White to move. How should white proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Sunday chess tactic
About Author
White to move. How should white proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
The move Nd5 suggests itself as worth looking at since it removes the cover on e4:
1. Nd5 cd5
Not capturing the knight is less promising for black since white will just play Re4, and black won’t have the option of blocking with Be7 (the knight has eyes on the square). I am assuming that black can still castle queenside here, so that might offer the best alternative to cd5: [1. …O-O-O 2.Nc7 Rd2 3.Rd2 Kc7 4.Rad4 and black has won the exchange and still has a powerful initiative]. Continuing:
2. Qd5
I am not really sure what is best for black here. White is threatening Rc4, and I don’t see a really good defense to this. All I can really do here is show some of the options, and the problems with each:
2. …..Be7
3. Rc4 Qd8 (Qb8 4.Ba7 R/Qa7 5.Qd7)
4. Qb5 Kf8
5. Rd8+-
Or
2. …..Bd6
3. Rc4 Qd8
4. Qb5 Kf8
5. Rd6+-
Or
2. …..Rd8
3. Qb5 Qc6 (Rd7 4.Rad4+-)
4. Re4 Be7
5. Re7! Ke7 (Kf8 6.Rd8+-)
6. Qe5 Qe6 (Kf8 7.Rd8 Qe8 8.Re8#)
7. Qc7 Rd7
8. Bc5 Qd6 (Ke8 9.Qc8 Rd8 10.Rd8#)
9. Bd6 with mate to follow soon.
Another one of those positions where I keep thinking I am missing something better, like a pure mating attack. Will study this a bit longer.
rook to E1.
rook to e1
ND5
Hmm, I must say that I don’t see what is wrong with Re1… suppose black were to play Kd8; it seems to me that white is winning after Bxa7. And 0-0-0 is not attractive either… Rxa7 seems to be strong.
This looks like a position from what we call “Blackmar-Diemer-Gambit” in Germany (don´t know what it is called in English) after 1.d4 d5 2.e4.
Emil Josef Diemer once said that this opening was meant to go for mate from the first move on – in this sense, I´d play the fantasic sac
1. Qxd5! Now Black cannot castle to the queeens side. Of course he doesn´t necessarily need to take the queen, but it is so beautiful 🙂
1. … cxd5 and now:
2. Nxd5 Qe5 What else? If Black tries to keep up one piece by giving the queen back:
2. … Kd8/d7
3. Nxc7+ Kxc7
4. Rad4 Black can´t do anything about Rd7+
2. … Rc8
3. Nxc7+ Rxc7
4. Rxa7 Rc8 (or else 5.Ra8+!)
5. Rxb7 with two pawns for the knight and a strong attack.
2. … Bd6
3. Nxc7+ Bxc7
4. Re4+ Kf8
5. Rd7 Bb6
6. Ree7 looks also good.
Qe5 intends to prevent Re4+, but…
3. Re4! Qxe4 what else?
4. Nc7+ Ke7
5. Bc5#
From the office and without a board I cannot oversee all variations, but this looks just great.
Hi Susan Polgar,
Well,interesting puzzle – White wins the game.
To me,at first glance,no doubt “Re1” seems to be appealing but sparkling attraction resides in “N*d5”,so I prefer the initial move for white is “N*d5”.
Let me give a supporting example to my view.
Example
=======
1.N*d5 c*Nd5
2.Q*d5 Rd8
3.Qb5+ Qc6
4.R*Rd8+ K*Rd8
5.Qd3+ Ke8
6.R*a7 Qh1+
7.Kd2 Qg2
8.Ra8+ Ke7
9.Qd8+ Ke6
10.Qe8+ Kf5
11.Ra5++ Mate
Isn’t it interesting ?
White wins the game – its just an example variations exist.
By
Venky [ India – Chennai ]
Just saw that after
1. Qxd5 cxd5
2. Nxd5 Kd8/d7 leads to mate in five:
3. Nxc7+ Kxc7
4. Rc4+ Kb8
5. Re8#
fajac,
A valiant try, but black need not take at e4 on move #3, but don’t feel too bad, I went through the same line yesterday, and thought this was good for a couple of minutes, and spent another 5 minutes trying to salvage it, but I don’t think there is anything in this for white:
1. Qd5 cd5
2. Nd5 Qe5
3. Re4 Bd6!
And, now, white is out of saving lines since the bishop will cover the critical c7 square as well as protecting his queen. So white must either protect the rook at e4, move the rook out of danger, or capture at e5:
4. Rdd4 Qe4
Black probably doesn’t have to capture, but this is what I would play over a board since it is the simplest:
5. Re4 Kf8 and the black king will eventually find safe harbor at h7, and black will be up a rook for a pawn.
Or
4. Re5 Be5
5. f5 Bd6 and I think white’s attack is at an end.
I also prefer 1. Re1, with the intention of 2. Bc5 or 2. Bb6