A special study by Ilamparthi on his 14th Birthday

by Himank Ghosh - 28/03/2023

Ilamparthi AR is a huge talent in Indian Chess, and the past year has been nothing short of amazing for the youngster. The Chennai boy became the World Under-14 Champion, he won Gold in Asian Under-18 Rapid 2022 in October and won his first Rapid Rating Open tournament in November 2022. In 2023, he became India's latest International Master! Ilamparthi's most recent success came at the WR Chess Masters Juniors event, where he won with a perfect score. The youngster celebrated his 14th Birthday yesterday, on 28th March! In this special occasion, he posed a tough endgame study for IM Sagar Shah to solve. What was the study? Read the full article below.

A tricky study by a tricky guy

The WR Chess Masters Juniors event was a very fruitful event for young Ilamparthi in many ways. First off, he won the WR Chess Masters Juniors event with a perfect 6/6. But not only that - he got to interact with the India no.2 D Gukesh, and go to the ChessBase Office in Hamburg!

Apart from being a very good player, Ilamparthi is an excellent solver as well! Check out him solving some world-class endgame studies from the Chess Artistry Adventure | Video: ChessBase India

When Ilamparthi was travelling from Dusseldorf to Hamburg, he posed 10 very difficult problems to Gukesh in the train. The boy has a knack for chess problems, and he doesn't give any hints! | Photo: Sagar Shah

In Hamburg, Ilamparthi got the chance of having a session with the endgame expert, GM Karsten Muller! | Video: ChessBase India

So, when Ilamparthi posed an endgame study to IM Sagar Shah on the occasion of the young boy's 14th Birthday on 28th March, it really wasn't that big of a surprise! This is the position in question:

White to play and win. Kubbel, 1921, Listok Shahmatnogo.

It took IM Sagar Shah around 12-13 minutes to unravel the whole solution! Check out the complete video of Ilamparthi testing Sagar with this endgame study:

Ilamparthi challenges Sagar to a study on his 14th Birthday! | Video: ChessBase India

Before checking out the complete solution through the video or the pgn file provided below, we invite all the viewers to try and solve this marvelous problem! Kubbel composed more than 1500 endgame studies and chess problems, many of which were awarded first prize for their great beauty and original conception. He is generally considered one of the greatest of all endgame composers. So this won't be easy, but it will be rewarding!

Leonid Shamkovich Kubbel (1892-1942)

There are a few things which we need to consider before finding our first move, and gradually the solution:

1. It is very important to be forcing in nature - Black has serious threats at the moment like ...Qb5+.

2. While the White king is unsafe going in so deep into the enemy territory, remember: the King is a fighting piece!

3. The White knight has a huge role to play!

Alright, these are enough hints. Don't look below this picture if you haven't solved the position yet completely - it contains the answer!

Ilamparthi pondering over the positions he shared to Gukesh in the train journey. Happy Birthday Ilamparthi! | Photo: Sagar Shah

Important links

Ilamparthi AR Facebook page

Ilamparthi AR Twitter

The complete Ilamparthi playlist on ChessBase India