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I feel like quoting Sherlock Holmes here. Given the options, and noting that something is missing in the diagram, I propose this is a mate in 2 starting with 1.f8(Q).
chase the king to h1 then it ez
I think there is something wrong with the problem too. I see only a draw for this position.
An idea could be in pushing black king to the left bottom corner, out of white b pawn square and then kill bishop on a3.
I mean right bottom corner – into h1 , g2 position
This puzzle is awsome. You have to find a plan, how to win wis. And i thought, that there is no mate chances for white. So, maybe some capure and queening posibility. And actually there is one. Qxa3 and g pawn promotion, if black king would be on 2nd rank after bishop capture. So white has to force black’s king to a1 rank and then capture bishop in two moves.
I think, i will start with 1. Qf6+, then 1…Kh7 or Kb8 2. Qc8 or Qh6 2. …Kb6 or Kc7. 3. Qa8 3…..Kc7 or Kb6 (otherwise black will be pushed off. 4 Qh7 or Qb8 and from here black will be pushed out slowly to 1’st rank.
Ok, let’s do it then.
1.Qa6+ Kb8 2.Qc6 Ka7 3.Qc8 Kb6 all black moves forced so far.
4.Qd7 Ka6 The black king wants to stay on the queenside (4. … Kc5 5.Qb7 accelerates White’s plan; 4. … Ka5 5.Qa7+ Kb5 6.Qa4+ Kb6 7.Qa8 Kb5 8.Qa7 and the king must go to the c-file)
5.Qc7 Kb5 6.Qa7 Kc6
Now, the white queen always stays in a knight’s distance to the black king to drive him one rank back or one file towards the kingside. If this is not possible, for example because the queen is at the edge, she gives a check and then carries on. For example like this:
7.Qb8 Kd7 8.Qb7+ Kd6 9.Qc8 Ke7 10.Qc7+ Ke6 11.Qd8 Kf7 12.Qd7+ Kf6 13.Qe8 Kg7 14.Qe7+ Kg8
The king wants to stay on the 8th and 7th rank, if possible.
15.Qf6 Kh7 16.Qf8 Kg6 17.Qe7 Kf5 18.Qd6 Ke4 19.Qc5 Kf4 20.Qd5 Kg4 21.Qe5 Kh4 22.Qf5 Kg3 23.Qe4 Kf2 24.Qd3 Kg2 25.Qe3 Kh2 26.Qf3 Kg1
It’s done! The king is on the first rank!
27.Qa8 Kf2 28.Qxa3 bxa3 29.b4 This pawn will queen and the rest is easy.
Of course, there are a lot of deviations, but the general pattern should be clear – how to drive the black king to the first rank and then take teh bishop.
fajac please explain what to do if King would move to f8 instead of Kf6 after 12. Qd7+?
The idea seems to be to force entry to a8 for the White Q, then herd the black K to the first rank. It takes a while.
1. Qc6+ Ka7
2. Qc8 Kb6
3. Qd7 Ka6
4. Qc7 Kb5
5. Qa7 (just as good as a8)
5…… Kc6
And we are in the position in fajac’s analysis above after move 6.
I think Paulius and Fajac are correct, but the execution is a bit wrong in Fajac’s analysis, or maybe just a bit incomplete:
1. Qc6 Ka7
2. Qc8 Kb6
3. Qd7 Ka6
4. Qc7 Kb5
5. Qa7 Kc6
6. Qb8 Kd7
Now, here, is where Alena’s question becomes relevant, though a little earlier than when she asked it. Obviously, this is the kind of position white wants, but with black to be on the move so that the king gives ground. Probably most chess players are familiar with this maneuvering because it is how you mate the king vs the king + queen ending, but the difference here is that the white king cannot play any waiting moves/moves to close in on the king with both pieces. Now, if white could here, he would back the queen up two squares along the 8th rank towards the a-file and then move forward one to change the move order, but here the queen can only back up to a8 and black will just follow with Kc7. So, white must check from the 7th rank as Fajac points out:
7. Kb7 Kd8
This is where I diverge from Fajac to fill out the analysis. This is related to the question Alena raised- what if black doesn’t cooperate by playing the king to the 6th rank, but instead plays back to the 8th rank? White doesn’t check again from b8, but rather simply forces the king towards the h-file and off the 8th rank:
8. Qc6 Ke7
9. Qc8
And white has reversed the move order and black is lost- he must continuously give ground in both directions towards the h-file and the first rank. White will at all times simply move the queen a knight’s jump away from the king until the king is on h1.
Well done Tajas, Paulius, and Fajac!
And one last item in regards to what to do if black races towards h8 rather than resists the pushing:
1. Qc6 Ka7
2. Qc8 Kb6
3. Qd7 Ka6
4. Qc7 Kb5
5. Qa7 Kc6
6. Qb8 Kd7
7. Qb7 Ke8
And, now, consider the following line:
8. Qc7 Kf8
9. Qd7 Kg8
10. Qe7 Kh8
What do you do now, as white? You back the queen up to change the move order when you have to:
11. Qf8 Kh7
12. Qd8 and you play 12.Qe8 if black plays 11. …Kg7, and you play 12.Qe7 if black plays 11. …Kg6, and you play 12.Qd7 if black plays 11. …Kh6.
That last part should have had white’s options as move 13, not 12.
Assume that the board in the diagram is in the flipped position. Then 1.f8Q and white mates in various ways.