White to move. How should white proceed?
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Saturday refresher
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White to move. How should white proceed?
1. Rd7+ Ka6 2. Qb7+
I remember this one. White has a discovered attack/check set up, but the question is how to take advantage of it. White’s own queen is under attack, so it does him/her no good to attack black’s queen with the rook. Blocking h6 rook’s attack on the queen with Rh5 is better, but still likely losing:
1. Rh5? Qf3
2. Rh6 Qh1
3. Rh1 Rh8
And white will struggle mightily to hold this rook ending.
So, what does this leave? It leaves one of my favorite chess maneuvers- the double check, the power of which is that the enemy king must always move, leaving black no time to play Rh1:
1. Rd7! Ka6 (Kb/c8 2.Qb7#)
2. Qb7 Ka5
Or [2. …Kb5 3.c4 Qc4 (or 3. …Ka5 4.Qa7#; or 3. …Kc5 4.Qd5#) 4.bc4 with mate on the next move regardless of what black does]. Continuing:
3. b4 Qb4 (Ka4 4.Qa6#)
Or [3. …Kb5 4.Qd5 Ka6 (or 4. …Ka4 5.Ra7#) 5.b5 Ka5 6.Ra7#]. Continuing:
4. ab4 and mate will follow soon enough.
1. Rd7+ Ka6 2. Qb7+ Kb5 3. c4+ Ka5 4. Qxa7#
Rd7 check looks pretty convincing.
{What a way to start a Saturday morning. This one is intricate. All that
heavy firepower on the board. The double check is nice, even if obvious:
both checking pieces under attack, but of course, with a double check the
king always has to move.}
1. Rd7+ Ka6
2. Qb7+ Ka5
(2. .. Kb5 3. c4+
(3. Qd5+? {I spent some time going down this incorrect path.} Ka6 4. Qd3+ b5)
3. .. Qxc4 {Other moves lead to mate on the move.}
(3. .. Ka5 4. Qxa7#)
(3. ..Kc5 4. Qd5#)
4. bxc4+ Kxc4
(4. .. Ka5 5. Qxa7#)
(4. .. Ka4 5. Qa6#)
(4. .. Kc5 5. Qd5#)
5. Qd5#)
3. b4+ Qxb4+
{How come the queen is the one most often called upon to sacrifice herself for His Royal Highness? And all just to prolong his life for a few moves longer.}
(3. .. Kb5 4. Qd5+ Ka6 (4. .. Ka4 5. Rxa7#) 5. b5+ Ka5 6. Rxa7#)
(3. .. Ka4 4. Qa6#)
4. axb4+ Kxb4
(4. .. Ka4 5. Qa6+ Kxb4 6. Rc7 {Double threat: c3# or Rc4#} Rh2 (6. .. b5 7. c3#) 7. Rc4#)
(4. .. Kb5 5. Qd5+ Ka4
(5. .. Kxb4 6. c3+ Ka4 7. Rxa7#)
(5. .. Ka6 6. b5+ Ka5 7. Rxa7+ Kb4 8. c3#)
6. Rxa7+ Kxb4 7. c3#)
5. c3+ Ka5
(5. .. Ka4 6. Qa6#)
6. Qd5+ Ka6
(6. .. Ka4 7. Rxa7#)
(6. .. b5 7. Qa2+ Kb6 8. Qxa7+ Kc6 9. Qc7#)
7. Qa2+ Kb5
8. Qb3+ Ka5
(8. .. Ka6 9. Qa4#)
(8. .. Kc5 9. Qd5#)
(8. .. Kc6 9. Qd5#)
9. Rxa7#
Lucymarie
Rd7+
R7d+
1 Rd7+ !
Gabriele