White to move. How should white proceed?
Hint: It is a little tricky so be careful
Source: ChessToday.net
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Winning chess tactic
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White to move. How should white proceed?
Hint: It is a little tricky so be careful
Source: ChessToday.net
The first line I played out with this position on my phone, looked winning:
1. Bxh7+ Kxh7
2. Qh5+ Kg8
3. Rh3 f6
4. Nf5 Qb4
5. Qh7+ Kf7
6. c3 Qc5
7. Rh7 Rb7
8. b4 1-0 (Black loses the Queen else gets mated)
1. Nf5
1. Bxh7+ Kxh7 (1. … Kh8 2. Qh5 etc.) 2. Qh5+ Kg8 3. Nf5 Qf6 4. Rh3 and white is winning.
I’d try 1.Bxh7+ Kxh7 2.Qh5+ Kg8 3.Rh3 but 3…f5 seems to break all attack dreams.
But 1.Nf5 Qf6 2.Qxf6 gxf6 3.Ne7+ followed by Rg3+ or Rh3 seems a valid attack plan… except for the very annoying …f5 again!
So, after a short thinking, 10 minutes or so, I wondered if we can mix those two ideas, Bxh7+ and Nf5…
And it seems to work
Let’s try:
1.Bxh7+ Kxh7 2.Qh5+ Kg8 and now 3.Nf5.
Where goes the queen?
a) On 3…Qf6, 4.Rh3 wins outright, there is no …f5 anymore and Qh6 is impossible.
b) If 3…Qd8 4.Nh6+ and Black must accept this second sacrifice because of the discovery check 5.Nxf7+ winning the queen
4…gxh6 5.Qxh6 and the threat is Rg3#
5…f5 is once again a defense but here it is not sufficient:
6.Rg3+ Kf7 7.Rg7+ Ke8 8.Qh5+ and 9.Qxf7#
c) If 3…Qe8 let’s try 4.Nh6+ again
If 4…gxh6 then 5.Qh6 again, but with a different checkmate after 5…f5 6.Rg3+ Kf7 7.Qg7#
BUT if 4…Kh7 I don’t see any valid continuation because if 5.Nxf7+ Kg8 the Nf7 is pinned. Maybe 6.Rh3 will do the job because the knight can’t be taken, but this move doesn’t carry any threat.
So, I’ll rather play 4.Nxg7 attacking the queen and storming the barricades.
On 4…Kxg7 5.Rg3+ Kf6 and again a stock mate by 6.Qg5#
On the refusal of sacrifice by 4…Qe7 5.Rg3 wins, the threats are 6.Nf5+ winning the queen and Nxe6+ with checkmate next.
c) 3…Qc5 4.Nh6+ snaring the queen is out of question
Finally
d) 3…Qb4 is a desperate counterattack. White can’t directly attack the King with a calm move because of the threat 4…Qxe1+.
But we have the sadistic 4.c3! captures again the queen, because if the Queen plays on a reasonable square, she leaves the guard of e7 and White punishes it immediately by 5.Ne7#, another stock mate!
Solved without computer and without moving pieces. I just’ve seen the diagram.
If there are any errors, please correct. I will not verify my post with engine or chessboard.
Thanks!
1. Bxh7+
A 1…..Kh8 2. Qh5.
A1.2…f6/5 3. Bg6+ Kg8 4. Qh7#
A2.2…g6 3. Bxg6+Kg7 4. Qh7+.Kf6 5. Qh4+ skewering the queen!
A3.3…g5 3. Nf5!.Qf6 4. Bg6+ Kg8 5. Qh7#
A4.3…g5 3. Nf5!.ef5 5. Rxe7 winning queen with strong mating attack
B 1….Kxh7 2. Qh5+.Kg8 3. Nf5!
B1. 3..Qf6 4. Rh3.g6 5. Qh7#
B2. 3..Qf6 4. Rh3.Qh6 5.Nxh6+ gxh 6. Qxh6 with mate to follow in 2 more moves
B3. 3..exf5 4. Rxe7 winning queen with strong mating attack
Other moves by Black win even more easily for White.
Harry
After trying to solve this with all forced (i.e. check’s) moves, i concluded there had to be found a waiting move somewhere. And finally i succeeded. That is, in my mind. Just looking at my screen, this is the best i can see (taking 35 minutes):
1 Bxh7+ Kxh7 (forced, else mate:
1 Kh8 2 Qh5 g5 (any other move, like Rd8, gives Bg6+, Kg8, Qh7+, Kf8, Qh8#) 3 Bd3+ Kg7 4 Qh7+ Kf6 5 Qh6#)
2 Qh5+ Kf8 3 Rh3 (the waiting move, threatening Qh7#)
3 f6 4 Nf5! seals the deal. Attacking g7 and the N cannot be taken cause the Q is lost. Where does the Q go? Nowhere is good enough.
4 Qd8 5 Qh7+ Kf7 6 Qxg7 Ke8 7 Qg6+ Rf7 8 Rh8#
Hopefully i din’t miss anything. But after 35 minutes i defenately would have tried Bxh7+!
These are nice brain challenges, Susan! ThnX
1. Nf5
Threatens mate on g7
If …exf5
2. Qxe7 Game Over
If …Nxe5 then
2. Nxe7+ Kh8
3. fxe5
1. Nf5
A little tricky:
1. Bh7! Kh7 (Kh8 2.Qh5 g6 3.Bg6+-)
2. Qh5 Kg8
And it is tempting to play Rh3 here:
3. Rh3? f5 (the only defense)
And now Qh7 is no threat:
4. Qh7 Kf7
5. Nf5 Qf6!
6. Nh6 Ke8 and the black king has escaped.
Now, I wasn’t really tempted by this move at move 3- I had eyes only for either 3.f5 or 3.Nf5 because of the pin on e6:
3. Nf5! Qf6 (alternatives follow)
4. Rh3 and mate is unavoidable now.
Or, at move 3:
3. …..Qe8
4. Rh3 f6
5. Qh7 Kf7
6. Qg7#
Or,
3. …..Qd8
4. Rh3 f6
5. Qh7 Kf7
6. Qg7 Ke8
7. Qg6 Rf7
8. Rh8#
Of course 3. …Qc5 runs into the same problems as above. The one move that makes a difference is 3. …Qb4 attacking the rook at e1, but..
3. …..Qb4
4. c3! and the queen can’t leave the a3/f8 diagonal because of Ne7#. Black must lose decisive material.