r5nr/ppk2pb1/3p1qpp/2p2b2/BP1p3P/5QP1/PBP2PN1/R3R1K1 w – – 0 1
White to move. How should White proceed?
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Special chess tactic review
About Author
I would like to get the knight to d5 and the rook to e8, but which path to take. My first thought is to go through Ne3, but this leaves me a move short of where I would like to be since it blocks a key line of attack for white:
1. Ne3 Ne7
2. Nd5 Nd5
3. Qd5 Be6 and the queen has to retreat, leaving white with nothing. Better than these two approaches is Nf4:
1. Nf4 Be6
Here, covering d5 with the knight isn’t going to work since the e1 rook can now take at e7 whereas it couldn’t when the white knight was sitting at e3, and the knight can still fork the king and queen if black recaptures at e7. The other option of moving the queen is ineffective: [1. …Qd8 2.Nd5 Kb8/c8 3.Re8+-]; and the king can only move to the back rank to avoid the fork, and 2.Re8+ wins a rook at a minimum. Continuing:
2. bc5
I looked for a long time at both 2.Re6 and 2.Ne6, and I just don’t see that they work. Continuing:
2. …..dc5
I think black has to capture, but I am not very certain of this- there are numerous variations, and I can’t look at them all. The most obvious alternatives look as bad or worse to me: [2. …d5 3.Bd4! Qd4 4.Ne6! fe6 5.Qf7 Ne7 6.Qe7 with mate to follow]; or [2. …Kb8 3.cd6 a6 4.Rab1 Ra7 5.Ba3 Qf5 6.Re6! fe6 7.Qc6! b5 8.Bb5 ab5 9.Rb5+-]; or [2. …g5 3.Bd4 Qd4 4.Ne6 fe6 5.Qf7 with another mating net]. Continuing:
3. Rab1
Threatening to discover an attack on b7 by moving the b2 bishop. Here, I can’t imagine any good defenses other than Rb8 to guard b7 (the b7 pawn is pinned to the rook by the white queen and can’t play to b6). Continuing:
3. …..Rb8
4. Bd4! cd4
Like in the earlier side notes, taking at d4 with the queen allows white to completely penetrate the black defenses: [4. …Qd4 5.Ne6 fe6 6.Qf7 Ne7 7.Qe7 Kc8 8.Qe6 and mate is going to follow soon enough]. Continuing:
5. Nd5 Bd5 (or give up the queen)
6. Qd5
And I don’t see how black can defend all the weaknesses at d7, b7, and f7.
My only real doubt about this line is back at black’s move #2. I might be missing a better defense, but it isn’t an obvious one to me.
This is a good one, with a lot of scope for analysis – I have spent close to 30 minutes on this now and still haven’t explored all the options.
White is two pawns down, but his bishop pair is active and he a good attack going. Black has a terrible position – his king is loose on the board and all his pieces are tied up elsewhere to quickly come to the rescue of the king. Still, the right move at this point is not easy to discover. I think the best move that goes for the kill is:
1. bxc5! dxc5
This weakens c4 and opens up the b8-h2 diagonal on which the black king is standing. Now:
2. Nf4 (threatens Nd5+) Be6
3. Ba3!
An immediate 2. Ba3 doesn’t work because of 2… Qd6. The text move restricts the black queen’s movement on the 6th rank, thereby increasing the potency of the third move. Now c5 is in trouble – the only way to retain control is:
3… Bf8
4. Rab1
More pressure directed at the black king. He is under serious mating attack now. White has used the weak c5 square to open up and control the b-file. Black cannot leave b7 undefended, so:
4… Rb8
5. Nd5+ Bxd5
6. Qxd5
The attack increases in intensity. Mate is looming on d7. If the queen tries to defend d7 (Qd8) then Qxf7+ spells more trouble. If the rook tries to defend d7 (Rd8) then Qxb7+ spells an equal amount of trouble. Overall, not a pretty picture for black. Perhaps:
7… b5
8. Bxb5 Rd8
9. Qc4
Preparatory to Bxc5. Black will have to defend c5:
9… Qd6
10. Qxf7+ Be7
11. Bc1
Now the sad black queen, with hardly any square to move to, is about to be pinned.
11… Rf8
12. Qg7 and the h8 rook is gone. I stopped my analysis at this point, since I don’t think black can sustain the pressure for much longer.
There are several alternative moves but I think all of them leads to comparable outcomes. I did not see any move that could get black out of the trouble he is in.
How about:
1. bxc5 dxc5
2. Bc1
with to come such moves as:
Rb1, Nf4, Qd5
I have come late and I have seen comments of both Yancy andand Mr.B( He is not another Bhat I suppose.)Both are good and I take clue from them and make my own cocktail.
First of all I like 1. Nf4 reason:immediate threat.1bxc5 Rd8 2Nf4 dxc5 3Nd5+ wins exchange but may be too slow.I have not analysed the line.
1… Be6
2. bxc5 dxc5
3. Ba3 Bf8 Borrowed from Mr.B
4. Rab1 Rb8 Now I prefer
5. Rxe6 fxe6
6. Rxb7+ Rxb7
7. Qc6+ Kd8
8. Qe8+ Kc7
9. Nxe6+ Qxe6
Forced.Else 9… Kb6 10. Qb5#
10. Qxe6 Be7
11. Qe5+ Bd6
12. Qxh8 and wins.
Hi Susan Polgar,
Well,nice puzzle but the “special” status(About Title)sounds not suitable.
White wins the game – To me the safe and assured initial move for White is “Nf4” – In fact I thought that many would have opted it,so I was exploring for another interesting set of moves for White’s Win.
Now I think,one example for “Nf4” and one for “b*c” might sound interesting.
Remember variations exist
Example one
===========
1.Nf4 Ne7
2.R*Ne7+ Q*Re7
3.Nd6+ Kc8
4.N*Qe7+ Kd8
5.Q*b7 Rc8
6.N*Rc8 B*Nc8
7.Q*f7 Be5
8.b*c d*c
9.Qd5+ Kc7
10.Q*Be5+ Kb7
11.Q*Rh8 h5
12.B*d4+ Kc7
13.B*c5 a7
14.Qg7+ Kd8
15.Qe7++ Mate.
Example Two
===========
1.b*c d*c
2.B*d4 Q*Bd4
3.Rb1 Rb8
4.Re8 R*Re8
5.Q*b7+ Kd6
6.Qc6+ Ke5
7.Re1+ Be4
8.Q*Re8+ Kd6
9.R*Be4 Qd1+
10.Kh2 Bd4
11.Qd7++ Mate
White wins the game.
By
Venky [ India – Chennai ]