White to move. How should white proceed?
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Monday chess tactic
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White to move. How should white proceed?
Qb4+
1.Ng6+ followed by 2.Qxc7+ with a possible pin on Queen and King. White wins material.
1.Ng6+ followed by 2.Qxc7+ and white wins the black Queen.
Was not obvious but
1.Qb4+ c5
(1…Rd6 leads to quicker death: 2.Qh4^#)
2.dxc6 Kf6
3.Qh4#
A very geometric setup and solution.
1. Qb4+ c5
2. dc6: Kf6
3. Qh4
In other news, Captchas on this site are getting entirely too hard on my eyes.
1. Qb4+ c5
2. bxc5+ Kf6
3. Qh4#
1. … Kf6
2. Qh4#
1. … Rd6
2. Qh4#
Practically, it looks impossible to penetrate black’s defenses through c7. Black’s minor pieces are doing a fantastic job defending all the squares near the king. But, after 5 minutes I noticed that the dark squares around the king are too weak. Hence,
1. d6+! Kxd6
( 1…. for any other move 2. Qh4#)
2. Qd4+ Ke7
3. Qb4+! c5!
4. Qxc5+ Rd6!
5. Qb4! and I feel that white still has dangerous threats.
But this led me to search for something better, and there is this simple
1. Qb4+! and the black king has to surrender straightaway.
Nice.
1.d6 + Kxd6 (otherwise 2.Qh4#)
2.Qd4+ Ke7
3.Ng6+ Kf7
4.Nh8+ Ke7
5.Rg7+
A small but decisive advantage
1.Qb4+ c5
(1…Kf6 2.Qh4#)
(1…Rd6 2.Qh4#)
2.Qxc5+ Kf6
3.Qxc8 Rd6
4.Qc3 exd5
5.Qd4 Nde6
6.Nd7+ Ke7
7.Nxf8 Rxf8
8.Rg7+ Qxg7
9.Qxg7+ Rf7
10.Qxh6 Kd7
Qh4+ Kd6 Qb4+
Two obvious Q checks here, which one to start with?
From d6 there are escape fields, but from f6 not, so therefore:
1. Qb4+ c5 (1. … Rd6? 2. Qh4#)
2. dxc6 e.p.+!
Certainly not 2. Qxc5+?? Rd6!
2. … Kf6
3. Qh4#
Pretty easy, but still a very pretty mate:
1. Qb4 c5 (Rd6 2.Qh4#)
2. dc6 Kf6
3. Qh4#
I had thought long and hard about Qb4+ and would have gotten it right… if only I had considered the “en passant” capture. But for some odd reason, my brain acted as if it had never been acquainted with the concept at all. Oh well, lesson learned… I hope.
Qb4+ c5,dc6+ kf6,Qh4 #