Black’s back rank is very weak, therefore logical seems:
1. Ra8! Qb4
Only way to defend rook and avoid mate. Rxa8? Qxa8 mates. d5? Rxb8+ Bxb8 Qf6 mates. Here is still some thinking needed though to find the best continuation for white. Best looking to me is:
Being that early published, have both I and jan got the wrong idea with 1. Ra8? (I somehow missed to put my initials on my first post, therefore “anonymous”).
I still think 1. Ra8 looks winning, a pity if this fine combination wasn’t the best one:-)
Could someone please tell me if there is something really wrong with 1. Ra8? Has white anything else than 1. … Qb4?
Anyhow, now I can clearly see a perhaps even better looking move:
The problem with 1. Qb6 is that it doesn’t threat very much, black has time to move his rook to a safer place along the back rank, so this is just a vaste of tempo.
More natural idea was:
1. Ra8
Threating RxR, black can’t take at a8, and there is binding of black rook, it simply can’t move at all! After this, we may have the lines:
1. … d5? 2. Rxb8 Bxb8 3. Qf6!
1. … Qb4(?) 2. a3! Qxb3 3. Bd5! Qb1 4. Qa7! Bh3+ 5. Kh2 There is now the same double threat against Rb8 and f7 as after 1. Qb7, just more slowly built up, and now black has nothing against it.
Critical is perhaps: 1. … Bh3+ 2. Kxh3 Qf1+ 3. Kg4 f5+ 4. Kg5 Qc1+! (Kf7 is of no help here) 5. e3 Qc8! 6. Qxc8+ Rxc8 7. Rxc8 Bxc8 and white is simply up with bishop and pawn, easy win.
Qb7 1-0
1.Qb7! Rf8 (if 1…Rxb7 2.Ra8+ Rb8 3.Rxb8 mate) 2.Qxf7+! Rxf7 3.Ra8+ Rf8 4.Rxf8 mate.
Kamalakanta
1. Qb7 Rxb7
2. Ra8+ Rb8
3. Rxb8+ Bc8
4. Rxc8#
Ra8
Black’s back rank is very weak, therefore logical seems:
1. Ra8! Qb4
Only way to defend rook and avoid mate. Rxa8? Qxa8 mates. d5? Rxb8+ Bxb8 Qf6 mates.
Here is still some thinking needed though to find the best continuation for white. Best looking to me is:
2. a3! Qxb3 (only move)
3. Bd5 (nice) Qb2/Qb1
4. Qa7!
The double threat against Rb8 and f7 is unguardable.
1. Ra8 d5
2. Rxb8+ Bxb8
3. Qf6 Be5/Qa1 (else, 4. Qg7#)
4. Qd8#
1. … Rxa8
2. Qxa8+ Bb8
3. Qxb8+ Bc8
4. Qxc8#
1. … Rc8
2. Rxc8+ Bxc8
3. Qxc8#
greets, jan
Rxf7 wins
1. Qb7! wins easily
(Mathur)
Qb7 wins (if RxQ, then Ra8+ leads to mate and black can not handle the twin threat of a) QxR mate and b)Qxf7 followed by Qxh7 mate
1.Qb7 Qxf2+
(1…Rxb7 2.Ra8+ Rb8 3.Rxb8+ Bc8 4.Rxc8#)
(1…Re8 2.Qxf7+ Kh8 3.Qxe8#)
(1…d5 2.Qxf7+)
2.Kxf2 Bd4+ 3.Kg2 Bxa7 4.Qxa7 Re8 5.exd3 g5 6.Qd4 Bh3+ 7.Kxh3 Re5 8.Qxd6 Re8 9.Qf6 g4+ 10.Bxg4 Rc8 11.Qg7#
Being that early published, have both I and jan got the wrong idea with 1. Ra8?
(I somehow missed to put my initials on my first post, therefore “anonymous”).
I still think 1. Ra8 looks winning, a pity if this fine combination wasn’t the best one:-)
Could someone please tell me if there is something really wrong with 1. Ra8? Has white anything else than 1. … Qb4?
Anyhow, now I can clearly see a perhaps even better looking move:
1. Qb7! Rf8 (Only protection against both Qxf7 and Qxb8. Rxb7? Ra8+ Ra7 etc.)
2. Ra8 Bg7(!) (Rxa8 Qxa8+ etc.)
3. Rxf8+ Bxf8+
4. Qa8/Qb8 Bh3+(!)
5. Kxh3 (Kh2 Qxf2+) Qf1+
6. Kg4 f5+(!)
7. Kg5 Kf7
8. Qxf8+ Ke6
9. Qe8#
Surprisingly lengthy, but quite secure win…
1. Qb7 Rf8
2. Qxf7+ Rxf7
3. Ra8+ Rf8
4. Rxf8#
Qb7
My 3rd post today.
My “surprisingly lenghty win” could for sure have been shortened down in the line after 1. … Rf8:
1. Qb7 Rf8??
2. Qxf7+! Rxf7 (enforced Q sack)
3. Ra8+ Bc8
4. Rxc8+ Rf8
5. Rxf8#
BUT IT’S NOT QUITE SO EASY:
1. … Bh3+!! (critical)
2. Kxh3 (Kh2 Qxf2+ could lead to a draw) Qf1+
3. Kg4 f5+!!
4. Kg5 Rxb7!!
5. Ra1+? Kf7
How is white going to win this?
I may still suggest 1. Ra8 as a more secure way to get advantage…
So the majority recommends 1. Qb7.
I think this gives only a draw though, since white has a surprising defence resource here:
1. … Bh3+!!
Why has noone looked at that move?
The point being that this leads to eternal check since white king has no escape on g4.
The reason why he has no escape on g4 is that Kg4?? allowes f5+!! followed by Rxb7!! and white is simply down by a queen…
So 1. Qb7 can’t be correct I think.
1. Qb6, rather than Qb7. defending f2. Black cannot take the Queen because of weak back rank.
To Vishny Vardhan Reddy:
The problem with 1. Qb6 is that it doesn’t threat very much, black has time to move his rook to a safer place along the back rank, so this is just a vaste of tempo.
More natural idea was:
1. Ra8
Threating RxR, black can’t take at a8, and there is binding of black rook, it simply can’t move at all!
After this, we may have the lines:
1. … d5?
2. Rxb8 Bxb8
3. Qf6!
1. … Qb4(?)
2. a3! Qxb3
3. Bd5! Qb1
4. Qa7! Bh3+
5. Kh2
There is now the same double threat against Rb8 and f7 as after 1. Qb7, just more slowly built up, and now black has nothing against it.
Critical is perhaps:
1. … Bh3+
2. Kxh3 Qf1+
3. Kg4 f5+
4. Kg5 Qc1+! (Kf7 is of no help here)
5. e3 Qc8!
6. Qxc8+ Rxc8
7. Rxc8 Bxc8
and white is simply up with bishop and pawn, easy win.
Yancey Ward and Lucymarie, and others, where are you?
Has anyone looked up the actual game?
@ pht
If you’re still concerned with what happens after 1) Qb7; Bh3+, have you considered the following line?
2) Kxh3; Qf1+
3) Bg2
Seems to me that it stops all possibilities of perpetual checks, while keeping the mate threats very much alive.
Yes, of course there is Bg2.
Thank you for pointing it out.