White to move. How should White proceed?
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Calculations required
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White to move. How should White proceed?
Easy. Re7++ Kh6; Qg7+ Kg5; h4+ Kf5; Qf7+Kg4; F3 Mate. The King is in the mating net.
eaay. Re7+ and the King is in the mating net.
Re7+ Kh6; Qg7+Kg5; h4+ Kf5; Qf7+Kg4; f3+ mate
Ra5, Hitting the rook on a6 and check with queen. After king moves take rook? I’m pretty sure that’s wrong, you said there is calculation.
e-file very strong for white after double check:
1. Re7++ Kh6 (Kfgh8 Qg7#)
2. Qg7+ Kg5
3. h4+ Kg4
4. f3+ Kf5
5. Qe5#
or
2. … Kh5
3. Qe5+ Kh6 (Kg4 h3/f3#)
4. Qe3+ g5 (Kh5 Rxh7+ Kg4 Qf3+ Kg5 h4+ Qxh4 gxh4)
and I am a bit unsure how to continue after 4. … g5.
The first 3 moves, 1. Re7+ Kh6 2. Qg7+, were obvious. Then Black had the choice between 2. .. Kh5 and Kg5.
In both cases, one had to decide, when the Black king is on the g5-square, whether the check with the h-pawn, h4+, or the check with the f-pawn, f4+, is more promising. It turns out that f4+ leads to some elegant mating positions.
I think I have suppled an exhaustive list of the variations. You are welcome to skip them! [grin]
1. Re7+ Kh6 2. Qg7+ Kh5 3. Qxh7+ Kg4
(3. .. Kg5 4. f4+ Qxf4
(4. .. Kf5 5. Qh3+ Kf6 6. Qh4+ Kf5 (6. .. g5 7. Qxg5#) 7. Qg5#)
(4. .. Kf6 5. Qh4+ Kf5 (5. .. g5 6. Qxg5#) 6. Qg5#)
(4. .. Kg4 5. Qh3#)
5. gxf4+ Kxf4 6. Qh4+ Kf5 7. Qe4+ Kf6
(7. .. Kg5 8. h4+ Kf6 (8. .. Kh5 9. Rh7#) (8. .. Kh6 9. Qf4+ Kh5 10. Qg5#) 9. Qe5#)
8. Qe5#)
4. Qh3+ Kg5 5. f4+ Qxf4
(5. .. Kf6 6. Qh4+ Kf5 (6. .. g5 7. Qxg5#) 7. Qg5#)
6. gxf4+ Kxf4 7. Qe3+ Kg4
(7. .. Kf5 8. Qe4+ Kg5 (8. .. Kf6 9. Qe5#) 9. h4+ Kf6 (9. .. Kh5 10. Rh7#) (9. .. Kh6 10. Qf4+ Kh5
(10. .. g5 11. Qxg5#) (10. .. g5 11. Qxg5#) 11. Qg5#) 10. Qe5#)
8. h3+ Kf5
(8. .. Kh5 9. Rh7#) (8. .. Kh4 9. Rh7#)
9. Qe5#
Continuing with the branch at 2. .. Kg5:
1. Re7+ Kh6 2. Qg7+ Kg5 3. f4+ Qxf4
(3. .. Kf5 4. Qe5+ Kg4 5. h3#)
(3. .. Kh5 4. Qxh7+ Kg4 5. Qh3#)
(3. .. Kg4 4. h3+ Kf5 (4. .. Kh5 5. Qxh7#) 5. Qe5#)
4. gxf4+ Kxf4
(4. .. Kf5 5. Qe5+ Kg4 6. Qg5#)
(4. .. Kg4 5. h3+ Kxf4 (5. .. Kf5 6. Qe5#) (5. .. Kh4 6. Qxh7#) (5. .. Kh5 6. Qxh7#) 6. Qe5#)
5. Qe5+ Kg4 6. h3+ Kh4 7. Rxh7#
Lucymarie Ruth
White needs to generate counterplay based on his kingside pawn majority. Therefore, 1.h4! is the right move.
I suppose what I overlooked was:
1. Re7+ Kh6
2. Qg7+ Kh5
3. Qxh7+ Kg5
4. f4+! Kf5
5. Qh3+! Kf6
6. Qh4+ Kf5
7. Qg5#
Elegant, yes.
I didn’t see how I got my queen back into play after Qxh7+ Kg5.
But here are very few players having found the double check at all?
I didn’t find any of the above proposals to be bulletproof, nor did I find any short line that led directly to mate, but Fritz 13 found this fairly elegant approach to overwhelming advantage:
1. Re7+ Kh6
2. Qg7+ Kh5
3. Qxh7+ Kg4
Here we depart from Lucymarie’s main line, chosing Qh4 rather than Qh3.
4. Qh4+ Kf5
Now white goes on a killing spree, sacrificing a rook to gain the queen, the other rook, and the pawn threatening to promote itself to a queen.
5. Qxc4 Rxe7
6. Qxa6 g5
7. Qb5+ Kf6
8. Qxb3 Re4
Now white has a decisive advantage.
9. Kf3 Re6
10. Qd3 Kg7
11. Kg4
Black resigns.