White to move and mate in 2.
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
5 second chess review – Checkmate in 2
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White to move and mate in 2.
Rh4..Be6
R x h7 MATE
R-h6 but a bit more than 5 seconds for me. Still, a victory as I usually can’t do them at all.
1)Rh6 [1…Rxh6 2) g7#]
Forcing the black bishop relinquish defending the h2 pawn 1)…Bf7 2) Rxh2#
1.Rh6
At first sight it looks like any thing like 1.Rh4 or 1.Rh5 will do but black smartplays 1…. h6
There are two types of mates now.
(a)1… B moves 2.Rxh7#
(b)1… gxh6 2.g7#
Black will prefer (a) since mate by a P is disgraceful.
I could see white really needed to wait and force black to move the bishop, but I couldn’t see the right move in 5 seconds since there was one small complication to the plan- took me at least 30 seconds to find…..
1. Rh6!
The rook is poisoned poison. The rest was easy:
1. ……gh6 (B moves 2.Rxh7#)
2. g7#
1. Rh6 g*h6 (forced)
2. g7 mate!
1.Rh6!!!
>1……gxh6.2.g7#!
>1……B~….2.Rxh7#!
The mate in 2 puzzle had to come!
For me this was more than 5 seconds though, since there are 2 variations and the key move is rather unusual (a zugzwang sack). In about 30 seconds I found:
1. Rh6! (zz)
A)
1. … gxh6
2. g7#
B)
1. … B somewhere
2. Rxh7#
My thought just before I found this was: “I have to prevent h6 otherwise there are many moves to the mate”.
1) xg7 mate
Rh6 is the answer.
Lucy
Rh6 will win
Lucy
Rh6
Lucy
Rook H6
Lucy
I believe it was Morphy who composed a similar puzzle.
1.Rh6! Now black has to decide which way he wants to be mated.
(a)…gxh6, 2.g7#
(b)…any bishop move, 2.Rxh7#
Rh6exquisitas
1. Rh6 gh
2. g7#
Rh6!
Amar
Look at my second comment on November 26.Checkmate in 2 has already come. Next checkmate in 1. Will Susan oblige?
I believe this problem is actually attributed to Paul Morphy, though without the doubled pawns and with the Black King on a8 (mirror-image). The solutions already presented are correct.