White to move. Can you find the fastest checkmate for White? No computer lines please.
8/5N2/2k5/4p3/1B6/K2Q4/8/8 w – – 0 1
Loyd, 1859
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Mate in 3.
1. Qh7 (any) 2. Nd6
I can see mate in three 1.Nd8+ Kb6 2.Qd7 e4 3.Qb7 mate !
Well, I have spent about an hour and exhausted myself and come up with several mates in four, which means none of them are likely to be the solution. I really doubt there is a mate in two in this position since I have to believe I would have found it by now(certainly no mate in 1- I am not that blind, I think), so it must, by the process of elimination, be a mate in 3, but, I have to admit, I am just not seeing it. I am going to take a break, have a couple of margaritas, and have another go later, if no one posts the solution by that time.
Oh, and for the other poor schmucks working on this, I have looked at all knight moves, bishop moves and king moves for white, and none of them look close to mate in 3. Queen moves I have looked at are the most obvious ones like 1. Qd6/d8, 1.Qc4/3/2, 1. Qe4, 1.Qf3, 1.Qg6, and I see nothing that looks close to a mate in 3, and while I was thorough, I hope, it is possible I have missed something.
I don’t know what’s the shortest path to a win, but I like kicking it off by Ka4, with the idea of moving queen and bishop to deal the final blow soon. Ba5 is handy for instance.
1Qd6+ Kb5 (or Kb7)
2Nxe5 This works relatively quickly in either case.
1. Qd6+ Kb7 (1. … Kb5 2. Qc5+ Ka6 3. Nd6 e4 4. Qa5#)
2. Nd8+ Ka7 (2. … Kc8 3. Ba5 e4 4. Qc7#; 2. Ka8 3. Qc6+ Ka7 or Kb8 4. Qb7#)
…3. Qc6 Kb8 or e4
4. Qb7#
Well, if you try everything, you should find it eventually!! It only took me 2 hours and a hundred variations of moves to find what seems to be a mate in 3. I don’t know if I got every possible line here, but hopefully this is it. In the lines below, since many of the positions are almost identical after black’s second move, I won’t include those mates if they are already covered in a previous line:
Variation 1.
1. Qh7 Kd5
2. Nd6 Kd4 (Kc6 3.Qb7#)
3. Qe4#
Variation 2.
1. Qh7 e4
2. Nd6 Kb6 (Kd5 3.Qe4#; e3 3.Qb7#)
3. Qb7#
Variation 3.
1. Qh7 Kd7
2. Nd6 Kd8 (Ke6 3.Qf7#)
3. Ba5#
Variation 4.
1. Qh7 Kc7
2. Nd6 Kb8
3. Qb7#
Variation 5.
1. Qh7 Kb7
2. Nd6 Ka6 or Ka8
3. Qb7#
Variation 6.
1.Qh7 Kb5
2.Nd6 Ka6 or b6 or c6
3.Qb7#
There may be a couple of other lines, but they will certainly be subvariations of the above which should include every major avenue for black.
@JD um, 1. Qd6+ Kb5 2. Nxe5?? is stalemate.
Timothee,
1. Nd8 Kc7
2. Qd6 Kc8
3. Ba5 e4
4. Qc7 is the shortest forced mating line that starts with 1.Nd8.
Hi Susan Polgar,
Well,there is a three move mate but only when the Black is careless,fourth move mate is possible in many variation,so let me give one example for each[Third move and Fourth move mate ].
Example :3rd move mate by white.
——————————–
1. Qd6+ Kb5
2. Nd8 e4
3. Qc6+ Mate
Example: 4th move mate by White
——————————-
1. Qd6+ Kb7
2. Nd8 Kc8
3. Ba5 e4
4. Qc7+ Mate
By
Venky [Chennai – India]
Hi Susan Polgar,
Well,I have already given the best possible moves for this puzzle.
I am here again in the comment column,just to know,where you all guys play online chess,if so,let me know the site,so that I can join and have the pleasure of playing with you guys. [ Everybody welcome to reply to my request,in specific “Susan Polgar”(Owner of this blog) : Could you reply to this please ].
By
Venky[Chennai – India]
if it is a puzzle Nd8+ or Qd6+ cant be the answer.
The most unobvious move to me is Qh7 with the idea Nd6 and Qb7.
Looks like a mate in 3 to me.
From Spain
1)Qh7,e4
2 Nd6,e3
3)Qb7++
1)…,Kd5
2)Nd8,e4
3)Qb7++
1)…,Kd7
2)Nd6+,Kd8
3)Ba5++
1. Qa7 (any) 2. Nd6 and mate next
The solution is a set of computer lines and you have therefore asked for it not to be shared.