White to move. How can White save this game?
Source: ChessToday.net
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A chess masterpiece puzzle
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White to move. How can White save this game?
Source: ChessToday.net
1. h3+! should it! Black wins in all variations!
A>1…Kxh3.2.Nf4+.K~.3.Nxe2 wins for white with his extra R and passed a pawn!
B>1…Kf3.3.Rd3+!.Ke4.(if 3…Be3. 4.Rxe3+ and 5.Rxe2 wins easily for white).4.Nxc5+.K~.5.Re3 and 6.Rxe2/1 and white wins easily.
C>1…Kh4.2.Kg2!.e1=Q (if 2…e1=N+.3.Kf1! and black loses a piece and the game as he is a R down!).3.Rd4+!!!.Bxd4 forced.4.Nxd4!! threatening mate by Nf3#
C1>4….Kg5.5.Nf3+!!.K~.6.Nxe1! and white wins easily as the passed a pawn queens!
C2>4….Qe4.5.Nf3+.Qxf3.6.Kxf3.Kh2.7.a6.h4.8.a7.h3.9.a8=Q.Kg1.9.Qg8+.Kf1.10.Qg3! and wins easily!
D>1…Kf5.2.Nd4+!!!.Bxd4.(else 3.Nxe2 wins easily for white!).3.Re7!!! stops the e pawn from queening!.if Be5.4.Rxe5+!!.Kxe5.5.f4+!!!K~.6.Kf2!!! stops the pawn for good and white wins!
I agree this is a masterpiece by Triotzky! I feel great on solving this! The mate motif by Nf3 and the Rook sac followed by the accelerated pawn push to f4 making way for the white K to reach the e pawn is brilliant composition!
1.h3+-Kf5
2.Nd4+-Bd4
3.Re7-Be5
4.Re5+-Ke5
5.f4+-Kf4
6.Kf2 and the outside passed pawn brings home the point!
My first attention was towards 1.Rf7 and immediately gave it up without any verification, as my first guess is always incorrect.
1.h3+ Kf5
(1…. kxh3 2.Nf4+ followed by 3.Nxe2 wins)
(1…. Kf3 2.Rd3+ Ke4 3.Nxc5+ wins)
(1…. Kh4 2.Rd4+ Bxd4 3.Nxd4 e1=Q+ 4.Kg2[ threatens 5.Nf3#] Qd4+ 5.Nf3+ Qxf3 6.Kxf3 white wins.
2.Nd4+ Bxd4
3.Re7 Bc3
4.a6 e1=Q+
5.Rxe1 Bxe1
6.a7 wins.
First 3 “normal” looking moves:
1. h3+ Kh4 (Kxh3 Nf4+ white wins. Kf5 Ng7+ Kg6 Re7 Kxg7 Rxe2 white wins. Kf3 Ng5+ Kf4 Re7 Kxg5 Rxe2 white wins.)
2. Nxc5 e1=Q+ (enforced)
3. Kg2 Qxa5 (looks obvious, I can’t immagine any better move)
Here I looked at giving repeated rook checks Rd4 etcetera. But after Rd5+ Kg6 (avoiding N check and loss of Q) black king ends safely on e8 and must win this.
I finally found a better looking move:
4. Ne6!!
Wow, the black king is suddenly trapped on h4!
The threat is Rd4#.
5. … Qa8+
6. Kh2
Having the h2 field free was important here.
Now Qa4?? is of course met by Rd4+ and white wins.
I am not sure, but I have not been able to find anything better for black than a draw by perpetual here.
I am afraid my first solution was wrong. There must be an improvement on move #3 for black:
1. h3+ Kh4
2. Nxc5 e1=Q+
3. Kg2 Qc3!! (even Qe5 looked playable)
A draw follows after 3. … Qxa5?? 4. Ne6!! Qa8+ (Qa4/Qe5 Rd4+ Qxd4 Nxd4) 5. Kh2 Qb8+ 6. Kg2 Qa8+
After 3. … Qc3 there is the double threat of Qxc5 and Qxh3+ followed by Qxd7 or even Qxe6 if white sticks to the idea Ne6.
I can’t see how white should gain time to advance the a pawn.
I am out of white ideas here.
1.h3+…
a) 1…Kf3 2.Rf7+ Ke4 3.Nxc5+ Kd4 4.Nd3 Kxd3 5.Re7 /+-/
b) 1…Kf5 2.Nd4+ Bxd4 3.Re7…( 3…Bc3 4.a6 e1Q+ 5.Rxe1 Bxe1 6.a7 /+-/ ) 3…Be5 4.Rxe5+ Kxe5 5.f4+ /+-/
c) 1…Kh4 2.Rd4+ Bxd4 3.Nxd4 e1Q+ 4.Kg2…( 4…Kg5 5.Nf3+ /+-/) 4…Qe4+ 5.Nf3+ /+-/
The first move wasn’t hard to find- h3 immediately suggests itself to me simply because black can’t take the pawn without allowing the killing knight fork from f4 bagging the most important man the black king has left- the pawn at e2. The rest, however, was very tricky, as are most Troitsky puzzles!
1. h3! Kf5 (alternatives later)
2. Nd4! Bd4 (else the pawn falls)
3. Re7
The point behind the sacrifice of the knight is to make this rook move safe for white. Now the pawn falls since black can no longer block the e-file either:
3. ……Be5 (else Rxe2)
4. Re5! Ke5
5. f4 Kf4 (nothing holds now)
6. Kf2 and white’s a-pawn is unstoppable while black’s e-pawn is now neutralized.
So, the loose ends are at black’s very first move:
1. h3 Kf3 (Kh3 2.Nf4+-)
2. Rd3
Here, 2.Rf7 also wins by allowing Nc5 with check, but Rd3 is clean, too:
2. ……Ke4 (Be3 3.Re3#!)
3. Nc5!
With check and protects the rook at the same time. White will play Re3 covering the queening square to neutralize the pawn to win the game.
Finally, at move 1:
1. h3 Kh4
2. Rd4!
Here, white play Kg2 first if he wants. Continuing:
2. ……Bd4 (Kh3 3.Ng5#!)
3. Nd4
And we now see the beauty in this little gem of a puzzle….
3. ……e1Q (nothing holds here)
4. Kg2 and just to stop Nf3#, black must give up his queen.