Palgukev, 1980
White to move an win! NOTE: This is a very tricky and complicated puzzle!
q6N/1p5P/1p6/1P4kp/8/4p2P/4P2K/8 w – – 0 1
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Very tricky and complicated brain chalenge
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1.Nf7 Kf5
2.h8=q Qxh8
3. Nxh8 h4
4. Kg2 – f3 – e3 ….
1. Nf7+ Kh4 (forced)
2. h8=B! Qb8+ (..Qa1 3. Be5)
3. Be5 Qc7
4. Nd6! Qd8
5. Bg3+ Kg5
6. Nf7+ winning
Note: 2. h8=Q?? Qb8+! 3. Qe5 Qd6! (..Qc7? 4.Nd6!) 4. Kg2 Qd5+ (draw)
Amazing! Though the position looks simple, it has deep undercurrents! White looks hopeless but is destined to win due to his knight!
To win, white has to queen his h pawn by 1. Nf7+ 2.h8=Q and exchange it for the black queen to be a knight up! If black exchanges 2….Qxh8 then 3.Nxh8 leaves black with a dilemma:-
– win the knight by 1…Kf6 2.h8=Q+.Qxh8 3.Nxh8.Kg7.4.Kg3.Kxh8 5.Kh4.Kg7 but white wins easily with 6. Kxh5 as black cannot stop both e and h pawns.
– forget the knight and aim to win the b5 pawn to queen own black b pawns. But white easily picks up the black h pawn and stops the black pawn in time while queening his own h pawn! eg.,3. Nxh8 Ke6 4. Ng6.Kd6!.5.Kg3.Kc5 6.Kf3.Kxb5 7. Kxe3.Kc4. 8.Nf4.h4 9.Ng6.b5 10.Nxh4.b4. 11.Nf3.b3. 12.Nd2+.Kc3 13.h4!and wins by queening h pawn. Blacks b pawn will be killed off when it reaches b1! The other pawn takes too long to reach b1.
Thus there is no hope for black with usual play to win. he should try to draw!
1.Nf7+.Kh4!
2.h8=Q (Qxh8 leaves black with a lost game as shown above)..Qb8+!! Black hopes for
A-3.Qxb8 stalemate or
B-3.Nd4.Qxd4+ 4.Qxd4 stalemate.(not 3…Qxh8.4.Nf3#)
C-3.Kg2.Qg3+ and draws
D-3.Kg/h1.Qh2+! 4.Kxh2 stalemate
But white plays
E-3.Qe5!
E1-3…Qxe5.4.Nxe5 wins for white
E2-3…Qb7!.4.Nd6! wins for white as he threatens mate on the move along 4th rank or the two black diagonals. black has no defense except 4….Qxd6 when 5.Qxd6 is no longer stalemate!
E3-3…Qd6!!.(4.Kh1/g1.does not work due to 4…Qd1+ and 5…Qxd2+)4.Kg2!.Qg6+.5.Qg5+!!(or even Ng5+).Qxg5+.6.Nxg5.Kxg5.7.Kg3!.Kf5.8.Kf3!.Kg5.9.Kxe3!.Kh4.10.Kf4!.Kxh3.11.e4…h4 (not Kg2 for then Kg5 wins).12.e5..Kg2. 13.e6..h3.14.e7..h2..15.e8=Q..h1=Q..16.Qe2+!!.Kg1.17.Kg3!! and mates!
Harry
Anothe beautiful study. The crux of the problem is found in the following drawing variation.
1.Nf7+ Kh4
2.h8=Q after this it is only draw.
2….. Qb8+
3.Qe5
(3.Qxb8 stalemate.)
3….. Qd6
4.Kh1
(4.Qxd6 or Bxd6 stalemate)
4….. Qd1+
5.Kg2 Qd5+ draws.Correct sequence is
1.Nf7+ Kh4
2.h8=B Qb8+
3.Be5 Qc7
(black can not run away from b8 h2 diagonal as 4.Bf6# is threatened.)
4.Nd6 Kg5
4…. Qf7 5.bg3+ Kg5 6.Nxf7+ wins
5.Ne4+ Kh4
6.Bg3+ Qxg3
7.Nxg3 wins.
Now this puzzle, I remember well. From July 8th or 9th 2009 according to my files- hard to believe it was that long ago!
This is further to my earlier analysis. I realize that Black has an ingenious defence as follows if white queens h pawn:-
1.Nf7+..Kh4
2.h8=Q..Qb8+!!
3.Qe5!!.Qd6!!!
4.Kg2…Qd5+!!
5.Kany..Qg2+!!(5.Qxd5 is stalemate)
6.Kxg2 stalemate!
The correct moves in this sequence is
1.Nf7+..Kh4 (other moves white queens!)
2.h8=B!!!threatening Bf6#
A-If 2..Qb8+.
3.Be5!.
A1-3….Qxe5.4.Nxe5 wins
A2-3….Qd6..4.Nxd6 wins
A3-3….Qc7..4.Nd6 still threatening Bf6#. Now
if A31-4..Kg5.5.Nf7+ followed by 6.Bxf7 wins
if A32-4..Qe7.5.Nf5+ followed by 6.Nxe7
if A33-4..Qd8.5.Bg3+.Kg5.6.Nf7+ followed by 7.Nxd8 winning.
if A34-4..Qg7.5.Bxg7 wins easily
if A35-4..Qxd6.5.Bxd6 wins easily
if A36-4..other queen moves 5.Bf6#
Wow
Thus if black tries to win (refusing to play 1…Kh4), white queens his pawn and wins! if black tries to draw with stalemate (by playing 1…Kh4) white under-promotes pawn to bishop and still ends up at least a piece up and wins!
One of the toughest puzzles-simple but with million possibilities!
Harry
I threw this puzzle into my 8 year old’s chess puzzle workout last night. His response after about 30 seconds was a plan to eliminate the black queen, race the white e and h pawns to convert one of them to a queen (using his white king to clear space for their progress)…and then using king and queen together to checkmate….
1.Nf7+ Kf6
2.h8=Q+ Qxh8
3.Nxh8 Kg7
4.Kg3 Kxh8
5.Kh4 Kg8
6.Kxh5 Kf7
7.Kg4 Ke6
8.Kg5 Ke7
9.Kf5 Kf7
10.h4 Kg7
11.Ke4 Kg6
12.Kxe3 Kh5
13.Kd4 Kg6
14.e4 Kf6
15.h5 Kg5
16.e5 Kxh5
17.e6 Kg6
18.Ke5 Kg7
19.Kd6 Kf8
20.Kd7 Kg7
21.e7 Kf6
22.e8=Q Kg7
23.Ke7 Kh6
24.Qg8 Kh5
25.Kf6 Kh4
26.Qg2 Kh5
27.Kf5 Kh6
28.Qg6#