White to move. How should White proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
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White to move. How should White proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
Curiously, 1.Qxc5 Rxc5 2.Rxc5 leaves the black queen without escape squares. White wins.
Beelze
Dxc5! Winning a piece and the game.
1 Nc5 nd7 2 Nb7 rc2 3 rc2 qb6
4 nd8 qd8 also leaves white up a decisive amount—more than the other line, actually, with 2 rooks and a bishop for the queen.
Anon @ 10:37 – your suggestion may (or may not) be right, however, unlike 1.Qxc5! your sequence is not forced, e.g. black may choose not to play Nd7 etc, which makes it much trickier to calculate. No need to enter these realms if there is an easier, safer win to win the game.
I don’t see much difference between in Nxc5 vs Qxc5
In either case Black can decide to stop with just a loss of a piece
1. Qxc5 Qxc5 (not Rxc5)
2. (N/R)xc5 (black can now decide to just give up the piece)
– Other options are not palatable
Same is true with Nxc5
– Black doesn’t really have any better option than giving up the bishop
1. Nxc5 Nd7
2. Nxb7 Rxc2
3 Nxa5 Rxc1+
4 Ke2
– Probably slightly better for Black than the Qxc5 (or Rxc5) line
Qxc5 is forcing
Nxc5 Qb6 gives Black some counterplay
After 1.Qxc5 – Rxc5 2.Rxc5 black has 2…Qb6 regaining the piece (after 3.Nxb6 – axb6).
After 1.Qxc5 – Rxc5 2.Rxc5 black has 2…Qb6 regaining the piece (after 3.Nxb6 – axb6).
No black is still a rook down.
Nxc5 does not win
Black plays
… Qb6!
… Nd7
winning back the piece.