Black to move. How should Black proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Attacking chess tactic
About Author
Black to move. How should Black proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
Qf2
queen e4?
queen e4?
Qf2 looks effective (Rg1, Re1)
1. …Qf2, If 2. Rxf2 then 2. …Re1+, 3.Qxe1, Rxe1#. If 2.Rg1 then 2. …d4 followed by 3. …Bxg2+ and I thing black has winning positing after this.
Very nice tactic, rich in tactical motifs. I can recognize the following tactical motifs: Removing the guard, Deflection, Back rank issue, and Taking advantage of the Pin. May be there are even more.
1..Qf2!
Defending a7 and attacking g2 & f1.
2. Rxf2 Re1+
3. Qxe1 Rxe1 X.
Appendix Declining the Queen Sac.
1…Qf2
2. Rg1
The Rook on g1 is both defended and defending!
2…Qxg2+ !!
3. Rxg2
3…Re1+
4. Rg1
4… d4+
Opening the diagonal with a check for the X-Ray Bishop on b7!
5. Qd5
5…Bxd5 X
An Additional Note.
Even Longer and Prettier is:
4. Qxe1
4…Rxe1+
5. Rg1
5… d4 X
1… Qf2 2. Rxf2 Re1+ 3. Qxe1 Rxe1+ 4. Rf1 Rxf1# *
1. … Qf2 looks undefendable.
a)
2. Rxf2 Re1+
3. Qxe1 Rxe1+
4. Rf1 Rxf1#
b)
2. Rg1 d4! (Re1 Be3 is waste of time for black)
3. h4 Bxg2+
4. Kh2 Bf3+
5. Kh3 Qh2#
Qf2!
Qf2 overloads everything
1…Qf2 2.Rxf2 Re1+ 3.Qxe1 Rxe1# – Black WON
Q to F2, game over
I’m going to go for:
1. Qf2, white move Rg2
2. d5, white moves Qg5 (can move Qf5+ but perhaps that only delays).
3. Re1+, and white can’t do anything to prevent mate.
Q to F2 – G2 — then Rook to E1 check and pawn to D4 mate !!!
1. …Qf2 with the double threat of …Qxf1#
and …Qxg2#. If
2.Rxf2 Re1+
3.Qxe1 Rxe1+
4.Rf1 Rxf1# if
2.Rg1 Qxg2+
3.Rxg2 Re1+
4.Qxe1 Rxe1+
5.Rg1 d4#(discovered mate with B on b7)
If the queen does not take the rook at e1:
4.Rg1 d4+
5.Qd5 Bxd5#
The only try to avoid the quick mate is:
2.Qc5+ Qxc5 and white is down by a queen
and a pawn and black should have no trouble
winning.
Just a glance at this makes me want to sacrifice the rook at g2. At the moment, the black king is in no danger for a couple moves, minimum, so black has time to bust open the white king’s defenses:
1. …..Rg2
And, now, I can’t see a move that even comes close to defending this for white. Taking at g2 is no option:
2. Kg2 Re2
And white has Kh1 which is mate in starting with Qe4+; or Kh3 which is sure to be mate, too, starting with Qd3+ (3.Kh3 Qd3 4.Kg4 Rg2 5.Kh4 Rh2 6.Kg4 Qh3 7.Kg5 Qh5# for sticklers for detail, like me); or, Kg3, which looks overpowering, though I can’t immediately see the mate:
3. Kg3 Qd3
4. Rf3
What else here that is different from the lines I have already given for 3.Kh3? Continuing:
4. …..Qg6 (obvious, IMO)
5. Kh3
On Kh4, black wins with Rh2 (5.Kh4 Rh2 6.Rh3 Qh6 7.Kg4 Qh3 will mate on the next move). Here, I toyed with Qg2 for a while, but couldn’t find an immediate mate due to the checks that white has on black’s king. I think Qg2 followed by Qf3 will win (and probably with g5+ first, too), but the following is more forcing, in my opinion, since it never gives white room to breathe, period:
5. …..Qh5!
6. Kg3 Qh2
7. Kg4 Rg2
8. Kf5 Qh5 and there is clearly no way the white king survives this as he is completely alone against the queen, rook, and pawns.
So, the only question is, did white have a better alternative at move 2? I don’t think so since, if white doesn’t take the rook at move 2, black can either just force the issue anyway by taking at h2, or simply play Ree2 with a truly unstoppable attack. For example:
2. Qa7 Ree2
3. Qc5
What else, really? There is no way to prevent Rh2# if you don’t take the queen- there are only other delaying tactics like 3.Qa8+. Continuing:
3. …..Rh2
4. Kg1 Reg2#
Much, much easier than that last Christmas Tree puzzle mate in 4 (my head still hurts from that one, though I blame the puzzle creator for that one!)
Wow, Qf2! I never even considered that one! However, Rg2 is almost as forcing, so I have a good excuse, but, clearly, Qf2 is much more elegant.