White to move. How can white save this game?
1R3nr1/p1k1pp2/2p4b/4Pp2/p2N1PqB/8/2P3PP/3Q2K1 w – – 0 1
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Wednesday chess tactic
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White to move. How can white save this game?
1R3nr1/p1k1pp2/2p4b/4Pp2/p2N1PqB/8/2P3PP/3Q2K1 w – – 0 1
Given the hanging rook and the mate threat at g2, white seems to need a check on the black king that can, at the very least get a draw by repetition. There are two knight checks and two rook checks, but I don’t even need to look at the rook checks because white needs to get the queen involved and the rook checks are no good for this, and of the moves with the knight, Ne6 lets black off the hook with Ne6 and the e8 square is covered twice and not open to the queen. This leaves only
1. Nb5 cb5
Or [1. …Kb8 2.Qd8 Kb7 3.Qc7 Ka6 (or 3. …Ka8 4.Qa7#) 4.Qc6 Ka5 5.Be1#]. Continuing:
2. Qd8 Kc6
3. Rc8 Kb7
4. Qc7 Ka6
5. Qc6 Ka5
6. Be1 b4
7. Qc5 Ka6
8. Rc6 Kb7
9. Qb5 Ka8
10.Rc8#
Clear enough, though I have not spent a lot of time on this, and am probably missing the shortest mate, though, if there is one, it isn’t one that is immediately obvious to me
1. Nb5+, Kxb8 (1. .., cxb5 2. Qd8, Kc6 3. Rc8+, Kb7 4. Qc7+, Ka6 5. Qc6+, Ka5 6. Be1#)
2. Qd8+, Kb7
3. Qc7+, Ka6 ( 3. .., Ka8 loses to Qxa7#)
4. Qxc6+, Ka5
5. Be1#
Nb5+ and black is toast. …Kxb8 leads to a forced mate:
1. Nb5+ Kxb8
2. Qd8+ Kb7
3. Qc7+ Ka6
4. Qxc6+ Ka5
5. Be1#
1…cxb5 is a little trickier, but I think all variations still give white a forced mate in about ten to twelve moves unless I’m missing something.
Black’s threatening mate with Qxh2# or other unspeakable things happening to white with Qxd1+. White can continue in a mundane fashion via 1. Qxg4 Rxg4 but he can save only one of his rook or bishop in the next move.
So white needs to find a check. I looked at 1. Ne6+ which works if black responds 1… Kxb8 (in which case 2. Qd8+ Kb7 3. Nc5#) or 1… fxe6 (in which case 2. Qd8# is an immediate loss). But the table turns on white if black responds 1… Nxe6!
So basically after eliminating all other possibilities, I did hit upon the solution:
1. Nb5+!! cxb5 (1… Kxb8? 2. Qd8+ Kb7 3. Qc7+ Ka6 4. Qxc6+ Ka5 5. Be1#)
2. Qd8+ Kc6
3. Qc8+ Kd5
4. Rxb5+ Ke4 (4… Kd4? 5. Qc5+ Ke4 6. Rb4#)
5. Rb4+ Ke3 (5… Kd5 6. Qc4#)
6. Qc3+ Ke2
7. Qd3#
Very nice, the way white pawns “guide” the black king to the mating square.
1Nb5 wins
I think it starts with Nb5+, after which Kxb8 is forced, since cxb5 allows Qd8+. Then Qd8+ Kb7 Qc7+ Ka6 Qxc6+ Ka5 Be1 mate.
We may quickly exclude all possibilities but one (Ne6? Nxe6 and no more checks):
1. Nb5+ Kxb8 (cxb5 goes down more easily)
2. Qd8+ Kb7
3. Qc7+ Ka6
4. Qxa7+ Kxb5
5. Qb7+
Looks optically allmost hopeless, but it seems the queen checks shall continue (many variations) until sooner or later there is also a bishop check on f2 or b1, and queen and bishop together will mate eventually. The pawns of both colours also being helpfull here.
Can we say white has saved the game, if black gets mated?
1. Nb5+ cb5 (forced)
2. Qd8+ Kc6 (forced)
3. Qc8+ Kd5 (forced)
4. Rb5+ Ke4
5. Qc4+ Ke3 (forced)
6. Qd3+ Kf4 (forced)
7. Qd4#
If
4. …. Kd4
5. Bf2+ Ke4 (forced)
6. Qc4#
Nb5+ would result in either
1. …Kxb8
2. Qd8+ Kb7
3. Qc7+ Ka6 (or # if Ka8)
4. Qxc6+ Ka5
5. Be1#
or 1 … cxb5
2. Qd8+ Kb6
3. Rc8+ Kb7 seems to end in mate anyhow.
1. Nb5+
1. … cxb5
2. Qd8+ with at least perpetual check, but most probably mate.
1. … Kxb8
2. Qd8+ Kb7
3. Qc7+ Ka6 (Ka8 Qa7#)
4. Qc6+ Ka5
5. Be1#
After
1. Nb5+! Black can either take the knight or the rook. Let’s start with the latter:
1. … Kxb8
2. Qd8+ Kb7
3. Qc7+ Ka6 Ka8 4. Qc8#
4. Qxc6+ Ka5
5. Be1#
So what about
1. … cxb5? This vacates the square c6 for the king:
2. Qd8+ Kc6
3. Rc8+ Kb7
4. Qc7+ Ka6
5. Qc6+ Ka5
6. Be1+ b4
7. Qc5+ Ka6
8. Rc6+ Kb7
9. Qb5+ Ka8
10. Rc8#
or
7. Bxb4+ Kxb4
8. Rb8+ Ka3 Ka5 9.Qb5#
9. Qc3+ Ka2
10. Qb2#
Hi Susan Polgar,
Well,this is simple puzzle.
White wins the game with ease [ Variations exist ]
Example One
===========
1.Nb5+ K*Rb8
2.Qd8+ Kb7
3.Qc7+ Ka6
4.Q*c6+ Ka5
5.Be1++ Mate
Example Two
===========
1.Nb5+ c*Nb5
2.Qd8+ Kc6
3.Rc8+ Kb7
4.Qc7+ Ka6
5.Qc6+ Ka5
6.Be1+ b4
7.B*b4 K*Bb4
8.Rb8+ Ka3
9.Qc3+ Ka2
10.Qb2++ Mate
White wins the game with ease.
By
Venky [ India – Chennai ]