White to move. How should White proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
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Carlsen chess tactic
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White to move. How should White proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
well, 1 a7 Ng3+; Kg1 Rg2# looks terrible, so I guess I’d try:
1 Rf8 Ng3+; Ke1 and f2+ can be met with Rxf2. Black can’t mate or queen the pawn and none of the pieces can reach a-pawn in time before it queens.
1. Rf8!!
If 1…Ng3+ 2. Ke1 Re2+ 3. Kd1 Rf2 4. a7 Rf1+ 5. Kc2 wins for white
Black’s threat of Ng3 must be dealt with immediately. For example, here is the move I first looked at:
1. a7?? Ng3
2. Ke1
Here, Kg1 is mate after Rg2. Continuing:
2. …..f2
3. Kd2 f1(Q)
I had initially overlooked the discovered check. Continuing:
4. Ke3 Re2
5. Kd4 Re8 and I would surprised if there isn’t a forced mate here somewhere in the next 3 or 4 moves, but I don’t need to look for it- the position is a clear win for black.
As far as I can tell, only two moves have a chance of holding for white, but one looks much better than the other:
1. Rf8
To prevent the f2 check in the line above. Continuing:
1. …..Ng3 (what else?)
2. Ke1 Re2 (f2 3.Rf2 Rh3 4.Rf8+-)
3. Kd1 f2 (what else?)
4. a7 Re8 (Re1 5.Kc2 f1Q 6.Rf1+-)
5. Rf2! Kc6 (best of losing moves)
6. Rf7 and white should win the ending without too much difficulty.
White’s Rook is under attack, and Black is threatening f2. White deals with both threats at once.
1 Rf8
Moving the Rook out of danger and attacking Black’s Knight.1
1…. Ng3+
And not 1… Rh1+ 2 Kf2 Ra1, 3 Na3.
2 Ke1
And not 2 Kg1 Rg2#
2 …. Re2+
3 Kd1 f2
The immediate 3…. Re8 fails to 4 Rxe8 Kxe8 5 a7 and White will Queen with check (and if that weren’t true, White could stop the pawn with Ne3).
4 a7 Re8
5 Rxf2 Kc6
Of course, Black can’t play 5…Ra8 because of 6 Nb6+
6 Rf7 Ra8
7 Rg7 Nf5
8 Rf7
White is up four pawns, with an easy win.
The prosaic Rf8 seesm obvious and good enough to win.
Black is threatening Ng3 and f2. Rf8 defends aganist that.
The a-pawn will win for white.
Certainly, Rf8 doesn’t work because of Ng3+ Ke1 Re2+ Kd1.
No place for white to play his rook.
And a7 doesn’t work either: 1. a7 Ng3+ 2. Ke1 f2+ and the f pawn queens.
I think it has to be Ne3, preventng Ng3+ because it is protecting f1/g2 and giving white king a place on g1.
Ne3 is strange looking, but something like this could follow:
1. Ng3 Kxe8
2. Nxf5 Rxb2 (necessary to stop the a pawn)
3. Nd6+ Kd7
4. Nb7, and i don’t see the rest, but this is my guess.
1.Rf8 Ng3+ 2.Ke1 f2+! (2….Re2? 3.Kd1 f2 4.a7! for instance, there’s absolutely nothing or 2….Rh1+ 3.Kf2 Ne4+ 4.Kxf3 Rf1+ 5.Kxe4 Rxf8 6.Kd5!? and it must be a technical win) 3.Rxf2 Rh1+ 4.Kd2 Ne4+ 5.Kc2 Nxf2 otherwise the game is simply won 6.a7 Ra1 7.Na3 +- and the promotion follows on the next move
1Rf8
Hi all from ronda (spain). I think magnus its winning, because the black can´t stop the a pawn. And there is not mate for black, so a7.
1 – If KxR, then a8=Q+ and Qxf3.
2 – If Kg3+, then Ke1 and the king scapes.
and 3 – If Rh1+, then Kf2, Ra1, a8=Q, RxQ and RxR winning.