White to move. How should White proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Special chess tactic
About Author
White to move. How should White proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
1.Ne5, threatening Ng6+ followed by 2.Rh3#, looks fatal for Black. Phil
Ne5 intending Ng6+ and Rh3 mate. This is a fairly common motif.
Nh4 QxQ
Nxg6+ hxg6
Rh3++
interesting problem…i like this one
1.Ne5! threatening both 2.Ng6+ and 2.Nf7+
I)1….f4 2.Qxd8 Rxd8 3.Rxe4 for instance is clearly losing
I believe that Ne5 is better in the initial position as it also threatens Nf7+
1. Qxe8 Rxe8 2. Ne5 +-
From Spain.
1)Ne5 or Nh4,Qe7
2)Ng6+,hg6
3)Rh3++
Greetings from Spain
1. Qxe8 etc because 1. Nh4 could be answered by 1…Nf6.
RIP Greg Hjorth.
Hard to take anything at e8.
Haven’t figured this out yet, but I’ll share my ideas so far.
The key theme seems to be the rook coming to h3, which would be mate if the h7 pawn captured the knight on g6. So bringing the knight to e5 at some point looks like the right course of action.
1 Ne5 is the most fun try, because it’s a daring queen sacrifice, and if QxQ, then a royal fork with Ng6+ and then after hxg6, Rh3+ with checkmate.
1 Ne5 Nf6 is thus the position to consider, as black has to decline the razzle-dazzle queen sac.
It almost works, as after Ng6+ hxg6; Qxf6 would do the trick, except that black doesn’t have to recapture with the queen (gxf6 would give the black king the g7 square. So maybe trading queens here is the thing. Or maybe I’m close and missing some in-between move. I’ll come back to it in a few hours and look again.
1.Ne5! threating Ng6+ and Rh3++
White could win material with 1 Qxd8 Rxd8, 2 Ne5, and the threat of mate by Ng6+ and Rh3 will cost Black at least the Exchange. However, there’s a stronger move.
1 Ne5!
White doesn’t give Black the option of trading Queens. Note that 1 Nh4, with the same general idea of Ng6+ doesn’t work, because Black can play 1 … Nf6, and Black now has the Knight to interpose on h4.
With the given move, White threatens 3 Ng6+ and 2 Nf7+
1 … Ng5
And not, 1 … Qxe7 (or an indifferent move), 2 Ng6+! hxg6, 3 Rg3#. Nor does 1 … Nf6 work now, because of 2 Nf7+ winning the Queen. 1 … h6 (or h5), 2 Ng6+ Kh7, 3 Nxf8+ wins the Queen.
With the given move, Black blocks 2 Nf7+ and also guards h3
2 Qxg5!
White takes the Knight and again threatens Ng6+
2 … Qxg5
No better is 2 … h6, 3 Nf7+ Kh7, 4 Qxd8 Rxd8, 5 Nxd8, and White is up a Rook and Knight with an easy win in sight.
3 Nf7+ Kg8
Of course, the Knight is off limits.
4 Nxg5+ Kh8
5 Nf7+ Kg8
6 Ne5+ Rf7
Or 6 … Kh8, 7 Ng6+ hxg6, 8 Rh3#
7 Nxf7
White is up a Rook and Knight and wins easily.
Greg Hjorth (White in this position) passed away suddenly about a week ago at the relatively young age of 47. A mathematician by trade, Dr. Hjorth was also an IM who was one of the top Australian players for many years. I believe his FIDE rating was in the 2400 range.
Ne5 causes black all sorts of problems, eying Nf7+ at the right time.
Ne5. If QxQ, Ng6+ forking King and Queen, if hxg6, Rh3++
Ne5 Ng5 (Qxe7 Ng6 hxg6 Rh3) Qxg5 Qxg5 Nf7
Just a little addition to Tom barrister’s remarks. Tom noted that Nh4 allows Nf6, and so Ne5 is better. Tom is right Nf6 doesn’t now work, but misses White’s best line.
Ne5 Nf6
Rh3 h6
(or Qe8, to prevent Ng6; Qxf8,Qxf8; Ng6 mate)
Rxh6 gxh6
Ng6 mate
An interesting position. I have seen some of the suggestions:
First there is a slow win by immediately exchanging queens. Much of the same theme below applies, but the stakes are much lower.
So NOT RECOMMENDED BUT WINS SLOWER
1. Q*d8 R*d8
2. Ne5 Ng5 (this is the best response).
3. f4 Be6
4. B*e6 N*e6
5. Nf7+ Kg8
6. N*d8 N*d8
7. Re8+ Kf7
8. Rf8+ and wins but not as easily.
THE RECOMMENDED QUICK ROUTE IS MOVING THE KNIGHT BUT TO THE CORRECT SQUARE. THE CORRECT SQUARE IS NOT Nh4. This is because it will obstruct the Rook check at h3 in some variations and also is unprotected on the same Queen diagonal as both black and white queens.
The logic is very simple too that 1. Ne5 is more versatile with checks at g6 or f7 possible depending on circumstances. Also the taking by black of the queen by 1. …Q*e7 loses immediately to 2.Ng6+ h7*g6 3. Rh3+ and mates.
So here is the main line:
1. Ne5! Ng5 (the only logical response; if 1.…g6 2. N*g6+ h*g6 3. Rh3 mate)
2. Q*g5! Q*g5
3. Nf7+! Kg8 (if 3.…R*g7 4.Re8+ and mates)
4. N*g5+ (winning back the Queen) Kh8
5. Nf7+ (back in the cycle) Kg8
6. Ne5+ Kh8 and now the sacrifice having cleared away the defenders.
7. Ng6+ h*g6
8. Rh3 mate.
Psyche/ anonymous
Ne5. If qxe8,rxe8 and then ne5. black can play rd5 and black is only down a exchange. after ne5 and nf6, white plays nf7. and black is owned
After 1 Ne5 Nf6, 2 Rh3, Black can play 2 … Nd5. White still wins the Queen with 3 Nf7+, and there’s a mate about 10 moves after that.
My line of 1 Ne5 Nf6, 2 Nf7+ leads to a mate in 8 more moves. I didn’t bother analyzing that far, because the win of the Queen is sufficient. The man line would be 1 Ne5 Nf6, 2 Nf7+ Kg8, 3 Nd8+ Nd5, 4 Bxd5+ cxd5, 5 Rg3 g6, 6 Rh3 h5, 7 Rg3 Rf7 8 Qxf7+ Kh8, 9 Rxg6 any, 10 Qg7#