Kalandadze, 1985
White to move and win!
6qk/1r6/8/4R3/2Q5/8/8/K7 w – – 0 0
Level of difficulty: Difficult
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Serious calculation required
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If White can get his Q to f6, no matter which way black interposes the rook can check and pin the queen to the king. Thus 1. Qh4+ and 2. Qf6+ seems to win.
1.Qh4+ Qh7
2.Qf6+? Qg7!
… is only good for a draw.
At a glance, Qd4 looks the only move, covering the key squares from which Black can check, and threatening Rh5 mate.
Hmmm, Susan’s hint about the difficulty makes me doubt my solution but I agree with ano 3:13.
1. Qh4+ wins “easily”.
1. -, Kg7 2. Rg4+ 1:0
1. -, Rh7 2. Qf6+ and now Q/Rg7 3. Re8#/Rh5+ 1:0
Ano 3:27’s move 1. -, Qh7 is answered by Rh5. Now black can only check with his rook but it seems as if the white king could go to the h file to win.
2. -, Ra7+ (Rb1+? 3. Ka2 and over) 3. Kb2 Rb7+ 4. Kc3 or even Kc1 is possible.
[4. Kc1, Rb1+ (another try is Rc7+ leading to the main variation) 5. Kd2, Rb2+ (what else?) 5. Kc3, Rc2+ 6. Kb3]
4. -, Rc7+ 5. Kd4/Kd2 and so on.
What can black do!?
What do I oversee!? THAT was not difficult yet so I mut have a miss in my analysis. 🙁
Greetings
Jochen
1.Qh4+ Qh7
2.Rh5? Ra7+
3.Kb2 Rb7+
4.Kc3 Rc7+
5.Kd4 Rd7+
…draws via perpetual check.
1.Qd4? Qg7!
… draws.
“1.Qh4+ Qh7
2.Rh5? Ra7+
3.Kb2 Rb7+
4.Kc3 Rc7+
5.Kd4 Rd7+”
This perpetual does not hold, for there is for example
5. Kd2 and the white king can flee to the h-file. After 5… Rc2+ there is 6. Kd1 and there are no more checks. White will also be able to avoid skewers after the trade queen for rook, but what about a pin?
Yes, the problem is after White Kh# Qxh5, Qxh5 Rh7 the queen is pinned. When the black rook is checking at d7 the queen at white h4 still cannot take it because it hangs the white rook to the black queen, on the other hand.
1.Qh4+ Qh7
2.Rh5? Ra7+
3.Kb2 Rb7+
4.Kc3 Rc7+
5.Kd3 Rd7+
6.Ke3 Re7+
7.Kf3 Rf7+
8.Kg3 Rg7+
9.Kh3
… either 9…Qxh5 or 9…Rd7 is good enough for a draw.
… which is a pedantic way of saying what you just said, anon 5:21. Sorry for the poor comprehension.
What we’re both saying is that 2.Rh5? doesn’t win.
1. Qh4 is the only move that wins.
1. … Qh7 is the best defense.
2. Qd8 is the only continuation and so on…
1. Qh4 Qh7
2. Qd8 Kg7
3. Rg5 Kf7
4. Qd5 Kf8
5. Qc5 Re7
6. Rf5 Qxf5
7. Qxf5 Rf7
8. Qd5 Ke8
9. Kb2 (the king must of course help…
and so on…
Gegga
Yes, I can’t see any way to configure the king so the end result would be a win.
To me, more promising looks:
1. Rh5+ Rh7
2. Qd4+ Qg7
3. Re5
threatening Re8#,
where as far as I can see black cannot move king or queen and white can escape rook checks, but I cannot calculate the details yet.
No that last was just silly, of course just 3. Qb7+, I must take a pause with this….
1. Rh5+ Rh7
2. Qc3+ Qg7
3. Re5
threatening Re8#
Could be a try…
1.Rh5+ Rh7
2.Qc3+ Qg7
3.Re5
… doesn’t really lead anywhere. Any rook move (but not to h5 or h3) suffices to draw.
It’s a practical chance, though. Against a patzer like me, who might move his king or queen, you’d win 😉
1. Qh4+ Qh7
2. Qf6+ Qg7
3. Rh6+ Kg8
4. Rg5 wins the queen
1. Qh4+ Rh7
2. Qf6+ Qg7
3. Re8#
or 2… Rg7 3. Rh5+ and the queen is again lost.
1…. Qg7
2. Rg5+ also wins the queen.
I stand my my original comment. Lots of other ideas have been thrown out, but no one seems to have refuted either my comment or Jochen’s extension analysis. Of course all this assumes you know how to win Q vs R.
Anon 3:13
1.Qh4+ Qh7
2.Qf6+ Qg7
3.Rh6+
I assume you mean 3.Rh5+
Kg8
4. Rg5 wins the queen
It wins the queen all right, but not the game:
4…Kh8
5.Rxg7
… might look like a won ending, but
5…Rb1+!
… saves the day.
White can try to slither up the a-file:
6.Ka2 Rb2+
7.Ka3 Rb3+
8.Ka4 Rb4+
9.Ka5 Rb5+
10.Ka6
… but Black’s rambling rook just changes tack with:
10…Ra5+
… and at the risk of repeating myself,
1.Qh4+ Qh7
2.Rh5?
… does not win.
1. Qd4 wins. Any move by black would either produce a double discover check on the black King or a loss of a piece on the black side.
1.Qd4? Qg7!
… draws.
Looks to me like Gegga has it right.
Yes, gegga seems to have it. Also, unlike before, here
1. Qh4 Qh7
2. Qd8 Qg8
3. Re8 wins since with the black rook on b7 instead of g2 the king can escape the checks, it would need to be on the g-file.
Except in
“1. Qh4 Qh7
2. Qd8 Kg7
3. Rg5 Kf7
4. Qd5 Kf8
5. Qc5 Re7
6. Rf5 Qxf5
7. Qxf5 Rf7
8. Qd5 Ke8
9. Kb2 (the king must of course help…”
Why does black not play 5. …Kf7, going for a repetition?
Why does black not play 5…Kf7, going for a repetition?
Good try, but:
5…Kf7
6.Rf5+ Kg6
7.Qc2 Qh8
8.Re5+ Kg7
9.Qc3! Kg6
10.Qd3+ Kf6
11.Qd6+ Kf7
12.Qd5+ Kf8
13.Qd8+ Kg7
14.Qd4 Kf7
15.Rf5+ Kg8(?)
16.Rf8+
… wins.
Gegga’s line is right. The only winning line for White begins with:
1.Qh4+! Qh7
2.Qd8+! Kg7
3.Rg5+! Kf7
4.Qd5+!
Other Black moves lose faster; in his line, noother White moves win.
I think 1. Qd4 is not good because of 1… Rb1+ and perpetual check.
What if 1.Qh4+ Qh7 2. Qd8+ Qg8 and after this 3. Re8 works.
Aaaaah, thanks for opening my eyes that 2. Rh5? doesn’t win.
Finally the title of the problem makes sense….
Really nive defense, thanks to all who showed it up…
These puzzles are so boring.
Nevertheless, I’ll come back again.
These puzzles are so boring.
Nevertheless, I’ll come back again.
Aren’t they boring?
Pitor,
You’ve got it.
1.Qh4+ Qh7
2.Qd8+ Qg8
3.Re8
… does indeed win for White.
Yes, it does. But it is a longer line than mine.
Gegga
@anon 7:35 1/6 –
It wins the queen all right, but not the game:
4…Kh8
5.Rxg7
How about 5. Qd8+? Then you lose the queen with check and the game. This defense with 2.Qg7 is garbage.
5.Qd8+ would indeed be a pretty slick move. Maybe Black won’t notice 5…QxK.
“Anonymous said…
These puzzles are so boring.
Nevertheless, I’ll come back again.
These puzzles are so boring.
Nevertheless, I’ll come back again.
Aren’t they boring?”
No. Chess puzzles are exciting!
You are boring! Go away.