White to move. Which side is better? How should White proceed?
5k2/4q1p1/3Np1Qp/P1p1B1bP/1r6/3P2PK/1p3r2/8 w – – 0 1
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White is better since the Bishop may take on g7 with check, Queen can not retake due to Qd8 check. If King g8 than atleast that Queen goes lost . Sorry for wordiness to lazy to type in variations
bxg7+!
I only can see 1.Bxg7+ Kg8 with a draw (no manoeuver to win for white after it).
Bxg7
1. Bxg7+! is the only move. If Qxg7 then 2. Qe8, and if 2.-Kg8 we have “The Mill” 3. Bxb2+ and the threat b2-b1=Q is avoided. then 3.-Kf8 4. Bg7+ Kg8 5. Bf6+ and queen is lost with big white plus
A. E. Norway
Bxg7
Bxg7!!
bxg7
After which there are a variety of easy mates for white.
1. Bxg7+ Qxg7
2. Qe8#
or
1. … Kg8
2. Bf6+ Kf8
3. Qh6+ Kg8
4. Qh8#
okay?
okay
No, that doesn’t work because of blacks bishop on g5.
So let’s try
1. Qh7
sorry, I am still learning
okay
Bxg7+ does the trick
I would definitely look at Bg7 first due to the simple fact that the bishop can’t be taken by the queen without giving white mate on the next move:
1. Bg7 Kg8 (Qg7 2.Qe8#)
Now, the question is- what does white do now? My first instinct was Bh6, but I don’t think that will win:
2. Bh6 Kh8
And, now what for white? There are no checks left, the knight is hanging, the bishop is under attack, and Bg5 leads nowhere:
3. Bg5 b1(Q)(Qg5 draws, Qd6 is ok)
And, now, due to the mate threat of Qh1, there are no mates and no perpetual draws for white:
4. Qh6 Kg8
5. Qg6 Qg7
6. Qe6 Kh7 and white is out of useful checks. Or
4. Bf6 Qf6
5. Qe8 Kh7
6. Qd7 Kh6 wins for black.
All that is really left here are the bishop moves along the a1/h8 diagonal at move 2 giving discovered check. I really see two alternatives in this- Bf6 or Bb2 (stopping the b-pawn queening in addition to delivering check):
2. Bf6 Kf8
And, all I see for white here is to play Bg7 again leading to a draw by repetition if white persists with Bf6. For example:(3.Be7 Ke7 and white will run out of checks and black will regain his queen with b1) So, if white is going to win, he must try
2. Bb2 Kf8
3. Bg7 Kg8
4. Bf6 Kf8
And, now, Be7 might be ok now that black can’t immediately threaten to regain his queen:
5. Be7 Ke7 (Be7 6.Qe8 Kg7 7.Qe7+)
6. Ne4
I looked at this position for a while, and I think this is the best move for white as it threatens the rook at f2, threatens the bishop/pawn combo at g5/h6, and threatens the pawn at c5. Other moves might be ok here, but they are less clearcut to me (like Nc4, Nc8, or Ne8). Of course, this is now complicated in that black has a few moves with his rook. To win this game, obviously white is going to have to push the a-pawn or mate the black king with the queen and knight. I am pretty sure my first instinct in this position is wrong now- playing 6. …Ra2. For example:
6. …..Ra2
7. Qg7 Kd8 (Ke8 8.Nc5 wins, too)
8. Qf8 Kd7 (Kc7 9.Qc5 wins)
9. Qd6 Kc8 (Ke8 10.Qe6 wins)
10.Qc5
And white wins the rook at b4 and will probably win the one at a2 eventually, too (or mate black), to another double attack. No, at move 6, black must keep the rook on the f-file, but where? I see basically three different options- Rf5, Rf7, and Rf8. Taking them in order:
6. …..Rf5
7. a6
Best, I think, but I would choose to analyze this anyway. The other alternative was 7.Qg7+ followed by Qe5 or Qc3. Continuing:
7. …..Ra4
This is very complicated in the numbers of moves black might choose here, but on any move other than Ra4, white can simply push a7, so I think a lot of these lines are likely to transpose as black plays to stop the a-pawn:
8. Qg7 Rf7 (Kd8 9.Qb7 should win)
9. Qe5 Kf8 (Ra6 10.Qc7 Kf8 11.Qc8)
10.Nc5 Ra2
11.Ne6 Kg8 (Ke8 12.Ng5+-)
12.Qb8 Kh7
13.Qb3
With what should be a fatal double threat of Qb2 and Ng5+ with a double attack on the f7 rook:
13. ….Raf2 (Rff2 14.Qb7 #s in 2)
14. Qb6
Preventing Be3, though, Qb8 probably wins anyway after a followup of d4, but I haven’t gone that deep here. Continuing:
14. ….R2f6(Ra2 15.Ng5 hg6 16.Qg6)
15. d4 and white should win this with the two advancing passed pawns.
I will continue in my next comment to follow up on the alternatives at black’s sixth move.
In my previous comment, I analyzed the following line:
1. Bg7 Kg8
2. Bb2 Kf8
3. Bg7 Kg8
4. Bf6 Kf8
5. Be7 Ke7
6. Ne4
I had shown, I hope, that black loses with any move other than a rook move along the f-file, and I hope I had shown that 6. ….Rf5 loses, though it isn’t trivial, as white combines threats of advancing the a-pawn combined with various mate and double attack threats on the black king and his rooks. We were left with the alternatives at move 6 of Rf7 and Rf8. However, I don’t think they are that materially different from what we saw before:
6. …..Rf7
7. a6 Kf8 (Ra4 8.Nc5 should win)
8. Qe6
And, I have no idea what is best here for black. The c-pawn is toast, the rooks are nearly impossible to coordinate with each other now, and the bishop seems to have no play whatsoever. Moves like Ra7 or Ra4 are hopeless:
8. …..Ra7
9. Qc8 Kg7
10.Qc5 bags a rook. Or
8. …..Ra4
9. Ng5 hg5
10.h6 and black has no hope stopping both pawns, especially with another passed pawn on the d-file coming.
Finally,
6. …..Rf8
7. Qg7 Rf7 (Ke8 8.Nd6 wins)
8. Qe5 and we have transposed into the line seen in the previous comment.
Why do I have the sinking feeling I am missing a more forcing and clever line for white? This seems an awfully tedious solution to me:~)
BXg7+
Bxg7.. 5 seconds …
some scrubs will now proceed to go into a 20 move variations when theres nothing more to the solution
1. Qh7 threatening Qh8#
The only defense involves sacrifice of the Black Q, via
QxN or Qf7
Mark
bxg7+ wins…. threatening checkmate if queen captures @g7 or deadly discovery attacks.
Hey, wolverine
I think you should have taken more than 5
seconds on your shoddy “solution”.
Black is ahead in material by a lot. Black
is up by a full rook plus the exchange plus
a pawn. The b pawn is about to become a
queen and all you can say is Bxg7 and “theres
nothing more to the solution”.
You are wrong! This is solved only if black
takes the bishop with the queen in which case
Qe8 is mate. However, the king has the option
to move to g8. How will white win now? Maybe
you can take another 5 seconds of thought and
then post the winning combination.
The actual task for this position is:
“White to move. Which side is better?
How should White proceed?”
White has a draw by repitition by
1.Bxg7 Kg8 (Qxg7 2.Qe8#)
2.Be5+ Kf8
3.Bg7+ Kg8
4.Be5 etc… draw
I must admit that I would probably settle for
the draw as the alternative is very complicated
(as pointed out by Yancey Ward). White can win 2
pawns and the queen for the bishop, but it will
still be queen and knight against a bishop and 2
rooks.
1.Bxg7+ Kg8
2.Bxb2+ Kf8
3.Bg7+ Kg8
4.Bf6+ Kf8
5.Bxe7 Kxe7
6.Ne4 I agree with Yancey Ward that this is the
best move with the various attacks on black’s
rook, bishop, and c5 pawn.
So, wolverine, perhaps you might consider joining me
and the other scrubs in posting real solutions with
actual analysis instead of one move non-solutions.
In order to get more than a draw, I think it would help to take as many pawns as possible before taking the queen. Bishop can go to both sides, mill still works. In addition to taking b2 pawn, white kan next take h6 pawn:
1.Bxg7+ Kg8
2.Bxb2+ Kf8
3.Bg7+ Kg8
4.Bxh6+ Kh8
5.Bg7+ Kg8
6.Bf6+ Kf8
7.Bxe7 Kxe7
8.Ne4 double attacking rook and bishop.
Because h6 pawn is gone, black bishop is now hanging, this is a major improvement for white, I think.
I agree with yancys analysis, specially the solution a6! after Rf5. The only way to be hard could be for black Tb8 then (blocking the a-pawn with both rooks, but we will see …
1. Bg7 Kg8
2. Bb2 Kf8
3. Bg7 Kg8
4. Bf6 Kf8
5. Be7 Ke7
6. Ne4 Rf5
7. a6 Rb8
8. Qg7+ Rf7
9. Qe5 Rff8
… but now White can play Qc7+ and win the Rook at b8.
So i think, White wins in any variations, but in 10 instead of one move.
You can do 20 move variations but what good are they when your first few moves are not correct..Most of your variaitons are so far off its a complete joke.
Bxb7 Kg8
Bf6
Might still be worthwhile to state it clearly why the simple Qh7 doesn’t work: Black has to play QxKd6 but White has not attack after that and Black wins with his b pawn.
Wolverine,
You said in your second post: “Most of your
variaitons (sic) are so far off its a
complete joke.
Bxb7 (g7?) Kg8
Bf6″
What’s the follow up? I and other posters have
demonstrated that 2.Bf6 will lead to a Queen
against 2 Rooks game which is not an automatic
win for either side. You still haven’t addressed
the problem of the pawn at b2 promoting. If our
variations are “so far off”, won’t you please
post the corrections so we can learn from your
great wisdom and chess prowess.
@ pht : as yancey ward has pointed out ‘Bh6 Kh8 and now what for white ?’ – The mill isn’t working both ways, it seems, bishop h6-g7+ is being plucked like a flower by the black Queen.
@ wolverine 2.Bf6+ as such is a draw offer, so you obviously didn’t like this puzzle. So why post ? Two people dropped quick phantom solutions still worth reading. Two try Qh7 without wasting many lines. The only one who did a thorough posting is yancey, with tommy k. and hanjie supporting, and it’s a good one, isn’t it ? come on. where is your good humour ? need not be the joker to have a solution up your sleeve ..
beautiful puzzle ( what a knight ), thank you, susan !