White to move. How should white proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
EWC Chess Tactic
About Author
White to move. How should white proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
The knight can move.
1. Ne3 (a) fxe3
2. fxe3 … and white has two mate threats,
3. Qf7# and 3. Qh7#
Black can’t stop both.
If instead
1. … (b) Q — anywhere
2. Nf5 and it looks like it will take a few moves for white to win.
The only kind of idea I am able to spot here, is:
1. g4!
Plan is g5, g6 etc., or Ne3, Nf5etc.
Probably many variations, don’t quite look through it.
isuggest 1.Ne3 fxe3 2.fxe3 Bf6 3.Rxf6 gxf6 4.Rg3+ Kf8 5.Qh8+ Ke7 6.Rg7# if 1. …Qd3 2.Nf5! +-
It seems to me that after
1. Ne3 Black lacks a good answer. Let’s see what happens if Black takes:
A
1. … fxe3
2. fxe3 Threat is Qh8# now. I don’t see anything better than
2. … Bf6 followed by
3. Rxf6 gxf6 What else?
4. Rg3+ Kf8
5. Qh8+ Kf7/e7
6. Rg7+ Kf6
7. Qh6+ Qg6
8. Qxg6#
So, if Black shouldn’t take the knight at move one, then the queen must move, but where? Is there anything better than to stay on the b1/h7-diagonal?
B
1. … Qd3/e4
2. Nf5 Virtual protection of d5 because of 2. … Qxd5 3. Nxe7+. Now White threatens Qh7+ followed by Qxg7 and Qxe7#
2. … Bf6/f8
3. Qg6! and mate via 4.Nh6+ Kh8
5.Nf7++ Kg8 6. Rh8# makes
3. … Qxf5
4. Qxf5 inevitable. With the queen against two pieces White should win.
after looking at this for a long time, i am going to come up with this little variation:
1. Ne3 threatening Nf5 and, of course, the queen
… fxe3
2. fxe3 Bf6
3. Rxf6 threatening Qh8#
… gxf6 (Qb1+, 4. Rf1)
4. Rg3+ Kf8
5. Qh8+ Ke7/f7
6. Rg7#
Ne3 looks good. Black cannot take the N because it opens the f file and there are mate threats. If Black does not take the N, Nf5 looks strong.
Ne3
Ne3
This comment has been removed by the author.