White to move and checkmate in 3. No computer please 🙂
r6r/3R2pp/5n2/1pb2p1Q/4k3/5N2/p1P3PP/1nB4K w – – 0 1
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Checkmate tactic
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White to move and checkmate in 3. No computer please 🙂
r6r/3R2pp/5n2/1pb2p1Q/4k3/5N2/p1P3PP/1nB4K w – – 0 1
1.Qh4+ Ng4 (1…f4 2.Qxf4++) 2.Qe7+ Bxe7 (2…Ne5 3.Qxe5++) 3.Rd4++
1.Qh4+ Ng4 (1…f4 2.Qxf4++) 2.Qe7+ Bxe7 (2…Ne5 3.Qxe5++) 3.Rd4++
Qh4 + Ng4
Qe7 + Bxe7
Rd4#
1Qh4+ Ng4
2 Qe7+ a sacrifice to deflect the bishop 2….. Bxe7
3 Rd4#
1 Qh4+ Ng4 2 Qe7+ Be7 3 Rd4#
1 Qh4+ Ng4 2 Qe7+ Be7 3 Rd4#
I think I got lucky finding the solution, which I believe starts with Qh4+. I wound up looking at some of the right moves for some wrong reasons.
With the Rook forming a barrier on the d-file, one idea is get the Queen to check along the e-file. Obviously, she can’t go to e8 because that square’s amply guarded. But one (wrong) idea behind 1) Ng5+ is opening a path for the Queen to get to e2. But after 1)… Ke5, 2)Qe2+ Ne4 snuffs out the mate threat.
Okay, another way to get a Knight to clear the way is 1) Qh4+ when if … Ng4, Black’s Knight is the one opening a path for the Queen this time to e7 – but the Bishop still guards it and sacking the Rook to get there with 2)Re7+ doesn’t seem to work.
I considered another (wrong) tact, looking at 1) Re4+ which seems dumb because it’s en prise there but I just was vaguely thinking of a pattern where the defending pieces themselves get in the way of their own King’s escape, hemming him in. But here that seemed pointless except for one thing – it defllected the Bishop away from its guarding of the e7 square. So what if White combined the Qh4 Ng4 / Qe7 idea with the Rd4 idea?
1. Qh4+ Ng4 If instead …f4, 2. Qxf4 is mate. Now 2. Rd4 is still wrong after simply …Bxd4, 3. Qe7+ because, for instance, the King can simply try running via …Kd5. But:
2. Qe7+ Bxe7 or … Ne5, 3. Qxe5 supported by his own Knight is mate
3. Rd4 mate I believe.
– Craigaroo
1. Qh4+ Ng4
1. … f4 2. Qxf4#
2. Qe7+!
2. … Ne5 3. Qxe5#
2. … Bxe7 3. Rd4#
Wah! My STM seems to be good.I recognized the position and also recollected the solution.
1.Qh4+ Ng4
2.Qe7+ Nxe7
(2… Ne5 3.Qxe5#)
3.Rd4#
I can pat my back but my hands are aching.
Just starting out with what first looked likely, to give Q checks from h4 and e1:
1. Qh4+ Ng4 (enf. f4? Qxf4#)
2. Qe1+? Ne3! (Be3? Rd4#)
Clearly, if the queen can “circulate” so can the knight, and here I don’t see a quick mate at all.
The other likeliness was to start with the knight check 1. Ng5 but alas this doesn’t work either.
But now the essential observation just “comes to me” (inspired from the first line I looked at):
If black bishop wasn’t controlling the d4 field, then Rd4 was mate right away!
So we need to deflect that bishop!
Then the solution becomes clear:
1. Qh4+ Ng4 (enf. f4? Qxf4#)
2. Qe7+!! Bxe7 (enf.)
3. Rd4#
Nice.
The blog is incomplete without comment from “pht”. I did not find him for the last two days. I thought he is busy writing “Ph.D” thesis on May 22 ‘attacking chess tactics’ under the able guidance of YANCEY WARD .Any way dear pht, have you tried 6.Qh2 instead of 6.Rhh1 in your …. kg8 variation? By the way Atul desai is very cute.
1)Nd2 !
Dear Prof. S.G Bath:
I didn’t look at the May 22. problem since I entered the last comment on it, since my general conclusion was that Yancey Ward was right that it would be a win for white in all lines.
It just took it’s time to follow all (complicated) lines deep enough to clearly see this!
Now recapitulating:
1. Nxd6 Rxd6
2. Qxe5+ Qf6
3. Qxd6 Qxf3
4. Rxh6+ Kg8 (as I believed to be critical instead of Kg7)
5. Rg1 Qe3 (best practical try I think, with threat Qxg1+)
6. Qh2
Your suggestion on this move.
I would expect this to go:
6. … Kf8! (no more pin on Bg5)
7. Rh8+ (alternative below) Ke7 (there is no knight on f5)
8. Qe6+ Kd7 (there is no rook on d1, it’s om g1)
9. Rd1+ Bd5! (black can just afford a piece sack here and maintain balance)
10. Rxd5+ Kc6
Or:
10. Qxd5+ Kc7
and this becomes slightly unclear to me.
Above I tried to replace 7. Rh8+ with 7. Qd6+.
In that case black will not play Be7?? but instead play Kg8, inviting to draw by repetition…
My point with saying
6. Rhh1
was that:
– By maintaining Q on d6 i prevent Kf8
– I thereby maintain the pin on Bg6
– Therefore black must constantly guard Rxg6#
– And f6 can be met with Qxf6
– Black therefore seems out of defense moves, and this looks pretty clear
All those points seem to miss if I play 6. Qh2 instead…
I may of course have missed some stronger white move in this line, I certainly have a habit of missing something…
To be sure about anything here I would need computer assistance, but the complexity of this game some moves ago passed what I could cope with in a practical game, so I just try to get it out of my head….
To Prof S.G.Bath:
Clearly, your suggestion 6. Qh2 for the “famous” May 22 problem should win.
The threat is now mate in 2 moves:
7. Rh8+ Kg7
8. Qf6# (funny mate given there is a black bishop on g5)
6. Qh2 Kf8 (removing pin of Bg5)
7. Rh8+ Ke7
8. Rxc8
The best since I don’t find an enforced mate in this line. It’s up with 2 rooks for 2 bishops and a pawn. Given the ongoing strong attack this should be over quite soon.
Alternative:
6. … f6
7. Rh8+ Kf7
8. Rxc8
With the same result.
Still I doubt that 6. Qh2 was the fastest way to a win. There should be a mate in few moves somewhere I think.