White to move. How should white proceed?
2r3k1/1pq1Q2p/4p1pP/p2p4/1B2bP2/P7/5R2/n5K1 w – – 0 1
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White to move. How should white proceed?
2r3k1/1pq1Q2p/4p1pP/p2p4/1B2bP2/P7/5R2/n5K1 w – – 0 1
Q x e6+ …
from this point on Black is toast!
We have seen this one pretty recently- like in the last month, I believe. In any case:
1. Qe6 Kh8 (Qf7 2.Qc8 Qe8 3.Qe8#)
2. Be7! and there are only delays to coming mate that start with Bf6.
1. Qxe6+ Kh8
2. Rc2
2. Bc5? Nb3
2…. Nxc2
3. Be7
3…. Qb6+ 4. Qxb6 Rf8 5. Bf6+ Kg8 6. Qe6+ Rf7 7. Bg7 Nd4 8. Qe8+ Rf8 9. Qxf8#
3. … Rf8
4. Bf6+ Rxf6
5. Qe8+
Better than 5.Qxf6+
5….Rf8
6. Qxf8#
Qxe6.
Qe6+ followed by Bc3+
1. Qxe6+, Kh8 (Qf7 loses to Qxc8+, Qf8; Qxf8#)
2. Bc5 (threatening Bd4+), Nb3 (Nc2 loses to Rxc2)
3. Rc2, Nxc5 (several alternatives emerge)
4. Rxc5, Qxc5 (or alternatively Qc6, Rxc6; or Rf8, Rxc7;)
5. Qf6+, Kg8
6. Qg7#
3. …, Rf8
4. Bxf8
3. …, Qxc5
4. Qf6+, Kg8
5. Qg7#
3. …, Rg8
4. Bd4+, Nxd4
5. Rxc7
Hey, we saw this just a few weeks ago.
1. Qxe6+ Kh8
2. Bc5
and black can go home.
I thought this position was familiar – indeed it was run on June 25. My first thoughts went along the lines of the solution to that problem, which doesn’t work here due to the knight on a1. But we have a counter – the rook on f2. So, given that black is threatening checkmate starting with Qc1+, we need to:
1. Qxe6+ Kh8
2. Rc2!!
(2. Bc5 threatening Bd4# will not work due to the counter 2… Nb3).
What does the text move achieve? It buys white a tempo to deliver the killing Be7 threatening Bf6+ (note that 2… Qxc2 3. Qf6+ Kg8 4. Qg7#). The best response from black perhaps makes it a 7-move checkmate puzzle.
A good variation. The original puzzle is linked to from my name.
Qxe6+ Kh8
Rc2 Nxc2
Be7 Qb6+
Qxb6 … game over
Oops. Yes, I forgot the diversion of Rc2 first. I think I overlooked the h1 square the first time through this problem, too, though I think I caught that one before commenting
Oh! Ravi,
In your first variation 4 Qxc5 is actually 4 Qxc5+ and white has to escape from this check.
Frankly speaking I dilli-dallied for the 2nd move between 2.Rc2 and 2.Bc5 for quite sometime. On The face of it my first choice was 2Rc2 but possibility of 2… Qb6+ diverting white Q from her mating task did not appeal to me partly due to white being a R down in the original position and partly due to aversion to longer variation.
Next 2.Bc5 looked o.k. blocking Q check from c1 and threatening 3.Bd4#.I smelt that it was an earlier problem and Bc5 was the move.for black’s reply I tried 2… Nc2 guarding d4 square but 3.Rxc2 looked appropriate reply.My sluggish mind took considerable time for finding 2… Nb3. Again 3.Rc2 came handy. I realized that after 3…. Nxc5 4Rxc5(wow!) Qxc5 + mind you check
drove me back to 2Rc2 and the longer variation starting from 2… Qb6+ had to be analyzed willy nilly.
Then, double oops!! Thanks, MrB for the correct date on the previous problem. Yes, that position was solved by 2.Bc5.
Nice continuation puzzle with slight complicating changes! All I could remember (or thought I remembered) about the previous puzzle was that I had moved the bishop on the second move, just not where exactly. I just assumed I had made the same mistake both times in overlooking the mate threat of black.
First time in living memory that Yancey has missed a key move 🙂
1. Qe6+ Kh8
2. Be7 is what he suggests. But, this being a non-check move, black swiftly kicks white where it hurts:
2… Qc1+!!
Now:
3. Rf1 Qe3+
4. Kh2 Rc2+ (4. Rf2 Rc1+ 5. Kh2 Rh1#)
5. Rf2 Rxf2+
6. Kg1 Qg3#
Or,
3. Kh2 Qh1+
4. Kg3 Rc3+
5. Rf3 Qxf3+ (5. Kg4? Qh5#)
6. Kh4 Qg3# (6. Kh2 Qg2#)
So the grand plans of white go awry 🙂
Prof Bhat. Many thanks for pointing out the mistake. Should have been more careful.
1.Qxe6+ Kh8
2.Bc5 Rg8
3.Bd4+ Rg7
4.hxg7+ Qxg7
5.Qe8#
I think my word dilli-dallied was incorrect. It should have been dilly dallied.Sorry for abusing the language. One can not do so since language is like your mother.