- 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
I didn’t look beyond the first tactic used in this puzzle the first time I saw it, but yes, a second tactic is needed to finish Black off, which possibly made Black doubly cross.
1Bc5ch bd6 2 Qe5 wins the bishop.
1. Bc5+ Bd6
2. Qe5 Bxc5
3. Qxb8+ Ke7 wins the queen
4. Qc7+ Ke6
5. Qxc5 b3
6. Kxb3 f6
the game is won for white
Winning the Bishop is not quite enough. After all, without the black pawns
the endgame Q + B against Q should be very drawish. So there must be some
immediate path towards checkmate nets to win this position.
I like James’s “double cross” pun since the same double pin is indeed going to be
used twice:
1. Bc5+ Bd6 2. Qe5! Kg8 (the only way to save Q) 3. Bxd6 Qd8 (trying to control g5
and preparing f7-f6 to defend) 4. Qg3+ Kh8 5. Be5+ f6 6. Qg5! (the same theme twice! very cute)
and there is no defence against checkmate or Q loss (eg 6… h6 7. Bxf6+ Kh7 8. Qg7#)
The ancient chess tactic before this is very punishing on plausible assumptions so I was reluctant to admit that I’d made the simplifying assumption that 2…. Qd8 was the only way to save the Q.