White to move. How should white proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
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Monday chess tactic
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White to move. How should white proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
Try …
Bxf6+ Nxf6 (otherwise mate at g8)
Qh6+ Rh7 (mate at g8 threat)
Qxf6+ Qxf6
Rxg8 mate
1. Bxf6+ K:f6
2. Qh6+ Rh7
3. Qxf6+ Qxf6
4. Rxg8X
1. Bf6 Nf6 (Qf6 2.Rg8#)
2. Qh6 Rh7 (Nh7 3.Rg8#)
3. Qf6 wins.
1. Bxf6+ (a) Qxf6 or Rxf6
2. RxR#
1. … (b) Nxf6
2. Qh6+ Rh7
3. Qxf6+ Rg7 (Qxf6, RxR#)
4. Qxe7 Rxg2 (Rxe7, RxR#)
5. Rxg2 Rxg2
6. Qxc5
(For B and 2 R, White has Q, 2R, N)
1. … (c) Rg7
2. Bxe7
Mark
1. Bxf6+
Clearance for the White queen.
1. .. Nxf6 2. Qh6+ Rh7 3. Qxf6+
One could stop here, but a couple of mates arising from this position are interesting.
3. .. Rgg7 4. Qxe7 Rxg2 5. Qf8+ Rg8 6. Rxg8#
Or:
3. .. Qg7 4. Rxg7 Rhxg7 5. Rg6 followed by Rh6#.
Lucymarie Ruth, with gratitude to Grind-master Lenya Gristmilli, who helped with this one.
1. Bxf6+ Nxf6
2. Qh6+ Rh7
3. Qxf6+!
1-0
1. Bxf6+ Nxf6 (otherwise Rxg8#)
2. Qh6+ Rh7 (otherwise Rxg8#)
3. Qxf6+ Qg7 (Rg8g7 Qxe7 or Rh7g7 Qh6+ Rh7 Rxg8#)
4. Rxf7
I don’t see an immediate mate at this point. There probably is one, and I just haven’t looked hard enough… but White has an overwhelming material advantage so I’ll stop here.
After
1. Bxf6+ Nxf6
( 1. … Rxf6/Qxf6 2. Rxg8# )
( 1. … R8g7/Rfg7 see below )
square g8 seems sufficiently protected, but…
2. Qh6+ Rh7
2. … Nh7 3.Rxg8#
3. Qxf6+ Rhg7 The queen is untouchable:
3. … Qxf6 Rxg8#
3. … R8g7 4.Qxe7 +- because of
4. … Rxe7 5. Rg8# (4. … Rxg2 5.Qf8+ Rg8 6.Qxg8#)
3. … Qg7 4.Rxg7 Rhxg7 (R8xg7 5.Qf8+) 5.h6 +-
4. Qh6+ Rh7
5. Rxg8#
What about 1. … R8g7 or 1. … Rfg7?
2. Bxg7+ Rxg7
3. Rxg7 and if the queen moves to the 8th rank, she is lost after e.g. 3. … Qe8 4.Rg8+ Qxg8 5.Rxg8+ Kxg8 +- White is a queen up.
Bf6 was very easily spotted, but the enforced line to follow was longer than expected.
1. Bxf6+ Nxf6 (Qxf6/Rxf6?? Rxg8#)
2. Qh6+ Rh7 (Nh7?? Rxg8#)
3. Qxf6+!! Rhg7 (Qxf6?? Rxg8#, Rgg7? Qxe7 Rxe7 Rxg8#)
Winning this knight was essential, the material is allready winning.
A rapid mate follows after:
4. Qxe7 Rxe7
5. Rxg8+ Kh7
6. R1g6!
Preparing Ng5#
6. … Ne4 (Ne6 dxe6 is the same, or also Nb3+/Nd3+)
7. Nxe4 fxe4 (or any)
8. Ng5#
Seemingly a somewhat longer line is:
4. … Rxg2
just leaving white up with queen++.
5. Rxg2 Rxg2
6. Ng5 Rxg5
7. hxg5
mating in the next few moves.
Have I missed something here?
1.Bxf6+ Nxf6(To protect his R on g8)2.Qh6+ Rh7 3.Qxf6+!R(8)g7 4.Qxe7 Rxg2 5.Qf8+ Rg8 6.Rxg8#
1.Bxf6+ Rgg7
(1…Nxf6 2.Qh6+ Nh7
(2…Rh7 3.Qxf6+ Qxf6
(3…Qg7 4.Rxg7 Rgxg7 5.Rxg7 Rxg7 6.Qf8+ Rg8 7.Qxc5)
(3…Rhg7 4.Qh6+ Rh7 5.Rxg8#)
4.Rxg8#)
3.Rxg8#)
(1…Rxf6 2.Rxg8#)
(1…Qxf6 2.Rxg8#)
(1…Rfg7 2.Bxg7+ Rxg7)
2.Bxg7+ Rxg7 3.Rxg7 Qxg7 4.Rxg7 Kxg7
Dear Lucymarie,
Abundance ( or should I say overwhelming majority) of an alphabet like “i” as in Gristimilli does not make “grandmaster” “grindmaster” and does not make “all” ” ill”.
Dear prof S.G. Bhat,
As the word implies, a gristmill is a mill for grinding grain. The first known use of the word was in 1602, according to the dictionary.
To “bring grist to the mill” is to acquire something useful.
I find solving chess problems to be useful in preserving my old brain. (Making silly jokes tends to serve the same purpose. [grin]
I’m going to keep grinding these problems out!!
May your chess game and mine ever improve!!!!
Grind-master Lenya Gristmilli
Well, I saw a too long path to the mate:-)
As others have pointed out, it is mate in 6, critical line beeing:
1. Bxf6+ Nxf6
2. Qh6+ Rh7
3. Qxf6+ Rgg7
4. Qxe7 Rxg2
5. Qf8+ Rg8
6. Rxg8#