White to move and check mate in three!
By Shinkman
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The Plachutta 1. e6! does Black in. White threatens 2. Nd2 and 2. Nf2, and either capture on e6 allows one of them to still work, specifically:
1. … Bxe6 2. Nf2! (> 3. Nd1#) Bb3 3. Ng4#
1. … Qxe6 2. Nd2! (> 3. Nf1#) Qh3 3. Nc4#
e6 throws a block on the black queen. Immaterial what black does. … Qxe6 would probably be played, but it’s a consolation prize.
Nf2 then plays the knight a jump away from d1, and anything black tries won’t be in time to catch him from getting there.
1.e6!!!!!
>A-1….Qxe6.2.Nd2!!! (threatening 3.Nf1#). forced Qh3. 3.Nc4#!!
>B-1….Bxe6.2.Nf2!!! (Threatening 3.Nd1#). forced Bb3. 3.Ng4#!!
>C-1….any other move.2.Nd/f2!!!.any move.3.Nf/d1#!!!
White N has to and can deliver mate in 2 moves not 3. White King is optimally placed at e1 covering black king escape squares d2 and f2 and there would be no point in moving the white King.Hence White has to play another piece for a 3 move mate. Only the e5 pawn is available for movement.
Before e6 black Queen adequately covers the prospective mating squares d5 and c4 directly and d1 indirectly through Qb3. Similarly the black bishop covers mating squares f5 and g4 directly and f1 indirectly through Bh3.
However 1.e6!! Creates a interference and decoy diversion wherein the black B and Q come in each other’s way to cut through the jungle! The black piece capturing the e6 pawn becomes overworked!
On capture by bishop, Nf2 forces Bb3 to cover d1 but then g4 is exposed to deliver mate.Similarly, on capture by Q, Nd2 forces Qh3 but then c4 is exposed for a mate!
Very instructive puzzle!
Harry
1. e6! Qxe6
(1. …Bxe6 2. Nf2! Bb3 3. Ng4#)
2. Nd2! Qh3
3. Nc4#
White threatens mate with Nf2-d1, requiring Qb3, or Nd2-f1, requiring Bh3. If the queen or bishop were blocked, Black would have another mate threat, either Nf2-g4 or Nd2-c4. After e6 first, Black is forced to block one with the other, and unable to cover all threats.
1. e6! and knight mates in 2.
Hirsch
1.Nd2? Bh3! and both c4 and f1 are protected
1.Nf2? Qb3! and both d1 and g4 are protected.
1.e6! and now either
1…Qxe6 2.Nd2 Qh3 3.Nc4# or
1…Bxe6 2.Nf2 Bb3 3.Ng4#
This is one of those puzzles that sort of gives itself away by its very construction. The only question I had right from the beginning was “Why is the purpose of that e5 pawn?” The rest was pretty easy. Black’s pieces just can’t stay out of each other’s way.
1. e6!
I haven’t looked at all the knight maneuvers, but I can’t imagine that any of them even draw for white. Black has all the key white squares covered to prevent the mate, or can cover them on the first move when necessary. However, 1.e6 forces a fatal diversion and blockage of the key pathway for both black pieces. If black doesn’t take the pawn, white will mate with either Nf2-Nd1, or with Nd2-Nf1, but it doesn’t matter because the capture at e6 still blocks one of the two black pieces with the other one!
1. ……Qe6
2. Nd2 Qh3 (else Nf1#)
3. Nc4#
And
1. ……Be6
2. Nf2! and mate comes either with Nd1 or Ng4.
Sometimes I don’t bother with puzzles because of their artificiality but I have to say this is pretty clever. There’s just not a lot of possible moves for White so pretty quickly you can realize the first move has to be 1. e6 and the theme has to be some form of breaking communication but it’s still hard to believe how it works since Black can still get to all the possible squares from which the Knight can check. It turns out just not all at once.
[A]
1. e6 Qxe6
2. Nd2 … Threatens mate at f1 but 2… Qh3 to capture the Knight at f1 gives up protection of the c4 square allowing 3.Nc4# instead. The Queen is suddenly overworked!
[B]
1. e6 Bxe6
2. Nf2 …. The mirror image. Threatens mate at d1 but 2…Bb3 gives up protection of g4 allowing 3. Ng4# instead. The Bishop is suddenly overworked!
Clever puzzle.
– Craigaroo
1. e6! Bxe6 or Qxe6
2. Nf2 and Black cant protect against dual threat of both Ng4# and Nd1#
1. Pa6 Bxa6 2. Kf2 Bb3 3. Kg4+
If 2….any other move 3. Kd1+
If 1….Qxa6 2.Kd2 Qh3 3. Kc4+
here, if 2….any other move 3. Kf1+
The Board is not labeled.
If white K is at e1. I see it mate in 2
1. Nf2, Qa2 threatening mate at e2
2.Nd1#