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1. Bc8+ and white mates or wins the queen!
1. Bc8+ Kxc8 (if Nxc8, Qb7+)
2. Ba8+ Kc7/d7
3. Qxa7+ 1-0
1. Bc8+ Kd8
2. Bf6+ Ke8 (if Kxc8, see above)
3. Bd7+ Kf7 (if Kf8, Qa8+ 1-0)
4. Bxe6+! Kxe6
5. Qa2+ Kf5 (if Kd7/f7, Qxa7+ 1-0)
6. Qc2+ 1-0
1. Bc8+ Ke8
2. Bd7+ Kd8
3. Qa8+ and white wins easily 1-0
1. Bc8+ Ke8
2. Bd7+ Kf7
3. Bxe6+ Kxe6
4. Qa2+ 1-0
The very first thought I have looking at this is that I would love play Qb7+ and skewer the king and queen. With the bishop in the way, you can’t do that, so, can white move the bishop with force and clear the way for the queen, and I am pretty sure this works on just a couple of minutes of thinking about it:
1. Bc8
Neither capture will work for black: On 1. …Kc8, white plays Qa8+ followed by Qa7+ winning the knight and the queen; on 1. …Nc8, Qb7+ wins. This leaves the king moves Kc7, Kd8, Ke8, and Ke7. The two moves to seventh rank squares, of course, still lose to Qb7+. So, we need to look at the two move to the eighth rank:
1. …..Kd8
2. Bf6
To win, I literally don’t see any other move but this check:
2. …..Ke8
3. Bd7
Keeping the pressure on black. Of course, for black, 3. …Kd7 loses to 4.Qb7+. 3. …Qd7 loses to 4.Qg8#. So, here, black has Kf7 and Kf8 as moves. Continuing:
3. …..Kf8
4. Qa8+ and mate by Qe8 can only be delayed one move with Nc8. Or
3. …..Kf7
4. Be6
Not a hard move to find necessarily, but it did take me a couple of minutes to actually see why it works (I got hung up on horizontal skewers):
4. …..Ke6 (Ke8/f8 5.Qa8+-)
5. Qa2!
I spent a bit of time thinking about 5.Qh3 first, but after Kd5, I just don’t see how white can ever hope to corral the black king again. Here, black has the king moves of Kd7 and Kf5. Of course, Kd7 loses to 6.Qa7+. Continuing:
5. …..Kf5
6. Qc2+ wins the queen with with diagonal skewer.
Back at move 1, black could try Ke8, but it won’t help:
1. …..Ke8
2. Bd7 Kd8
Here, 2. …Ke7 is met by 3.Bf6 with a transposition to the lines after 1. …Kd8; or 2. …Kf8 is met by 3.Qa8 with mate by Qe8 to follow; or 2. …Kf7 is met by 3.Be6 and, either 4.Qa2 followed by 5.Qa7+ or 5.Qc2+ as before, or 4.Qa8 followed by 5.Qa7 as before. Continuing:
3. Qa8 Kc7
Here, Kd7 is met by Qa7+, Nc8 is met by Qc8+ followed by Qe8#, and Ke7 is met by Qe8#. Continuing:
4. Qa7 Kd8
Of course, now 5.Qb7 Kd7 6.Qb7 will win, but white mates quickly with
5. Bf6 Qe7 (only move)
6. Be6 with three different mates possible on the next move- black can’t stop them all.
Okay, I think I have it!
The problem for black lies in the fact that the queen might be hanging in some variations.
1. Bc8+! Ke8
(1… Kxc8? 2. Qa8+ Kc7 3. Qxa7+ picking up the queen)
2. Bd7+! Kxd7
(2… Kf8 3.Qa8+ with mate)
3. Qb7+ Ke8
4. Qxh7
White wins!
It’s been a while since I’ve looked at your column. My brain needs the exercise.
1. Bc8+ with the idea of skewering Black’s King and Queen is the way to win.
Some variations:
1… Kc8
2. Qa8+ K moves
3. Qa7+ with the skewer
1… Nc8
2. Qb7+ with the skewer
1… Ke8
2. Bd7+ (this is the move that makes the problem interesting, with the second offer of the bishop), and now the most stubborn defense is:
2… Kf7
3. Be6+ Ke6 (Black finally has to capture in order to avoid skewer on 7th rank), only to run into:
4. Qa2+ and Black can avoid the 7th rank skewer, only to run into a skewer along a diagonal:
4…. Kf5
5. Qc2
If Black at any point plays his King to a Black square, then the White bishop on h8 can go to f6 with check, and then Black either gets skewered on the 7th rank or gets mated.
Lucymarie
From Spain…..
1)Bc8+,Kd8
2)Bf6+,Ke8
3)Bd7+,Kf7
4)Be6+,Ke6
5)Qa2+,Kd7
6)Qa7+,….
7)Qh7 +-
1)Bc8+,Kc8
2)Qa8+,Kc7 or Kd7
3)Qa7+…
4)Qh7 +-
1)Bc8+,Ke8
2)Bd7+,Kf8
3)Qa8+,Ke7 or Kf7
4)Qe8#
From Spain…..
1)Bc8+,Kd8
2)Bf6+,Ke8
3)Bd7+,Kf7
4)Be6+,Ke6
5)Qa2+,Kd7
6)Qa7+,….
7)Qh7 +-
1)Bc8+,Kc8
2)Qa8+,Kc7 or Kd7
3)Qa7+…
4)Qh7 +-
1)Bc8+,Ke8
2)Bd7+,Kf8
3)Qa8+,Ke7 or Kf7
4)Qe8#
Greetings from spain
First thing that comes to mind is 1 Bc8+
After both 1 .. Nxc8 or 1 .. Kxc8 black will lose the Queen due to 2 Qb7+ or 2 Qa8+ Kc7 3 Qxa7+.
After 1 .. Kd8 Black also loses its Queen or he is mated: 2 Bf6+ Ke8 3 Bd7+ Kf8 4 Qa8+ Kf7 5 Qe8 mate. Nice one.
This is hard puzzle but I got it (well, at least the main line)The whole point of this position is for white to try winning black’s queen.
1.Bc8+ Ke8
2.Bd7+! and white wins
The point is that if:
A) 2…. QxB
3.Qg8+ Ke7
4.Bf6 mate
B) 2… Kf7
3.BxP+!
I missed this move. I actually thought I could play 3.Qf2+ Ke7 4.Bf6+ KxB 4.QxN(a7)+ and winning but missed the fact that black has Nf5. Anyhow this wins as well.
3… KxB
4.Qa2+! and white wins since 4….Kf5 5.Qc2+ skewering the queen , and K to the seven rank loses its queen to 5.Qxa7+
C) 2…..Kd8
3.Qa8+ wins easily.
Well, overall I got this puzzle except missing that line with Kf7 and Bxe6+.
1. Bc8+ wins the Q in all variations.
1…N:c8 2. Qb7+
1…K:c8 2. Qa8+ K any 3. Qb7+
1…Ke8 2. Bd7+ Q:d7 (other moves lead to variations similar to below) 3. Qg8+ Ke7 4. Bf6#
1…Kd8 2. Bf6+ Ke8 3. Bd7+ K:d7 4. Qb7+
3…Kf7 4. B:e6+ (now the K must capture else 5. Qa8 mates) K:e6 5. Qa2+ and either 6. Qb1+ or 6 Q:a7+ finally wins the Q.
There are still more variations. They’re beautiful.
Complete source:
Sivkov, 64, 1927, #247, recommendation