White to move. How do you assess this position. Which side would you prefer? (No computer please)
This study by Rinck in 1903 was sent in by Andreas.
6q1/6p1/2k4p/R6B/p7/8/2P3P1/2K5 w – – 0 1
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Difficult tactic review
Ra8 puts black in a world of hurt.lets look at blacks options.
first option
Qh7 Bg6
Qxg6 Ra6
second option
Qe6 Ra6
third option
Qc4 Rc8
fourth option
Qa2 Rxa4
Qxa4 Be8
1Ra8 2Bg6 etc
Ra8!!! If Qa2 then Rxp if Qh7 Bg6!!
Is this really difficult?
I don’t feel a strong need for a computer here.
1. Ra8! Qa2 (1. … Qh7? 2. Bg6! Qxg6 3. Ra6+ or 1. … Qe6/Qd5/Qc4 is also out of question)
2. Rxa4! Qg8 (Qxa4 Be8+)
3. Ra8! Qxa8
4. Bf3+ etc.
Well, objectively slightly better for black was:
1. Ra8! Qxa8 (no reasonable alternative exists)
2. Bf3+ Kc5
3. Bxa8
The bishop easily controlls black pawns, whites two pawns must win.
Wow! This is beautiful but obvious. The essence is a skewer or pin by the white squared bishop or rook on the Queen combined with the King on a White square.
So:
1. Ra8! and now the Q can only move to a2 or to h7 (all others lead to skewer or pin of queen with king (except of course Qb3, is 2. c2*b3).
If 1. … … Qa2 then 2. R*a4, Qg1 3. Ra8 again but this time Qa2 is not available so 3. … Qh7. But now 4.Bg6! Q*g6 and 5. Ra6+ Kc4 6.R*g6 wins overwhelmingly.
Psyche.
Key move is Ra8 and Black has to give the Queen for the Rook.
Rxa4
One question Ms. Polgar, would you look at this tactic and automatically know what to do, or would it take like 20 seconds? I understand that you know chess if not the best in the world. How long would it take you?
I would like to be white. First move Ra8. If Qh7 then Bg6, queen trapped. So only move and safe spot for the black Q is a2. All other diagonal squares lose the Q either by check with R or B or a B-pin. Then with Q at a2, R takes pawn, and the Q has to retreat to g8 for the same reason. Finally again Ra8. Now the Q is lost!
Nice one!
The black queen has not many squares to go to. White should exploit this with 1.Ra8!. If 1…Qa2 then 2. Rxa3 Qg8 3.Ra8 Qh7 4.Bg6 and white wins the queen. If 1…Qh7 then directly 2.Bg6. The best black can do is giving the queen for the rook at the first move, but this leaves white with a winning position as well. Nice position! 🙂
The good move according to me is 1.Ra8..if 1..Qxa8 fails to 2.Bf3+..if 1..Qe6 then 2.Ra6+ wins..if 1..Qc4 then 2.Rc8+..if 1..Qa2 then 2.Rxa4..the queen cannot take the rook bcoz of 3.Be8+…so the queen must go back to g8…and then we again play 3.Ra8…the only move i am unsure is 1..Qh7…if someone can just explain the complications of this move..i tried but the game seems unclear
This one is easy for me:
1. Ra8 Qa8
2. then discovered check
or
1. Ra8 Qh7
2. Bg6 Qg6
3. Ra6 and the queen is lost
See my previous comments:
Other moves would lead to tremendous advantage for white. The most interesting would be:
1. Ra8 Qa2
2. R takes pawn
… if Q take R then Bishop check
great win for white indeed.
1Ra8 seals the fate of black Q.No square is safe for BQ. Various alternaives are
1…. Qxa8 2 Bf3+
1…. Qe6 2Ra6+
1…. Qd5 2 Bf3
1…. Qc4 2 Rc8+
1…. Qa2 2 Rxa4 and not to think of 1…. Qf7 or
1….. Qb3 at all.
1…. Qh7 2 Bg6 Qxg8 3 Ra6+
White, Ra8, Qa2, Rxa4. white wins a pawn…
1. Ra8, Qa2 2. Rxa4, Qg8 3. Ra8, Qh7 4. Bg6 wins
any other move by black loses the queen faster.
I will have to depend on Cortex to tell me if this is another truncated study since this wasn’t difficult at all. Indeed, I could spot this almost instantly:
1. Ra8!
And where do you put the queen? Qxa8 loses instantly to Bf3+ skewering the royalties. Qe6 loses to Ra6+ skewering with the rook. Qd5 is skewered with the bishop again at f3. Qc4 is skewered with the rook from c8, and Qh7 loses to Bg6 followed by Ra6+. And on Qa2, white plays Rxa4 and if Qxa4, Be8 skewers, but we already know there are no safe squares on the a2/g8 diagonal now that a2 is exposed.
This was not difficult. It is an amusing, elementary demonstration of the
use of files and ranks by the rook, and the use of diagonals by the bishop.
I gave as the mainline perhaps the most amusing variation.
1. Ra8 Qa2
(1. .. Qxa8 2. Bf3+)
(1. .. Qh7 2. Bg6 Qxg6 3. Ra6+)
(1. .. Qe6 2. Ra6+)
(1. .. Qd5 2. Bf3)
(1. .. Qc4 2. Rc8+)
2. Rxa4 Qg8 3. Ra8 wins.
This is not a difficult tactics the solution is quite Ra8 and the quuen have only one safe square the a2 but after rxp everything is clear. But it is a good and instructive problem. It’s teaches us the geometry of chess!!! Beautiful!!!