Mark Liburkin

Mark Savelyevich Liburkin was a Soviet chess composer. He composed more than 110 endgame studies, usually with geometrical motifs. In 1945, he was appointed editor of Soviet chess magazine Shakhmaty v SSSR. In 2010, endgame association AVRES held centenary memorial tournaments in honor of Liburkin and Shaya Kozlowski.

Notable compositions

This composition often defeats chess engines, due to their tendency to moves that give up with no immediate gain.
This move sacrifices a piece for no immediate or obvious compensation. Unless they are set up to consider multiple lines, adding considerably to their analysis time, most chess engines will this move, and instead play 4.Bc5+, which will result in a probable draw after 4...Kc7 5.Ne8+ Kd7 6.Nxf6+ Ke6, etc.
If 4...Qxa5, then 5.Nc4+ is an easy win for White.
The pawn ending after 5...Qxc4 6.bxc4 is won for White.
Now Black must attempt to free the queen. If 6...Qb7 or 6...Qc8, then 7.Nd6+.
Black is in zugzwang and has no move that does not lead to the loss of the queen, and subsequently the game.