Kotov Syndrome

Kotov syndrome is a phenomenon, first described by Alexander Kotov, that can occur when a player does not find a good plan after thinking long and hard on a position. The player, under time pressure, then suddenly decides to make a move, often a terrible one which was not analysed properly. In Kotov's 1971 book Think Like a Grandmaster, he described a situation when a player thinks very hard for a long time in a complicated position but does not find a clear path, then running low on time quickly makes a poor move, often a blunder. The term has been applied to similar non-chess situations, and is the title of a song on the album Appeal to Reason (7 October 2008) by the Punk Rock band Rise Against. In each of the following worth-solving puzzles, Black is to play and enjoy. Avoid Kotov Syndrome if possible.