Black to move. How does Black proceed to maintain the initiative?
r4rk1/4n1p1/3b1qnp/pp1P1p2/1PB5/P1B2P1Q/4N2P/R4R1K b – – 0 1
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
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I think White is better.
Nf5
Probably 1…Be5 is worth a try? Should net black a pawn unless I have miscalculated some line(s).
Wow, thanks Susan a Black Puzzlle! I dont see too many of theses around, especially in any of the OLD PUBLICATIONS- WHY?
The key points in the position, as I see it, are the black queen under attack and the c3 bishop is guarded by a knight at e2 that is pulling double duty- it protects the bishop and prevents the black knight from reaching f4. So, one might try
1. …..Nf4
2. Bf6 Nh3
3. Be7 Be7
4. d6 bc4
5. de7 Re8
6. f4 and the knight at h3 looks like it is in trouble, but
6. …..g5
7. fg5 Ng5
8. Rfe1 Kf7
9. Nd5 ab4
10.ab4 Ra1
11.Ra1 Ke6 might give black an edge in the endgame.
Nf4
Oops, drunk again.
Nf4 not Nf5
1. Be5 .. Bxe5
2. Qxe5 .. Bxb5/Bd3… but i don’t see anything clear… and i’m looking at this for more than five minutes… i’ll try again later…
The possibilities are:
Nf4, Qg5, Be5, and Qf7.
…Nf4 has been analyzed by Yancee Ward. There are alternative lines in that, but they seem to end up in the Kramnik domain (small end-game advantage).
… Be5 seems to put serious pressure on white. e.g., if
1. … Be5
2. Bxe5 Qxe5
3. Bxb5 Qxd5
4. Nc3 Qb3
threatening the N as well as the b-pawn
White cannot play f4:
1. … Be5
2. f4 Bxc3
3. Qxc3 Qxc3
4. Nxc3 bxc4 winning a piece
and d6+ loses a pawn:
2. … Be5
3. d6+ bxc4
4. dxe7 Nxe7
2. B
oops, for the d6+ line, meant to say
1… Be5 and NOT 2…. Be5. my bad.
i.e.,
1. … Be5
2. d6+ bxc4
3. dxe7 Nxe7
4. Bxe5 Qxe5
and white is a pawn down, with no compensation for it.
Just ideas above 😀