White to move. How should white proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
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White to move. How should white proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
Too hard.
Had to spend about 15 minutes.
But the position was really worth spending so much time.
I was thinking about attacking the ‘f5’ pawn with Qc2.
Also Qh3 took away a lot of time.
It took me a lot of time to see that a rook on ‘h7’ was mate.
1. Rg7+ Kh8
2. Qg4!!
( The hardest move to find. This executes the ideas of Qh3 with the added effect that the ‘g7’ rook is also adequately defended )
2…… Be8
( 2……. Bh5
3. Rxg8+ Rxg8
4. Qxh5 +- )
3. Bxf5! Rxf5
( 3……. Qxf5
4. Rxg8+! Rxg8
5. Qxf5 +- )
4. Qxf5! Qxf5
5. Rxg8+ Kh7
6. R1g7#
A wonderful combination.
Hope that the guy playing white got a chance to execute it on the board. 🙂
Qh3 Rg7
Bf5 SPLAT
Qh3
Immediately comes to my mind:
1. Rg7+ Kh8 (Rxg7?? Qxg7#)
Looks strong to force K to h8, and now I look for the possibility of inserting Qh3, with deadly Bxf5 to follow, and Qxh6 also beeing a threat in sone lines.
2. Qh3 Rxg7 (Bg6?? Qxh6#)
Rxg7 seemed enforced, since it was actually too late to avoid Bxf5.
3. Bxf5 Qxf5 (What else? Qxc4?? then Qxh6+ mates next)
4. Qxf5
White beeing down with queen for rook and bishop, this goes down fast.
Next white threats e6. If black plays e6 instead, then Qf6 and h6 is dead.
1. Rg7+ Kh8 (Rg7 2. Qg7#)
2. Rg8+ Bg8 or Kh7
3. Qg7#
Interesting. The best I could see was 1. Rg7+ Kh8 2. Qh3 and if 2…Rxg7 then 3. Bxf5.
I might not have found this without Sam’s 1.Rg7 and 2.Qh3 idea. However, 2.Qh3 is a bit inaccurate, better is 2.Qg4, which isn’t easy to see. White needs to keep the queen guarding the g7 rook in order win the piece:
1. Rg7 Kh8 (Rg7?? 2.Qg7#)
2. Qg4!!
The f5 pawn is pinned to the h7 square- if black captures at g4, 3.Rh7 is mate. Also, by being on g4, white guards the g7 rook, and it threatening Bf5. There are no defenses that don’t lose a piece, though I can’t find a mate, so I might be missing the exactly right continuation:
2. …..Bg6 (alternatives below)
3. Qg6
Here, Rg6 probably wins, but is less accurate: [3.Rg6 fg4 4.Re6 Rf4 5.Re7 Rg5 and white has won a piece for a pawn, but will have to play carefully due to his somewhat vulnerable king]. Continuing from move 3 above:
3. …..Qg6 (only move avoid mate)
4. R7g6 Rg6 (Kh7 similar?)
5. Rg6 and white is up a piece for a pawn, but unlike the sideline after white’s third move, his position is more clearly winning to me.
At move 3, black really has nothing better than Bg6 that I can find though white needs to play carefull the following line:
2. …..Qd7
3. Bf5! Qd2 (Qf5 4.Rg8! Rg8 5.Qf5)
4. Kh1!
White must avoid both Kh3 and the careless Rg2, as neither can win and might even lose: [4.Kh3? Qe3! 5.Kh4 (or 5.Kh2 Qg1!) 5. …Qf2 6.Kh3 Qe3=]; or [4.Rg2 Qg2! 5.Qg2 Rg7 and black has two rooks for the queen, and might even win this]. Continuing from move 4 above:
4. …..Bd5 (nothing better)
5. cd5 Qd5
6. Rg2 Qg2 (nothing better now)
7. Qg2 Rg7
8. Qh3 and white has a queen a bishop for the two rooks and should have a win, though he will still need to play accurately.
Or, at move 2:
2. …..Qg6
3. Rg6! Bg6
Or [3. …fg4 4.Rh6 Kg7 5.Rh7#]; or [3. …Rg6 4.Qf5+-]. Continuing:
4. Qh3 and white has won the queen for a rook.
Or, at move 2:
2. …..Qc4
3. Bf5 and this is much like the Qd7 line discussed above.
Now, did I miss a mate in here? I don’t know, I have the nagging feeling I have missed it.
Oops, missed 2. … Rg8 in my earlier post. Got to re-analyze.
A dandy indeed. I agree with Sam, Rg7+ followed by QH3., setting up Bxf5
1. Rg7+ Kh8 2. Qh3 Rxg7 3. Bxf5 Qxf5 4. Qxh6+ Kg8 5. Rxg7#
or
1. Rg7+ Kh8 2. Qh3 Rxg7 3. Bxf5 Qxc4 4. Qxh6+ Rh7 5. Qxh7#
1. Rg7+ Kh8
2. Qh3 Rxg7 *
3. Bxf5 Rxg1 **
4. Bxe6? Bxe6? *** — bad moves, see below
5. Qxh6+ Kg8
6. Qxe6+ Kh8/Rf7
7. Kxg1
1-0
*
if 2… Bg6 (instead of 2…Rxg7) then
3. Qxh6+ wins
*
if 2… Be8
3. Rxg8+ Rxg8
4. Bxf5 Qf7 (or …Qxc4)
5. Qxh6+ wins
**
if black moves the queen instead of 3…. Rxg1, then 4. Qxh6+ is deadly
***
if instead of 4. … Bxe6, black brings back the rook from g1 to g7, it works!
4. …. Rg7!
now if 5. Qxh6+ Rh7 wins the queen
and if 5. Bf5 h5 seems to hold
However,
4. Kxg1! (instead of 4. Bxe6?) and white wins.
So the solution is:
1. Rg7+ Kh8
2. Qh3 Rxg7
3. Bxf5 Rxg1
4. Kxg1! Rg8+
5. Kf2 Rg6
6. Bxe6 Rxe6
wins
e.g.,
7. Qf5 Kg8
8. Qe4
and 9. f5
1-0
This was hard to find.
I agree with those who say that
2. Qg4
looks wery strong, I admit not to have seen that possibility.
However, the weakness of it is to not attack h6, so it allows black to answer
2. … Bg6.
Therefore it is still unclear to me if 2. Qg4 is better than 2. Qh3.
It still seems interesting to temporarily drop rook on g7 with Qh3, and then enforced grab queen for rook and bishop with Bxf5.
1. Rg7+ Kh8
2. Qh3 Rxg7 (what else)
3. Bxf5
Black queen can’t escape this, since Qxc4? Qxh6+ mates.
Qd6/Qf6 just makes Q a very cheap pray.
Qg6 Bxg6, or Rg6 Bxe6, or Qxf5 Qxf5, all 3 alternatives seem to have the effect that white is up with Q for R+B.