- Belgrade chess tactic

There are two sacrifices I would consider here- Rg7 and Bh7. Let’s look at the rook sac first:

1. Rg7 Kg7

Now, the idea I had was to play Qh5 and attack the h-pawn and/or bring the rook to g1. However, I really couldn’t quite make this work:

2. Qh5 h6

Here, Rf5 or Qh8 both look ok, but I can’t really find any fault at all with h6:

3. Rg1 Kh8 and now what for white? Every entry point for white’s pieces are adequately guarded (h6, g6, g7, g8). I see no real compensation for the rook- just a pawn some very, very modest pressure on the black king. The other plan to play Rg1 at move 2 really doesn’t add much if anything:

2. Rg1 Kh8
3. Bh7

Here, Qh5 will just transpose into the line above. Bh7 threatens Rg8 (not that the threat is worth all that much down a rook already).

3. …..Rh6

Here, Qe8 is probably fine as a cover of h5, too. What black cannot do is take at h7 since that is mate starting with Qh5 followed by Qf7 and Qg7.

4. Rg8

I looked at plausibly winning/drawing lines starting with 4.Bd3 and 4.Bg6, but after black plays Bh4- black’s defenders are just too numerous to make anything to compensate for the lost rook. Getting the black queen for the other rook and bishop seems all that is left:

4. …..Qg8
5. Bg8 Kg8

And I don’t see anything in this line for white to compensate for the material deficit (two rooks and a bishop is worth quite a bit more than a queen). He might continue with h5 to hold the h-pawn, but black will consolidate with Bd7, Kf7 and bring the other rook to bear on the king side and should have more than enough for a win. However, this working through this line did demonstrate to me the efficacy of playing Bh7 immediately at move 1:

1. Bh7!

Black has Kh7, Kh8, Kf7, and Kf8, but they all look bad:

1. …..Kh7
2. Qh5 Rh6

Here, Kg8 is going to be mate since the rook sac at g7 is now deadly: [Kg8 3.Rg7 Kg7 4.Rg1 Kf8 (Rg6 5.Qg6+-) 5.Qh8 Kf7 6.Rg7#]. However, Rg7 is still powerful:

3. Rg7 Kg7
4. Rg1 Bg5

Here, Kf8 loses to Qh6 followed by Rg8, Kf6 is mate starting with Qh6+, Kh7 is mate starting with Qf7, and Rg6 we saw above is mate starting with Qg6. Continuing:

5. Rg5 Qg5 (what else?)
6. Qg5 Rg6
7. Qe7 Kh6
8. Na4

Best I can find for white. At the moment, white has immobilized the black queen’s rook and bishop with his queen at e7. Black is almost in a kind of zugzwang with few really even neutral kinds of moves. Na4 threatens Nb6 followed by Qf8+ winning a piece, or Qc7 if black plays the rook to b8 in reply to Nb6. I don’t see any way for black to hold on the bishop or avoid having the trade a rook for a knight.

Back at move 1 after white’s 1.Bh7, black can do no better by declining the offered bishop:

1. …..Kh8
2. Bg6 Rg6

Here, black must either give up the exchange or make a hole at e7 and d6 for the king: [Bb4 3.Qh5 Kg8 4.Qh7 Kf8 5.Qh8 Ke7 6.Qg7 Kd6 7.e4! and white will easily win this]; or [Kg8 3.Qh5 Bb4 and we transpose to the line immediately above].

3. Rg6 and white is up an exchange, a pawn, and has a powerful attack on the black king.

Or, at move 1:

1. …..Kf8
2. Rg7

White wins with simple moves like Qg4, but this sacrifice offer is more elegant and forcing, I think:

2. …..Kg7

Here, Ke8 is probably a bit better, but clearly lost, so why not, in a real game, make white prove it?

3. Rg1 Rg6

We already saw variations of the position that arises after black takes at h7 and white plays Qh5+ in the first move alternative Kh7, so we don’t need to consider that line at all now.

4. Rg6 Kf7 (else is mate)
5. Qh5 and black will lose at a minimum, his queen and a pawn for a rook.

Or, finally:

1. …..Kf7
2. Qh5 Kf8
3. Rg7 and black again loses his queen for a rook at a minimum.

7 Comments

Yancey Ward Reply

February 19, 2011 at 4:22 pm

There are two sacrifices I would consider here- Rg7 and Bh7. Let’s look at the rook sac first:

1. Rg7 Kg7

Now, the idea I had was to play Qh5 and attack the h-pawn and/or bring the rook to g1. However, I really couldn’t quite make this work:

2. Qh5 h6

Here, Rf5 or Qh8 both look ok, but I can’t really find any fault at all with h6:

3. Rg1 Kh8 and now what for white? Every entry point for white’s pieces are adequately guarded (h6, g6, g7, g8). I see no real compensation for the rook- just a pawn some very, very modest pressure on the black king. The other plan to play Rg1 at move 2 really doesn’t add much if anything:

2. Rg1 Kh8
3. Bh7

Here, Qh5 will just transpose into the line above. Bh7 threatens Rg8 (not that the threat is worth all that much down a rook already).

3. …..Rh6

Here, Qe8 is probably fine as a cover of h5, too. What black cannot do is take at h7 since that is mate starting with Qh5 followed by Qf7 and Qg7.

4. Rg8

I looked at plausibly winning/drawing lines starting with 4.Bd3 and 4.Bg6, but after black plays Bh4- black’s defenders are just too numerous to make anything to compensate for the lost rook. Getting the black queen for the other rook and bishop seems all that is left:

4. …..Qg8
5. Bg8 Kg8

And I don’t see anything in this line for white to compensate for the material deficit (two rooks and a bishop is worth quite a bit more than a queen). He might continue with h5 to hold the h-pawn, but black will consolidate with Bd7, Kf7 and bring the other rook to bear on the king side and should have more than enough for a win. However, this working through this line did demonstrate to me the efficacy of playing Bh7 immediately at move 1:

1. Bh7!

Black has Kh7, Kh8, Kf7, and Kf8, but they all look bad:

1. …..Kh7
2. Qh5 Rh6

Here, Kg8 is going to be mate since the rook sac at g7 is now deadly: [Kg8 3.Rg7 Kg7 4.Rg1 Kf8 (Rg6 5.Qg6+-) 5.Qh8 Kf7 6.Rg7#]. However, Rg7 is still powerful:

3. Rg7 Kg7
4. Rg1 Bg5

Here, Kf8 loses to Qh6 followed by Rg8, Kf6 is mate starting with Qh6+, Kh7 is mate starting with Qf7, and Rg6 we saw above is mate starting with Qg6. Continuing:

5. Rg5 Qg5 (what else?)
6. Qg5 Rg6
7. Qe7 Kh6
8. Na4

Best I can find for white. At the moment, white has immobilized the black queen’s rook and bishop with his queen at e7. Black is almost in a kind of zugzwang with few really even neutral kinds of moves. Na4 threatens Nb6 followed by Qf8+ winning a piece, or Qc7 if black plays the rook to b8 in reply to Nb6. I don’t see any way for black to hold on the bishop or avoid having the trade a rook for a knight.

Back at move 1 after white’s 1.Bh7, black can do no better by declining the offered bishop:

1. …..Kh8
2. Bg6 Rg6

Here, black must either give up the exchange or make a hole at e7 and d6 for the king: [Bb4 3.Qh5 Kg8 4.Qh7 Kf8 5.Qh8 Ke7 6.Qg7 Kd6 7.e4! and white will easily win this]; or [Kg8 3.Qh5 Bb4 and we transpose to the line immediately above].

3. Rg6 and white is up an exchange, a pawn, and has a powerful attack on the black king.

Or, at move 1:

1. …..Kf8
2. Rg7

White wins with simple moves like Qg4, but this sacrifice offer is more elegant and forcing, I think:

2. …..Kg7

Here, Ke8 is probably a bit better, but clearly lost, so why not, in a real game, make white prove it?

3. Rg1 Rg6

We already saw variations of the position that arises after black takes at h7 and white plays Qh5+ in the first move alternative Kh7, so we don’t need to consider that line at all now.

4. Rg6 Kf7 (else is mate)
5. Qh5 and black will lose at a minimum, his queen and a pawn for a rook.

Or, finally:

1. …..Kf7
2. Qh5 Kf8
3. Rg7 and black again loses his queen for a rook at a minimum.
George Reply

February 19, 2011 at 4:42 pm

1.Bxh7+ Kxh7 2.Qh5+ Rh6 3.Rxg7+ Kxg7 4.Rg1+ Bg5 5.Rxg5+ Qxg5 6.Qxg5+ Rg6 7.Qe7+ +-.
spikad Reply

February 19, 2011 at 7:08 pm

1.Bxh7+! should do it. After
1…Kxh7
2.Qh5+ Black has some different ways to contiune
2…Kg8
3.Rxg7+! Kxg7
4.Rg1+ Kf8
5.Qh8+ Kf7
6.Rg7#

Or 2…Rh6
3.Rxg7+ Kxg7
4.Rg1+ Kh7
5.Qf7+ Kh8
6.Qg7#
Anonymous Reply

February 19, 2011 at 9:20 pm

If Spriric did this over the board, give credit where it’s due.

The main line is:

1. Bxh7+ KxB
2. Qh5+ Kg8
3. Rxg7+ KxR
4. Rg1+ Kf8
5. Qh8+ Kf7
6. Rg7#

If Black declines the Bishop and Rook sacrifices, it’s more complicated.

Mark
wolverine Reply

February 19, 2011 at 10:19 pm

Bxf7 Kxh7
Qh5+ Rh6
Rxg7 Kxg7
Rg1+ Kf8
Qxh6+ Ke8
Rg8+ Kd7
Rxd8

i can’t find a mating sequence… i found this sequenece fairly quickly but have spent a long time looking for a mate but can’t find it.
wolverine Reply

February 19, 2011 at 10:22 pm

there has to be some kind of maitng sequence
pht Reply

February 21, 2011 at 11:14 am

Wolverine, your line will clearly be winning without finding an immediate mating sequence.
You have enough material plus (including a good h pawn and a remote knight) to win this easily.
Black’s remaining pieces (2R+B) should produce little difficulties for you I think.

Belgrade chess tactic

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