black’s potentially strong bishop when Black will always be weak on the dark squares.
D) Play 26.Qg4 to pin Black’s rook on e6 threatening the immediate Nd5 or d5.
E) Play 26.g4 to dissuade Black from playing h6 also seeking to overprotect the bishop on f6 (with g5) similar to Option B.
