White to move. How can White save this game? No computer analysis please 🙂
2K5/6p1/2kp1pN1/3p1P2/1p1B3p/1P2p3/1P5p/8 w – – 0 3
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
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This isn’t that hard given the obvious hopelessness of stopping the black h-pawn- white must play for mate.
Susan, given the FEN, I suspect this was a truncated version of composed problem- specifically missing the first two white moves. Do you have the name of the composer?
Yes, pretty simple. White can’t defend against the pawns promoting so has to try to mate, with the help of pawns on the b-file, both White’s and Black’s, and d-file, hemming in the Black King.
1. Ne7+ Kb5
2. Kb7 h1=Q
2. … e2 is obviously too slow. 3. Nc8 e1=Q 4. Nd6+ Ka5 5. Bb6 mate
3. Nc8
and the Queen can’t check the White King. White has two squares from which to check b5 — d6 and a7. The Queen can protect against either of those checks, but not both at once. So White’s next move will check b5. After 4. … Ka5 5. Bb6 is mate.
Unless I am mistaken, this one is rather easy. The first move is the obvious 1) Ne7+, and the only legal reply is … Kb5.
The Black King is effectively trapped by 2) Kb7. [Yes, Black can try the futile Ka5, but after 3) Bb6+, he’s back on b5, awaiting the inevitable.
If instead, Black gets a Queen on h1, White calmly tries Nc8, threatening mate via either d6 or a7. Thus, if Qh2 (guarding the d6 pawn), 3) Na7+ and 4) Bb6#. If Qa1 to cover the a7 square, 3) Nd6+ and again Bb6#.
1.Ne7+!.Kb5.only move
2.Kb7!!. BK is in a mating net and cannot escape!
A>2….e2.3.Nc8!!.e1=Q what else?4.Na7/xd6+.Ka6. 5.Bb6#!
B>2….h1=Q.3.Nc8! And BQh1 cannot prevent both 4.Na7 and Nxd6 at the same time followed by mate!
1.Ne7+ Kb5 2.Kb7 h1=Q 3.Nc8 Qc1 4.Na7+ Ka5 5.Bb6#
The easiest so far,having no sidelines,forced at each move.
1. Ne7+ Kb4 2. Kb7 h1= Q 3. Nc8 followed by Na7+ ( or Nd6+) and Bb6++
Yancey is right, this is not very hard:
1. Ne7+ Kg4 forced.
2. Kb7!
White’s threat is Ne7-c8-a7+ – Ka5 – Bb6#, and even if Black’s h-pawn queens, there is no way to stop it.
2. … h1=Q What else?
3. Nc8 Qa1 Okay, this prevents Na7+, but…
4. Nxd6+ Ka5
5. Bb6#
Ne7+ Kb5
Kb7 h1=Q
Nc8 Qd1
Nxd6+ or Na7+ Ka5
Bb6#
Which side is white and which side black