Black to move. How should Black proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
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Black to move. How should Black proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
1… Bxe4
2.Kxe4 Nf5
3.Nf2 Rd4+
4.Kf3 Rxf4+ with a N fork to follow is the most obvious route
But
1… Bh3 also seems to win because of multiple pins. It’s rather pretty eg,
2.Rh1 Nf5+
3.Kd2 Bb4+
4.Nc3 Bg2
5.Re1 e4 winning a peice
There are more lines to check with this, so 1… Bxe4 would be my practical choice.
1…Bxe4 2.Kxe4 Nf5 -+
3.Rf3 Rd4#
3.Rg1 Rd4+ 4.Kf3 Rxd3
3.Nxd5 Ng3+
– SS
i think 1. … Bh3 will free black’s pieces, that partly blockaded each other.
2. Rh1 Nf5+
3. Kd2 Bb4+
4. Kc2 Ne3+
5. Kc1 Rxd3
6. Rxh3 Rxd1+ and wins, if
4. Nc3, then Bg2
5. Rg1 Be4
6. Be2 Bxd3
7. Bxd3 e4 wins a piece.
there seems to be quite a lot of variations. but i can’t see a way for white to get out of this. greets, jan
Black has a protected passed pawn, and can win if black exchanges off the pieces.
1 Bxe4 Kxe4
2 Nf5
Black has exchanged a pair of minor pieces and placed the knight on a key square, and has tactical threats of Ng3+ (winning a rook) or Rd4+ (winning a knight), which are hard to defend against.
1…Bxe4 2.Kxe4 Nf5, threatening Rd4+ and Ng3+
The general idea should be to force the white rook either from the first row or the f-file; then, to remove the Nd4 from the d-file with check and thus threatening to take Nd3; if the king moves to e2, it can be forced to d2 with Bg4+; once the king is on d2, the pawn on f4 can be taken safely and Black is 2 pawns up. If the white rook stayes on the f-file to protect Pf4, then after chasing the king to d2 Black plays Bb4+ Kc2 Ne3+, winning a piece.
1. … Bh3
2.Re1
[2.Rh1 Bg2 3.Re1 Nf5+ 4.Kd2 e:f4 -+]
[2.Rf2 Nf5+ 3.Kd2 (3.Ke2 Bg4+ 4. Kd2 B:d1 +-) Bb4+ 4.Kc2 Ne3+ -+]
2. … Bf5+
3. Kd2
[3.Ke2 Bg4+ 4.Kd2 B:d1 5.R:d1 P:f4 +-]
3. … e:f4 4.Kc2 Ne3+ -+
1…Bxe4! 2.Kxe4 Nf5! and how can White parry the threats of ….Ng3+ with a fork and …Rd4+! forcing the White king to leave the knight ?
Because of the threat Nc5+, it is difficult to find something else than:
1. Bxe4 Kxe4
2. Nf5 with threats like:
3. Rd4+ Kf3
4. Rxd3+ or Rxf4+.
Black has an answer to give to the second move, but i am not able to see a good one.
1…Bxe4
2.Kxe4 Nf5 threatens both 3…Ng3+ and 3…Rd4+ followed by Rxd3.
What if the Knight could go on f5+ ? The King must protect the d3-Knight, and the Bishops can come to fight.
1. Bh3 Rh1
2. Nf5+ Kd2
3. Bb4+ Kc2
4. Ne3 and R take the Knight on d3
Well, the first and only thing that catches my eye is to try to draw the white king onto e4 with Be4- the point being that the followup move of Nf5 provides a double threat of a knight fork of the rook and king with Ng3+ and either Rd4+ followed by Rd3 winning a piece, or Rd3 directly if the king retreats to f3. The attempt to cover both g3 and the knight at d3 with Rf3 is mate in one for black.
1. ……Be4
2. Ke4
Every other move looks worse, but I will cover the major alternatives at the end. Continuing:
2. ……Nf5!
3. Ne5
Here, pretty much everything else loses to either Rd4, Rd3, or Ng3+. Continuing:
3. ……Ng3
4. Kf3 Nf1 and black is up a rook. White might be able to win two or three pawns (the point of playing Ne5 at move 3) since the black pawns at c6, g6, and h5 look pretty vulnerable to me after white plays 5.Bc2, but I don’t think this is nearly enough compensation for a full rook.
At move 2, the major alternatives to Ke4 seem to me to leave white with far less counterplay than the line above:
2. Ne5 Bg2! (Bf5 wins too)
The point of Bg2 is that it threatens a mating net starting with Nf5+ or Bc5 if black tries to save the rook with moves like Rg1, Rf2, or Re1. Continuing:
3. Be2 Ne2
4. Ke2
Here, Rf2 is met with Bc5+. Continuing:
4. ……Bf1 and white’s position is completely hopeless. Or
2. fe5 Nf5
3. Ke4 Ng3
4. Ke3
What else here- the white knight is hanging. Continuing:
4. ……Nf1
5. Ke2 Ng3
6. Ke3 Nf5
And white is down a rook with no prospect of winning black pawns at c6 or g6.
Clearly, 1. …Be4 presents white with only bad/losing options.
I will also point out that black likely wins with a move like 1. …ef4- I can’t find any real way for white to gain balance after that move, but it isn’t a knockout blow like the other move.