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1. Re7
1.Re7(with threat of 2.Qh7#)Rxe7 2.Nxe7+(that’s # unless black plays-)Bxe7 3.Qh7#
1.Re8 Re8
2.Nf6.
cm
1Re7 mate in 3
1Re7 mate in 3
Wow, at first I fell into a trap here. I “saw” a good attack on e7 and found the completely wrong:
1. Ne7+?? Rxe7 (Bxe7?? Qh7#)
2. Rxe7 (what else?)
And what now for black?
Bishop still looks lame, but has a marvellous resource here:
2. … Bh2+!!
3. Kxh2 Qxe7!
and black is simply winning because of the a and b pawns.
So I have to come up with a brand new idea here.
I find:
1. Re8!? (interesting)
The threat is 2. Rxf8+ Bxf8 3. Nf6#.
Or 1. … Rxe8?? 2. Nf6#.
Or 1. … Rbb8? 2. Rxb8 … .
Or 1. … Be7?? 2. Qh7#.
Again, enforced seems:
1. … Bh2+
2. Kxh2 Qd6+
3. Re5!!
Here black avoided the mate threat, and white also avoided the counter threat to take Re8 or Nd5.
White is up with piece here because black had to sack bishop.
But is this the correct solution?
I’m far from sure….
Black R defends mate at h7. However e7 has become a weak point for black solely due to the arrangement of pieces.Black bishop has become a black sheep.
1.Ne7+ Rxe7
(1…. Bxe7 2.Qh7#)
2.Rxe7 Bxe7
(2…. Rf7 3.gxf7#)
3.Qh7#
I find this tricky puzzle extremely dominated by the black theme Bh2+.
Now I think that both 1. Ne7+ and 1. Re8 were wrong ideas because of this.
Better looks:
1. Rexf5!
The threat is 2. Rxf8+ Bxf8 3. Nf6#.
1. … Rxf5 (seems enforced)
2. Rxf5 Bxh2+ (again seems enforced)
3. Kxh2 Qd6+
4. Kh1 any (Rf7? Rxf7)
5. Nf6+ Qxf6
6. Rxf6
up with queen.
I’m still not 100% sure, but this solution gives me the best feeling till now.
My last suggestion wasn’t completely analyzed either.
1. Rexf5! Bh2+ (now or never…)
2. Kxh2 Qd6+
3. Kh1
And now perhaps not Rxf5, but what else?
The threat is otherwise 4. Rxf8+ Qxf8 5. Nf6+! Qxf6 6. Rxf6 completely crushing.
I’m not able to find anything against the comming Nf6+ that doesn’t loose queen.
1. Re7 threatens Qh7# and Qg7#, the former threat being supported by the pawn in g6, so that Bxe7 is just useless. After Rxe7 an even more forcing move: Nxe7+ and game over. If Black replies with Qe3+, Rxe3 leaves White with a deadly attack and Black with nothing. Perhaps the most tenacious move is
1 .. Bh2+ clearing the a3-f8 diagonal for the black queen, allowing Rxe7 followed by Qxe7.
Continuing on this line:
2. Kxh2 .. Rxe7
3. Nxe7+ .. Qxe7
4. Rf3 .. Qc7+
5. Kh1/g1 and I don’t see any other counterplay. I’ll wait for Yancey Ward’s post(s) to learn more. 🙂
Re7
35.Re8 and 1-0 (https://arena.chessdom.com/tournaments/592?embed=580&ba=1#/game/stream/65487).
1.Re8!!!
A>1…..Rxe8.2.Nf6#!
B>1…..Rg7.2.Nf6#!
C>1…..Rf7.2.Nf6+!.Rxf6..3.Qh7#!
D>1…..Be7.2.Qh7#!
E>1…..Be5.2.dxe5!.Qc5+.3.Kh1.Qxd5.4.Rxf8#! (If Black varies at move 3 and does not capture the Nd5, it will transform into variations A, B or C above with Nf6# or Nf6+ followed by Qh7#!)
F>1…..Qe3+.2.Rxe3! Winning a free Q with a mating attack!
The key idea is Qh7 checkmate. This is currently blocked by black rook. If this can be countered, white wins.
1. Ne7+
If 1… Bxe7, 2. Qh7+ mate
If 1… Rxe7, 2. RxR, BxR 3. Qh7+ mate.
If 2 RxR, Rf7 then 3 g6xR+ mate.
Black Queen is out of the game with no checks / exchange possibilities. Only way Queen can come back into the game is Bh2 check followed by Qd6. Black is not in time for these moves.
As Harry points out, the weakest point of black’s position is f6- a square undermined efficiently by 1.Re8. There is no defense to 1.Re8- black will be mated.
I found it interesting that variety of suggestions in the comments was a bit larger than usual. As pht and Consul point out, 1.Ne7 and 1.Re7 will not provide much for white since black can clear the bishop out of the way of the black queen with check so that her majesty can retake the rook at e7 in both variations, thus providing cover of h7. However, given Consul’s question…
1. Re7 Bh2
2. Kh2 Re7
3. Ne7
Here, white might try 3.g7 here- I haven’t looked deeply into that line, but white maintains some pressure. However, by playing 3.Ne7, white has allowed…
3. …..Qc7
4. Kg1 Qg7
And how does white continue this to a win? He can’t exchange the queens, because the rook ending is probably lost (unless there is some miracle save I can’t see right now). I think white will have to retreat the queen to either d2, e3, or f4 to hold the weak d-pawn. The position at that point is very hard to assess- but surely the connected passers on the queenside give black plenty of counterplay. Now to 3.g7:
1. Re7 Bh2
2. Kh2 Re7
3. g7!? Rg7 (forced)
4. Rf3!
And you tell me- can black hold this? I see three plausible defenses- Rh7 pinning white’s queen, taking at f3 while holding the threat of pinning white’s queen, or playing Rff7 threatening to pin white’s queen with a tempo in hand. Short analysis…
4. …..Rh7
5. Qh7 Kh7
6. Ra3 and white surely has the upper hand, though the ending might still be drawn if black can find a way to force white’s last pawns off the board. 4. …Rff7 is similar the line above materially. Finally…
4. …..Qf3
5. Qe6! Kh8!
6. gf3 a3!
7. Qa6 and I have to think this is going to be hard for black to hold, too.
I feel ashamed of my analysis completely missing …. Bh2+.Kudos to pht for finding the hole. His idea of 1.Re8 is excellent and on the correct path but perhaps WK should avoid taking the B.
1.Re8 Bh2+
2.Kh1 Qd6
3.Rfe1 Rg7 White was planning R1e6
4.Ne7+ Qxe7
(4…. Rxe7 5.Rxf8#)
5.R1xe7 Be5
6.Rxg7+ Bxg7
7.Qh7#
Then the solution is close to the one suggested by pht:
1. Re8 .. Bh2+;
2. Kxh2 .. Qd6+;
3. Re5.
I don’t see the knock-out move, however White gains a full bishop.
Right, not taking the bishop, as Prof S G Bhat suggests, gives white a tempo to protect the Rook on e8…
Hello,
I had a good deal doubt that the idea 1. Re8 could be correct, since even this move can (and should) be met by Bh2+.
In this diagram Bh2+ seems to be the standard reply to any idea white might get.
Prof.Bhat found the line that actually seems to work:
1.Re8 Bh2+
2.Kh1! Qd6
3.Rfe1!
This must be correct!
I had looked away from this because I made the bad mistake of thinking that Nd5 was here left unprotected and that black could play Qxd5?? but of course I was wrong when there is no bishop guarding f8.
3. … Rg7 White was planning R1e6
Yes, Rg7 seems to be only move for black. And the rest seems excellent:
4. Ne7+! Qxe7 (4. … Rxe7 5. Rxf8#)
5. R1xe7 Be5 (5. … Rxe7 5. Rxf8#)
6. Rxg7+ Bxg7
7. Qh7#
I must regretfully admit that not seeing the nice mate after 1. Re8, I did concider to play the suicidal:
1. Rexf5? Rxf5
2. Rxf5 Qa1+
3. Rf1 Bh2+!
4. Kxh2 Qxf1 black wins easily
or
3. Kf2 Qxd4+
4. Kf3 (Ke2? Qe4+) Qd3+
5. Kg4 Qg3+
6. Kh5+ Qh2+
7. Kg5 Qxh6+
8. Kxh6 Bf8+ black should win