White to move. How should White proceed?
1r1q1r1b/2n1pk2/n1p2p1P/3pP3/pp1P4/P7/1PPBQPP1/2K3RR w – – 0 1
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an easy one:
1. e6+ Nxe6
2. Qh5+ Kg8
3. Qg6+ Bg7
4. hxg7 Nxg7
5. Rh7 Rf7
6. Qh7+ Kf8
7. Qh8 mate
or
1. e6+ Nxe6
2. Qh5+ Kg8
3. Qg6+ Ng7
4. hxg7 Bxg7
5. Rh7 Rf7
6. Rgh1 Kf8
7. Rh8+ Bxg8
8. Rxg8 mate
or
1. … Ke8
2. Qh5+ Rf7
3. Qxf7 mate
or
1. … Kg8
2. Qg4+ Kh7
3. Qf5+ Kg8
4. Qg6 Bg7
5. Qxg7 mate
or
1. … Kg6
2. Qg4+ Kh7
an easy one:
1. e6+ Nxe6
2. Qh5 Kg8
3. Qg6 Bg7
4. Qxg7 mate
1.e6+ Nxe6 (if 1…Ke8 2.Qh5+ Rf7 3.QxRf7+mate) 2.Qh5+ Kg8 3.Qg6+ Bg7 4.QxBg7+mate
1. e6+ Nxe6
Other moves lead to quicker mates
1. … Kg6 2.Qh5#
1. … Kg8 2.h7+ Kg7 3.Qg4#
1. … Ke8 2.Qh4+ Rf7 3.Qxf7#
All black moves are forced now:
2. Qh4+ Ke8
3. h7+ Kg7
4. Bh6+ Kxh7
5. Bxf8+ Kg8
6. Qxh8#
1. e6+ clogs the e6 square so there’s no side door escape. 1. … Nxe6 (1. … Kg8 2. h7+ Kg7 3. Qg4#) 2. Qh5+ Kg8 3. h7+ Kg7 4. Bh6+ Kxh7 5. Bg5+ (or Bf4, Bd3, Be2) Kg7 6. Qh7#
e6+ looks good
Nxe6 Qh5+ with mate to follow
Kg8 h7+ leads to mate
Kg6 Qg4+ Kh7 Qf5+ Kg8 Qg6#
The pawn sack e6+ must immediately draw attention, since a black knight on that field looks good for white (mate in 4):
1. e6+ Nxe6
2. Qh5+ Kg8
3. Qg6+ Bg7
4. Qxg7#
Not taking on e6 is even worse:
a) Ke8 Qh5+ Rf7 Qxf7#
b) Kg8 h7+ (not Qg4+ of cource) Kg7 Qg4#
c) Kg6 Qh5#
1…e6 followed by 2….Qh5
gi
This one was really easy because the first move has to be 1. e6+ as you need to stop the black king having a flight square. After that, everything is forced.
1. e6+ Ne5
2. Qh5+ Kg8
3. h7+ Kg7
4. Bh6+ Kh7
5. B anywhere on the c1-h6 diagonal,
5 … Kg7
6. Qh7 mate
1st variation
e6+ Ke8
Qh5+ Rf7
Qf7++
2nd variation
e6+ Ne6
Qh5 Kg8
Qg6+ Bg7
Qg7++
The very first thing that catches my eye is to close off the retreat square of e6 so that Qh5+ forces the black king to g8:
1. e6 Ne6 (alternatives below)
2. Qh5 Kg8
3. h7 Kh7
4. Bf8 Kg8
5. Qh8 Kf7
6. Qh5
Here, Rh7 probably wins at least by material weight (black will lose his queen after a later Be7 discovered check), but I can’t see a mate without my board (about 7 moves is my limit, and it has to be clearly forced with lots of only moves even then)- Qh5 I can see without it:
6. …..Kf8 (Kg8 7.Qg6 Kf8 8.Rh8#)
7. Qg6 and Rh8# is unstoppable as far as I can tell- there don’t even seem to be delaying moves available.
The entire line was forced except for black’s first move alternatives and the one variation at move 6. So, back at move 1, I think every alternative was a shorter mate:
1. e6 Ke8
2. Qh5 Rf7
3. Qf7#
Or
1. e6 Kg6
2. Qg4 Kh7
3. Qf5 Kg8
4. Qg6 Bg7
5. Qg7#
Or
1. e6 Kg8
2. Qg4 Kh7
3. Qf5 with a transposition to the line immediately above. I think that covers it all.
1.e6+
Lets see the variations if black doesn’t capture
1…Ke8
2.Qh5+ Rf7
3.Qxf7#
1…Kg8
2.h7+ Kg7
3.Qg4#
1…Kg6
2.Qg4+ Kh7
3.Qf5+ Kg8
4.Qg6+ Bg7
5.Qxg7#
If black capture’s the pawn on e6 in the first move,
1…Nxe6
2.Qh5+ Kg8
3.h7+ Kg7
4.Bh6+ Kxh7
5.Bxf8+ Kg8
6.Qxh8+ Kf7
7.Qh5+ (otherwise black king would escape through e8-d7)
Here black has 2 options
7….Kxf8
8.Qg6 and I don’t see a way in which black can defend the mate at f8 when white gives a check with his rook at h8.
Black can do no better by playing Kg8 at the 7th move:
7…Kg8
8.Qg6+ Kxf8 (if 8…Ng7 9.Qxg7#)
9.Rh8#
Hope I didn’t miss anything