White to move. How can White stop Black’s strong Queenside attack? What is the best continuation for White?
q2r1rk1/1bp1Rppp/1p6/2nP4/1Q6/p2B1N2/PPP3PP/1K5R w – – 0 1
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Saturday morning chess tactic
Bh7+
B:h7# looks pretty simple….no matter how black replies….the follow up with Qh4 is crushing.
Bxh7+ …
Wins
1. Bxh7+ and then checks with queen and knight will lead to mate(Qh4, Ng5 – if king comes forward to g6 then Qg5+ will drive him back to h7 etc). If black does not take the bishop on the first move then Qh4 will follow anyway, procedure remains the same.
What about a strong king-side attack of his own? 1. Bxh7+. If black takes the bishop then swing the queen over to h4+. Then the knight goes to g6 and it’s all over. If the king goes to h8 then still swing the queen over and the discovered check on the next move should finish it off.
What did I miss?
begin with the bishop check/sac at h7
No thinking needed here really, just patter recognition. 1. Bxh7+ just HAS to work. I would play it in a speed game without thinking further.
And as it turns out, a little straightforward analysis shows that it is sound and white mates black.
That’s tricky. The strong attack is white’s, not black’s- there are no immediate threats against the white king for at least two moves :~)
1. Bh7! Kh8 (Kh7 below)
2. Qh4 g5 (else, Bg6 followed by #)
3. Qh6 and mate in 2 is inevitable after the discovered check of Bg6 (in the case of Rfe8 specifically) or Bf5, Be4, Bd3 etc. At move 1, black is still mated as efficiently with
1. Bh7 Kh7
2. Qh4 Kg8 (Kg6 3.Ne5 Kf5 4.Rf1#)
3. Ng5 Rfe8 (else, Qh7#)
4. Qh7 Kf8
5. Rf7#
doesn’t Bxh7+ lead to mate in all variations?
White gets through first:
1. Bxh7+ with Qh4 and Ng5 looming.
Bxh7 KxB
Qh4+ Kg6
Qg5+ Kh7
Qh5+ Kg8
Ng5 and mate next move
If
Bxh7 Kh8
Qh4 followed by Bg6+ and Qh7++
Black’s poorly defended king and white’s pressure on h7 suggest the classic bishop sacrifice.
1.Bxh7+ drawing black’s king out
1…Kxh7
2.Qh4+ Kg6
3.Qg5+ Kh7
4.Qh5+ Kg8
5.Ng5 Re8
6.Qh7+ Kf8
7.Rxf7 mate
alternatively, white can play
2.Ng5+ Kh6
2…Kg8
3.Qh4
3.Qh4+ Kg6
4.Qg4 f5
4…Bc8
5.Ne6+ Kh6
6.Qxg7+ Kh5
7.Nf4+ Kh4
8.g3 mate
or
4…Rg8
5.Nxf7+ with mate
5.Rxg7+ Kxg7
5…Kh6
6.Nf7+ Rxf7
7.Qg5 mate
6.Ne6+ Kf7
6…Kh6
7.Qg7+ with Nf4+ and g3 mate
7.Qg7+ Ke8
8.Nxc7 mate
declining the sacrifice isn’t any better:
1…Kh8
2.Qh4 g6 (g5 offers no resistance)
3.Bg8!
There is no mate after
3.Bxg6 Kg7
4.Qh7+ Kf6
5.Qh4+ Kg7! (not Kxg6)
3…Kg7
3…Kxg8
4.Ng5 Re8
5.Qh7+ Kf8
6.Rxf7 mate
4.Qh7+ Kf6
5.Rxf7+ Rxf7
6.Qxf7 mate
I don’t think I’ve missed anything here.
1. Gh7+! Kh8
2. Hh4 g6
3. Gg6+ Kg7
4. Hh7+ Kf6
5. Wf7+ Wf7
6. Hh7#
I have difficulties seeing that this is so stright forward as people say here.
1. Bxh7+ Kh8 (of course)
2. Qh4 Qa4 (!)
3. Qh3 g6 (of course)
4. Bg8+ (or Bg6+) Kg7 (Kxg8 5.Ng5)
5. Qh7+ Kf6.
How to proceed, how to attack the king on f6?
An interesting alternative was
1. Bxh7 Kh8
2. Bg6 (to avoid black g6).
Now fxg6 looks forced (Ng5 comming), but black instead plays 2.Qa4! This also seems stuck.