White to move. Can White save this game? How should White proceed?
5k2/5p2/2K2P2/p3Q3/1q5p/1P4p1/P7/5n2 w – – 0 1
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a3 wins
Qf5
han
the quiet 1. a3 is decisive. The black queen is deflected from her defensive task, defending against white queen checks. The black queen is overloaded (which is normally associated with a piece having to defend two pieces simultaneously).
1.a3 wins for White.
The black queen is defending two key squares – b8, where white is threatening an immediate mate, and c5, where white is threatening 1. Qc5+ Kg8 2. Qg5+ Kf8 3. Qg7+ Ke8 4. Qg8#. So, 1. a3!! forcing the black queen to give up its defence of one of these squares is the killer move, to which black has no viable answer.
white has a forced win here:
1. a3 Qxb3
2. Qc5+ Kg8
3. Qg5+ Kf8
4. Qg7+ Ke8
5. Qg8#
3. … Kh7/h8
4. Qg7#
2. … Ke8
3. Qe7#
other first moves by black either drop the queen or fail to 2. Qb8+ with checkmate. jan
After 1.a3 black’s queen will no longer be able to protect both b8 and e7. Thus, 1… Qxb3 2.Qc5+! Kg8 3.Qg5+ Kf8 4.Qg7+ Ke8 5.Qh8#
Beelze
Qg5…and as Long as the Black king can keep an eye on d7..black can`t shake the latent mate so he`s got to keep checking. There does not seem to be a way to shake the white king off those crucial escape squares. Lucky for white.
MM
1. a3! leaves Black with an impossible problem – how to prevent 2. Qb8# and 2. Qc5+ Kg7 3. Qg7+ Kf8 4. Qg7+ Ke8 5. Qg8# at the same time.
1. a3 Q*a3
2. Qb8+ 1-0
1. a3 Q*b3
2. Qc5+ Kg8
3. Qg5+ Kf8
4. Qg7+ Ke8
5. Qg8+ 1-0
Really not easy this time. I am not sure and would try this:
1. Qd5 1. Qe1
2. Qc5+ 2. Ke8
3. Qb5 3. Qe6+
3. Kc7+ 4. Kf8
4. Qc5+ and perhaps we a perpetual, but without a board resp software asistance I do not know exactly what may happen.
Qb8 is mate if the black queen weren’t guarding the square, and Qc5 starts a mating attack, again, if the black queen were looking somewhere else. Amazingly, there are no squares from which to check white’s king that aren’t guarded. This actually makes the solution easy to spot:
1. a3!! Qb3 (to prevent 2. Qe7)
2. Qc5! Kg8 (only move, obviously)
3. Qg5 Kf8 (Kh8/h7 4.Qg7#)
4. Qg7 Ke8
5. Qg8#
Black could, of course, just give up the queen by playing 1. …Qe1, but I don’t think we really need to analyze that move in light of the still standing mate threat starting with Qe7.
1.a3 (1…g2 2.axb4 threatens mate)
1…Qxb3 2.Qc5+ Kg8 3.Qg5+ Kf8 4.Qg7+ Ke8 5.Qg8 mate
There aren’t any moves by the White Queen or King that help at all, but that little move 1. a3 changes everything! White wins.