Black to move. How should black proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
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Black to move. How should black proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
Qh4
Well, let’s see (without computer help, believe me , please 😀 )
1. … Qh4
2.Qf3
(2.Qxh4 Ne2+ and black wins)
2. … Nh3+
3.Qxh3 Rxf1+
4.Kxf1 Rd1+
5.Ke2 Re1+
6.Kf3 Qxe4+
7.Kg3 Re3+
8.Rxe3 Qxe3+
move the king, change the queens and black has a pawns advantage in the pawns endgame. This pawns wins the game for black.
… Qh5
if Qxh5, Ne2+ Kh1 Rxh1#
if Qf3 or h3, Nh3+ followed by Rxh1+ .. Rd1+ .. Qe1+ followed by picking up the c3 rook.
if Rg3, Qxg4 and the Ne2+ idea works
Does h5 win here?White goes Qf3 and black plays Nd5 winning the exchange.
Does h5 win here?White goes Qf3 and black plays Nd5 winning the exchange.
Does h5 win here?White goes Qf3 and black plays Nd5 winning the exchange.
Qh4 with the idea QxQ Ne2+
h5 ……
My immediate try here was to deflect the queen:
1. … Qh4!
2. Qxh4?? Ne2+!
3. Kh8 Rxf1#
Of course white isn’t that greedy, so it’s more complicated.
White also doesn’t play
2. Rxf4?? Qe1+!
3. Rf1 Rxf1#
It goes:
2. Qf3 Nh3+!
3. Qxh3
Only option. 3. gxh3 Rxf3 4. Rxf3 Qxe4.
White Q is really deflected on h3.
3. … Rxf1+
4. Kxf1 Rf7+
5. Ke2 (Kg1 Qe1#)
White could here have tried: 5. Qf3 Rxf3 6. gxf3 Qe1+ 7. Kg2 with preliminary protected pieces and sort of funny position.
5. Qxe4+
The horse is regained and White position is clearly better.
Something seemed wrong somewhere in my first solution. An improvement seems:
1. … Qh4!
2. Qf3 Nh3+
3. Qxh3 Rxf1
4. Kxf1 Rd1+!
5. Ke2 Re1+!
I can’t see how white king survives this.
qh4
Trying to conclude my previous line, I found it somewhat obscure.
5. … Re1+
6. Kd2 Qxe4
7. Re3(?) Rxe3
8. Qxe3 Qxg2+
Looks fine for black, but
7. Qh5(!) g6 (to prevent Qe8#)
8. Qf3
Enforces exchanges.
6. Kf3 Qxe4+
7. Kg3
Have I then something better than enforcing exchanges myself with
7. … Re3+
?
It seems this line will come to an endgame where I just have the extra e-pawn as resource. I’m not sure how to win that endgame.
Is there an improvement here somewhere?
..h5
I might actually prefer:
1. .. Qh4
2. Qf3 Nh3+
3. Qxh3 Rxf1
4. Kxf1 Qxe4!
4. … Qxe4 without check didn’t seem the sharpest, but perhaps it is, it’s at least very sound.
The more I look at this position, the better I like it.
1…Qh4 2. Qf3 (the only other option to prevent ….Ne2+ and ….R:f1# is 2. Q:f4, since 2. R:f4 loses immediately to …Qe1+) Nh3+ 3. Q:h3 R:f1+ 4. K:f1 Rf7+ and white has no option but to lose a lot of wood here. For example:
5. Rf3 Q:h3 leaves Black with an exchange and a pawn.
5. Ke2 Q:e4+ wins the house no matter how white chooses to defend
Probably best is 5. Qf3 R:f3 6. gf Q:h2, but black should have no trouble winning from here; the primary threat is simply to push the h-pawn.
Qh4. If queen moves more or less anywhere then Ne2 ch will mate. If White defends queen then black exchanges and continues Ne2 ch to win a rook at least
I had the right idea from the start, but the wrong method- my first thought was to drive the queen away from guarding e2 which prevents Ne2+, so h5 suggested itself, and I spent more time than I would like to admit trying to make it work. I think black clearly stands better in that line, but it isn’t a knockout. It took me a long time to realize black has a better way to drive the queen away:
1. …..Qh4!
2. Qf3
White can’t take the queen since Ne2+ leads to mate on the back rank. White can protect the queen with 2.h3, but black will just exchange queens and still play Ne2 to win the rook at f1. The rest is straightforward Continuing:
2. …..Nh3
3. Qh3 Rf1
4. Kf1 Rf7
5. Rf3 Qh3 wins a rook.
At move 5, white can’t improve with Ke2:
5. Ke2 Qe4
6. Qe3
It is this or get mated eventually: [6.Re3 Qc2 7.Ke1 Qc1 8.Ke2 Qf1 9.Kd2 Rf2 10.Kc3 Qc1 with Qc2# to follow]; or [6.Kd2 Rf2 7.Kd1 Qe2 8.Kc1 Qe1#]; or [6.Kd1 Rf1 7.Rf2 etc.]. Continuing:
6. …..Qg2
7. Kd1 Rf1 wins the queen for a rook.
Qh4
1. … Qh4 2. Qf3 (2. Qxh4 Ne2+ 3. Kh1 Rxf1#) 2. .. Nh3
It’s all rather obvious up to this point. But now we get lots of variations, which I could not see as much of as I would have liked before moving the pieces around.
3. gxh3 Rxf3 4. Rcxf3 Rd8 (probably best play for both sides, but Black is winning)
3. Qxh3 Rxf1+ 4. Kxf1 Rf7+ (much better than 4. .. Rd1+) and now:
5. Rf3 Qxh3 6. gxh3 (6. Rxf7 Qd3+ 7. Kg1 Kxf7) 6. .. Rxf3+ 7. Kg2 Rxa3
5. Ke2 Qxe4+
6. Re3 Qc2+ 7. Ke1 Qc1+ 8. Ke2 Qf1+ 9. Kd2 Rf2+ 10. Kc3 Qc1+ 11. Kb3 (11. Kd3 Qc2#) 11. .. Qc2#)
6. Qe3 Qxg2+ 7. Kd1 Rf1+ 8. Qe1 Rxe1+ 9. Kxe1
6. Kd2 Rf2+ 7. Kd1 (7. Kc1 Qe1#) 7. .. Qe2+ 8. Kc1 Qe1#
6. Kd1 Rf1+ Kd1 Rf2+ (as before)
5. Qf3 Qxe4
5. Kg1 Qe1#
I need rectify my analyses. I didn’t choose the best line (4. …Rd1+). Look to the position again I can see that 4. …Rf7+ is better (a advantange much better to black than 4. …Rd1+). Let’s see
4. …Rf7+
5.Ke2 Qxe4+
6.Qe3 (Re2 Qc2+; 7.Ke1 Qf2+ 8.Kd1 Rd7+ 9.Rd3 Qf1+ 10.Kc2 Qe2+ and black wins)
… Qg2+ and black wins.