Black to move. How should black proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
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Naiditsch chess tactic
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Black to move. How should black proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
Rd5 forks the bishop and the queen.
greets, jan
Rd5 Qc2 Qxc2 Rxc2 Rd1+ is the winning move
1…Rd5! – it took me ages to see that after 2. Rd4 Ne4!!! wins the house, so White must simply abandon the Bd8 with 2. Qf1
Rd5 definitely suggests itself, but it is black’s second move that is harder to spot:
1. …..Rd5
Skewers the queen and bishop. White can either concede the bishop, or try the only move that can defend both the queen and bishop:
2. Rd4 Ne4!
Threatens Qf2+ winning the rook at d4. If white plays 3.Rd4, black has a mate in 2 more starting with Qf2 and ending with Ng3#. If the white queen goes to e1, f1, or e2 to guard f2, black just takes at d4. White seems to have both f3 and f4 as potential defenses, but I don’t see either one holding:
3. f4 Qh3! (threatens mate, too)
4. Rd3
Here, I don’t think Qd3 is any better due to the various mate threats along with the various queen exchanges leading to lost endings: [4.Qd3 Rd4 5.Qd4 Qg3 6.Kf1 Qf3 7.Ke1 Qh1 8.Ke2 Nc3 9.Kf2 Qh2 10.Kf1 Qe2 11.Kg1 Qf3 and white will have to give up the queen at e2 to prevent the mate.] Continuing:
4. …..Qg3
There are other winning moves here like gf4, but this is direct, and it is forcing:
5. Rg3 Rd1 and white is toast.
All in all, I think white does best to just give up the bishop after black’s first move.
Rd5 leads to a winning positions for every continuation.
…Qxh3
Perhaps someone will find this line interesting. White is toast after Rd5 but tries to defend by exchanging rooks. However, it creates a passed pawn that allows black to exchange queens and still win in relatively short order:
1… Rd5
2. Qc2 Qxh3+
3. Kg1 Rxd8
4. Qe2 a5
5. g4 Rd3
6. Rc8+ Kg7
7. Rc4 Rc3
8. Qd2 Qf3
9. Rxc3 bxc3 {Exchanged rooks. Passed pawn will be difficult to stop.}
10. Qc2 Ne4
11. a3 Qxf2+
12. Qxf2 Nxf2 {Queens exchanged.}
13. Kxf2 c2 {White has now way to stop black’s pawn.}
14. b4 c1=Q {Now mate is easy for black.}
15. bxa5 Qxa3
16. Ke2 Qxa5
17. Kd3 Kf6
18. Ke3 Qc3+
19. Ke2 Ke5
20. Kf2 Kf4
21. Kg2 Qe1
22. Kh2 Kf3
23. Kh3 Qg3#
The actual gameplay between Giri and Naiditsch was:
1… Rd5
2. Rd4 Ne4
3. f3 Qe5 {White
resigns.}
But why should white resign? White can play:
4. Rxd5!
Then, black can only respond with one of:
4… Nxg3+
5. Kg2 {White has a decisive advantage.}
4… Nc3 5. Rxe5 Nxd1 {White has a decisive advantage.}
4… Qxg3
4. fxe4 {white has a decisive advantage.}
None of these is a clear shot to mate for black. Or am I missing something?