Black to move. How should black proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
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Black to move. How should black proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
1. … Ng5
2. Qc8 or Qe8 Qxd5+
3. Kg1 Nh3#
3. Bf3 Nxf3
4. Qc3+ Ne5
3. Rf3 Nxf3, threatening
4. … Qg1#
1 … Ng5
A) 2 Qd6 Qe4+
A1) 2 Kg1 Nh3#
A2) 2 Bf3 N:f3 wins
B) 2 Qe8 Q:d5+
and similarly to (A)
Definitely harder than the previous puzzle. Took me a few minutes to convince my self there wasn’t anything in trying 1. …Nf2, but after 2.Kg2, I don’t see anything better than returning the knight to e4. It was then that I really paid attention to the weak d5 pawn along with the threat of Qe4+, and the rest was straightforward:
1. …..Ng5!
2. Qd6
I don’t really see anything better. If the white queen doesn’t maintain the protecion on d5, black will just capture the pawn with check anyway, and the line isn’t much different than what follows
2. …..Qe4
3. Bf3
Of course, Kg1 is mate after Nh3, and Rf3 is no better. Continuing:
3. …..Nf3 wins piece, and there might even be a forced mate in here somewhere.
1… Ng5!!
if
a) 2. Qd6 Qe4+
a) (i) 3. Kg1 Nh3++
a) (ii)3. Bf3 Nxf3 (winning a piece)
b) 2. Qe8 Qxd5+ and the same follows
1. – , Ng5 2. Qd6, Qe4+ 3. Bf3, Nxf3 4. Qf4, Nd2+ 5. Qxe4, Nxe4 and black wins.
If 2. Qe8 then 2. – , Qxd5+ 3. Bf3, Nxf3 4. Kg2 (4. Rf2 loses after 4. – , Nh3+ 5. Rg2, Qe1+ 6. Rg1, Qxg1#) 4. – , Nd2+ and thank you and goodbye for white.
Black plays 1. … Ng5. Then White can’t hold both e4 and d5, and so loses major material to the Q+N mating attack.
Omission:
2. Qd6 Qe4+
1- … ; Ng6 seems to work, as it chases the white queen away from her coverage of the h1-a8 diagonal.
2- Qd6 ; Qe4+
(2- Qe8, or Qc8; Qxd5+ with a similar conclusion)
(2- Rd1 ; Nxe6. 2- Rxd4; Nxd4)
3- Bf3; Nxf3 0-1
(3- Kg1; Nh3#)
1. Ng5 Qe8
(Any other move away from e-file and white can do Qe4+ & Nh3+ mate)
2. Qxd5+ Bf3
(Kg1 is met by Nh3+ mate)
3. Nxf3 Rxf3
4. Qxf3+ 1-0
Ng5
1. Qe3!
is a double threat, Qxe2 or Nxg3+ hxg3 Qxe6.
To save his queen, white must move king or queen, and he has no move like Qa2 to protect his bishop, so bishop must be lost.
I see no white move here to improve on this.
Qe3!