White to move and checkmate in 6.
2N3k1/1q3p2/5Qnp/2r3p1/1p6/6Pb/p4P1P/3RR1K1 w – – 0 1
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Checkmate in 6
About Author
White to move and checkmate in 6.
2N3k1/1q3p2/5Qnp/2r3p1/1p6/6Pb/p4P1P/3RR1K1 w – – 0 1
White is facing mate in 1, so one would think every move by white must be check or block up the a8/h1 diagonal. The two rook checks just don’t seem to work with the knight at g6 guarding h8, and the queen guarding f7- there just isn’t a reasonable continuation- for example:
1. Re8 Kh7 (Nf8?? 2.Rf8 Kf8 3.Rd8#)
And what? There are no useful checks or sacrifices to keep the pressure on black. Trying 1.Rd8 is just as useless against black’s Kh7. Also, with the queen guarding the 7th rank, I could see no useful attack starting with a queen sacrifice at either f7 or g6 on the first move. This leaves only the knight check from e7:
1. Ne7 Qe7
Forced, I am pretty sure. Kh7 is mate in 2 more starting with Qf7+ and ending with Qg8# , Ne7 is mate in 2 more starting with Rd8 and ending with Rh8#, and Kf8 is mate on Rd8. Continuing:
2. Re7
No immediate mate threat from black right now, so no checks needed from white. I did spend some time here trying to find something more clever than taking the queen, but this doesn’t seem to be that kind of composition. Continuing:
2. …..Be6
White’s threat, of course, is Qf7 followed by either Qg7 or Qh7#, so f7 must be guarded. The only other moves that guard f7 are Ne5 and Nh8 which both lose to Re8+ followed by Rh8#, and Rf5 which I will cover at the end of this line I will now continue:
3. Qg6
Easy to spot with no defenders to keep the two rooks from mating black if he takes the queen:
3. …..Kf8
On fg6, white mates with Rd8, and on Kh8, Re8 is mate. Continuing:
4. Re8
I really, really love this mating pattern- it is one you see in a lot of chess problems:
4. …..Ke8
5. Qg8 Ke7
6. Qd8# and two of black’s men help mate their own king.
Back at move 2, black is still mated in 6 total when he tries to protect f7 with the rook:
2. …..Rf5
3. Rd8 Nf8 (Kh7 4.Rf7#)
4. Rf8 Kf8 (Kh7 5.Ref7#)
5. Rf7 Kg8 (Ke8 6.Qe7#)
6. Qg7#
1. Ne7+ looks to me the winner.
If Kf8 2. Rd8#
If Kh7 2. Qxf7+ Kh8 3. Qg8#
If Nxe7 2. Rd8+ Kh7 3. Rh8#
If Qxe7 2. Rxe7 Nxe7 3. Rd8+ Kh7 4. Rh8#
Those are the options I saw. Suppose I might have overlooked something, like instead of Nxe7, Nf8 or Nh8 or Rd5 etc.
1.Ne7+! Qxe7 (1….Kf8 2.Nxg6+ ; 1….Nxe7 2.Rd8+ Kh7 3.Rh8 mate )
2.Rxe7 Be6 (2….Rf5 3.Rd8+ Nf8 4.Rxf8+ Kxf8 5.Rxf7+ and mate on the next move)
3.Qxg6+ Kf8! 4.Rxf7+ Bxf7 5.Rd8+
a)5….Be8 6.Rxe8 mate
b)5….Ke7 6.Qd6 mate
1.Ne7+ Qxe7
(1.-Nxe7 2.Rd8+ Kh7 3.Rh8++)
(1.-Kf8 2.Nxg6+ Kg8 3.Qh8++)
(1.-Kh7 2.Qxf7+ Kh8 3.Qg8++)
2.Rxe7 Be6
(2.-Rf5 3.Rd8+ Nf8 4.Rxf8+ Kxf8 5.Rxf7+ Ke8 (5.-Kg8 6.Qg7++) 6.Qe7++)
3.Qxg6+ Kf8
(3.-fxg6 4.Rd8++)
(3.-Kh8 4.Re8++)
4.Rxf7+ Bxf7 (4.-Ke8 5.Qg8++) 5.Rd8+ Ke7 (5.-Be8 6.Rxe8++) 6.Qd6++
The key-move is
1. Ne7+! Qxe7 other moves see below
2. Rxe7 Be6
other moves:
a) 2. … Nxe7 3.Rd8+ Kh7 4.Rh8#
b) 2. … Rf5 3.Rd8+ Nf8 (Kh7 4.Rxf7#) 4.Rxf8+ Kxf8 5.Rxf7+ Kg8/e8 6.Qg7/e7#
c) 2. … Rc8 3.Qxf7+ Kh8 4.Qh7#
3. Qxg6+! Kf8 (fxg6/Kh8 4.Rd8#)
4. Rxf7+ Bxf7 (Ke8 5.Ra7+ Kf8/Bf7 6.Rd8/Qxf7#)
5. Rd8+ Ke7
6. Qd6#
Black variations in the first move:
A)
1. … Nxe7
2. Rd8+ Kh7
3. Rh8#
B)
1. … Kf8
2. Nxg6+ Kg8
3. Rd8+ Kh7
4. Rh8#
C)
1. … Kh7
2. Qxf7+ Kh8
3. Qg8#
1.Ne7+ Nxe7
2.Rd8+ Kh7
3.Qxf7#
OR
1.Ne7+ Qxe7
2.Rxe7 Nxe7
3.Rd8+ Kh7
4.Qxf7#
– High skill from MR KO (Malaysian)
Just find the good moves, and I think black resigns long before 6.
Ne7 is obvious, to cut off black queen on 7. rank.
1. Ne7+ Qxe7
The alternatives were mate in 3:
a) Nxe7 Rd8+ Kh7 Rh8#/Qxf7#
b) Kf8 Rd8#
c) Kh8 Rd8+ Kh7 Qxf7#
d) Kh7 Qxf7 Kh8 Rd8#
2. Rxe7
Threating Qf6-f7-g7 mate, or in case knigt takes rook, Rd1-d8-h8 mate.
2. … Rf5 only move holding for more than two more moves, but everything is hopeless for black.
Ne7+ Qxe7
Rxe7 Rf5
Rd8+ Nf8
Rxf8+ Kxf8
Rxf7+ Ke8
Qe7++
I worked on it yesterday then came back to it and finished it off.. for some reason the answer eluded me.. then it just came to me in an instant..i thought ill just sac that rook …