White to move. How would you assess this position? How would you continue as White?
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White to move. How would you assess this position? How would you continue as White?
1. Nf6+ Kh8
2. Qe8+ Rf8
3. Qxf8+ Bxf8
4. Rg8 mate
Of course 1. … Kf8 2. Qe8 mate or 2. … Bf8 3. Rg8 mate are faster.
Bob
It’s not correct.
1.Nf6+ Kf8 (Kh8 fails to 2.Rh4+)
2.Rb8+ Qxb8
3.Nd7+ Rxd7
4.Rf4+ and mate should follow
(All Qe8+ plans fail to …Rxe8!)
We had a very similar one – last time rook g4 was on g3 and Nf6 was correct.
Me and many others “found” Qe8 after Kf8 but in both variations the rook e5 can capture e8.
This little difference (Rg4 instead of g3) really makes big difference! I see the disadvantages of this rook position but have not found any advantages (for a new winnig variation) so far – so my first thoughts are that white does not have a win.
But I do not have enough time to really access the position now.
Jochen
Nf6+ Kf8
Nd7+ Kg8
Nxe5 Nxb1
Nxf7 qxf7
I would play Nf6+ and offer the draw. I just don’t see how white can win if Black is content to go back to g8 and trade everything away.
This puzzle looks very familiar. Has a similar one be posted recently? Has this been used somewhere else?
Enrique,
One simple lesson to learn from your answer is totally show your opponent respect, but make them find the answer!
If you have a draw in the hand, why not make them prove they can find the right defense, especially since they have to play perfectly to get the draw and can slip up!
Then if they find the right moves, offer the draw and say “well done.”
(As addition to my analysis above, I can’t find an answer to 3…Kg8 which I missed when I first looked at the position.)
but chris what happens after
nf6 kf8
rb8 qb8
nd7 kg8?
1. Nf6ch Kh8 2.Qh6ch Bxh6 3. Rg8 mate
I couldn’t find an answer to 3…Kg8 in my line above so I went back to the drawing board. In the absence of a mating attack, the best I can come up with is:
1.Nf6+ Kf8
2.Nd7+ (setting a couple of traps, see below) Kg8
3.Nxe5 Nxb1
4.Nxf7 Qxf7
5.Qxc6 with a definite ending advantage but still some work to do.
Traps:
2… Qxd7
3.Rb8+ leads to mate
2… Rxd7
3.Rf4+ Rf7
4.Rb8+ leads to a mating attack
The first move of Nf6+ is quite obvious, but it takes quite a bit of time to generate all variations.
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