White to move. How should white proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
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White to move. How should white proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
RxC7
1. Ba3, bxa3
2. Rc7
cannot prevent mate after this with 3. Qh8
another line is
1. Ba3, Qxg5
2. Rxc7, Qh6
3. Bxd6+, Re7
4. Bxe7+, Ke8
5. Qg8#
after Ba3 black will simply take knight with his queen. So the corret sequence is Rc7 and then Ba3+
It is positions like this that remind me why I am not a very good over the board player- if you didn’t tell me there is something here to find, I wouldn’t find it most of the time. I would play something like 1.Qh8+ followed by 2.Qxg7 and proceed with a somewhat modest edge, but nothing more. However, a deeper look into the less obvious moves reveals
1. Rc7! Bc7
What else can black do that is really going to save him? White is threatening Qh8# now that e7 is cut off for the black king. The rook must be taken at some point, but this allows
2. Ba3! and black is toast- Re7 loses to Qh8# again, and black can only delay matters with Bd6 for one extra move now.
The alternative beginning with 1.Ba3 runs into the defense of c5, and that line is just a mess to my eye, though I do think white holds the upper hand.
Rxc7 wins
Rc7!
1.Rxc7!! Bxc7
2.Ba3+
1. Rxc7 Bxc7 (otherwise 2. Qh8#)
2. Ba3+ Bd6
3. Bxd6+ Re7
4. Qh8#
1. Ba3 doesn’t work due to Qd7 or Rac8.
Rxc7 right away,where black has to play Bxc7 in view of Qh8# and then Ba3
The right answer is:
1. Rxc7 (the threat is Qh8#)
If 1…Bxc7 then
2. Ba3+ followed by Qh8#.
The black king is nearly in a mating net. But how to keep him bottled up? We must prevent him from escaping via e7. Ah, a very nice tandem attack by the rook taking at c7 threatening Qh8#. If the bishop takes the rook, the dark square bishop will check at a3. Black can interpose the bishop and/or the rook, but mate quickly follows. Black has a desperation tactic by checking at e4, simultaneously attacking the white queen, Hoping to exchange queens and thereby avoid mate. However it is to no avail as the g5 knight covers the e4 square!
1.Rxc7 Qe4+
2.Nxe4 Rxe4
3.Qh8#
!.Rxc7 Bxc7
2.Ba3+ Bd6
3.Bxd6+ Re7
4.Qh8#
Rxc7
MUST take away escape square, e7.
1. Rxc7 Threatens both Qh8# and Rxf7#.
1. .. Bxc7 2. Ba3+ Bd6 3. Bxd6+ Re7 4. Qh8#
BTW, 1. Ba3?? fails to 1. .. c5. The White rook must take on c7 right away. There will be no 2nd chance.
Lucymarie Ruth
To the line by Ramesh, playing Ba3 one move too early:
1. Ba3 Rac8!
and white never gets his rook to c7. Two white pieces hang, so white must exchange bishops.
2. Bxd6+ cxd6
3. Qh8+ Ke7
4. Qxg7
leads to an unclear situation, it misses the quick win that was there.
Some loose ends on the 1.Ba3 line which some commenters suggested above, I had considered last night but discarded because it looked needlessly complicated when white had the much more powerful 1.Rc7:
1. Ba3 c5!
Lucymarie also points out how this defense fouls up white’s chances to get Rc7 in on a later move. One anonymous commenter suggested that black just takes at g5, but this still loses clearly for black since white then can still play 2.Rc7 with a double mate threat of Qh8 and Bd6 that can’t be defended. Pht suggested 1. …Rac8, but this still looks like mate to me since white still takes at c7 and the black bishop can’t take at c7 because it is pinned, and if the black rook takes, then 3.Bd6+ leads to 4.Qh8#. Continuing from 1. …c5 above:
2. dc5 bc5
3. Rc5 d4!
The alternatives look worse to me. This is the line that looked like a mess for white to my eye, though he still looks to be holding the upper hand. Black can’t take at c5 since 4.Bc5 is going to lead to mate, and he can’t take at g5 due to 4.Rc7 leading to mate. With 3. …d4, black gets a bit of counterplay that fouls matters somewhat. Continuing:
4. f3
The alternatives look a little worse to me: [4.e4 Be4 5.Ne4 Qe4 6.Qe4 Re4 7.Rh1 with a slight edge at best for white]; or [4.Kh2 Bg3 5.fg3 Qe2 and I think black has a draw at the very least, if he wants it, by repetition]; or [4.Kg1 de3! 5.Rc3 ef2 6.Kh2 and I am unsure if black can hold this, but it isn’t immediately obvious to me how white finishes it]. Continuing:
4. …..Qg3
5. Kh1 Re6
6. Qh8 Ke7
7. Rc7 Kf6
8. Qh5 Qh2 (what else holds?)
9. Qh2 Bh2
10.Rb7 Kg5
11.Kh2 de3
12.Rg1 and white is up a piece for a pawn. Not an easy win, but it should be decisive with proper play. Like I wrote, 1.Ba3 is a mess.