White to move. Can you find the best continuation for White?
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Bedtime chess tactic
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White to move. Can you find the best continuation for White?
Ne7+ Kh8
Ng6+, if Kg8, then Ne7+ perpetual.
If hxg6, then fxg6, with the mate on h7 being unstoppable.
Perpetual is good but you can do better 🙂
Best wishes,
Susan Polgar
http://www.PolgarChess.com
Tough.
The black pawn on a3 means Black will win unless White either mates or has a perpetual . . . and I think it may have to be the latter.
The obvious try is
1. Ne7+ Kh8
2. Ng6+ Kg8
but now if White tries to mate instead of just repeating the Knight dance, Black always seems to be able to avoid complete decimation. For example, after
3. Bf3
with the threat of 4. Bd5+ Rf7 5. Ne7+ and 6. Qxf7, Black can’t defend by
3. … hxg6
4. Bd5+ Rf7
5. Qxg6 Nc6
7. Qxf7+ Kh8/h7
8. Qh5 mate
But what about
3. … Bb7
4. Bxb7 Nc6
when Black winds up down material but with the a-pawn racing to promote? It looks like White’s best then would be
5. Bxc6 dxc6
6. Ne7+ Kh8
7. Ng6+ Kg8
8. Ne7+
with the perpetual.
Since the puzzle is obviously intended to reveal a forced mate by White (the draw by perpetual is easy and straightforward), I’m obviously missing something. But darned if I know what.
Bob
1. Ne7+ Kh8
2. Bf3 a2
3. Ng6+ Kg8
4. Bd5+ Rf7
5. Ne5 Nc6
6. Qxf2+ Kh8
7. Qg8+ Rxg8
8. Nf7#
The perpetual idea is a good start, but then white can pick up some material with Bf3 and the threat of mate following Bd4. E.g.,
1. Ne7+ Kh8
2. Bf3 Ra7 (to save the rook)
3. Bd5 h6 (the only defense)
4. Ng6+ and mate to follow after a few more moves.
The key for black is to not allow the bishop into the battle, e.g.:
1. Ne7+ Kh8
2. Bf3 Nc6 (to challenge the white knight)
3. Ng6+ Kg8
4. Bd5+ Rf7
5. Ne7+ Kh8
6. Qxf7 with material advantage for white.
the essence of the position is getting the queen to capture at c3. u can easily work ur way thru it after the knight captures rook, then a2, then the queen goes all the way capturing h7, then with the help of the bishop the queen can capture on g7, f6 and finally c3
It is bedtime tactics dear so pertitual is not good enough !, it has to be mate 🙂
1. Ne7+ Kh8
2. Bf3 h6
3. Ng6+ Kh7
4. Nxf8+ Kh8
5. Qe8 a2
6. Ng6+ Kh7
7. Qh8 ++
1. Ne7+ Kh8
2. Bf3 Rd8
3. Ng6+ Kg8
4. bd5++
Thanks for this challenge.
It was great.
Abie
This one was tough. You need to play around with move orders and think far ahead and analyse the resulting position accurately. Here goes: 1 Ne7 Kh8 2 Ng6 Kg8 3 Bf3 (2Bf3 Bb7 3 Ng6 Kg8 4 Nf8 transposes to note b [but not 3 Bb7 Nc6 4 Ng6 Kg8 5 Nf8 Rf8 6 Qf3 b4 and black is still holding on]
a) 3…Nc6 4 Bd5 Rf7 5 Ne7 Ne7 (5…Kh8 6 Qf7 a2 7 Ng6 hg6 8 Qg6 and mate on h5) 6 Qf7 Kh8 7 Qe7 and white will win: back rank mate threats, the threat on the rook, and the threat on black’s a pawn are too much for black to handle.
b) 3…Bb7 4 Nf8 (not 4 Bb7 Nc6 5 Ng6 Kg8 and black is doing fine see 2 Bf3 above) …Kf8 5 Bb7 a2 (5…Ra7 6 Bd5 threatens Qf7 mate and after 6… ke7 7 b4 stops the pawn) 6 Ba8 a1=Q 7 Bd5 Ke7 8 Qh7 and white wins: white’s bishop covers the c2-pawn and white will mop up the kingside and win with passed f-pawn.
The tough part is note b and analysing the position through to the end and evaluating it as won for white.
-Justin Daniel
I am a moron. Scratch post nine. Looking back at my notes, 3 Bf3? is pointless. 3…Bb7 4Nf8 just 4…Bf3! and white is about losing: 5 Qf3 Nc6 black wins and 5 Qe8, that i thought refutes bf3 and black just plays na6. white can just do the direct 1 Ne7 kh8 2 Ng6 Kg8 3 Nf8 and i think the initiative after 3…Kf8 4 Qh7 a2 5 Qh8 kf7 6 Bh5 is sufficient. White will munch g7, f6, and c3 and have a passed f-pawn. At least I had the right idea in my last post. In a real game hopefully i would have seen the problem with 3 Bf3 on the move. It always pays to check your analysis.
-Justin
Hmmm…
How about…
1. Bf3 a2
2. Ne7+ Kh8
3. Ng6+ Kg8
4. Bd5+ Rf7
5. Ne7+ Kh8
6. Qxf7 Nc6
7. Ng6+ hxg6
8. Qxg6 a1Q
9. Qh5++
Ne7+ Kh8
Bf3 Bb7
Bxb7 Nc6 (as per Justin’s post)
Ng7+ Kg8
Nxf8 Rxg8 (not Kxg8; Bxa8 a2; Qd1 wins)
Qf3 a2 (not Ra8; Bxa8)
Qxc3 Nb5
Qa1 Re8
Bf3 Rc8? (can’t play Re2)
c3 wins
Redrafing post 10.01
1. Ne7+ Kh8
2. Bf3 Bb7
3. Bxb7 Nc6**
4. Ng6+ Kg8
5. Nxf8 Rxg8
6. Qf3 a2
7. Qxc3 Rb8 (if Nb4; Qxb4+ followed by Qa5)
8. Bxc6 dxc6
9. Qa5 should win
Ne7+ Kh8
Ng6+ Kg8
Nxf8 a2
Qxh7+ Kxf8
Qh8+ Kf7
Bh5+ Ke7
Qxg7+ Kd6
Qxf6+ Kc7
Qxc3+ Kb6
Qa8 Bb7
Bf7
now i can take the black a pawn and promote my f pawn. that black a pawn concerned me. any pawn over my side of the board needs to be taken out.