White to move. Can you find the winning plan for white?
Carneiro, Vitor Roberto Castro (BRA) – Fier, Alexandr (BRA)
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1. Qh5 threatens both Qxf7# and Rh8+ Kg7 Qh6#
1. … Qf6
2. Bg5 and there seems to be nothing better than
2. … Qg7 3. Rxg7+ Kxg7 3. Qh6+ Kg8 4. Bf6 Bf8 5. Qh8#
1. Qh6 Qxd4+, and the Bishop falls also.
I missed 2.Bg5 , I think you found the alternate mate too, the obvious one was 4.Bh7+ Kh8 5.Bf6#
2…. Qxd4+ 3.Kf1 Qc4+ 4.Kf2 Be1+ 5.Kg1 (5.Kf3 Qxe4#) Qd4+ and Black should win.
Karthik: 1 Qh5? Qd4+ wins for Black! 1 Rh8+ looks crushing, but Black doesn’t have to take the rook, alas. This leaves 1 Qf3!, threatening simply to defend d4 with the bishop and then play Qf3-h5. Black is undeveloped and helpless.
No I couldn’t. Just to show that I tried I had 1.Rh8+ Kxh8 2.Qh5+ Kg8 3.Qh7+ Kf8 4.Bh6+ Ke7 5.Bg5+ Kd7 (5…. Kf8 6.Qh8#) and there doesn’t seem to be an effective follow up although it looks promising at first.
I think 1. Qh5 is not the solution because of
1…..Qxd4+.
A- 2. Kg2/h1. Qxe4+. And 3…..Qxh7 and black wins.
B- 2. Kf1. Qc4+!
B1- 3. Kg2. Qxe4+ and 4…..Qxh7 and black wins.
B2- 3. Kg1. Bc5+. 4. Kg2/h1. Qxe4+ and 5. ….Qxh7 and black wins.
B3- 3. Kf2. Bc5+. 4. Kg2/e1. Qxe4+ and 5…Qxh7 and black wins. (If 4. Be3. Bxe3+. And 5. …Qxe4× etc. White could also be mated here)
B4- 3. Qe2. Qxe2+. 4. Kxe2. Rxe4+. Followed by 5…..Kxh7 and black will end up with 2 extra pieces at least.
The solution could be either 1. Rh8+ or likely 1. Be3!. Rxe4. 2. Qh5!. Qf3. 3. Rf1!. Qxf1. 4. Kxf1 how can back prevent mate now?
Like a couple of the commenters above, I had all eyes for Rh8. It probably regains the material white has sacrificed to reach the original position, but I can’t see anything more than that. Scott is correct- 1.Qf3! is more powerful and sure. It wins a piece advantage overall by my analysis:
1. Qf3!
The main points here are the indirect guard on d4 and the threat of both Qxf7# and Qf6 is the black queen doesn’t keep an eye on f6. If black plays 1. …Qxd4, white gains the tempo with 2.Be3, and the queen must be given up just to prevent mate since the retreat of 2. …Qd7 is useless because of 3.Qf6 followed by mate. So, black must protect the f7 pawn with move 1:
1. …………Rf8 (Be6 is below; if Re7 2.Rh8 now does lead to mate)
2. Rh5!
Again, not Qh5 which fails for the same reasons that 1.Qh5 fails- black defends well with 2. Qd4+. White is threatening 3.Bh7 and 3.Rg5 here. I think white could probably take the time to defend d4 with 2.Be3, but the overall picture won’t change much.
2. …………Be7
What else can possibly cause white to not play Rg5+ here? If black plays 2. ….f6, white can now play 3.Rh8 leading to mate. Continuing:
3. Bh7
I don’t know that this is the best line for white- other moves do suggest themselves here, like 3.Be3 and even 3.Bd5, but I can’t quite 100% convince myself of the outcomes there without spending a lot of time working through the more numerous variations. 3.Bh7 and what follows is forced and easier to assess at the end:
3. …………Kg7
4. Bh6 Kh7 (if Kh8 5.Bxf8 anyway)
5. Bf8 Kg8 (Kg6 6.Rh6 Kg5 7.Qh5#)
6. Qe4 with multiple threats.
And white will end up with at least up an exchange and two pawns. It is even possible that the exposed king will end up mated, too.
Oh, and I almost forgot:
1. Qf3! Be6 (guarding f7)
And now white can profitably play Rh8:
2. Rh8 Kh8
3. Qh5 Kg7 (Kg8 4.Qh7 still)
4. Qh7 Kf8 (Kf6 5.Bg5 Kg5 6.Qh4#)
5. Bh6 Ke7
6. Bg5 Kd6
7. Bd8 Rd8
8. d5
And white has more than enough compensation for the material to win here.