GM Andre Diamant, a freshman at Texas Tech University, recently showed me this puzzle (by Matous). It is quite fascinating. It is white to move but white is down 2 pawns. Which side is better? How should white proceed? Can you come up with the right assessment without computer assistance?
n2Bqk2/5p1p/5KP1/p7/6Q1/8/8/8 w – – 0 0
GM Diamant’s website: http://www.xadrezpreparacoes.com/xadrezpreparacoes/Home.html
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
You are presenting it as if Diamant has taken over ownership from the original author – Mario Matous.
1.Qc8 & Be7+
1. Qc8 Nc7
2. Be7+ Kg8
3. gxf7+ Kh8
4. f8+ Qxf8
5. Qxf8#
or
1. Qc8 Qe6+
2. Qxe6 fxe6
3. gxh7 wins
or
1. Qc8 hxg6 (or fxg6)
2. Be7+ Kg8
3. Qxe8+ wins
Fascinating position. Normally, in this kind of puzzle, I would be looking for the checks that white could apply, but I don’t see how any of them will work here (for advantage, that is):
1. g7 Kg8
2. Ba5
I don’t have the time this afternoon to do this thoroughly, but a cursory glance at the other options here look worse for white. Continuing:
2. …..Qc6
To try to win the bishop with a double attack. Continuing:
3. Ke7 Qc5
4. Kf6! Nb6 (Qa5?? 5.Qc8+-)
5. Bb6 Qb6
And, I just don’t see an edge for white here. Only black has winning chances here.
So, what are we left with? The only other moves that catch my eye instantly are the pawn captures at a5 and h7. The capture at h7 seems the more natural to me, so let’s play through it a bit to see where it leads:
1. gh7 Qd8 (what else?)
2. Ke5
On Kf5 black can exchange the queens with Qd7+ and win the pawn and the game immediately if white allows it, but white can just allow the capture at g4 and queen his pawn instead to keep queens on the board, but down a piece and two pawns, there is clearly no win for white. Continuing:
2. …..Qe7
3. Kd5
And there is no reason to go further. There is clearly only winning chances for black here, so I don’t see how 1.gh7 can be a winning move- seems more like a losing move to me. Let’s look at 1.Ba5, though I don’t even have to play through this one to know instantly it won’t hold for white:
1. Ba5 Qe7 (again, what else?)
2. Kf5 gh6
3. Kf4 Qd6 and this is clearly lost for white as the bishop can’t be saved.
Ok, now let’s look at the last pawn capture at f7:
1. gf7 Qd8 (again, what else?)
2. Ke5 Qb8 and it is only a matter of time before black forces the queen exchange and wins the f-pawn.
This seems to leave only moves that protect the bishop with the queen. There are three of those- Qc8, Qd4, and Qd1. The first one looks the most interesting at a glance since it has a threat that is easy to see might be winning:
1. Qc8
Carries the threat of 2.Be7+ winning the queen at e8 if she is still there. Capturing either way at g6 won’t change this threat, and just moving the queen to squares like b5, a4, or e4 through e1 are going to be mate on Be7 double checkmate. Also, Nb6 won’t help as Be7 is with check. So, black seems to have two remaining moves- Kg8 and Qe6+. Let’s look at the latter first since it is clearly the worst of the two options for black:
1. …..Qe6??
2. Qe6 fe6
3. gh7 and the pawn can’t be stopped. Clearly black must play Kg8 at move 1:
1. …..Kg8
So, the question is on white- do you take the knight at a8 or not?
2. Qa8 hg6
I can’t quite see how black can do better than this capture. It seems to remove white’s last chance at winning the game. Of course, black probably has a draw by perpetual without the capture. I would just this position draw as it stands. So, white must try something else at move 2 if he is to win:
2. gf7 Qf7
3. Ke5 Qe8 and I don’t see how white escapes the checks with both pieces on the side of the board. How about 2.gh7+?
2. gh7+ Kh8 (Kh7?? 3.Qh3 Kg8 4.Qg4)
3. Qa8
I literally see nothing else. At first I tried moving the king off of f6 to open diagonal for the bishop and queen, but this seems to lead nowhere: [3.Kf5 Kh7 (3. …Qe6?? 4.Qe6 fe6 5.Kg6!+-) 4.Qa8 with, at best, a draw for white]. Continuing:
3. …..Qe6
4. Kg5 Kh7
Had to look at this a while to be sure I wasn’t overlooking something, but this is ok for black:
5. Qh1 Kg8 and the black king is hidden well enough.
The other two queen protections for the bishop seem worse, to a lot worse:
1. Qd4 Qe6
2. Kg5 Qg6
3. Kf4 Kg8 and all the winning chance belong to black. Or
1. Qd1? Qe6!
2. Kg5 Qe5!
3. Kg4 hg6 and this should be a win for black.
Ok, you got me. If white has a win, I can’t wait to see it. I am guessing I am missing something in the 1.Qc8 line or the 1.g7+ line, but what it is, I haven’t a clue.
1.Qc8 Nc7
2.Be7+ Kg8
3.gxf7+ Kh8
4.Qxe8+ Nxe8+
5.fxe8=Q++
4.f8=Q+ Qxf8
5. Qxf8++
1. … Qe6+
2.Qxe6 fxe6
3.gxh7 black move
4.h8=Q+ and win
1. … Nb6 or a4 or hxg6 or fxg6
2.Be7+ and win
Gianni
1. Qc8 Kg8 (if 1….Qe6+ 2. Qe6: fe6: 3. gh7: wins)
2. gh7+ Kh8 (If 2…. Kh7: 3. Qh3+ Kg8 4. Qg4+ & Qg7++)
3. Kg5! (Not 3. Kf5: Kh7:)
3. … Qe5+
4. Kh6 and in response to any check, White interposes the Bishop discovering checkmate.
gxh7 & h8=q#
I posted earlier, and wrote that after
1. Qc8 Kg8
2. Kg5 Qe5+
3. Kh6 would win, but obviously 3….Qg7+ blows this apart. Better is:
1. Qc8 Kg8
2. Kf5 Qb5+
3. Kf4 Qb4+
4. Kg5 Qd2+
5. Kh5 Qe2+
6. Kh6 forces mate.
If
3. Kf4 Kh7:
4. Qh3+ Kg6
5. Qg4+ leads to mate, such as
5. … Kh6
6. Bg5+ Kg7
7. Be7+ Kh6
8. Bf8+ Kh7
9. Qg7++
Ali1497 said…
1.Qc8 & Be7+
but the question was, which side is better?
If
1. Qc8 Kg8 how does white win? I am not saying that white doesn’t win, but I can’t see how, thanks
Had another go at this before bedtime. Still don’t find the win for white, but some odds and ends that were interesting in the Qc8 line:
1. Qc8 Kg8
2. gh7 Kh8
3. Qa8 Qe6
4. Kg5 Kh7
5. Qa5 f6
6. Bf6 Qd5!
7. Qd5 with a pretty stalemate!
That this line has appeared early today suggests Qc8 is a dead end. In any case, I have exhausted what appears possible to me. I am leaning to this being a drawn position now. I literally can’t see how I have missed a win for white here, or black for that matter.
Hi Susan Polgar,
Well,thoughtful moves are given by other brainy minds of this blog but if I have to play White piece,I will move as given below.
1.g7+ Kg8
2.Qd4 Qe6+
3.Kg5 Qg6+
4.Kf4 Q*g7
5.Bf6 Qf8
6.Qf1+ Qg7
7.Q*Qg7++ Mate [ Of course to drag the game further variation exist,I think others will take it ]
White wins the game.
By
Venky [ India – Chennai ]
Tactic 1 –
1.Qd4 Qe6+
2.Kg5 Qxg6+
3.Kf4 Kh6+
4.Bg5 Qb6
5.Qh8#
Tactic 2
1.Qd4 Qe6+
2.Kg5 Qxg6+
3.Kf4 Qg8
4.Qd6+ Kg7
5.Bf6+ Kh6
6.Bh8+ Kh6
7.Qd1+ Kg6
8.Qg4+ Kh6
9.Qxg8 f6
10.Bxf6 Kh5
11.Qg5#
Sound study, without bust or cook. Mario Matous, caught more than twice for plagiarizing other works, produced here a genuine and original masterpiece.
White’s second move is surprizing, and his fifth must be very precise.
The original setting was cooked, but, in this version (a correction), only the intended main line works.
Full source:
Matous, Szachy, 1975, #645, first honorable mention, version Szachy/12 (probably same year issue).
Fine clockwork mechanism, really.
Venky and Knockout
In the “forgotten checks” series, your two tries are busted by Queen checks
Venky:
1.g7+ Kg8
2.Qd4 Qe6+
3.Kg5 Qg6+
4.Kf4 Qxg7
5.Bf6 and now Qh6+
6.Ke5 Qh2+
7.Kf5 Qc2+ drawing
Knockout2010:
1.Qd4 Qe6+
2.Kg5 Qxg6+
3.Kf4 and now, instead of the cooperative Qg8 with a nice and correct mate in 6, Qh6+
4.Bg5 Qh2+ also drawing.
Keep on it, Yancey. The solution is a gem!
Hello to you all romantic lovers of Caissa, our goddess, blessed be she.
Yancey, I have followed your tracks and furthered.
1. Qc8 Kg8 and now how about this fantastic shocker:
2. Bxa5 and isn’t it impossible to capture the gift? Because
2…QxQ
3. gxf7 Kf8
4. Bb4 Jake mate coming.
Thanks to Andre Diamant, one of my favorite chess personalities. And of course thanks to Susan.
Hope i did not miss a something.
Had to look up the solution. What an incredible study! Really beautiful.
I avoided posting earlier for reasons that will beocme obvious.
I found
1. Qc8 Kg8
2. Bc7 Qxc8
3. exf7 Kh8 (Kf8 Bd6 mate)
4. Be5 and concluded white is winning because of the threat of discovered check mate.
So at that point I checked it with the comp. Black has a good defence from here that I had missed but there is still a really neat winning line for white. But I won’t spoil it by posting what I didn’t find.
Wow!! That is all I have to say, simply “Wow”. That is a beauty. I broke down and looked it up from Cortex’s reference. The funny thing is that I did actually consider the second move at one point, but literally missed the potential of white’s 3rd move, and definitely overlooked completely the possibility of white’s 4th move.
Here is an online link to the problem for those who gave up like I did, but I would encourage you to try the truly outrageous moves at move 2 after 1.Qc8. It will probably be worth your while.
http://www.yacpdb.org/?id=276295
A note on this position from this link- Cortex mentioned the original might have two solutions- this link leads, I think, to the original- the queen is at a6 rather than g4. I am not not sure, yet, if Qa8 wins in the original version, too, but will look at it later.
OK. OK. I, too, looked up the reference, mainly out of desperation because I’m still working on my taxes, and couldn’t afford the time to spend finding the solution, which I might not have found in a million years.
I did find, of course, 1. Qc8 Kg8, but then got bogged down in 2. gxh7+ Kh8, which leads nowhere.
This problem turned out to be the most interesting Zugzwang position I have ever seen.
Qc8 Kg8 (More or less forced) Q#a8 looks pretty equal to me.
Some quick busts:
@CriticalThinking
1.Qc8 Kg8
2.Kf5 is a false trail, because after hxg6+ White bites the dust. (forgotten check)
@A.Weiler
1.Qc8 Kg8
2.Bxa5 Qxc8
3.gxf7+ and now the OTHER variation Kh8 saves the day, because the critical square c3 is under control by the Black Queen, and on any quiet move, Black can unravel and clarify the position with checks and/or pushes of the h-pawn.(another variation forgotten)
Hi Susan Polgar,
Very nice,brainy pals of this blog again here with the splendid analysis.
Cortex you are correct – thanks pal.
Their was typo error in my earlier post but it doesn’t change your analysis about my moves cortex – because the typo error was at “6th White move – the correct one is “Qg1+” not “Qf1+” .
Cortex & Yancey doing great,I will put efforts to post my moves to their standards – once again thanks Cortex and of course to you too Susan for bringing this chess puzzle to my notice.
By
Venky [ India – Chennai ]