White to move. How should White proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
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White to move. How should White proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
well, i suggest 1. Bxe5, Qxe5, 2. Rd8+, Rxd8, 3. Nxa6, that would give white two pieces for a rook, i´m not sure, that´s the best way to play, though. greets, jan
I would think that white wins the exchange after Qc3
hello jan
But what if after 1 Bxe5 Qxc5 ???
1. Bxe5, Qxe5, 2. Rd8+, Rxd8, 3. Nxa6 and two minor pieces for the rook. All other lines worse.
hello anonymous 7:19
well, i guess, after 2. Qxc5, Rxc5, that would leave white even a full piece up, because then there´s no need to sacrifice the rook. jan
PS white´s a piece up in the initial position.
This looks quite subtle. It took me awhile to even hit on the idea of
1. Qc3!!.
The idea is that this defends the Queen and hence threatens to simply move the Knight away, retaining an extra piece. The point is that captures on c5 can now be answered by 2. Bxe5 Qxe5 3. Rd8+, picking off the Queen.
1.Rad1 threats 2.Rd7
1…. Qxc5
2.Qxc5 bxc5 (Rxc5 looses to Rd8+)
3.Ra4! wins a piece
Rad1! Qxc5
Qxc5 bxc5
Rd6
wins the piece back.
1Qc3 threatening Nxa6 or Bxe5(because there’s Rd8+)
if 1…bxc5 2Bxe5 cxd4 3Qxc7 Rxc7
4Bxc7 1-0
if 1…Qxc5 2Bxe5 Qxc3 3bxc3 Rxc3
a piece for a pawn 1-0.
Qc3 wins! threatening — Bxe5
what about 1. Rad1?
the knight on c5 is untouchable.
The first thing you have to note in this position is that white is actually up a piece, but his knight is pinned to the queen and under attack. There is no direct way to unpin him, either. The second thing to note is that black’s knight is also pinned to his queen, but only attacked once by white. So, how do you unravel this position if you are white? The very first thing that comes to my mind is to get the queen protected by either moving her out of the way or protecting her directly. Since just moving her out of the c-file concedes the knight and allows black to unpin his knight with Qc5, I think the right strategy is to combine a queen protection with a second attack upon the e5 knight. This argues for Qc3:
1. Qc3 Qc5 (bc5 see below)
2. Be5! Qc3 (Qe5 3.Rd8 Rd8 4.Qe5)
3. bc3 and white is up a piece for a pawn by my count. At his first move, black does no better with
1. …..bc5
2. Be5! cd4 (Qe5 3.Rd8 wins)
3. Qc7 Rc7
4. Bc7 Rc8
And I think white can play Rc1 safely and foil any attempted counterplay by black
5. Rc1 d3
6. Bf4 Rd8
7. Be3 Rd7
8. b3 and it is only a matter of cleaning up black’s d-pawn to hold a piece and pawn advantage.
I don’t see anything stronger here for white than 1.Qc3, but I didn’t spend that much time looking either. A piece ahead in all variants here is more than sufficient to win.
Qc3 wins.
1. Qc3 and white ends up with an extra piece.
1..Qxc5 2.Bxe5 Qxe5? 3.Rd8 Rxd8 4.Qxe5
1..bxc5 2.Bxe5 cd4 3.Qxc7 Rxc7 4.Bxc7
1..Bb5 2.Bxe5
1..Qe7 2.Bxe5 Rxc5 3.Qa3
This is a very difficult position to play for both sides. For white, his knight on c5 is hanging and rook on d4 is unprotected. It is not clear how white can take advantage of the pin on e5. I simply play the following line, in order to maintain edge and avoid being in a worse position:
1.Rad1 Qxc5
2.Qxc5 bxc5
3.R4d2 Ng6
4.Be3 etc.
How about Rd7 !
What are blacks options.
a) Qxc5 – and after the exchange of the queens, white also wins the black knight by Bxe5.
b) Qc6 – and white wins the knight with Bxe5
c) Qb1 – leads to (2)Nxa6,Rxc2(3)Nxb8,Rxb8(4)Bxe5 with white still up 2 pieces.
So I like Rd7 for white.
Excluding the Knight on c5, material is even. White can protect the Knight on c5 with b4 and if
1…bxc5 then
2.bxc5 and White has an advantage with an extra pawn. If Black tries to retake the pawn with
2…Qxc5 then
3.Rd8+ wins the Queen for a Rook.
A very interesting position.
1. Rad1 fails to 1…Q:c5 Q:c5 bc and the attack on the Rd4 allows black the tempo to move his Knight.
1. B:e5 Q:e5 2. Rd8+ and 3. N:a6 is probably what I would play in real life – it walks away with two pieces for a Rook.
1. Qc3 is a beautiful move. I have been looking at it for a while.
(a) 1…bc 2. B:e5 and the Q must nor recapture, while 2… cd 3. Q:c7 R:c7 4. B:c7 remains a piece up.
(b) 1…Q:c5 2. B:e5 wins a piece since the Q still cannot recapture, and 2…Qb5 fails to 3. Bc7 threatening 4. e5 and 4. Rad1.
(c) Probably best is 1…Q:c5 2. B:e5 Q:c3 3. bc f6, but instead of moving the B, White can play 4. Bh3 fe 5. B:d6+ Kf8 6. B:c8 and now Black has the choice of 6…R:c8 entering an exchange down ending or 6…ed4 7. B:a6 and White is a piece up.
White is a piece up but he is threatened to lose it immediately.
Therefore 1.Qc3! threatens to save the piece
and if 1…Qxc5 or 1….bxc5 then 2.Bxe5 gains again a piece and Black can’t save it because of 3.Rd8+