Bent, 1994
White to move. Is this a win, draw, or loss for White? Please no computer lines 🙂
5n2/4p3/Q7/1K1k4/4NP2/8/2P1p2q/8 w – – 0 1
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1.Nf6+ exf6
if 1…Kd4 2.Qa1+ Ke3 3.Ng4+ Kd2 4.Nxh2
2.Qc6+ Kd4 3.Qf3!(2 mates:d3 and c3) Qh5+ (what else?) 4.Qxh5 Ke3 5.Qh4 Kd2 6.Qf2 Kd1 7.Qf3 Kd2 8.Qd3+ wins
It looks like 1. Ng5 has forcd mating lines.
Does the following work?
1. Nf2!
now, the threat is
2. Qc6+ Kd4
3. Qc5#
and if black takes the N with 1. …QxN
2. Qc6+ wins the Q and prevents the e2 pawn from queening.
So, black must play 1… Nd7 (taking the c5 square)
2. Qc6+ Kd4
3. Qxd7+
if 3… Ke3
4. Ng4+
although White wins the Q, Black gets to promote on e1. Is the position holdable for Black?
3… Kc3
4. Qd3+ Kb2
5. Qb3+ K-any
6. Ne3 should win for White.
1. Nf2 isn’t so clear after Qh5, so that when Black’s King moves it will be discovered check.
Better is:
1. Nc3+ Kd4 2. Kb4 threatening 3 Qd3++ and 3. Qb6++. There are no checks, and the only way to avoid both mates is 3 .. Qxe5 creating a flight square on e5. But then 4. Nxe2+ picks up both the advanced pawn and the queen.
I don’t understand. There’s nothing on e5 for the Queen to take. So how can black play Qxe5? Besides, isn’t Ke3 enough to avoid mate?
Tom, Kh5 in the aam’s line should win for white as Qb6 holds the black king on d5 square and the next move is c4+ checkmate. So Nf2 seems the right move.
1. Nf6+ exf6
2. Qc6+ Kd4
3. Qf3! (threatning 2 mates) is the wining idea
Solyent Green: In your line, Qf3 only threatens Qd3 mate. In response to Qc3+, black can simply play Qxc3. Because of this, black can simply play Qxf4, creating an escape square on e5. If white responds Qxf4, black queens on e1, and the situation still looks very much in doubt to me.
A clarification to Tom Crispin’s line. He really means Qxf4 creating an escape square on e5. However, his line fails because black can play Kf3 instead of Qxf4, and I don’t see a mate for white.
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jim Lin :
1. Nf6+ exf6 2. Qc6+ Kd4
3. Qf3 threats mate in c3 playing pawn c2 to c3
Now 3… Qxf4 4. Qxf4+ is check and you can not queen.
Wolverine :
1.Qa4 Qxf4 2.Nc3+ Ke5 3.Qxf4+ Kxf4 4.Nxe2+ Ke5 is a easy draw.
Black can change his Knigth for the last white pawn (and black has a pawn too)
I’m not so sure either of those guarantee mate for White.
1.Nf6+ exf6
2.Qc6+ Kd4
3.Qf3 can simply be answered by Qh5+
4.Qxh5 Pe1(Q) and you really haven’t gotten anywhere as White. You’ve traded a Knight and a little position for a pawn. Even following that out:
5.Qe5+ can be an exchange at e5 where Black wins a pawn. Or:
5.Qc5+ Ke4
6.Qc4+ Kf5 and now what? You’re just on a chase closer and closer to his Knight and rear Pawn, and further from the protection of your own King and Pawns.
The second scenario
1.Qa4 has an easy out as well:
1.Qa4 Ke6 and you’re away from the trickbag generated by White’s king and forward pawn in close proximity.
I’m not saying I have the answers, but I will say that I don’t completely throw my faith behind those ones just yet.
1.Nf6+ exf6 2.Qc6+ Kd4 3.Qf3 Qh5+ 4.Qxh5 e1Q 5.Qc5+ Ke4 6.Qe7+ Kxf4 7.Qxe1 wins
Qa4 Qxf4
Nc3+ Ke4
Qxf4 Kxf4
Nxe2+
Qa4 Ke6
Ng5+ Ke7
Qa7+
i think i would take a draw with white.. i can’t find a win. with Qa4 id be trying to induce a mistake so i can mate..
Maybe so, SG, but perhaps my mistake is earlier in the process. (I’m also the Anon. listing just prior to your last entry).
4. … Ke3.
Rather than moving the Pawn out of harm’s way and promoting it, moving the King to protect the pawn as it continues, and to protect the king once that pawn is promoted.
What about working from this point:
5. Qc5+ Kd2
and then you’re dancing around Black’s forward pawn. There’s no reason for Black to put the King at d1 or f1, as a good move sequence by White pins the pawn there until Black’s king comes out to dance around on the black squares again. The same goes for any move to put the King in check.
So, we try something different:
5. Qxe2 Kxe2
6. Pc4 Ne6
7. Pc5!
First option:
7. … Nxc5
8. Kxc5 Ke2
9. Kd5 Ke3
10. Ke6 Kxf4
11. Kxf6 Draw
Second option:
7. … Nxc4
8. Pc6 Nd6
White’s King is now jammed. In the time it’ll take the King to move around its forward Pawn and the threatened squares on the C File, Black will advance the Pawn. And the King also can’t catch the Pawn advance on the F File – at least not without giving up his own and thus leaving the Knight on the table. A draw again.
This all requires Black to have some serious foresight to get out of a very sticky situation, but I think this puzzle actually becomes a draw.
easy peasy…Qc6+ …Kd4 (forced) Qc4+ Ke3 (forced) Qd3#
This puzzle has so many variants
that i strongly advice some kind of
computer help before you get mad 😉
I do wonder from where Soylent Green
gets his funny lines.
easy…Qc6+ …Kd4 Qc4+ Ke3 Dd3#
I forgot to admit that i left my computer
on for 24h computing 40 000 000 000 lines
in pure desperation over this puzzle.
Cc6+ …Kd4 Qc4+ Ke3 Qd3#
3 people have suggested:
Qc6+ Kd4
Qc4+ Ke3
Qd3+
and claimed mate, but black can play Kxf4
JimLin, I completely agree. Kxf4 completely avoids mate at that point. I’m still working on it, as is a collegue.
Susan, are we/I completely off base here? Is there something obvious I’m missing? Or is my earlier statement about Black needing to play brilliantly to avoid mate the answer in itself?
A few days and four posts later, and I think I’ve actually got it.
1.Qc6+ Kd4 forced
2.Qc4+ Ke3 forced
3.Nc5!
Black can now either pin the Knight or promote the pawn. Pinning the Knight lasts longer, but hardly ends better, and promoting the Queen ends up being a non-issue for White with
4.Qe4+
If Black flees to his own Queens with Kf2, 5.Nd3+ capturing the promoted pawn with Nxe1 eventually.
If Black goes on offense against White’s rear pawn, 5.Nb3+. The latter path forces Kd1 followed by Qd3+. Whichever Queen interjects can be either exchanged with White’s queen, forcing QxQ followed by NxQ. Or NxQ which could also be followed by the queen exchange. However it works, White ends up with the advantage because of its two pawns and tempo.
Thoughts?
Either way, Black loses the advanced pawn, as well as tempo.