Black to move. How should Black proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Brilliant practical tactic
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Black to move. How should Black proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
Given the threats white is holding himself, you would have to look to Rxf1 at the very least:
1. …..Rf1
2. Kf1
If Kg2, black wins easily with Ne3: [2.Kg2?? Ne3! and black can win with Nf5 no matter where the king goes and defangs the threat of Rxh7, or wins the queen if 3.fg3]. Continuing:
2. …..Ne3
3. fe3
Pretty much forced. If white doesn’t take it, the knight comes to f5 and the rook to a2: [3.Ke2 Nf5 4.Rh3 Ra2 5.Kf1 Qa3 and white won’t survive without giving up major material. Continuing:
3. …..Qc5
And black has big attack on that naked white king. I again see white only surviving by giving up material.
However, I also looked at Qxh6 to remove the white threat first, I don’t think this line is bad for black either:
1. …..Qh6
2. gh6 d3 (what else now?)
And now black has a lot of value for the queen/rook exchange. Black is now threatening Rf1 followed by d2/Ra1+ etc. I think white must play Bg5 to both have his own threat (Qf6-Qg7#), and to double cover d2:
3. Bg5 Rf1 (no time to waste)
4. Kg2
No better is Kxf1: [4.Kf1 d2! 5.Ke2 Ra1 and black will get his queen back, or get white’s queen for the knight]. The point of Kg2 is to buy time for Qf6, but this is still going to be too slow, I think:
4. …..Rg1!
5. Kh3
Again, Kxg1 loses to d2 as in the Kxf1 line in the note above, while Kf3 is going to lose to d2 because black can then queen with check if white doesn’t take the pawn. Now black is put to a choice. He can’t win by pushing d2 any longer because he needs to address the threat against his own king. I think black is ok with an immediate Rxg5, but I think it stronger to put the king on f8 first
5. …..Kf8
6. Qf6
White has no better option, surely. Continuing:
6. …..Rg5 (this or get mated)
7. Qg7
There is no hope in 7.Qxg5, or in 7.Qh8 followed by 8.Qxa8. In the former, black just pushes d2 and white can’t stop the pawn with Qg1 since Nb2 covers d1, and in the latter, black takes first at e5 and then plays d2 to win the game (see the line below). White’s only hope is a perpetual, I think:
7. …..Ke7
8. Qf6 Ke8
9. Qh8 Kd7
10.Qa8
White now forced to take at a8 anyway. Continuing:
10. ….Re5
11.Qa7 Kd6
12.f4
If there is a better move, I don’t see it. The check from b8 is hopeless since black will just retreat to e7 and then to f6 and f5 as below leaving white with no further checks. Continuing:
12. …..Re1
Most direct, I think. Covering d1 for the fetal black queen.
13.Qb8 Ke7!
I am not so sure that Kc6 is winning. I played around with it, but couldn’t find a safe home for the black king, and am not sure retreating to this main line is even possible afterwards, so Ke7 it is:
14.Qc7 Kf6
15.Qd8 Kf5
16.Qg5
This is the point to white’s f4 move- all I could find for white at move 12 above. Continuing:
16. ….Ke4
17.Qg2 Ke3
18.Qg3 Kd2 and this is surely lost for white now.
I feel more comfortable with 1. …Rf1 than I do with 1. …Qh6 because it is easy to have overlooked something in the latter.
I’m guessing Rxf1, (and Ra1 if necessary) followed by Qxh6 and d3-d2-d1
This is very hard.
1. … Qxh6
2. gxh6 d3
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White has a mate in 2 threat and the only solution for black would be qxrh6…. black would gain tempo from this move, Blacks d6 pawn cannot be stopped
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It is certainly a practical tactic, but with respect, not brilliant because it is obvious and forced. White is threatening to win with 2. R*h7 and either 3. Rh8 mate if the R is not taken or 2.R*h7 K*h7 3. Qh4+ 4. Qh8 mate so the first move is forced:
1. … Q*h6. For this black ultimately gets his pawn at d4 to queen and wins on material or by mate. The only two questions are
A. how to advance the d4 pawn (d4-d3 which wins almost immediately or d4*c3 which likely loses ultimately to a mate on Qf6 and Qg7)
B. When to time playing R *f1.
I offer the following line as winning:
1…Q*h6 2. g5*h6 then 2. … d3! as the N at c4 provides cover at d7 and the Q check at d8 is critical potentially.
So either line:
A. The white aggression line to try to mate: 1 . . . Qxh6 2 gxh6 d3! 3 Be7 d2; 4 Qf6 (and the race begins!) Rxf1+; 5 Kg2 (If 5. K*f1 then d1=Q+, 6. Kg2 Qg5+, 7, K anywhere Ra1#) Ne3+! wins because the g7 square is covered, the h6 pawn falls, the WQ is skewered, or mate is achieved and d8 occurs as necessary)
B. The white defensive line loses material. 1…Q*h6, 2. g*h6 d3! 3.Q e.g. g4 R*f1, 4. K*f1 Ra8+ 5 Kg2 d8=Q wins either by mate or material.
Psyche
White looks completely winning, but I think Black can turn the tables by sacrificing its Queen!
1. … Qxh6!!
2. gxh6 dxc3 (it appears important to me to capture the pawn first before exchanging rooks)
3. Rxf1+
4. Kxf1 Ra1+
5. Ke2 c2
6. Bg5 c1=Q
7. Qxc1 Rxc1
8. Bxc1 Nxe5 0-1
(Black’s advantage is overwhelming)
Is it the spectacular
1….Qxh6!! gxh6
2….d3!
and B gets Q back trying to stop pawn and will win with the two Q side passed pawns.
0-0-0
-0-0-
127I suppose Rxh7 and following up with the Queen to the H file.
RxH7 and following up with the queen.
RxH7 and following up with the queen.
RxH7 and following up with the queen.
I think I finally figured it out!
1…Qxh6 2. gxh6
2…d3!
No matter what white does black emerges a rook ahead. The trick is to delay the rook capture on f1 until the right time!
For example:
3. Qd4 d2 4. Kg2 Rxf1 5. Kxf1 Ra1+ 6. Ke2 Re1+ 7. Kf3 d1=Q+ 8. Qxd1 Rxd1
I was actually able to find this game at chessgames.com
1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. c4 Nb6 4. c5 Nd5 5. Bc4 e6 6. d4 b6 7. cxb6 axb6 8. Nf3 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. Qe2 Nc6 11. Nc3 Nxc3 12. bxc3 d6 13. Bd3 Bb7 14. Qe4 g6 15. Bh6 Re8 16. Bb5 Na7 17. Qxb7 Nxb5 18. Qc6 Ra5 19. a4 Qa8 20. Qc4 Qa7 21. Ng5 d5 22. Qd3 Ra8 23. Rad1 Na3 24. Qf3 Bxg5 25. Bxg5 Qb8 26. Rd3 Qf8 27. Qf4 Rxa4 28. Bf6 Nc4 29. Rh3 Ra1 30. g4 c5 31. Rh6 cxd4 32. g5 Qxh6 33. gxh6 d3 34. Bh4 Rxf1 35. Kxf1 d2 36. Qf6 d1=Q 37. Kg2 Qg4 38. Bg3 Ne3 39. fxe3 Ra2 40. Kg1 Qd1 41. Qf1 Qxf1 42. Kxf1 Rc2
Black played Qxh6 and d3 as I and several commnenters suggested. White erred a bit in my opinion by retreating the bishop to h4 at move 34 instead of to g5, but I still think even the best defense is probably losing for white.