This was sent in by Andreas. It is a puzzle by Troitsky. How do you assess this position. It is White to move.
6B1/3R4/8/2p1pkPK/5p2/2q1P3/8/8 w – – 0 1
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A classic brain challenge
This was sent in by Andreas. It is a puzzle by Troitsky. How do you assess this position. It is White to move.
6B1/3R4/8/2p1pkPK/5p2/2q1P3/8/8 w – – 0 1
1.Rd3 threatening e4+ followed by Bh7 #
1.Rd3 threatening e4+ followed by Bh7 #
1.Rd3 threatening e4+ followed by Bh7 #1.Rd3 threatening e4+ followed by Bh7 #
Looks like black can’t stop the advancing pawn. Push the pawn up once and black king can’t capture because of white king. Move the bishop out of the way and it protects from a queen capture on queening 8th rank, and the rook protects from an advancing king capture.
White wins!
1. Rd3!
If 1..Qxd3 then
2. Bh6+ winning the queen
If, say, 1..Qc4 then
2. e4+
If 2..Qxe4 then again 3. Bh7+ winning the queen.
If 2..Kxe4, then 3. Bh7#
e4 – kxe4
bh6 ke5
rd5
Rd3!
Cant see white saving this one…black queen threatening to checkmate in two moves by moving to H file…in a bid to capture the queen (e4 fwd by Bishop H7 and then rook D3) white is left with only one pawn against 3 of black and both have same advanced pawns so…cant see how white can save this one…
R-d3 wins outright.
Queen moves, P-e4+, Kxe4, B-h7x
1.Rd3 Qb2 2.e4 Kxe4 3. Bh7 checkmate
1. Rd3!!.Qxd3
2. Bh7+..Ke6
3. Bxd3..stops black pawn and queens white g pawn for a win.
If 1…Qb4
2. e4+!.Qxe4 (forced, for if Kxe4, 3. Bh7#)
3. Bh7!.wins queen for free
If 1…Q moves away to other safe squares
2. e4+!. Kxe4
3. Bh7#
Harry
1)e5 K*e5 2)Bh6+ Ke3 3)Rd3+ Q*d3 4)B*d3 K*d3 5)g6 e4 6)g7 e3 7)g8=Q +-
1. Rd3 and queen must take the rook because any other move which queen does not attack e4 square is mate in two (1. e4+! Kxe4 2. Bh7#) and any other move which queen attack the e4 square is also bad because after (1. e4+! Qxe4 2. Bh7+) and you exchange or queen by one bishop, so take the rook is the best option!
1. Rd3 seems right, yes.
But this was really difficult to find! If black doesn’t take but moves queen you must see the magnetic e4+ followed by Bh7#.
I tried:
1. Bd5 e4 (only against Rg7#)
2. Re7 fxe3!
Gives an escape field on f4 in case Bxe4+.
Since this mating attempt didn’t work, I gave up solving this.