White to move. How should white proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Another 10 second chess tactic
White to move. How should white proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
1. Bd4 traps the R. 1…c4 2. Kd2 b5 3. B:a7 nets a pawn
1. Bd4 and 2. Ke2 wins a rook for a bishop and a pawn.
No way I could calculate this in 10 seconds, though I spotted the first move almost instantly (that black rook is in a bad, bad spot). The continuations are not that trivial, however; black doesn’t have to lose the exchange immediately- white’s edge is a bit more subtle than that:
1. Bd4!
Traps the rook and threatens 2.Ke2 and Kxd3. All of black’s options lose material. Let’s go through the most critical line:
1. …..c4
2. Ke2 b5 (what better?)
3. Rc1 h5
I don’t see anything better here for black. He can’t free the rook with e5 since the bishop eventually captures at e5 with check and then returns to d4. Continuing:
4. bc4 bc4
Here, Ra3 looks no better to me. White will push the c-pawn to win material, too. Continuing:
5. Rc4 Ra3
6. Rc8
Threatening Bxf6. If black tries Kh7/g7 unpinning the knight, white checks from c7 and wins the black a-pawn while protecting his own a-pawn, and forces the rooks off the board to be up two good pawns- surely decisive. Continuing:
6. …..Ra2 (Kh7 7.Rc7 Kg6 8.Ra7)
7. Bf6 Kh7
8. Rc7 Kg6 (Kh6 9.Be5 a6 10.Rg7)
9. Bh8! Nf6 (what better?)
10.f5! and black is going to lose that knight to a deadly pin if he takes the pawn, and white gets a passed e-pawn if black doesn’t take it. This has to be decisive.
Bd4 !!
@salsffs
I think Bd4 seal the deal 🙂
I think Bd4 seal the deal..:)
1.Bd4 cxd4
2.Ke2 and white wins the rook
1-0
Yancey:
3. … a3
might be another try, though fair enough it also is going to lose.
Davey,
I assume you mean a6. Interesting- I never really considered that move- it may be marginally better, but I can’t easily distinguish the relative strengths here. It might continue:
1. Bd4 c4
2. Ke2 b5
3. Rc1 a6
4. bc4 bc4
5. Rc4 Ra3
And now the point of a6 comes forward- the black a-pawn is not on a7 any longer and under attack by the bishop. This still looks decisive for white, but I am not really sure how to proceed in the most direct manner. White can win the e-pawn with a move like Rc6, but then he has to worry about the passed a-pawn. I will have to think about this for a while.