White to move. How should white proceed?
3b4/q4p2/5P1p/2P1Q3/4R1pk/6rP/r5P1/6K1 w – – 0 1
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
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White to move. How should white proceed?
3b4/q4p2/5P1p/2P1Q3/4R1pk/6rP/r5P1/6K1 w – – 0 1
White queen loves to eat the black rook
QXP KXQ
RXP mate
1. Qxg3+ Kg5
2. Qe5+ Kg6
3. Rxg44+ Kh7
4. Qe4# Kh8
5. Qe8+ Kh7
6. Qg8#
1. Qxg3+ Kxg3 (else 2. Qxg4++)
2. Rxg4++
Almost too easy:
1. Qg3! Kg5
If black takes at g3, Rg4 is mate, and Kh5 is mate on the next move of Qg4. Now, Kg5 doesn’t lead to a simple mate like these above, but is still straight forward:
2. Qe5
The hard thing here is to avoid Qg4 since this is the one move that allows the black king to escape to the safety of g7 and f8 via the capture at f6. After 2.Rg4, white can re-corral the king with Qd6 and win the bishop with Qd5+ (and probably mate, too), but 2.Qe5 is a shorter win:
2. …..Kg6 (Kh4 3.Rg4#)
3. Rg4 Kh7
4. Rg7 Kh8
5. Qe8#
Qxg3+
Qxg3+ and then Rxg4# looks nice. How did White stumble into this?
1.Qxg3+ +- with a winning attack. Even you don’t want to calculate the rest of the line, this is the only move fot white.
This puzzle is making me crazy hehe. I think that the best moves are:
1. Qxg3+, Kg5; 2. Qe5+, Kg6; 3. Rxg4+, Kh7; 4. Qe4+, Kh8; 5. Qe8+, Kh7; 6. Qg8++
oh my god, it’s a mate in 5 again! but this time, there are sidelines.
1. Qxg3+ Kg5 (Rxg3, 2. Rxg4#; Kh5, 2. Qxh4#)
2. Qe5+ Kg6 (Kh4, 3. Rxh4#)
3. Rxg4+ Kh7
4. Rg7+ Kh8
5. Qe8#
greets, jan
The only reason I found anything here was because Susan posted it as a puzzle asking what White should do (meaning “White has something; can you find it?”). OTB, who knows?
I spent some time chasing 1. Rxg4+, trying to mate with the queen & pawns. Nada.
1. Qxg3 is the trigger.
1. … Kxg3 2. Rxg4#. (But that’s not going to happen.)
1. … Kg5 2. Qxg4+ Kxf6 3. Qh4+ Kg7 (3. … Kf5 4. Qg4 etc.) 4. Qxd8 Qxc5+ 5. Kh2 should be a draw.
White does better after 1. … Kg5 with:
2. Rxg4+ Kxf6 (2. … Kf5 3. Qf4+ Ke6 4. Qd6+ Kf5 5. Rf4+ Kg5 6. Qe5+ Kg6 7. Qf5#) 3. Qd6+ Kf5 4. Qd5+ Kf6 5. Qxd8+ Kf5
(5. … Ke6 6. Qd6+ Kf5 7. Rf4+ Kg5 8. Qf6+ Kh5 9. Rh4# or g4#)
(5. … Qe7 6. Rf4+ Ke5 [6. … Ke6 7. Re4+ Kf5 8. Qxe7 and wins] 7. Qxe7+ Kxf4 8. Qxf7+ with the win)
6. Qd5+ Kf6 7. Qd6+ Kf5 8. Rf4+ Kg5 9. Qf6+ Kh5 10. Rh4# or g4#.
The direct win for White, though, is:
1. … Kg5 2. Qe5+ Kg6 3. Rxg4+ Kh7 4. Rg7+ Kh8 5. Qe8#.
1. QxR+ (a) KxQ
2. Rxg4#
1. … (b) Kh5
2. Qxg4#
1. … (c) Kg5
2. Re5+ Kxf6
3. Qf4+ and there may not be a forced mate, but White has picked up a rook.
Mark
QxR KxQ
Rxg3++
1. Qxg3 Kxg3 2. Rxg4+ mate
Qg3+ Kg3 Rg4++
Qxg3+ looks rather strong.
1.Qxg3+ Kxg3
2.Rxg4#
OR
1.Qxg3+ Kh5
2.Qe5+ Kh4
3.Rxg4#
OR
1.Qxg3+ Kg5
2.Qe5+ Kg6
3.Rxg4+ Kh7
4.Rg7+ Kh8
5.Qe8#
Grindmaster Lenya Gristmilli spotted the obvious 1st move right away: 1. Qxg3+.
1. Qxg3+ Kg5 (1. … Kxg3? 2. Rxg4#) (1. … Kh5?? Qxg4#)
Lenya laments that, instead of examining 2. Qe5+ right away, she next spent a long time examining 2. h4+, which has some really interesting variations, and leads to forced checkmate after all Black replies, EXCEPT for this line:
1. Qxg3+ Kg5
2. h4+ Kxf6!
3. Qe5+ Kg6
4. Rxg4+ Bg5! [ 4. … Kh7? 5. Qg7#]
The correct solution is, of course:
1. Qxg3+ Kg5
2. Qe5+ Kg6 (2. … Kh4 3. Rxg4#)
3. Rxg4+ Kh7
4. Rg7+ Kh8
5. Qe8#
Nice and simple.
The variations after (the incorrect) 2. h4+, are very interesting though,
so Lenya offers them as well.
After
1. Qxg3+ Kg5 2. h4+ Black has the choice between:
2. … Kxf6!
2. … Kf5?
2. … Kg6?
Saving the most complicated for last, we’ll consider 2. … Kxf6! first:
1. Qxg3+ Kg5
2. h4+ Kxf6!
3. Qe5+ Kg6
4. Rxg4+ Kh7? [4. … Bg5!]
5. Qg7#
Next, we’ll consider 2. … Kf5?
1. Qxg3+ Kg5
2. h4+ Kf5
3. Qf4+ Kg6
4. h5+ Kh7
5. Qf5+ Kg8
6. Re8#
Next (the most complicated case), we’ll consider 2. … Kg6?
After 1. Qxg3+ Kg5 2. h4+ Kg6? 3. Rxg4+, Black has 4 possible replies:
3. … Kh7
3. … Kh5
3. … Kxf6
3. … Kf5
Taking 3. … Kh7 first:
1. Qxg3+ Kg5
2. h4+ Kg6
3. Rxg4+ Kh7
4. Rg7+ Kh8
5. Rg8+ Kh7
6. Qg7#
Next 3. … Kh5:
1. Qxg3+ Kg5
2. h4+ Kg6
3. Rxg4+ Kh5
4. Rg5+ hxg5
5. Qxg5#
Next, 3. … Kxf6
1. Qxg3+ Kg5
2. h4+ Kg6
3. Rxg4+ Kxf6
4. Qd6+ Kf5
5. Rf4#
And, lastly, 3. … Kf5, with the most difficult continuation to find:
1. Qxg3+ Kg5
2. h4+ Kg6
3. Rxg4+ Kf5
4. Qf4+ Ke6
5. Qd6+ Kf5
6. Rf4+ Kg6
7. Qd3+ Kh5
8. Qf5#
So, as very often happens, Lenya finds a way to make the simple complex.
But it was fun.
Oops, missed the capture at f6.
Moral – wait till you are fully awake before solving chess problems !
Dear Anup,
Sometimes I find it the most effective policy to wait till I am fully asleep before solving chess problems.
Grindmaster Lenya