White to move. How should White proceed?
Source: Chesstoday.net
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Corsican chess tactic
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White to move. How should White proceed?
Source: Chesstoday.net
1.Qxg6+ hg
2.Rf8+ and mates
1.b3 Bxb3
2.Rxb3 axb3
3.Qe6+ Qf7
4.Qxf7#
1.b3! (Bxb3 2. Rxb3!)
and the queen comes
deadly via the a2-g8 diagonal.
b3
If white could block the bishop at a2, he could mate starting with Qe6+. So, I would want to look at b3 first:
1. b3 Bb3 (alternatives below)
2. Rb3 Bf2 (alternatives below)
3. Kh1
Kg2 is probably ok too, but I don’t want to have to deal with a knight check from f4 or h4. White is now threatening Qe6 or Qd5 check, and I don’t see a defense. Continuing:
3. ….ab3
4. Qe6 Kh8
5. Nf7 Qf7 (Kg8 6.Nd8 Kh8 7.Qe8+-)
6. Qf7 and the mate at g7 cannot be stopped, only delayed by moves like Ra1+.
At move 3, black has no other moves that defend that I can see:
3. ….Nf4 (guarding e6 and d5)
4. gf4 and nothing has changed from the line above other than that black is now a knight down, too. Or
3. ….Nf8 (guarding e6)
4. Qd5 Kh8
5. Nf7 Kg8 (Qf7 6.Qf7+-)
6. Nd6 Kh8
7. Rb7 Qb7 (Q else, Bg7#)
8. Qb7 and mate must follow. Or
3. ….Qe7
4. Qa8 Nf8
5. Rb8 with mate assured, certainly.
At move 2, above, black can survive neither with
2. ….ab3
3. Qe6 Kh8
4. Nf7 and we have already seen this above is mate. Or, more complicated:
2. ….Rf8
3. Rb7 Rf2 (Qc5 or Qa8 4.Qe6)
4. Ra7
Took me a while to figure out this was the best line for white- I kept seeing 4. …Rc2+ as meaningful for black, but it isn’t due to the back rank mate starting with Ra8+:
4. ….Rf8 (Rc2 5.Kh1 Rc6 6.Ra8+-)
5. Kg2 Rf2 (what else?)
6. Kh3 and black will soon run out of checks.
At move 1, black can do no better with:
1. ….ab3
2. Qe6 Kh8
And, here, I think Rf7 is a shorter mate than Nf7, but I might be missing something, so why vary from what I already know works:
3. Nf7 Qf7 (Kg8 4.Nd8 like above)
4. Qf7 e4 (what else?)
5. Qd5 and the double attack on the rook and the bishop is completely decisive. Or
1. ….Bf2
2. Kh1 and I don’t see how this is really different from the lines above- black either takes at b3 with the pawn or the bishop, in which case white either plays Qe6+ or takes at b3 with the rook respectively and we are into the lines I have already analyzed.
1.b3 looks like a winning move in all lines to me.
Anonymous There is a rook in a8 No mate.
1.b3 Bxb3
2.Rxb3 axb3
3.Qe6+ Kh8
4.Nf7+ Kg8
5.Nd8+ closing the 8 rank to the black rook and it’s over.
The curious thing about this position is that despite black having lots of active pieces he is powerless after b3. There are no moves other than Bxb3 that deal with the immediate threat on the a2-g8 diagonal.
White must stop Black white bishop control so
..b3 2.Bxb3 Rxb3 3.axb Qe6 should win
the Ra8 is guarding the Rf8+ mate
Did you forget the B rook on a8?
Rf8+ Rxf8
1 Qe6 ( Qf7 2 Qf7 Kh8 3 Qg7 mat ) Kh8 2 Nf7 ( Qf7 3Qf7+-)
Kg8 3 Nd8 Kh8 4 Qe8 Nf8 5 Qf8 mat
1.b3 looks like its doing the trick. Then check on the diagonal and everything goes.
Some pretty bad answers there. 2…Rxf8 refutes the first one, 1…Bxe6 for the second.
Anon 11:42, your line had been fine if there wasn’t for the bishop on a2 🙂
BUT, if you play 1.b3 first,black has no way to save the game, since 1.-axb3 blocks the diagonal for the bishop, and 1. Bxb3 is met by Rxb3.
1. Qe6+, Kh8
2. Bg7+, kxg7
3. Rf7+ and white wins black queen !
Erik Fokke
Amsterdam, Netherlands
1. b3
and the Q goes on the great diagonale
maybe:
1.b3 Bxb3
2.Rxb3 Bxf2+
3.Kg2 axb3
4.Qe6+ Kh8
5.Nf7+ Kg8
6. Nd8+ Kh8
7.Qe8+
1.b3!! seems pretty convincing
1 … Bxf2+
2.Kg2 ! Bxb3
3.Rxb3! 1-0
or 1… Bxb3
2.Rxb3!
It’s pretty obvious.
1. h5 e4
(1… Ne7 2. Qf6 Nd5 3. Qf8+ )
2. Qxe4 Ne5
3. Rf7 Qxf7
(or 3… Bxf7 4. Qh7#)
4. Qxa8+ Qf8
5. Qxf8#
To stop the black white bishop
b3 Bxb3 Rxb3 axb Qe6 should win for white
i suppose, the main variation might be
1. b3 Bxb3
2. Rxb3 Bxf2+
3. Kg2 axb3
4. Qe6+ Kh8
5. Nf7+ Kg8
6. Nd8+ Kh8
7. Qe8+ Nf8
8. Qxf8#
but who knows, position is quite complicated, and i’m not mamedyarov. 🙂
greets, jan
1 Qg6+ and Qe6+ simply lose the Queen.
1 h5 e4, 2 Qxe4 Nf8 holds the position, as 3 Rf7 is now met by 3 … Bxf7, and Black’s Knight guards against checkmate on h7.
White would like to play Qe6+, but that’s not possible at the moment, because Black’s Bishop guards the square. White does something about this:
1 b3!
Now White threatens Qe6+
1 Bxb3
Black must keep guard on the e6 square. For example, if 1 … axb3, White wins quickly with 2 Qe6+ Kh8, 3 Rf7, and Black must give up the Queen to fend off mate by a few moves(3…Nf8, 4 Qf6+ and mate next).
Nor is 1 … e4 much better: 2 Qe6+ Kh8, 3 Nf7+ and again Black must give up the Queen, as 3 … Kg8, 4 Nd8+ cuts off the last rank from Black’s Rook and mates quickly.
One other try for Black is 1 … Bxf2+, 2 Kg2! (White doesn’t want to recapture and have the Rook pinned) Bxb3 (else an eventual Qe6+), 3 Rxb3! much as in the main line.
Now there are three basic lines for Black:
—–
LINE ONE:
2 … Bf2+
Not the best, as now the Bishop is removed from its patrol of the long diagonal.
3 Kh1 axb3
White threatens a Queen check on either e6 or d5. Black can’t defend against both squares, e.g. 3 … Qa6, 4 Qd5+.
4 Qe6+ Kh8
5 Nf7+ Qxf7
If 5 … Kg8, 6 Nd8+ and mates soon.
6 Qxf7 wins
—
LINE TWO:
2… Rf8
3 Rb7
3 Qe6+ also works.
3… Rxf2
If 3 … e4, 4 Qd5+ Kh8, 5 Nf7+ Rxf7, 6 Qxf7 wins.
4 Rxa7!
White lets Black have the Queen. The simple 4 Kh1 would also work, albeit slower than the given move.
4… Rc7+
5 Kh1 Rxc6
6 Ra8+
And mates in two more.
—-
LINE THREE
2… axb3
Black gets as much compensation as possible for the Queen.
3 Qe6+ Kh8
4 Nf7+ Qxf7
Black must give up the Queen or be quickly mated by 5 Nd8+.
5 Qxf7 e4
The advantage over 2…Bf2+ as in the first line. Black protects the long diagonal and tries to get the Bishop to g2.
6 Qd5!
Attacking both pieces. Unfortunately, Black can’t protect both.
6 … Ra1+
Black has no good moves.
7 Kg2 Bg7
If 7 … Bf6, 8 Qf7, and Black can’t avoid mate.
8 Bxg7+ Kxg7
9 Qd4+
White picks up the Rook, with an easy win.
b3 blocking the diagonal!
1. b3 seems to do the trick.
1…B:b3 2. R:b3 ab 3. Qe6+ Kh8 4. Nf7+ Q:f7 and wins, or 4…Kg8 5. Nd8+ and the threat of mate on e8 is decisive.
1.b1Q, Bxb1
2.Qe6+ Kh8
3.Nf7+ Kg8
4.Nd8+ Kh8
5.Qe8+ Nf8
6.Qxf8mate
1.b3 Bb3 2.Rb3 ab3 3.Qe6+ Kh8 4.Nf7+ Kg8 5.Nd8+ Kh8 6.Qe8+ Nf8 7.Qf8+mate
1.b3 Bb3 2.Rb3 ab3 3.Qe6+ Kh8 4.Nf7+ Kg8 5.Nd8+ Kh8 6.Qe8+ Nf8 7.Qf8+mate
1.b3 Bb3 2.Rb3 ab3 3.Qe6+ Kh8 4.Nf7+ Kg8 5.Nd8+ Kh8 6.Qe8+ Nf8 7.Qf8+mate