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Daily Chess Improvement: Mate in 5 brain teaser!

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Mate in5

White to move and checkmate in 5.

Puzzle by Kovalenko

6R1/6P1/8/8/8/K7/6P1/kr6 w – – 0 1

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10 Comments

  1. Alena Reply

    1. Rf8 Rc1
    2. g8=Q Rc3+
    3. Qb3 Rxb3+
    4. Kxb3 Kb1
    5. Rf1#
    it took 20 minutes to solve

  2. Alena Reply

    Another variation
    1. Rf8 Rg1
    2. g8=Q Kb1
    3. Rf2 Kc1
    4. Qa2 Rxg2
    5. Qc2#
    there are more varitions

    • Yancey Ward Reply

      I remember this puzzle well, Alena. 1.Rf8 is the right start, but you are ignoring the most critical line- the line that really explains why 1.Rf8 is mate in 5 but other moves of the rook along the 8th rank can mate in 6 at best. Consider what happens when after 2.Qb3 blocking the check on the third rank, black doesn’t take the queen but leaves her pinned to the king. Then ask yourself how things change if the white rook is somewhere other than f8.

      • James Attewell Reply

        I got it wrong, I thought it was 1. Re8.
        Another pin to leave in effect, this time for White, is
        1. Rf8 Rb7 2. Rf1+ Rb1 3. g8=Q and 4. Qa2#

      • Alena Reply

        Do you mean that line?
        1. Rf8 Rc1
        2. g8=Q Rc3
        3. Qb3 Rf3
        4. Qxf3 Kb1
        5. Qd1#

        • Yancey Ward Reply

          That”s the the one. 1.Rf8 is the shortest mate precisely because she can reach d1 from f8 and can enforce the mate even if the black king has broken the opposition by moving to b1. Keeping the queen pinned rather than taking her is the only defense that runs longer in variations where, for example, white has played 1.Re8.

  3. James Attewell Reply

    1. Rc8 Re1 2. g8=Q Re3+ 3. Qb3 Rxb3+ 4. Kxb3 Kb1 doesn’t work
    1. Rd8 Re1 2. g8=Q Re3+ 3. Qb3 Rd3 4. Rf8 Rf3 doesn’t work
    1. Re8 Rd1 2. g8=Q Rd3+ 3. Qb3 Re3 4. Qxe3 Kb1 doesn’t work
    1. Rf8 Re1 2. g8=Q Re3+ 3. Qb3 Rf3 4. Qxf3 Kb1 5. Qd1#
    1. Rh8 Re1 2. g8=Q Re3+ 3. Qb3 Rh3 4. Qxh3 Kb1 doesn’t work
    So it looks as if 1. Rf8 is the only move which mates in 5.

  4. K V Hariharan Reply

    Two points of interest.
    (1) 2. Rf3! also works:-
    1. Rf8. Rc1. 2. Rf3!. Rc3+. 3. Rxc3. Kb1. 4. Kb3. Ka1. 5. Rc1#
    1. Rf8. Rd1/e1. 2. Rf3!. Rd3/e3+. 3. Rxd3/e3. Kb1. 4. Rc3!. Ka1. 5. Rc1#
    1. Rf8. Rc1/d1/e1. 2. Rf3!. Rb1. 3. g8=Q. Rb3+. 4. Kxb3!. Kb1. 5. Rf1#

    (2) Tempting to think that it is a draw if black is to move than white.
    1…….Rb8!? (Hoping for 2. Rxb8 stalemate draw) but 2. Rf8! Rxf8. 3. gxf8=Q. Kb1. 4. Qc8! Ka1. 5. Qc1#

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