White to move. How does White get out of this messy position? How should White proceed?
2r2rk1/3q2pp/3Pp3/1pp5/1nb1P3/1pQ2pP1/1B1R1P1P/R5KB w – – 0 1
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Thursday chess tactic
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1. Ra7 Qa7 2. d7
Off the top of my hat, 1. Ra7 looks reasonable, to follow with 2. d7. This should win the queen, and after 3. … Rf7 4. Rxf7, 5. Qxg7+ and 6. Bf6 should be a win.
Do you have the wrong position? It’s a little too obvious that Ra7 wins easily.
Definitely a mess. Black’s weak point is that only the queen guards g7. I think the correct plan is:
1. Ra7 Qa7
2. d7 and now I don’t see anyway to guard g7. Qd7 loses to Rd7, and Rf7 loses to dc8(Q).
Alternatively,
1. Ra7 Na2
2. Qg7 Qg7
3. Rg7 Kh8
4. Rg6 Rf6
5. Bf6#
Or
1. Ra7 Nd5
2. Rd7 Nc3
3. Bc3 Rf7
4. Rf7 Kf7
5. d7 Rd8
6. Ba5 should win for white.
Finally,
1. Ra7 Rf7
2. Rd7 Rd7
3. Bf3 should be enough to win for white.
1.Ra7 Qxa7
2.d7 …
3.Qxg7#
1. Ra7 wins the exchange because of the threat on g7 (1. … Qxa7 2. d7 with 3. Q(x)g7# looming).
1. Ra7
A nice example of deflect and block.
1. Ra7! deflecting the Queen
1. … Qxa7
2. d7!! blocking the Queen’s access to g7, creating a mate threat that will win the Queen and retain a very strong attack.
Any other Black response loses the Queen or succumbs to mate on g7.
The white Q could mate on the move were it not for the black Q on d7. This suggests some kind of deflection sacrifice and the only piece available for that is the white R on a1.
Sure enough, 1. Ra7! wins the queen since 1. … Qxf7 2. d7 interferes with the Queen’s influence on the seventh rank so that Qxg7# is threatened, and simultaneously threatens the R on c8. Black must pitch his queen to avoid the mate.
1.Ra7! Qxa7 forced 2.d7!! Rf7 (or 2…e5 3.Qxe5 3.dxc8/Q+ +-
1.Ra7 Qxa7
2.d7 +-
Ra7 Works ???
1. Ra7
Ra7 with the idea of d7
Ra7 wins it for White.
this is an easy one…
Ra7