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Susan Polgar

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  1. Cory from Wichita Reply

    It’s late and I’m tired, but I’m pretty sure it’s 1. Bc6+, leading to 2. Rd4+ and 3. Re4+, when the Bishop is covering the e4 square and White picks up both pawns.

  2. mesilah Reply

    1. Bc6+
    If 1….Kc8 then
    2. Rf8++
    If 1. …Kd8
    2. Rf8+ Ke7
    3. Re8+ winning (taking both black pawns)
    If 1… Ke7/e6
    2. Re4+ winning
    If 1… Kd6
    2. Rd4+ Ke5/6/7/
    3. Re4+ winning

  3. Anand Gautam Reply

    The key is to get the Black king on the e-file so that White rook can give a check and capture the 6th rank pawn, and cover the 7th rank pawn as well!

    1. Bf5+ Kd6/Kd8 (to avoid e file)
    2. Rd4+ Ke5/Ke7/Ke8 (forced to come to e file now)
    3. Re4+ 1-0

  4. Brian L Reply

    Bf5+, and black tries to avoid the pawn file as long as he can, with Kd6 or d8, but Rd4+ drives black to the e file and Re4+ gains the e3 pawn for the bishop and the e2 pawn gets gobbled immediately after promotion.

  5. Oleg Mezjuev Reply

    1. Bc6+ Kd6 (1. …Kd8? 2. Re4 e1Q 3. Re8#; 1. … Ke7/e6 2. Re4+ Kf6 3. Rxe3 etc.) 2. Rd4 Ke7/e6/e5 3. Re4+ Kf6/f5 4. Rxe3 1-0

  6. s.k.srivastava Reply

    1Bc6 wins

  7. Ein Steppenwolf Reply

    @Anand Gautam:

    1.Bf5+

    On the other hand, 1.♗c6+ leads to stalemate:

    1. ♗c6+ ♚d6
    2. ♖d4+ ♚e6
    3. ♖e4+ ♚d6
    4. ♖xe3 e1=♛
    5. ♖xe1 stalemate.

  8. Anonymous Reply

    what if 3. ….. kd8 if you take the pawn with rook it is stalemate

  9. Anonymous Reply

    Oh neat.. key Bd7 🙂

    Reti produced some classics!

  10. Anonymous Reply

    White must avoid stalemate traps. If 1. Bc6+? Kd6 2. Rd4+ Ke6 3. Re4+ Kd6 4. Rxe3 e1=Q 5. Rxe1, black is stalemeted. Therefore:

    1. Bf5+! Kd8 2. Rd4+ Ke7 3. Re4+ Kd8.

    If now 4. Rxe3? e1=Q 5. Rxe1, black is once again stalemated. But…

    4. Bd7!! e1=Q (or 4…Kxd7 5. Rxe3 +-) 5. Bb5! and the threat 6. Re8# is decisive (1-0)

  11. pht Reply

    My solution here was
    1. Bc6+
    with exactly the same idea and same lines that Anand Gautam gives, plus the line
    1. … Kc8
    2. Rf8#
    White should kill the pawns and be up with R+B.

    The A.G. alternative is:
    1. Bf5+ Kd6
    2. Rd4+ Ke5
    3. Re4+ Kxf5
    4. Rxe3
    This drops the bishop, but I wasn’t able to find it directly erroneous.

  12. Anonymous Reply

    1. Bc6 should win it. The aim is getting rook on e file with a check getting 2 pawns!! If not there is always a mating threat in last few ranks!!

  13. Anand Gautam Reply

    Thanks to several people for pointing out the stalemate trap.
    The correct solution is Bf5+, although I must admit I had not seen all the lines and stalemates. It was more of an instinctive choice.

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