Black to move. How should black proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
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Black to move. How should black proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
what’s wrong with fxe5??
jan
Funny puzzle!
The first question here is of cource: What is wrong with fxe5?
Well, fxe5 of course fails to Bh7+ Kxh7 Qxf8, simply looses a quality.
Next question: Is there an improvement to the idea fxe5?
No, since whites bishop threating Bh7+ can’t be taken, it would be something like Bd7 to support the rook, but white has good ways to get rid of the threat fxe5 next, so this is nonsence, just wasting a tempo.
So, the solution has to be a brand new idea.
The only one I have been able to find (I may have missed something) is:
1. … Qxb2
and I can’t see how white will prevent Qxe5 next, giving black an overwhelming pawn majority on the kingside (whites extra pawn on queenside is worthless).
White has a pair of bishops, but not for long I think (will be traded off by the knight after the “pawn-picking”).
2. Bf4?? fxe5
2. Qh5? fxe5+
Hi Susan Polgar,
Well,good puzzle.
To me Black’s initial move “f * e” will do the trick for Black’s win.
Interested to see others approach to this puzzle,if needed I will post the exact sequence,there after.
By
Venky [ India – Chennai ]
White is lost after
1…fxe5!
This was a tough, tough problem!!
Well, the “obvious” fe5 pinning the queen to the white king seems to fail to the simple deflection play of Bh7+:
1. …..fe5
2. Bh7 Kh7
3. Qf8
And, it looks like white is up an exchange, but this is deceiving (it certainly deceived me for a long, long time):
3. …..Ne3!
4. Ke3 Qd4!
5. Ke2 Bd7!!
I now think 5. …b6 also wins, but Bd7 is just more appealing to my personal chess aesthetics. It is sometimes hard for me to spot these sorts of positions where a king is facing down a queen and bishop, and his defenders are completely out of position to aid him. I certainly wrestled with this problem a long time starting late last night and again this morning before actually even noticing this, and was literally on the verge of looking for the actual game online. Continuing:
6. Qf3
Here, the alternatives are no better, though it took me a considerable amount of time to prove it to myself: [6.Qa8 Bb5 7.Kf3 (or 7.Ke1 Qe3 8.Kd1 Be2 9.Ke1 Bg4 10.Kf1 Bh3#) 7. …Qd2! 8.Kg4 (or 8.Rae1 Bc6 9.Re4 (or 9.Kg4 Qg5 10.Kh3 Qh5#) 9. …Be4! 10.Kg4 (or 10.Ke4 Qe2#!) 10. …Qg5 11.Kh3 Qh5#) 8. …Bc6 and there is no defense against Qg5, even 9.Qd8 will be mate soon after black captures at d8]; or [6.Qd6 Bb5 7.Kf3 Bc6 8.Ke2 Qg4! 9.Ke1 (if the king goes to d3 or d2, black can play Qg5 and bring the rook into play at d8, and if the king goes to e3, black plays Qg5 with check followed by Rd8, and material will have to be sacrificed to delay the mate) 9. …Bh1 and black is up a piece now]. Moves like 6.Qf7 are much like the line below and some of the ones above as far as I can see. Continuing:
6. …..Bb5
7. Ke1 Rf8!
A very nice concluding move. I will take white’s potential replies in order, but not in a completely thorough way:
8. Qf8 Qe3 (seen above, too)
9. Kd1 Be2
10.Ke1 Bg4
11.Kf1 Bh3#
Or
8. c3 Qc5
9. Qe4 Kg8
10.Kd1 Bc6
11.Qe1 Rf2
12.Kc1 Bh1
13.Qh1
Down a piece otherwise:
13. ….Qe3 with mate to follow.
Or
8. Rd1 Rf3
9. Rd4 ed4 and black is up a piece.
Again, not an easy problem!
I certainly hope I have not missed something easier right at the start- I certainly still have that feeling.
Does 1…fxe5 not pin and win the queen? I hope so!
This is quite difficult. White is a pawn up and threatens to attack the king on the white squares. On first glance, fxe5 looks tempting because the white queen is pinned to the king, however, Bh7+ followed by Qxf8 seems to resolve this. Nevertheless I´d play this variation, for the following reason:
1. … fxe5
2. Bh7+ Kxh7
3. Qxf8 Nxe3 If White doesn´t take the knight, Black has two pieces for a rook and a strong attack, so:
4. Kxe3
Black could have played Nxe3 in his first move, but then the queen would have taken back, with a good position for White.
4. … Qd4+ It doesn`t matter much where the king goes now.
5. Ke2 Bd7! If now White takes on a8, he is weirdly helpless, his king is in trouble:
6. Qxa8 Bb5+
7. Kf3 Bc6+
7. Ke1 is even worse, since Qe3+ is possible:
7. … Qe3+
8. Kd1 Be2+
9. Ke1 Bf3+
10. Kf1 and mate by Qe2/Qg2
8. Ke2 Qe4+
9. Kd2 Qg2 ant the white king is driven to the queens side and eventually mated.
I`m too tired now to calculate what happens if White declines to take the rook on a8, e.g. plays 6. Qd6, but it seems to me that Black should be able to get his rook to join the attack and win. I´ll leave that to the community.
Good night
Frank
Hi Susan polgar,
Well,Yeah : “f*e” seems not to have the mating grip – lol : But I will post,the set of moves for Black’s win later on – Let me first look at the today’s puzzle.
By
Venky [ India – Chennai ]
Hi Susan Polgar,
Ref: r1b2rk1/pp4p1/4pp1p/2PnP3/1q6/3BBQP1/PPP2K1P/R6R.
Well,to me “f*e” does the trick for the Black to win this puzzle.
To me,simple maneuvering of chess piece yields the result.
If none gives the winning moves by today then I will give in the set of moves for this puzzle tomorrow.
May be you guys prove,I am wrong regarding this chess puzzle – lol : Cool.
By
Venky [ India – Chennai ]
Hi Susan Polgar,
Well,none has the zeal to post, the set of chess moves for this puzzle – Which may either support their opinion or Which may contrast my opinion. [ My opinion is Black wins with the initial move “f*e” ]
Okay – what I am going to do for this puzzle is place few moves,if anybody thinks that they can win the Black,then they can post their moves – lets play it out for fun[ I represent Black piece ]
Moves are
=========
1… f*e
2.Bh7+ K*Bh7
3.Q*Rf8 b6
4.Expecting Whites move ![ Anybody represnting white piece can post the fourth move.
By
Venky [ India – Chennai ]
Hi Susan Polgar,
I am not going to post my moves for this puzzle,unless anyone represent white piece and decide to play it out with me.
Come on guys,I may be wrong in this puzzle – so prove that – just for fun.
By
Venky [ India – Chennai ]