Attacking chess tactic. White to move. How should White proceed?
8/p1n2pk1/2nbp1p1/3p3p/1p1P1PP1/qP2P2P/1N1BBK2/1Q6 w – – 0 1
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Na4 wins the Queen.
Smash the king by capturing queen Na4
1. Na4 Na5
2. Bd1 with Bc1 coming
1-0
Na4
1.Na4! Na5 2.Bd1! threatening 3.Bc1, a threat which is not to be parried, getting the queen 1-0
No need to be distracted by the kingside.
Na4 Na5
Bd1
followed by Bc1 snaring the queen
1 Na4!
With this move, White traps the Queen and wins a piece.
1 … Nb5
No better os 1 … Na4, 2 Bd1 Nxb3, 3 Bxb3 Nb5, 4 Bc1, winning material.
2 Bc1 Nc3
3 Nxc3 Qa5
4 Na4
Black avoids the loss of the Queen, but White is up a piece.
2 Bd1
White adds support to the pawn and again threatens Bc1
2 … Nxb3
3 Bxb3 Nb5
4 Bc1 Nc3
5 Nxc3
I think Na4 followed by Bc1 can’t be stopped and wins the black queen for a minor piece.
Brad H.
My bet is Na4 ( Bc1 follows) and the queen is trapped 🙂 it is not so attacking like that, maybe not the best 🙂
My first and thought is to try a queen snare by cutting off the retreat up the a-file and clearing the way for Bc1:
1. Na5
Now, what can black do? When I first looked at this, all I could see black playing Na5 giving a double attack on the b-pawn (and thought this would turn out to be the best line for black, but was wrong) which might conceivably provide an escape for the black queen, but white need be in no hurry to play Bc1:
1. …..Na5?!
2. Bd1!
Protecting b3 a second time while still threatening Bc1. Now, all black can do is to try to the other maneuver of Nb5-Nc3, combined in this line with Nb3 (necessary to clear a path for the queen), forcing the white queen away, but this is going to cost two pieces. Continuing:
2. …..Nb3
3. Bb3 Nb5 (what else is better?)
4. Bc1 Nc3
5. Nc3 Qa5
6. Ne2 and white is up two pieces for two pawns. Having worked through this, it was now obvious that 1. ….Na5 was worse than worthless- black does best to do the Nb5-Nc3 maneuver immediately:
1. …..Nb5
Now, this is interesting. I initially dismissed this move in this position due to the fact that it appears the knight is hanging at b5, but if white takes at b5 on move 2, he gains what is likely a decisive edge, but does better to simply play Bc1 first, but let’s look at 2.Bb5 anyway- I had a lot of fun working through it:
2. Bb5 Na5
Now, Bd1 protecting b3 isn’t possible. 3.Bc1 has no barb now since black simply takes with the queen at b3 and white has a piece for two pawns- an advantage, but possibly not yet decisive. Here, I think white probably does best with:
3. Nc5 Bc5 (forced by Bc1 threat)
4. dc5 Nb3 (Qb3 is horrid!)
5. Be1
And, here, black has two choices- take at c5 or push d4. Of the two, I think d4 is best since the other lines seems to lose two pieces in the end, though one has to look deeper to see why. On Nc5-[Nc5 6.Bb4 Ne4 (Qb3 7.Qb3 Nb3 8.Ba4 Nc1 9.Bc2 Na2 10.Bd2 traps the knight) 7.Kf3 Nc3 (this is forced I think since the black queen is still trapped!) 8.Ba3 hg4 (best to do now to keep the pawns compact, though the position is losing) 9.hg4 Nb1 10.Bb2 Kf8 11.Ke2 and the knight is trapped once again]. Continuing:
5. …..d4
6. c6
I spent some time looking at other lines, but this seems most forcing continuation for white:
6. …..de3 (what else?)
7. Ke3
Let me tell you, I had to look hard at this decision- I don’t like allowing discovered checks, especially when a knight is involved. I am going to stop this line here. The discovered check with 7. …Nc5 doesn’t, in the end, look all that scary when white plays the king to f2- white has firm control over d3 and black will have to do something about the c-pawn. All in all, this sideline is probably winning for white, but it is more complicated than it need be. From the top:
1. Na4 Nb5
2. Bc1 Nc3
3. Nc3 Qa5
4. Na4 and white is up a piece for a pawn. There is work to do, but I would feel much better playing this position than the previous one.
I can’t see anything re the Black King..so
1. Na4! trapping the Queen
Na4 seals the Queen’s fate.
A perfect example of why you should consider the position in a bit more detail than a simple “Na4 wins the queen”. I admit, when I did the first cursory analysis of this position, I didn’t think the queen could be saved by the Nb5 reply.
Nice job, Tom.