White to move. Find the best continuation for White. No computer please 🙂
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1. Rc6 seems best. If 1…Qxc6, then white has a nice material advantage by recapturing. If black captures some other way or plays 1…Qa7, then 2. Nf6+ gxf6 (or 2…Kh8 3. Qh7#) 3. Qg3+ with mate on g7 to follow.
Yes,
Rc6 which blocks the black queen from protecting the 6th rank
and thereon Nf6+ gxf6 Qg3+ Kh8 Qg7#
1. d6 also works in the same manner as 1. Rc6, but for d6, white exchanges a knight for the queen, not a rook 🙂
Ok, 1st anon and doubleletter seem to get it right with 1 Rc6!, but here was my try before I saw their responses, and I think it works just as well, if not better:
1 d6! with the same principle of Rc6, which is blocking the queen. Yet since 1 d6 doesn’t attack the queen, it doesn’t gain a tempo, so black can take the bish. However, with 1 Rc6, black may have an interesting defense with 1 Rc6 f5! This threatens to trade the queen for rook and minor piece:
1 Rc6 f5!?
2 RxQ NxR
3 Qg3! Rf7
4 Nf6+ Kf8
5 Qg6 axb3
6 Nh7+ and black is in trouble and loses the exchange (…Kg8 or …Ke8 7 Ng5; or…Ke7 7 Bg5+) and probably will lose. 1 Rc6 seems to win.
In any case, I think d6 wins as well, which is the move I’d come up with. Here is my analysis:
1 d6 gxh6
2 Nf6+ Kg7
3 Nh5+ Kh8
4 Qg3 Rg8 and now a whole bunch of checks to expose the king and chase it out into the open:
5 Qxe5+ Kh7
6 Nf6+ Kg6
7 Qh5+ KxN
8 Qxf7+ Kg5
9 h4+ Kxh4
10 Qf4+ Kh5
11 Bf7+ Rg6
12 g3 Bg4
13 Qe5+ Bf5
14 QxB++
Of course, there may be other responses by black, but I think 1 d6 wins, and maybe more decisively than 1 Rc6. Anybody have a saving line for black in the 1 d6 line? I’ll try to look for one myself later.
2nd anon says “1. d6 also works in the same manner as 1. Rc6, but for d6, white exchanges a knight for the queen, not a rook :-)”
Hmm. Ok, then black can avoid being checkmated (as above with 1 d6 gxh6) by sacking the queen for knight with:
1 d6 Qxd6
2 Nxd6 Nxd6
And now black is not mated, just down in material — you’re right.
what was the black Q doing at a7?………..
Banjanx