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I can’t figure this one out. The ‘normal’ move would be Qe3, threatening a devastating double-check, but black can simply castle and then is safe from all threats.
The sack Nf6+?! looks like an interesting try, as after gxf6, Qe3+ Kf8, Qe7+ Kg8, black can’t castle. If only black didn’t have luft with the h-pawn on h6, then this would win, as after BxB, the queen couldn’t recapture because of the back-rank mate. But with the h7 square for escape, I don’t see a follow-through for white.
So maybe the strange move is called for:
1 Qf3
This puts the white queen awkwardly in the sights of black’s bishop, but it puts 2 pieces attacking black’s bishop if a discovered attack can be made with a check, such as 1…0-0, 2 Nf6+ gxf6, 3 Qxb7, winning a rook. So this forces black to place his king in a dangerous position, with either 1…Kd8 or Kf8. Now white needs to get the queen out of the pin, but at least black can’t castle. That’s all I can come up with so far.
Now I don’t even like my move 1 Qf3, as black doesn’t have to move his king but can just develop normally with Nc6, and then castle next. I’m stuck.
My original idea of Qf3 doesn’t work. Either Nf6+ or Ng5 are the only tries. Ng5 looks better, as if black takes, then after Q-e3-e7 and trading bishops, white can recapture with the f-pawn, opening the f-file for the rook and attacking f7 twice. Being behind in development, black can’t bring any pieces to defend and black should lose after f7 falls.
Ng5, but I’m too lazy to give variations
How about Ng5? Threatening Qe3+, Qe7+ and Qxf7++.
a sack of the knight would help put off black kf6,g7*f6,Qe3+,Kf8,Qe7+,Kg8,B*b7,…..1-0
1. Nf6+ looks good. Let’s see.
1. Nf6+ gxf6
Now instead of the obvious Qe3+ White should play
2. Qf5!
Let’s check some of Black’s defenses:
2… Kf8
3. Qxf6 Kg8
4. Bxb7 Qxb7
5. f5! Nc6
6. Rf4 h5
7. Qg5+ Kh7
8. f6 and White wins
2… 0-0
3. Qxf6 Bxg2
4. Kxg2 Nc6
5. f5 Ne5
6. Qxh6 and White has various mating possibilities with the rook lift to f4 at h7 or h8.
Respect if this was a Blitz game. Took 20 minutes to find this after trying 2…Qe3+?
It is pretty easy to see theme of Qe3 and Qe7+, though at frist sight there are a few problems with this
– Qe3 is simply met by o-o
– so N moves to gain a tempo suggest themselves but the obvious 2 don’t work out well
– Nxc5 Qxc5 is check
– Nf6+ gxf6 and the king black escapes to Kg7 after Qe3 and Qe7
So that leaves
1. Ng5 which does the trick, preventing 0-0 (Qh7), and attacking f7. Everything flows beautifully from there. e.g
1… fxg7
2. Qe3+ Kf8
3. Qe7+ Kg8
4. fxg5 and now its mate or Qf8 which loses loads of material
1… Kf8
2. Qe3+ Nc6 (Kg8 leads back to the line aboce)
3. Bxc6
Ce4-g5
Ce4-g5
I think TVTom is almost right.
1. Nf6+ gxf6
2. Qe3+ Kf8
3. Qe7+ Kg8
4. Bxb7
and now:
4. … Qxb7
5. Qe8 Kh7
6. Qxf7#
Even with the pawn on h6 it will be mate, because the g-pawn is on f6 now!
So instead:
4. … Qf8
5. Qxf8 Kxf8
6. Bxa8
and white wins.
I made a mistake.. Of course not Kg8, but Kg7. So this whole idea doesn’t work.
This is very nice. I think the winning move is the unusual looking 1.Ng5!
The threat of Qh7 prevents castling, and white threatens Qe3+, Qe7 and Qf7mate.
If 1…hxg5;2.Qe3+,Kf8;3.fxg5. Simple and strong, renewing the threat on f7. Black needs to use the queen to defend, in which case white takes on b7 and picks up the rook
1.Ng5 is very interesting. It stops castling, and after 1.-hxg5 2.Qe3 Kf8 3.Qe7+ Kg8 4.fxg5, f7 is hanging and it looks like a disaster for Black.
sg5
Qc3 followed by nf6 with mate threats on the back rank
1 Kg5 prevents 00 because of the mate on h7. The threat is Qe3+, Qe7+, Qxf7
If 1…hxg5, 2 Qe3+ wins
1… Nc6 controls e7, but then 2Nxf7, followed by Qf5 and Fd5 looks good.
1. Nf6+ gf
2. Qe3+ Kf8
3. Qe7+ Kg8
4. Bb7 Qb7
5. Qe8+ Kh7
6. Qf7++
1. Nf6+ gxf
2. Qe3+ Kf8 (Kd8 Qe7#)
3. BxB Qd8 (QxB Qe8#)
4. BxR Nc6
5. Bb7 White is up a rook
But I don’t know if the line is sound, because…
1. … Kf8
2. Nh7+ Kg8 (RxN loses the rook, Kd8 leads to mate)
and it seems to me that White loses a knight without much profit.
Mark