White to move. How should White proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
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White to move. How should White proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
1.Rf7! (e.g. 1…Qxg5 2.Rg1 Qh4 3.Rxh7† etc. Or 1…Be7 2.Qh6 +-)
A very nice puzzle.
My very first thought was Qf6 followed by g6, but black does have a defense:
1. Qf6 Kg8
2. g6 Qh6! (Rf8? 3.Qd6 Qh6 4.Rf8)
3. gh7 Kh7! (Qh7?? 4.Rg1+-)
4. Qf7 Kh8! (Qg7?? 5.Qh5 Qh6 6.Rf7)
5. Rf5 Rf8 and black should be better- at least he isn’t losing.
I followed the wrong path at move 2:
1. Qf6 Kg8
2. Qe6! Kh8 (Kg7 3.Rf7 Kg8 4.Rb7+)
3. Rf7 Qg5
Here, black can’t defend f6 with Be7 since white plays 4.Qh6 with an unstoppable mate coming at h7. Continuing:
4. Ne4!
The hard move to see in a blind calculation. Continuing:
4. …..Qg6
Here, black can’t defend either with Qh4 since white just checks from f6 anyway:
5. Qf6 Qf6 (Kg8 6.Rg1+-)
6. Nf6! Rd7 (else 7.Rh7#)
7. Rd7 Be7
8. Nd5 and white should win with ease from here.
Rf7..
Took me a while to find it, after analysing and discarding Queen checks first.
1.Rf7 Qxg5 2.Nxe4 Qg6 3.Qf6+ Qxf6 4.Nxf6 Rd7 5.Rxd7 Be7 6.Nd5 Bg5 7.Rxb7 Nd8 8.Rd7 Ne6 9.Rg1 h6 10.Nc3 Rc8
1Rf7 Qxp 2Rg1 wins
It’s a huge strength for white that black has no check anywhere, but how can white come into attack?
First, forget about the unprotected Nd2. But the unprotected g5 seems to be of greater importance.
1. g6!
Deflecting the h pawn looks like a good idea. Now threats Qf6+ Kg8 Qf7+ Kh8 Qxh7#, black must do something about it.
A:
1. … hxg6
2. Qf6+ Kg8
3. Qxg6+ Kh8
4. Rf7!
with mates both on g7 and h7.
B:
1. … Be7
2. Rf7!
Threats Rxh7#
2. … hxg6
3. Qxg6
with mates both on g7 and h7.
C:
1. … Rf8
certainly looks like blacks best defence, but:
2. Rf7!!
Surprise! Again threats Rxh7#
2. … Rxf7 (hxg6? Qf6+ Hg8/Kh7 Qg7#)
3. Qxf7 hxg6
And here I become slightly unshure, but now I hope that
4. Rg1
works.
4. … Rg8
5. Rg3
and black must give queen.
I have a certain feeling I may have overlooked something even better…
Rf7 – Dxg5
Rg1
Qf6+,Kg8
g6,
Black can respond with Qh6 or Rf1 headed for a loss.
I think that 1.Rf7 does the trick. White threatens Qf6+ and Qg7#. What can Black do?
1. … Be7 prevents Qf6+
2. Qf5! and nothing stops mate on h7
1. … Bf8 prevents 3.Qg7#, but
2. Qf6+ Kg8
3. g6 Qh6 (hxg6 4.Qxg6+ and Qh7#)
4. gxh7+ Qxh7
5. Rxh7 Kxh7
6. Rg1 game over
1. … Qxg5
2. Rg1 Qh4
2. … Re8
3. Rxh7+ Kxh7
4. Qf7+ Kh6
5. Rxg5 Kxg5
6. Nxe4+ and mate soon
3. Rxh7+ Kxh7 (Qxh7 4.Qf6+ and Qg7#)
4. Qg6+ Kh8
5. Qg7#