Black to move. How should Black proceed?
7k/1p1N2pp/PP6/5P1b/3bN1nP/3P3Q/8/4qB1K b – – 0 1
- 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
1. …Nf2+
2. Kh2 Nxh3
3. axb7 Bg1+
4. Kg2 Bf3+
5. Kxf3 Qxf1+
6. Kg3 Qxd3+
7. Kg2 Nf4+
8. Kxg1 Qe3+
9. Nf2 Qe1+
10. Kh2 Qxf2+
11. Kh1 Qg2#
Yes, after 1. …Nf2, white can’t take with the knight since 2. ….Qxf2 still loses the queen and probably a shorter mate than Alena shows.
Here is another puzzle for you, Alena. This is sound study- no cooks or busts this time, I promise.
n2Bqk2/5p1p/5KP1/p7/6Q1/8/8/8 w – – 0 0
I have managed to get only a draw so far with the first move Qc8.
White wins here. It is a pretty amazing problem, and it is finding move number 2 that is the truly challenging part. 1.Qc8 is the right beginning, however.
And as a clue, for the second move, you have to think way outside the box to find it.
Thanks for the clue. At last I have found it.
1. Qc8! Kg8
2. gxf7+ Qxf7+
3. Ke5 Qf3
4. Bf6+ Kf7
5. Qd7+ Kg6
6. Qg7+ Kh5
7. Qg5#
I liked it. Please give me more puzzles like that where you need to think out of the box.
No, not 3. ….Qf3??
Black draws with a number of moves here, but not that one worst move.
All these I have demonstrated as drawn in the past- 3. …Qh5, 3. ….Qe8, 3. ….Qf8 etc.
You still haven’t found the correct move at 2 for white- it isn’t 2.gxf7 that much I can tell you.
This much you have correct:
1. Qc8! Kg8 (which is the best move for black)
This problem contains probably the most beautiful zugzwang position I have ever seen on a chess board when you get to white’s 5th move in the critical line.
Also, the entire solution is a mate in 13.
1. Qc8! Kg8!
2. Bc7 Qxc8
3. gxf7+ Kh8
4. Be5 Qc5
5. Bb2 Nc7
6. Ba1 a4
7. Bb2 a3
8. Ba1 a2
9. Bb2 a1= any piece
10. Bxa1 Qc3+
11. Bxc3 Nd5+
12. Ke6+ Nf6
13. Bxf6#
It was a great challenge for me.
Well done! I will pick out another one tonight. The puzzle above stumped me and most other commentators the first time it was posted on this site 6 years ago. You can google the FEN and see the struggles almost everyone had with it.
Yes, this was amazing. It would never have occurred to me to look at 2. Bc7. To amuse myself, I let Houdini churn away at the position after 1. Qc8 Kg8 to 25 plies, it didn’t find Bc7. Then I moved 2. Bc7 and the forced mate was found instantly. And the resulting zugzwang position is utterly amazing.
Craig,
I remember Cortex claimed to put the position in Houdini (at least my memorys says he claimed it was Houdini and it found the key move, 2.Bc7, but even at depth 20+ still didn’t evaluate the position as more than a draw. However, this was 6 years ago, so hardware and the software are more advanced now. It strange, though, isn’t it that it can’t find 2.Bc7 as you wrote, but then finds the mate instantly. The position doesn’t have an inordinate number of variations over a move and half, so I would have thought that 1.Qc8 Kg8 2.Bc7 would be evaluated fairly quickly. Almost like a kind of hole in the analysis in that it never considers it.
The first time I attempted the puzzle, I actually found the first two moves, but completely underestimated the power of white 3rd move, and completely whiffed on seeing the mating theme that leads to the zugzwang.
1. Qc8! Nb7
2. Be7+ Kg8
3. gxf7+ Kh8
4. fxe8+Q#
1…Nf2+!, 2. Nxf2 Qxf2,
a) 3. Qh2 Qxf1+, 4. Qg1 Qxg1#
b) 3. Qg2 Bf3! (deflection), 4. Kh2 Bxg2, 5. Bxg2, Qf4+, 6. Kh3 (6. Kh1 Qxh4+, 7. Bh3 Qxh3#) Bf2 and White has no defense against Qg3#. 0-1
Nf2+
Nxf2, Qxf2
Qg2, bf3
kh2, bxg2
bxg2, b7xa6
b7,Ba7
b8 Promotion, Bxb8
Nxb8, Qf4+,
Kg1, Qxb8
White should resign after this