White to move. How should White proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
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US Women’s Championship chess tactic
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White to move. How should White proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
1.Ng6+..
Material is even. White has the makings of an attack but has to watch out for counterthrusts on the b8-h2 diagonal.
1. Ng6+ is very tempting with ideas of mate on the h-file or flushing the King out to f7 and mating with the Queen and the Rooks. Let’s see how it works.
1. Ng6+ and Black has three legal moves:
(A) 1. … Rxg6
(B) 1. … Kg7
(C) 1. … hxg6
(A) 1. … Rxg6 kills the attack at the cost of an exchange:
2. fxg6 and there’s little to analyze here. Black may get the g-pawn (or may not) but will have to be careful. Lines like 2. … h6 3. h4 make me worry for Black still. White Kh1 is a threat unpinning the e-pawn and making f6 a threat.
(B) 1. … Kg7 allows White the pleasant choice between simply 2. Nxe7 transforming the e- and f- pawns into connected passers with strong support (and incidentally threatening the g8 Rook and Qxg5+) or the enterprising 2. Qxg5 with threats f6+ and Qxe7+.
If Black snatches at the bait:
(C) 1. … hxg6
2. Rh4+ Kg7 (2. … gxh4? 3. Qh6#)
3. Qxg5 with threats Qxe7#, Qxg6+, f6+
I don’t immediately see the most clear-cut continuation for White after 3. … Kf8, 3. … Kf7, or 3. … Qe8 but with Black’s Nc7 and Rb5 out of play I’m convinced the attack is worth the piece-for-a-pawn investment.
Ng6+
I would be tempted by
1. Ng6 hg6
2. Rh4 Kg7 (gh4 3.Qh6#)
3. Qg5 with what looks like an unstoppable mating attack.
The first move alternatives for black:
1. …..Rg6
2. fg6 and, here, black probably does best with
2. …..Ne6 (h6 3.Rf2 Rb6 4.Rf7)
And, here, white has two choice-Rd5 and gh7, and it is hard for me to evaluate which is best:
3. Rd5 Rd5
4. Qd5 Nf4
5. Qf7 hg6
6. Re4 Qc8 (attacks h3 and c2)
And black has counterplay that might hold in that line, but maybe I am missing something obvious. Or
3. gh7 Nd4
4. Qd4 Qf8
5. Rf2 Qg7
6. Kg3 and black is running out of moves that don’t start dropping the weak pawns at b4, d5 and especially g5. For example:
6. …..Ra5 (to reach a6 below)
7. Rf5 Kh7
8. Kg4 Ra6 (what else?)
9. Rg5 Rg6
10.Qd3 and this position looks completely decisive for white. Alternatives at move 6 look hardly better:
6. …..Kh7
7. Qd3+ bags the rook at b5, or
6. …..Qh7
7. e6 Qg7 (Kg8 8.Qa7 Qg7 9.Qa8)
8. Rf8 Kh7
9. Rf7 wins.
If, on move 6, black takes the rook off the fifth rank, white just takes d5. If
6. …..e6
7. Rf6 with multiple threats, most clearly against e6.
All in all, I prefer 3.gh7 over 3.Rd5 for white due to the weak rook at b5, but, like I said, I might have missed something good in the Rd5 line maintaining the exchange advantage. If I have time later today, I will take another look at it.
From Spain..
A:
1)Ng6+,hg6
2)Rh5+,Kg7
3)f6+,ef6
4)ef6+,Kf6
5)Qd4+,Kf7
6)Rh7+,Kf8
7)Qf6++
B:
1)Ng6+,hg6
2)Rh5+,gh5
3)Qh6++
C:
1)Ng6+,hg6
2)Rh5+,Kg7
3)f6+,ef6
4)ef6+,Kf7
5)Rh7+,Kf6
6)Rhf7++
D:
1)Ng6,Rg6
2)fg6 +-
Greetings from Spain
Ng6+ looks pretty darn strong
Ng6+ hxg6 Qxg5 threatening mate on h6 (or if Kg7 Qxg6#) Qf8 Rf4+ and it’s all over
Ng6+ Kg7 is just bad Qxg4 or Nxe7 for instance
Ng6+ Rxg6 fxg6 still threatening Qg5 and Rh4.
1. Ng6+ hxg6
2. Rh4+ Kg7
3. Qh6+ Kf7
4. fxg6+ Rxg6
5. Rf2+
1-0
1. Ng6+ R:g6 2. fg, since 1…h6 2. Rh4+ Kg7 (2…hg 3. Qh6#) 3. Q:g5 Kf8 4. Rh7 Qd8 5. f6 is too gruesome for words.
If Black is obliging, and accepts both sacrifices, then White will have the opportunity of watching everyone else’s game for the remainder of the evening:
1. Ng6+ hxg6
2. Rh4+ gxh4
3. Qh6#
Say that Black wants to go home early, but NOT THAT EARLY,
then Black will decline the 2nd sacrifice:
1. Ng6+ hxg6
2. Rh4+ Kg7
3. Qxg5 and there are a few moves Black might try:
3…. Qe8
4. Qh6+ Kf7
5. e6+ Kf6
6. Qf4
Threatening:
7. Qe5+ Kg5
8. Rh7 d4
9. Rg2#
Black can try:
6…. d4
7. Qxd4+ Kg5 (7…. Kxf5 8. Qf4#)
8. Rg2+ Kxf5
9. Rf2+ Kxe6
10. Re4+ Re5
11. Rxe5#
or Black can try 3….Kf8
3…. Kf8
4. Rh7 Qd8
5. f6 e6
6. Qh6+ Ke8
7. f7+ etc.
If Black is feeling really stubborn, and wants to make
White work for a victory, then on the 1st move, she doesn’t accept the sacrifice, and plays either 1…. Kg7 or 1….. Rxg6.
1…. Rxg6, while giving up the exchange, is probably the
most stubborn defence:
1. Ng6+ Rxg6
2. fxg6 Qf8 (for instance)
3. Qxg5 Ne6
4. Qh5
and either 4…. h6 5. g7+ or Qg7 gxh7, and the game is still going to last for a little bit.
1…. Kg7 is not quite so stubborn:
2. Qg5 Qe8
3. Rh4 threatening 4. f6+
3…. hxg6
4. Qh6+ Kf7
5. e6+ and we’re back to the same mating net we saw previously.
I don’t know about you, but I’m hoping Black accepts both sacrifices so I can go to bed a little early.
Yawn?!
Lucymarie
1. Ng6+ (this is the end!!)
1. … h:g6
2. Rh4+ Kg7
3. Q:g5 Kf8
4. Rh7 Qd8
5. f6 +-
by Stulzer
Hi Susan Polgar,
As usual brainy minds of this blog had already given the best possible moves,nothing to be added.
By
Venky[Chennai – India]