Members of the Evanston Township High School chess team won many games and matches in 2022. For each of the positions shown below, see if you can find the winning moves that were played by ETHS players last year. The decisive moves are shown at the bottom of this article, below the diagrams.
Black to move
Wheaton Warrenville South HS vs. Adam Elgat, ETHS
White to move
Elijah Platnick, ETHS vs. Edgar Talayko
White to move
Christopher von Hoff, ETHS vs. Whitney Young HS
Black to move
Niles North HS vs. John Bezaitis, ETHS
White to move
Peter Kezdy, ETHS vs. Glenbard West HS
Solutions:
Adam Elgat: Black found the simplest win by sacrificing his rook for white’s bishop. After 32…Rxc2! 33Rxc2 Bd1 34Rc1 Bxb3 35Kg1 Bc4 36Kf2 b3!, black was able to queen one of his passed pawns.
Elijah Platnick: White won black’s queen after 19Qf2! (Black would stand better after 19Qxd3? Rxd3) 19…gxf6 20Rad1. Black could have saved his queen by retreating immediately, but white has a winning attack after 19…Qd7 20Rad1 Qc6 21Rxd8+ Kxd8 22Rd1+.
Christopher von Hoff: White had a forced checkmate after 24f5+! (white would lose his queen after 24fxe5? Bxe7) 24…Kh6 25 d3+ g5 26Bxg5+! Kxg5 27Qg7+ Kf4 28Rf1+.
John Bezaitis: Black sacrificed his knight for an unstoppable kingside attack after 23…Nxg2! 24Kxg2 Bh3+ 25Kg1 Rxf3 26Nexg3 Rxg3 27Nxg3 Qxg3+.
Peter Kezdy: White checkmated his opponent after 16Nb6!! Qxb6 (Otherwise black loses his queen or his rook on a8) 17g5! fxg5 18hxg5 Be3+ 19fxe3 Qxe3+ 20Kb1 Qxe4+ 21Bd3 Qf4 22Qg6+ Kh8 22Qh7.