- About Us
- Chess Improvement
- Chess Puzzles
- Chess Research
- College Chess
- General News
- Home
- Major Tournaments
- News
- Polgar Events
- Privacy Policy
- Scholastic Chess
- SPICE / Webster
- Susan’s Personal Blog
- Track your order
- USA Chess
- Videos
- Women’s Chess
- Contact Us
- Daily News
- My Account
- Terms & Conditions
- Privacy Policy
1.Kg5-Bg8,2.Qf3-Bf7,
3.Qh3-Kb8,4.Qh8-Bg8 or Be8
5.Qg8 or Qe8 mate
Zigzagging white queen
1. Kg5 Bg8
2. Qf3 Bf7
3. Qh3 Be6
4. Qe6 b5
5. Qc8 Black rook might as well be a pawn.
I don’t understand why White can’t just Kg3 or g5, then Qh8+. The best Black can do is Bg8, then Qxg8++.
It is mate in 2 (at most 3), not 5.
Black can’t move the b7 pawn to make an escape route for K since it is pinned by White Q.
Am I missing something?
nice! 1.Kh4-g5 ! 1…Bb3-g8 2.Qh1-f3 2…Bg8-f7 3.Qf3-h3 3…Ka8-b8 4.Qh3-h8 + 4…Bf7-g8 5.Qh8*g8 # 4…Bf7-e8 5.Qh8*e8 # and variants!
Kg5 Bg8 2.Qf3 Bf7 3.Qh3 kb8.4 Qh8
My first thought would be a queen move along the long diagonal to keep the b-pawn pinned to the king. For example 1.Qf3 threatens Qf8#. Of course, black can foul this plan up by interposing the bishop at f7 forcing white to capture before making it to the 8th rank, thus giving black time to play b6/5 to give the king a hidey hole. Of course, white need not capture at f7, but instead move the queen to some other square on the diagonal to again threaten a back rank mate. Let’s look at Qf3 to get the flavor of the problem:
1. Qf3 Bf7 (only move, I think)
Now it does white no good to play either Qe4 or Qg2 as the bishop covers e8 and g8, and d5 isn’t even safe for the queen, and, as mentioned before, 2.Qf7 gives black the chance to play b6 to prevent the mate on Qf8/e8/g8. So, let’s look 1.Qe4 threatening Qe8#:
1. Qe4 Be6 (Bf7 below)
2. Qe6!
The difference now is that white has two mating threats, and b6/b5 only answers one of them. White is threatening Qc8#, too. So, clearly, black cannot interpose the bishop at e6 at move 1, but, instead, must cover e8 with the bishop:
1. …..Bf7
And, now, I don’t see how white can mate with either method- if he plays Qf5 (threatening Qc8#), black replies with Kb8 and will guarantee himself the ability to play b6/5 on the very next move. If white tries Qg4, black again answers with Kb8. Qe7 and Qe5 are both answered by b6/5.
So, by process of elimination this must start with a king move by white, threatening Qh8#:
1. Kg5
And, now, black has no interpositions to prevent the check, but can now interpose the bishop preemptively on the 8th rank:
1. …..Bg8
2. Qf3
With the king on the g-file, the only options are Qf3 and Qe4 to threaten the mate starting with Qf8 or Qe8. Continuing:
2. …..Bf7 (anything else?)
3. Qh3!
With the double threats of Qh8 and Qc8- there is no answer both, mate in 2 follows. At move 2 in this line, white will still mate with 2.Qe4, but only by backtracking to h1 then back to f3. At move 1, white does have to play Kg5 specifically since Kg3 doesn’t allow the maneuver to h3 at move 3, and 1.Kg4 fails to black’s reply of Be6 with check, thus covering the mate threats with Bc8 followed by Kb8 (almost certainly a win for black in that case).
A very pretty problem.
1. Kg5 Bg8
2. Qf3 Bf7
3. Qh3
and the double threat Qc8/Qh8 is too much for the Bishop to handle.
Very nice problem.
I don’t see black’s response to
1 Kg5.
Seems like mate in 3. But I’m not very good, so I’m sure I’m missing something.
I thought it’s 3 moves… Qf3 and the rest is history
I agree 3 moves, but not Qf3. Black can respond Bf7, followed by b7 creating an escape route for the King if white moves the queen off the diagonal. If 2 Qe5 threatening 3 Qc8++, then 2…Kb8 thwarting mate again.
The best first move is Kg5 (or Kg3) and mate in 3 seems unavoidable.
No, because when 1. Qf3 black plays 1. …Bf7! after he will try to play …b6.
maybe the best move are Kg3 and Kg5,followed by Qh8chmte!!!!!
maybe the best move are Kg3 and Kg5,followed by Qh8chmte!!!!!
I wonder how I did not see this problem yesterday.today after my breakfast when I saw and solved the problem succeesfully, already 13 comments with correct solution is published. No use publishing my solution now.By the way where is Venky ?Is he busy with IPL cricket?Without his comic remarks blog is never complete.
Hi Susan Polgar,
Hi Prof S.G.Bhat,
My Comic ever continues as long as it pleases all the brainy minds of this blog – lol,you one among the brainy minds Prof S.G.Bhat.
To me,being serious even for non-commercial events means that we are missing pleasurable moments of life,so lets all not miss the pleasurable moments at least in non-commercial events,even for commercial events apart at the time of the event,pleasure and get pleasured – lol.
By the by yesterday I had internet connection problem for a while then later at night [ Indian time ],paved a visit to this excellent website.
Coming to this puzzle – no doubt “Kg5” sounds best among the possible move/logic for the set condition of mate in five moves.
By
Venky [ India – Chennai ]