White to move. What is the best way for White to proceed?
rk4r1/1p2Qp2/p3pB2/3b3p/P7/4R3/5q1p/2K5 w – – 0 1
- 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 Qd6+ Kc8
2 Rc3+ Bc6
3 R:c6+ bc6
4 Q:c6+ Kb8
5 Be5+ Ka7
6 Qc7#
Be5+ Ka7
Bd4+ Kb8
Kd6+ Kc8
Rc3+
Lacking a tempo to mate with Q and B directly before white is himself mated, the position invites to create some discovered threat against black Q.
1. Be5+ Ka7 (Kc8 Qc7#)
2. Bd4+!
Not Qc5+? b6 Qc7+ Bb7! and only white king stands bad…
2. … Kb8 (only)
3. Qd6+ Kc8 (only)
4. Rc3+ Bc6 (only)
Now 5. Bxf2 is of course winning, even better is to play cat and mouse:
5. Rxc6+ bxc6 (only)
6. Qxc6+ Kd8 (Kb8 Be5+ Ka7 Qc7#)
7. Bxf2
mating in very few more moves.
1. Qd6+ Kc8
2. Rc3+ Bc6
3. Rxc6+ bxc6
4. Qxc6+ Kb8
5. Bd6+ Ka7
6. Qc7#
or
1. … Ka7
2. Bd4+ b6
3. Qxb6#
greets, jan
Oops, I overlooked black’s advanced h-pawn!
So of course white can’t play BxQf2 allready on move 5.
1. Be5+ Ka7
2. Bd4+ Kb8
3. Qd6+ Kc8
4. Rc3+ Bc6
5. Rxc6+ (Bxf2?? h1=Q+) bxc6
6. Qxc6+ Kd8
No B check possible, must simply play materialistic now. Qc6 covers h1, but there is also the threat Rg1+ to concider!
Would like to play Qxa8+ now, but then Kc7! looks problematic, I can’t play Qxg8, can’t receive Rxa8, and I have no check in the a8-h1 diagonal.
After Bxf2 Rg1+! black must be better I’m afraid.
This is difficult!
Here must be some improvement that I overlook!
1. Qd6+
1. … Ka7
2. Bd4+ b6
3. Qxb6#
1. … Kc8
2. Rc3+ Bc6 (or Bc4 or Qc5)
3. Rxc6+ bxc6
4. Qxc6 Kb8
5. Be5+ Ka7
6. Qc7#
The only real question here is, which check is the right start. I picked the wrong one initially by overlooking that black has a key defensive move:
1. Be5? Ka7 (Kc8 2.Qc7#)
2. Bd4
White will lose with 2.Qc5 b6 3.Qc7 Bd7-+. Continuing:
2. …..Kb8
3. Qd6 Kc8
4. Rc3 Bc6
And, it appears that white can take at f2 and win, but I completely missed the h2 pawn when I first calculated this line in my head, and only saw it later when thoroughly checking my work over a board before I posted my comment. There are two lines from this point, but one looks completely lost for white while the other seems to draw:
5. Rc6 bc6
6. Qc6 Kd8 (Kb8 7.Be5 Ka7 8.Qc7#)
And, now, white must take the perpetual since he doesn’t have time for Bxf2 because of the threats of Rc8 and Rg1+. He can’t even make hay with Qxa8.
The other line from move 5 above:
5. Bf2 h1(Q)
6. Kb2 Qd5 and black should win this easily.
So, the beginning must be the queen check:
1. Qd6 Kc8 (Ka7 2.Bd4 b6 3.Qb6#)
2. Rc3 Bc6 (Qc5 one move longer)
3. Rc6 bc6
4. Qc6
And, unlike the variation previously, the black king can’t play to d8 to avoid the mate, but must move towards that deadly corner:
4. …..Kb8
5. Be5 Ka7
6. Qc7#
Be5+ leads to a win by black in every subsequent line, except one that gets a draw by 3 repetitions rule.
1. Be5+ Ka7
2. Bd4+ Kb8
3. Be5+ Ka7
4. Bd4+ Kb8
5. Be5+ {Draw by threefold repetition.}
On the other hand, as nearly everyone discovered, Qd6+ leads to mate by white in 5 or 6 additional moves.
1. Qd6+ Kc8
2. Rc3+ Qc5
3. Rxc5+ Bc6
4. Rxc6+ bxc6
5. Qxc6+ Kb8
6. Be5+ Ka7
7. Qc7#
The point is once you move B from f6 you can not bring it back again.