White to move. How should White proceed?
5r2/2pR1Nk1/5p2/p1n2Pp1/1pP3P1/1Pb1PB2/1r6/2K4R w – – 0 1
A classic Stamma chess tactic
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Classic chess tactic
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NH8
1 Kxg5+ Rf7! 2 Ne6+! Nxe6 3 fe and
W. wins
Olimat
My answer was wrong.
Correct is 1 Rh7+ Kxh7 2 Nxg5 +
with two variants:
2..Kh6 3 Rh7+ Kxg5 4 Rh5X
2.. Kh8 3 Rh7+ Kg8 4Bc4+ Rf7
5 Bxf7+ Kf8 6Ne6+ Nxe6 7fe Ke7
8 Bg8+ Ke8 9 e7 wins
Material is even but Black is attacking the White Rd7 and pawn b3. Both Kings are under attack – for example, if the Rd7 leaves the d-file then Black has mate in two by 1. … Nd3+ 2. Kd1 Rd2#.
There’s no way to save the pawn on b3. Can White press his attack on the Black king home?
The attack on the Rd7 eliminates any discovered checks by the Nf7. What about 1. Rh7+, though, setting up a double check?
1. Rh7+ Kxh7 (1. … Kg8 2. Rh8#)
2. Nxg5+
Black has three possible responses:
(a) 2. … Kh6 succumbs quickly:
3. Rh7+ Kxg5
4. Rh5#
(b) 2. … Kg8
3. Bd5+ (3. … Kh8 4. Rh7#)
… and White’s attack is fizzling out.
(c) 2. … Kh8
3. Rh7+ (seems necessary) Kg8
4. Bd5+ and now White’s attack is fizzling out again.
Hm; White needs something better for a Rook.
Are the discovered attacks really ruled out? Let’s try 1. Nxg5+
1. Nxg5+ Nxd7 (for 1. … Kg8 see below)
2. Rh7+ Kg8
3. Bd5+ Rf7
4. Bxf7+ Kf8
5. Rh8+ Ke7 (5. … Kg7 Rg8#)
6. Re8+ (just look at that Rook nipping at the heels of the Black King) Kd6
7. Re6+ Kc5
8. Ne4#
If
1. … Kg8
2. Bd5+ Rf7
3. Bxf7+ Kg7 (3. … Kf8 is one move shorter)
4. Rh7+ Kf8
5. Rh8+ Kg7
6. Rg8#
White wins by:
1.Nxg5+ Nxd7
2.Rh7+ Kg8
3.Bd5 mate
Looks like forced to me. Or, what’s wrong with this line?:
1.Nxg5+ Nxd7 2. Rh7+ Kg8 3.Bd5+ Rf7 4. Bxf7+ Kf8 5. Rh8 Ke7 6. Re8#
ng5+
han
Well, a simple discovered check is not going to be a good start since the rook at d7 is under attack. My first thought is to set up a double check by sacrificing the rook at h1 by playing him to h7. Let’s see where that gets us:
1. Rh7 Kh7
2. Ng5
And black has three squares for the king h8, h6, and g8. Taking them in order:
2. …..Kh8
3. Rh7 Kg8
4. Bd5 Rf7 (Ne6 is no different)
5. Bf7 Kf8
And, here, I spent a lot of time trying to make 6.Rh8 work, but the black king escapes through d6 or d7 to the queen side where I could find nothing more than draws of repetition for white (and a few ways to lose). For example:
6. Rh8 Ke7
7. Re8 Kd7
8. Ne4
Everything else seems to lose to me. Continuing:
8. …..Nd3 (Nb3 draw too, I think)
9. Kd1 Rh2
10.Re6 Nb2 (anything else better?)
11.Kc1 Nd3= at the very least, but maybe I am overlooking the win for black here, but the point is that white has nothing like a win after 6.Rh8+. At move six, the only other plausible alternative seemed to be:
6. Ne6 Ne6 (only move)
7. fe6 and the e6 pawn is a thorn for black. The only move that doesn’t immediately lose is
7. ….Re2 (get behind the pawn)
8. Bg6 Re3 (Re1 9.Kc2 Re2 10.Kd3)
9. Rf7 Ke8 (Kg8 10.e7 with 11.Rf8)
10.Rc7 Kf8 (Kd8 11.Rd7 Kc8 12.Bf5)
11.Rf7 Ke8
12.c5 Re6 (forced, I think)
13.c6 Be5 (Rc6 14.Rc7+)
14.c7! and the pawn can’t be taken due to the threat of the recapture with discovered check:
14. ….Rc6 (Bc7 15.Rc7 wins)
15.Kd2 Rc5 (what else?)
16.Bh5 Rd5 (again, what else?)
17.Ke3 and black must either give up the bishop now with Bc7, or
17. ….Rc5
18.Rh7 Kf8
19.c8(Q)Rc8
20.Rh8 Ke7 and the point of white’s 16.Bh5 is that black could bailout to a bishop vs. rook endgame if white hastily played
16.Rh7. Due to the length, I will continue in my next comment.
1.Nxg5+ Nxd7 2.Rh7+ Kg8 3.Bd5+ Rf7 4.Bxf7+ Kf8 5.Rh8+ Ke7 6.Re8+ Kd6 7.Re6+ Kc5 8.Ne4#
LOL, as I was beginning to suspect, I am probably not picking the optimal line from the start (the anonymous commenter at 10:18 has already posted the same beginning I am now in the process of analyzing. In any case, I will continue with the other two variants.
In my previous comment, I had started the analysis of the following plan:
1. Rh7 Kh7
2. Ng5
And black has three squares for the king h8, h6, and g8. I had analyzed 2. …Kh8, and shown, I hope, that white has a win, though it is a long line and easy to screw up (why I was beginning to question my plan in the first place). The other two variant follow:
2. ….Kh6??
3. Rh7 Kg5
4. Rh5# Simple enough.
And, finally:
2. ….Kg8
3. Bd5 Rf7 (forced)
4. Bf7 Kf8 (forced)
5. Ne6 Ne6
6. fe6 Re2
7. Rd8 Ke7
8. Rc8 c5 (best move IMO, below)
9. Rc7 Kf8
10.Bg6 Re3
11.Rf7 Ke8
12.Rc7 Kf8 and white doesn’t have time to take at c5 to create the second passed pawn since e6 is under attack, and if he protects with Bf5, the e8 square is now open to the black king, black can threaten counterplay with a4, or even protect c5 with Re5. I don’t really know who has the edge here, but I see nothing at all that is clear cut for white’s advantage, which is enough to convince me of the unsuitability of my initial plan. Back to the drawing board.
With the failure of 1.Rh7 to provide anything approaching a decisive edge for white, I started looking at other possibilities. I decided to look at the most unobvious move of all since these sorts of puzzle often are solved by just such out-of-the-box solutions, and guess what I found? Yep, Susan fooled me once again.
1. Ng5!! Nd7 (other moves below)
2. Rh7 Kg8
3. Bd5 Rf7
4. Bf7 Kf8
5. Rh8 Ke7
6. Re8 Kd6
7. Re6 Kc5
8. Ne4#
The difference in this line vs the attempted mating line in my very first comment is two-fold- the black knight no longer guards e4 or e6 here (the result of the capture of d7- the point I missed right from the start), and the knight blocks the d7 square forcing the king to the fifth rank where he can be trapped against the c4 pawn. At his first move, black is mated even quicker if he doesn’t take at d7, however:
1. Ng5 Rf7
2. Rh7! Kf8 (Kg8 3.Rd8 Rf8 4.Bd5)
3. Rhf7 Ke8 (Kg8 4.Rd8#)
4. Rfe7 Kf8
5. Nh7 Kg8
6. Re8#
Or
1. Ng5 Kg8
2. Bd5 Ne6 (Rf7 is shorter mate)
3. Be6 Rf7
4. Rd8 Kg7
5. Rh7#
Damned knights alwasy screw me up.
What a beauty Nxg5+…# !
1. Nxg5+ Nxd7 (1…Kg8 2. Bd5+ Rf7 3. Bxf7+ Kf8 4. Rh8#) 2. Rh7+ Kg8 3. Bd5+ Rf7 4. Bxf7+ Kf8 5. Rh8+ Ke7 6. Re8+ Kd6 7. Re6+ Kc5 8. Ne4#.
Nxg5+ followed by Bd5+ should win it for white
Reply to the above anonymous:
In your second variation
2.. Kh8 3 Rh7+ Kg8 4Bc4+ Rf7
5 Bxf7+ Kf8 6Ne6+ Nxe6 7fe
What if Black plays 7…Re2 ?
I like Nxg5+ Nxd7 Rh7+ Kg8 (only move) Bc4+ Rf7 Bxf7 Kf8 Rh8+ Ke7 Re8+ Kd6 and the king runs away 🙂
One skipped line in Yancey’s final solution (11:47:00 AM). In the first line black can also play,
5. … Kg7
6. Rg8+ Kh6
7. Rg6#