Black to move. How should black proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
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Black to move. How should black proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
Why not just 1. … e3, overloading the Q?
e3
Black should win with
1…..e3
All logical continuations for White loses
2. Qxe3 Bxb2
or
2. fxe3 Bxb2 3. Qxb2 Qxg3
or
2. Qe2 exf2+
1…e3 2.fxe3
(2.Qxe3 Bxb2)
(2.Qe2 exf2+ 3.Qxf2
(3.Kxf2 Bxb2 4.Qxb2 Qf4+ 5.Kg1 Qxg3)
3…Bxb2 4.Qxb2 Qxg3)
2…Qxg3 3.Bxg7 Kxg7 4.Rc2
White has waited too long to trade off his dark-squared bishop. Now Bb2 is weak due to weaknesses of the Q fields c2/d2/e2.
I didn’t see this immediately, but I saw the strong looking:
1. e3!
If white takes with pawn he looses knight, if he takes with queen he looses bishop.
1. … Qc2
Enforced because of Qe2? Bb5! and Q must leave protection of bishop.
Here I spent some time thinking, before finding there is an actual enforcement of allready mentioned idea:
2. Bd7! Qe2
3. Bb5! Qxe3 (no more room for Q in 2nd rank)
4. Bxb2
is nicely up with bishop.
e4-e3
1. … e3
2. Qc2 Bd7
3. Qb3 exf2+
4. Kxf2 Qf4+
5. Qf3 Qxf3+
6. Kxf3 Bxb2
black wins a piece.
5. Kany Bxb2
6. Qxb2 Qxg3
black also wins a piece.
4. other Bxb2
5. Qxb2 Qxg3
black also wins a piece.
3. Qe2/d3 Bb5
4. Qxe3 Bxb2
black also wins a piece.
3. Qb1 exf2+
4. Kxf2 Qf4+ (4. other, Qxg3)
5. Kany Qxg3
black wins a piece.
3. Qd1 Bxb2
4. Qxd7 Rxc1+ (4. Rxc8+, Qxc8)
black wins a piece again.
2. Qe2 Bb5
3. Rxc8+ Qxc8
4. Qxe3 Bxb2
2. Qxe3 Bxb2
2. fxe3 Qxg3
black wins a piece in all lines.
that was fun. greets, jan
1…e3-+
1…e3 2.QE2 (If Qxp, BxB Losses. If pxp, QxN Losses for white) 2…Bb5 (Now White must loose the Bishop on b2)-+
Looking at the line proposed by Vishnu, it looks better for white than for black. 3. Qg4 turns things around for white:
1… e3
2. Qe2 Bb5
3. Qg4 {Things start to look bad for black now.}
Then, if
3… Bxb2
4. Rxc8+ {Black now is doomed.}
One way it could play out is:
4… Kg7
5. Rxb8 Bd7
6. Qxd7 e2
7. Nxe2 Be5
8. Rb7 Kh6
9. Qxf7 Bd6
10. Rxb6 Bh2+
11. Kxh2 a5
12. Qf4+ Kg7
13. Rb7+ Kg8
14. Qf7+ Kh8
15. Rb8# {White checkmates black!}
Alternatively,
4… Qxc8
5. Qxc8+ Kg7
6. fxe3 {The end is nigh for Black!}
4… Be8 {Only introduces a slight delay.}
5. Rxb8 Kf8
6. Qe4 exf2+
7. Kxf2 Bd4+
8. Kf3 Be5
9. Qxe5 f6
10. Qxf6+ Kg8
11. Rxe8#
But, if, instead, 3… Rc7 or Rxc1, then black has a slight advantage.
Hello Craig, what if f. e. after
1. … e3
2. Qe2 Bb5
3. Qg4: f5
4. Nxf5 Rxc1+
4. Bxc1 exf2+
5. Kxf2 gxf5
6. Qxf5 Bd4+?
Okay, it looks very complicated, it just seems to me that black must be winning.
greets, jan
Jan, I would agree that 2… f5 followed eventually by … Rxc1+ is a good combination for black. It is an example of the 3… Rxc1 variant that I mentioned above gives black a slight advantage. I think in this case it is more than slight, so you are correct.
1… e3
2. Qe2 Bb5
3. Qg4 f5
4. Nxf5 Rxc1+ {Black has an advantage.}
5. Bxc1 exf2+
6. Kxf2 gxf5
7. Qxf5 Bd4+? {Looking even better for black.}
This line could play out as follows:
8. Be3 Bxe3+
9. Kxe3 Qg3+
10. Qf3 Qe1+
11. Kf4 Qxb4+
12. Kg3 {Black has a decisive advantage.}
But, suppose that, instead of 4. Nxf5, white plays Qd1. This could play out something like:
4. Qd1 exf2+
5. Kxf2 Qf4+
6. Kg1 Rxc1
7. Qxc1 Bd4+
8. Kh2 Qxc1 {Not good for white if this rook and queen exchange takes place this early.}
9. Bxc1 Be5
10. Bd2 Bd3
11. Be1 b5
12. Kg1 Bc4
13. a3 Bd4+
14. Bf2 Bb2
15. Be1 Kf7
16. Bd2 Bxa3 {White clearly in trouble}
What if, instead of 4. Nxf5, white takes the initiative and captures black’s rook:
4. Rxc8+ Qxc8
5. Qf4 Bxb2
6. Qxe3 Qc1+ {Black invites queen exchange.}
7. Qxc1 Bxc1 {White obliges but now cannot defend its queen side pawns.}
8. Nf1 Ba3
9. Ne3 Bxb4 {Looks definitively bad for black.}
White can even things out a little better by playing:
4. Rxc8+ Qxc8
5. Qd1 Bxb2
6. Qb3+ Qc4 {Black invites queen exchange.}
7. Qxb2 f4
8. Ne2 Qxe2 {Black poses a mate threat, so white must exchange queens.}
9. Qxe2 Bxe2 {White is doomed once again.}
If, white declines to exchange queens in the preceding line of play, then black will play Qxf2+ and the end comes rather quickly. For example:
9. Qd4 Qxf2+
10. Kh1 Bf1
11. Qxe3 Qxg2#