Palgukev, 1980
White to move an win! NOTE: This is a very tricky and complicated puzzle!
q6N/1p5P/1p6/1P4kp/8/4p2P/4P2K/8 w – – 0 1
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
A very tricky puzzle
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Black wins I think.
I could not see wath was so tricky about this.
So i used computer help, and got a Big surprise.
1. Nf7 Kh4
2. h8Q Qb8
3. Qe5 1-0
If she hadn’t written that the puzzle was “very tricky and complicated”, I’d just have said 1.Nf7+ followed by 2.h8(Q). The black king has to isolate/take the knigth, giving the white king enough time to move into action and decide matters. But if the puzzle is “very tricky and complicated”, that probably can’t be it.
Black’s best option after 1. Nf7 is to try for a stalemate with Kh4.
if white does 2. h8Q then Qb8+ will result in stalemate (3 Qe5 Qd6 or Qxb8 )
but if white does 2. h8B! then stalemale isnt possible
Very clever stalemate themes are immediately obvious.
I can’t see any other beginning than Nf7 followed by black’s odd looking move:
1. Nf7 Kh4!!
2. h8(Q)? Qb7
3. Ne5 Qe5
4. Qe5
and black is stalemated, and 3. Qb7is also stalemate, so, better in this line would be:
3. Qe5 Qd6 (Qc7?, no threat to e2)
4. Kg2 Qd5
5. Kg1 Qd1
6. Kg2 Qe2 with a draw at the very least.
So, it appears that white must choose a different second move that does not allow the check along the b7/h2 diagonal:
1. Nf7 Kh4!!
2. Kh1 Qa1
3. Kg2 Qa2
and now, I don’t see any other move for white than,
4. h8(Q) and black still gets a perpetual. So, what are we left with? I think an underpromotion is the key, one that allows the knight block at e5.
1. Nf7 Kh4!!
2. h8(B) Qb7
3. Ne5 and the knight can’t be taken now since Be5 is no longer stalemate, and the h8 bishop is also verboten due to Nf3 mate. Black can’t parry both Nf3 and Bf6 mate.
Correct solution
1 Nf7+ Kh4
2 h=B Qb8+
3 Ne5 Qxh8
4 Nf3X
Olimat
1.Nf7+ Kh4 2.h8B
if 2.h8Q Qb8+ 3.Qe5 Qd6
2…Qa1
if 2…Qb8+ 3.Be5 (3.Ne5 Kg5) 3…Qc7 4.Nd6
3.Ng5!! wins
To Yancey,
I think in your last line is incorrect because of
1. Nf7 Kh4!!
2. h8(B) Qb7
3. Ne5 Kg5
I think better would
3 Be5 ??? ( if QxB then NxQ with an easy win)
if not mate available at
4 Bg3 or
4 Bf6
1. h4+
and the ideas above work, mutatis mutandis.
Yes, the anonymous commenter that corrected my line and Soylent Green have the right continuation after Qb8 check. I missed Kg5.
Very interesting puzzle – and one that Rybka will never solve because she does not allow for underpromotion to Bishop: http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?pid=10423
Sorry for offtopic but…
“and the h8 bishop is also verboten due to Nf3 mate”
“It is verboten.”, that is really cute!
Best wishes from Germany to Germany (I think)!
Jochen (who failed with h8Q and did not find anything good after 3. -, Qd6!!)
My previous correct solution was not correct.
1 Nf7+ Kh4 2 h=B Qb8+
3 Be5 Qc7! 4 Nd6!! and W wins.
incredible!
Olimat
Jochen,
No, USA. I just prefer verboten in place of forbidden.:~)
Yes, Olimat
The solution is quite unexpected.