Striving to find the best move

Black is ahead in this game, as result of a previous combination exploiting a pin on the King, and winning the exchange ( Rook for Bishop ).

I played a good move ( the third best !) , but the best move and combination is why practicing tactics, calculation and visualisation is so important, as it wins games much quicker.

The question I need to ask myself is why I failed to see/find this, since the key part of it was something I had already used. I am sure time was a factor here, ie lack of, but still the idea is transferable, so should have been at the front of my mind.

Black to play and win

The Next Post

A significant hiatus in posts for this blog. 

Easily explained by the ongoing pandemic, however it is about time I caught up with the world and began to post again.

Here's a recent puzzle that I took some time on, until the solution dawned on me... 

I can only explain the time taken by saying I was doing these tactics to take my mind from other issues. Possibly not the best situation to exercise your chess muscles, but needs must, when the Devil drives.

   

White to play 
Dziuba, M - Wojtaszek, R, Katowice , 2017 

Should you need any hints, I refer to an excellent blog reporting an April's fool for this year.