Menu   ≡ ╳
  • News
    • Major Tournaments
    • General News
    • USA Chess
  • Puzzles
  • Improvement
  • Event
  • College
  • Scholastic
  • Women
  • Search

        More results...

        Or you can try to:
        Search in Shop
        Exact matches only
        Search in title
        Search in content
        Search in comments
        Search in excerpt
        Search for News
        Search in pages
        Search in groups
        Search in users
        Search in forums
        Filter by Categories

        Try these: Sicilian Defense, Empire Chess, USA Chess

    • SPICE
    • Videos
    • Susan’s Blog
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • SPICE
    • Videos
    • Susan’s Blog
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    Menu   ≡ ╳
    • News
      • Major Tournaments
      • General News
      • USA Chess
    • Puzzles
    • Improvement
    • Event
    • College
    • Scholastic
    • Women
    • Search

          More results...

          Or you can try to:
          Search in Shop
          Exact matches only
          Search in title
          Search in content
          Search in comments
          Search in excerpt
          Search for News
          Search in pages
          Search in groups
          Search in users
          Search in forums
          Filter by Categories

          Try these: Sicilian Defense, Empire Chess, USA Chess

      Home  >  Chess Improvement • Chess Puzzles  >  Special chess tactic

      Special chess tactic

      Chess tactic, Puzzle Solving


      Black to move. How should Black proceed?

      Source: Chesstoday.net

      Posted by Picasa
      Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
      Previous Article Sunday chess tactic
      Next Article Bazna Kings 2010

      About Author

      Susan Polgar

      Related Posts

      • More Special Endgame!

        January 3, 2021
      • Precision Chess Tactic

        December 27, 2020
      • Daily dose of tactic!

        December 21, 2020

      25 Comments

      1. Reuven Reply
        June 14, 2010 at 10:21 am

        Rxh3!, gxh (if Kxh3 – Qh5+) – Qxd2, Qxd2 – Nf3+

        Black saves his knight and may have some winning chances.

      2. Anonymous Reply
        June 14, 2010 at 10:53 am

        1. …, Rxh3+
        2. gxh3, Nf3+
        3. Kg2, Nh4+
        4. Kh1, Nxd2
        (0-1)

      3. Ranganathan Reply
        June 14, 2010 at 11:41 am

        very difficult one…only one winning line…will come back to take a second look…
        1…Rxh3+
        2.KxR Qh5#
        is fine, but PxR and Kh1 are simple replies and am unable to find winning responses to them…

      4. Venky[Chennai - India] Reply
        June 14, 2010 at 12:41 pm

        Hi Susan Polgar,

        Ref: “Special chess tactic”
        Sub:Black Wins the Game.

        Well,variations exist but Black’s
        win can be assured,given here one simple example,rest are left for brilliant minds in this blog.

        1. .. R*h3+
        2.K*Rh3 Qh5+ Mate

        By
        Venky[Chennai – India]

      5. Venky[Chennai - India] Reply
        June 14, 2010 at 1:00 pm

        Hi Susan Polgar,

        Well,If you all feel that my previous moves for this puzzle is not only very simple but also childish,then start with blacks move has : “Nf3+” – this will sound meaning full with good lot variation.

        By
        Venky[Chennai – India]

      6. Anonymous Reply
        June 14, 2010 at 1:42 pm

        rxh3!

      7. Anonymous Reply
        June 14, 2010 at 1:49 pm

        rh3

      8. Kuldhir Reply
        June 14, 2010 at 2:00 pm

        1…Rxh3+ 2.gxh3 (2.Kxh3 3…Qh5) 2…Nf3+ 3.Kg2 Nxd2

      9. Ramakrishna K Reply
        June 14, 2010 at 2:02 pm

        1.Rxh3+ gxh3
        2. Nf3+ Kg2
        3. Nh4+

        2…Kh1
        3. Ng3+

        Am I missing something…

      10. Yancey Ward Reply
        June 14, 2010 at 2:18 pm

        I hate knights. Took me a while to see that Nf3 forks the rook, and it took me considerable time to find several key knight moves in the important variations. These moves are what makes Rh3 possible:

        1. ……Rh3
        2. gh3 Nf3
        3. Kg2 Nd2
        4. Bd3

        And, here, I am not really sure how black should continue, but I would be reluctant to allow Bf5. If white wants to exchange the bishop for a knight, make him do it at e4:

        4. ……Ne4
        5. Be4 de4

        And white is rapidly running out of useful moves. Continuing:

        6. Ba7 Qd3 (preparing pawn push)
        7. Bb6 e3

        And Be3 seems forced since Qe1 allows a quicker win.

        8. Qe1 Qd2 wins easily since
        9. Kf1 Ng3 bags the queen.

        At move 5 above, white is probably slightly better not exchanging the pieces, but this position still looks pretty bad for white as the hopping knights create havoc allowing black to exchange pieces while getting into position to advance the passed d-pawn:

        5. Qe2 Nh4+
        6. Kh2 Nf3+
        7. Kg2 Ne1+
        8. Kh2 Qd3
        9. Qe1 d4

        And white is again running out useful moves:

        10.Ba5 Qf3! (attacks f4)
        11.Qh4 Qe2
        12.Kg1 d3
        13.Qe1 Qe1
        14.Be1 d2 leaves black holding a piece advantage in the endgame.

        At move 2 above, I shouldn’t have to point out that

        2. Kh3 Qh5 is mate in another move.

        All in all, white does best, I think with declining the rook altogether. This is still a quick win for black, but it actually offers the most scope for allowing black to blunder back the advantage as the necessary knight moves are nonobvious, at least to me.

        1. ……Rh3
        2. Kg1 Ng3!

        Also too me about 10 mintues to see this knight move initially. Continuing:

        3. Qg3 Ne2+!! (also hard to see)
        4. Kf2 Qd2

        And, no matter what white does, the queen is history to either a discovered check or a rook exchange. Best I see is

        5. Qe3 Re3
        6. Be3 Qb2
        7. Be2 d4 and white still ends up with only a bishop vs the queen.

        Best in this line above at move 3 is to now take the rook at h3:

        3. gh3 Nf3
        4. Kg2 Nd2
        5. Bd3 Nde4
        6. Be4 Ne4
        7. Qe3 Qc2+
        8. Kg1 Nc3

        And black has a big advantage due to the exposed king and the two backwards and very weak pawns at f4 and h3. However, I don’t immediately see how to continue since I can’t really see the best defense for white from here.

      11. Anonymous Reply
        June 14, 2010 at 3:04 pm

        Rh3+ gxh3
        Nf3+ Kh1
        Ng3+ Qxg3
        Qxf1+ 0-1

      12. Anonymous Reply
        June 14, 2010 at 3:54 pm

        Please start posting tougher puzzles again. My first impulse seems to work lately.

      13. Anonymous Reply
        June 14, 2010 at 4:43 pm

        rh3

      14. Lucymarie Reply
        June 14, 2010 at 4:43 pm

        Dear Susan,

        I started following your web site a few day ago, and I think it’s
        wonderful. The quizzes are fun. And the work you do in providing
        links to other chess events is really cool.

        This quiz is not easy, and I’m unclear on the final outcome,
        but Black gets at least a draw.

        After 1. Rxh3+, White can play Pxh3, Kxh3, or Kg1

        If 2. Pxh3, the knight fork follows after Qxd2 3. Qxd2 Nxf3+
        4. K moves Nxd2, with a probable draw, I think.

        If White plays 2.Kg1, then Ng3 looks like a good shot
        (threatening Rh1#), since 3. Qxg3 Ne2+ leads to either
        4. Rxe2 Rxg3 or to 4. Kf2 Qxf1+ 5. Kxf1 Nxg3+ 6. Kf2 Ne4+
        7.Ke2 Rg3. In this last line, worse for White would be
        6. Kg1 because of Rh1+ 7.Kf2 Ne4+

        After 2.Kg1 Ng3, White can also try 3. Pxh3, when
        Nf3+ 4.Kg2 Nxd2 follows, and there is lots of play
        still left in this position.

        Lastly, if White plays 2. Kxh3, then he gets killed by Qh5+.

        Lucymarie

      15. Anonymous Reply
        June 14, 2010 at 4:57 pm

        1.Rf3! looks like a winner

      16. Anonymous Reply
        June 14, 2010 at 5:11 pm

        Hello Susan,

        1.QxRd2 Qxd2 2.Rc2 (checkmate with 2 knights) Qxd4 3.Nxd4 Bxd4
        is it draw when a Rook vs 2 bishop?

        musato

      17. Anonymous Reply
        June 14, 2010 at 5:14 pm

        1. … Rxh3+
        2. gxh3 Qxd2

      18. John Reply
        June 14, 2010 at 5:46 pm

        This is a headbreaker! I can’t see any obvious tactical shots for black. So, I would try to exploit the fact that white’s dark-squared bishop is hanging (and not defending the king). Please correct me if I’m missing something, but I would play…

        1..Nf3+ 2.xh3 Qb3 3.Ba7 Rxf3

        I don’t have time today to look at all the possible variations for white, but it looks like black would have some counterplay, with ideas of checking along the 2nd rank and attacking the defening bishop on f1 with the f5 knight in order to be able to take with some sort of mating combination on h3.

        I’ve spent enough time with this for one day.

      19. Anonymous Reply
        June 14, 2010 at 6:05 pm

        1. … Rh3: +
        2. gh3: Qd2:
        3. Qd2: Nf3+ +-

        If
        2. Kh3 Qh5+ mates.

      20. Anonymous Reply
        June 14, 2010 at 6:13 pm

        Qb3

      21. Randhir Reply
        June 14, 2010 at 6:45 pm

        black plays Rh3+

        If
        1)Kxh3, Qh5++

        If
        1)gxh3, Nf3+
        2)Kh8, Ng3+
        3)Qxg3, Qxf1++

        If
        1)Kg1, Ng3!!
        and black is winning

      22. Kruger, Israel Reply
        June 14, 2010 at 7:31 pm

        1Rxh3 + +-

      23. Rajasekhar Reply
        June 14, 2010 at 7:53 pm

        1..Rf3 seems to win in all the variations I am capable of seeing.

      24. Timothée Tournier Reply
        June 14, 2010 at 9:31 pm

        I see two solutions, which BTW emphasizes the need for “the selection of candidates”.
        A)1…Rc2!? 2.Rxd1 Rxf2
        I)3.Bxd4 Nxd4 4.Rxd4 Rxf1 5.Kh2 But I do not think the active position of the Black Rook might get something so it’s =+
        II)3.Kg1? Rxf4 4.g3 Nxg3! -+
        III)3.Bxd4 Nxd4 4.Kg1 Rxf4 5.g3 Nf3+! 6.Kf2 Rd4 ! -+ and everything seems in order. So there’s nothing decisive here.
        B)1…Rxh3+! This is much more efficient !
        IV)2.Kxh3?? Qh5+ 3.Qh4 Qxh4 mate
        V)2.gxh3 Nf3+ followed by 3…Nxd2 -+
        VI)2.Kg1!? Ng3!
        a)3.gxh3 Nf3+! 4.Kg2 Nxd2 and white can’t take the knight either with the queen or with the king.
        b)3.Qxg3 Ne2+!
        i)4.Rxe2 Rxg3 -+
        ii)4.Kf2 Qxf1+! 5.Kxf1 Nxg3+! 6.Kf2 (otherwise Black simply moves his rook) Ne4 -+
        I will be very grateful to all the stubborn tacticians who will find any correction or refutation !

      25. Chessforeva Dev Reply
        June 14, 2010 at 10:47 pm

        I visualized Yancey Ward’s comment. My analysis stopped after 4.Bd3, it seems I’m not that strong chess player. Anyway, slow dying for white.

      Leave a Reply to Reuven Cancel reply

      Improvement

      • Important Scholastic Coaching Tips
      • My Chess Quotes Over The Years
      • My kids know chess rules. What’s next?
      • Chess Parenting

      Events

      • My Top 10 Most Memorable Moments in Chess (Part 3) May 13, 2021
      • My Top 10 Most Memorable Moments in Chess (Part 2) May 12, 2021
      • My Top 10 Most Memorable Moments in Chess (Part 1) May 10, 2021
      • About Susan Polgar April 9, 2021
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Daily News
      • My Account
      • Terms & Conditions
      • Privacy Policy

      Anand Armenia Breaking News Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St Louis Chess interview Chess Olympiad Chess tactic Chess tournament chess trivia China FIDE Grand Prix Holland India Khanty-Mansiysk LIVE games Lubbock Magnus Carlsen Moscow National Championship Norway OnlineChessLessons Philippines Puzzle Solving Russia Scholastic chess Spain SPF SPICE SPICE Cup St Louis Susan Polgar Tata Steel Chess Texas Tech Tromsø TTU Turkey Webster University Wesley So Wijk aan Zee Women's Chess Women's Grand Prix Women's World Championship World Championship World Cup

      April 2026
      M T W T F S S
       12345
      6789101112
      13141516171819
      20212223242526
      27282930  
      « Sep