White to move. How should white proceed?
Daily Chess Improvement: Mating Chess Tactic!
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White to move. How should white proceed?
1Qb4 mate in 2.
1. Qb4+ Rb7
2. Rd8+ Ka7
3. Bb6+ Rxb6
4. Qxb6#
Alena, I am almost dead certain now that the study I gave you last night is unsound. However, I do have a sound problem that I first saw about the same time I found the puzzle from the day before yesterday. It is by the same composer Mario Matuos. This one is not quite as spectacular, but is in many ways more pleasingly technical. The main weakness of this composition is that there is a side variation that arises fairly early on that, while still won for white, isn’t quite as pretty.
8/q7/8/2pp4/5K2/8/2RN1B1k/8 white to move and win.
I have tried to solve your puzzle but I managed to get only a draw with the move Nf3+.
The start is correct, but I would need more to see where you went wrong.
1. Nf3+ Kh1
2. Bxc5 Qa4+
3. Nd4 Qxd4
4. Bxd4
The second move is the wrong one, but a pretty stalemate, though. White has to offer a sacrifice here- one that can’t be immediately taken without losing more quickly.
I could only find another draw.
1. Nf3+ Kh1
2. Rd2 Qf7+
3. Kg3 Qg6+
4. Kh4 Qe4+
5. Kg3 Qg6+
6. Kh4 Qe4+
7. Kg3 Qg6+
When you tried….
1. Nf3 Kh1
2. Bxc5 Qa4+
You showed how black gets an immediate draw, right? So, how do you prevent 2. …Qa4+ with white’s second move? That is the question you should ask yourself.
I tried to protect from Qa4 but it was a draw anyway.
1. Nf3+ Kh1
2. Bd4 Qf7+
3. Ke3 cxd4+
4. Kf2 Qf4
5. Re2 Qc1
6. Re1+ Qxe1+
7. Nxe1
You are correct up to move #5 for white. You are thinking in one dimension with 5.Re2 trying to keep the mate threat via a rook move to the 1st rank. Think in two dimensions.
In addition, you will need, at some point, to convince yourself that black can’t hold at move 2 with 2. …Qc7+. This is the side variation off the main line that I mentioned when I first gave you the problem the other day. The solution to the side variation is a bit less pleasing to the eye than the main variation.
One final note- the N+K vs Q motif after 4. …Qf4, where the knight shields the king from checks by controlling the squares around the king is a common one over the board, but is usually seen with the king on the edge of the board- this problem is one of the very times I have ever seen it out in the open board.
In summary, find a way, at move 5 to overload the black queen’s ability to protect her king from mate.
Thanks for the hint. When you said think in two dimentions then I have solved it instantly.
1. Nf3+ Kh1
2. Bd4 Qf7+
3. Ke3 cxd4+
4. Kf2 Qf4
5. Rc6 d3
6. Rc8 Qxf3+
7. Kxf3 d2
8. Ke2 d1=any piece
9. Kxd1
Now I will think about the side variation you mentioned.
You don’t show 5. ….Qe3+, but the theme is the same as I am sure you saw:
5. ………..Qe3+
6. Kg3
And the knight still shields the king from checks at g1, g5, e1, and e5 with the same mate threats from the rook, and as in the main line, the queen has no square on that c1-h6 diagonal she can move to safely, thus there is really only the sacrifice for the knight at move 6, or a pawn move:
6. ………….d3
7. Ra6!
And white reinitiates the two mate threats with the rook- keeping the one on h6, but changing the other from c1 to a1. 7.Ra6 is the only winning move here, just like 5.Rc6 was. The black queen cannot now guard against the mate threat on the first rank without moving to c1 herself, but the only options are the sacrifices to the knight or the king himself:
7. …………Qc1
8. Ra7!
Another only move. With no safe checks still on the white king, and no way to prevent mate by either Rh7 or Ra1, black is left only sacrificing the queen to delay the mate now.
The main line here is truly thing of beauty. This problem won study of the year, but I don’t remember the year.
And one last thing about the 5. …..Qe3 line-
Note how the d3 pawn plays its role- it prevents black from covering h7 and a1 from b1.
This problem is worth study of the year award.
1. Nf3+ Kh1
2. Bd4 Qc7+
3. Be5 Qh7
4. Rd2 Qh3
5. Rxd5 Kg2
6. Rd2+ Kf1
7. Bf6 Qh6+
8. Kg3 Qe3
9. Rd1+ Ke2
10. Re1+ Kd3
11. Rxe3+ Kxe3
12. Be7 c4
13. Bf6 Kd3
14. Kf2 Kc2
15. Ke3 c3
16. Ne1+ Kb3
17. Kd3 c2
18. Nxc2
1. Qb4+!
a) 1…Kc8, 2. Rd8#
b) 1…Ka7, 2. Qb6#
c) 1…Rb7, 2. Rd8+ Ka7, 3. Bb6+! Rxb6, 4. Qxb6#