Black to move. How should Black proceed?
Ivanchuk – J. Polgar 2009
8/R3bpk1/1p1q2p1/1Q5p/1P3N1P/P2PrPP1/7K/8 b – – 0 46
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Bxh4?
In this diagram I’m immediately attracted to the idea of
1. … Bxh4!
If white takes back then Qxf4+ leads to mate.
But if white doesn’t take back, Nf4 is still pinned, and black has threats like g4 to kill knight, or Rxf3. Or even Re2+ could be a threat.
1. Bxh4
bxh4
Took way way too long but finally may have found an idea: 1…Qd4 with the idea of checks from the diagonal to the back and 2nd rank, that is starting with 2…Qb2+. So the threat is 2…Qb2+ and of course if the King goes to the back rank, it’s 3…Re1 mate. And if 3. Kh3 Re1 with the threat …Rh1 mate
I haven’t fully worked it out but this seems (at long last) promising – Craigaroo
I don’t remember this puzzle, but have apparently worked on it in October 2009. Looking through my notes, I was enamored of 1. …Bh4, but could really find no advantageous line as long as white didn’t cooperate by taking the bishop. In my notes, I see that other commenters had suggested 1. …Qd4, I think this is clearly superior to my idea, though a commenter whose intials were JC (J. Cheyne probably) seems to have suggested white sacrifice at h5 to blunt black’s attack:
1. …..Qd4
2. Nh5 gh5
3. Qh5 Qd3
4. Qg4 Kf8 (any better?)
5. Ra8 Bd8
and I judged black to be better, but would find this difficult to win. Looking at it again this morning, though, I can’t really see how white can easily defend against Re2 at some point. In other words, I am no longer really sure of 2.Nh5. I need to rework this problem.
I guess my first suggestion Bxh4? must be too indirect.
I find too many good options for white.
Now I like much better a Q move intending Qb2+.
Either Qf6 or Qd4.
I wonder what the difference could be…
Yancey mentions a possible defense to 1… Qd4:
“a commenter whose intials were JC (J. Cheyne probably) seems to have suggested white sacrifice at h5 to blunt black’s attack:
1. …..Qd4
2. Nh5 gh5″
But maybe Black doesn’t recapture on h5 but simply moves the King with Kh6. Black’s Q guards the h8 square from possible invasion via Qf8-Qh8. Also the f-pawn won’t be pinned so a potential …f7-f5 is possible and Black still maintains his threats with …Re2
– Craigaroo
nah,I don’t like my last idea of declining the sac after 1…Qd4, 2.Nh5 Kh6 – one problem is
3. Rxe7 Rxe7
4. Qg5+ forks the Rook
Looks like Black has to try accepting the sac with 2…hxg5
– Craigaroo
The problem with 1. …Bxh4 is that white doesn’t need to take the bishop:
1. …..Bh4
2. Qd5
And now black has choice of moves: she could play Qxd5, Be7, or Re2+; of these, I like the immediate exchange first:
2. …..Qd5
3. Nd5 Rd3
4. Nb6 Bf6
5. f4
And white has a pawn in hand, and connected passers on the queenside. I think black does best here to put the rook on b3, and should hold this, but only white has winning chances.
I think 1. …Qd4 is the move:
1. …..Qd4
2. Ng2 Re2
3. Qc6
Preparing to protect the knight by opening the line by pushing f4:
3. …..Qf2
4. f4 Re3 and white is going to lose.
Back to the Nh5 defense to …Qd4:
1. … Qd4
2. Nh5 gxh5
3. Qxh5 Re2+
4. Kh3 Re1!? the idea is …Rh1+; the Black Q still prevents the King from escaping via g5 and after …Rh1+; Kg2 Qg1 mate. Can’t Black even ignore the capture of the Bishop (?)
5. Rxe7 …. the B was guarding against the Q check at g5
5. …. Rh1+
6 Kg2 Qg1 mate
Variation:
5. Kg2 Qb2+
6. Kh3 Rh1+
7. Kg4 f5+
8. Kf4 Qd4 mate which means at move 8 White has to sac the Q with Qxf5 to stop mate.
– Craigaroo
Bxh4…Qf6