That white queen looks very claustrophobic to me. At first, I thought maybe Nh2 was the way to bag her, but white can capture at h5 instead of doing so at h2, and I just couldn’t justify the two pieces for a rook exchange that comes about. With that out of the way, I was forced to fall back to the slower looking Ngf6:
1. …..Ngf6
Has two threats- Bg4 skewering the queen and the e2 knight if white has played a move like 2.g3. Also threatens the queen herself if white doesn’t give her an escape hatch:
2. Ng3 Bg4 3. Qg4 Ng4 4. Nh5 Nf6 and black has a queen for two pieces.
Or
2. g3 Bg4 3. Qg2 Be2 4. Re1 Bg4 and black has won a piece outright.
On material balance, white probably does a bit better by giving up the queen in the first line, but most players, myself included, would probably have better practical chances by just conceding the piece with the second line.
Sorry, I responded too quickly here: 1. … Nxh2? 2. Qxh5! (of course) Q is safe, since it also has Qxh2.
Another attempt to exploit Q’s vulnerable position would be to go for the e2 knight with: 1. … Nf6 (threats Bg4) 2. g3 (Only move. h3? g4 hxg4 Bxg4 Q dead) 2. … Bg4 3. Qh1 Bxe2 4. Re1 Bg4 5. h3 Be6 Now g4 is answered with Nf4, I don’t see how white can compensate for the loss of the knight.
So then, what on earth is wrong with the already published answer?
Again, 1. ….Nh2 fails to white’s 2.Qh5 since black himself has given white’s queen escape holes at h2/h1. Best for black after 2.Qh5 is to take at f1 instead of losing a piece with Bg4. On net, white will have two knights for a rook and pawn- a good trade for him in this position, as far as I can tell.
pht suggested 1. …Ne3, but this fails to 2.fe3, and the white queen will have a hole at f2.
Wow! Lots of wrong answers here. Strange. After 1.- Nxh2 2. Kxh2?? white is lost, but white just play 2. Qxh5. No, Eddie, 2.-Bg4 does not capture the white Queen. 3. Qxh2 is legal! 1. .Ngf6 seems correct, as some has pointed out.
@ yancey: absolutely wright! I missed the escape square h2 (forgot my knight was there in stead of the white pawn; a common misstake when i am calculating…).
1. … N4f6, threatening
2. … Bg4 or g4.
2. Ng3 Bg4
2. g3 Bg4
3. Qg2 or Qh1 Bxe2
1. Nxh2 (forking rook and queen) Kxh2
2. g4 (the queen is trapped)
Mark
That white queen looks very claustrophobic to me. At first, I thought maybe Nh2 was the way to bag her, but white can capture at h5 instead of doing so at h2, and I just couldn’t justify the two pieces for a rook exchange that comes about. With that out of the way, I was forced to fall back to the slower looking Ngf6:
1. …..Ngf6
Has two threats- Bg4 skewering the queen and the e2 knight if white has played a move like 2.g3. Also threatens the queen herself if white doesn’t give her an escape hatch:
2. Ng3 Bg4
3. Qg4 Ng4
4. Nh5 Nf6 and black has a queen for two pieces.
Or
2. g3 Bg4
3. Qg2 Be2
4. Re1 Bg4 and black has won a piece outright.
On material balance, white probably does a bit better by giving up the queen in the first line, but most players, myself included, would probably have better practical chances by just conceding the piece with the second line.
1…. Ngf6 threatening to corner the queen
2.Nxd4 Qxd4
N:h2!
1 … Nxg4
2 Kxh2 g4! trapping the Queen
I am thinking f5 to protect the h5 knight
White queen is in a dangerous position:
1. Nxh2 Kxh2
2. g4!
Game over.
Sorry, I responded too quickly here:
1. … Nxh2?
2. Qxh5! (of course)
Q is safe, since it also has Qxh2.
Another attempt to exploit Q’s vulnerable position would be to go for the e2 knight with:
1. … Nf6 (threats Bg4)
2. g3 (Only move. h3? g4 hxg4 Bxg4 Q dead)
2. … Bg4
3. Qh1 Bxe2
4. Re1 Bg4
5. h3 Be6
Now g4 is answered with Nf4, I don’t see how white can compensate for the loss of the knight.
So then, what on earth is wrong with the already published answer?
Of course, another possibility was:
1. … Ne3!
2. g3
Only move, Qxh5 failed to Bg4, anything else to g4.
2. … Bg4
3. Qh1 (only move) Qf6!
Threats now deadly Bf3.
4. f3 (only move?) Nxf1!
This looks very good for black indeed, white K posision seems to demolish. Am I on the right track now?
1….,Nxh2
2.Kxh2,g4!
2.Ng3,g4
3.Qe2,Qh4
4.Nxh5,g3
5.fxg3,Ng4
5.Nxg3,Ng4
5.f3,Ng4
1. … Nxh2
2.Kxh2 g4
with loss of the queen
Oh, I forgot:
in case of 1. … Nxh2
2.Qxh5 Bg4
also with loss of queen
Anonymous at 5:03:00PM (N4 f6)is partly correct. The correct move is
1… N4xh2
2Kxh2 g4 and white Q is trapped.
1…Nxh7 followed by g4 gets White Q.
— N4f6!
h3 – g4
hg4 – Bxg4
Again, 1. ….Nh2 fails to white’s 2.Qh5 since black himself has given white’s queen escape holes at h2/h1. Best for black after 2.Qh5 is to take at f1 instead of losing a piece with Bg4. On net, white will have two knights for a rook and pawn- a good trade for him in this position, as far as I can tell.
pht suggested 1. …Ne3, but this fails to 2.fe3, and the white queen will have a hole at f2.
Wow! Lots of wrong answers here. Strange. After 1.- Nxh2 2. Kxh2?? white is lost, but white just play 2. Qxh5. No, Eddie, 2.-Bg4 does not capture the white Queen. 3. Qxh2 is legal!
1. .Ngf6 seems correct, as some has pointed out.
@ yancey: absolutely wright!
I missed the escape square h2 (forgot my knight was there in stead of the white pawn; a common misstake when i am calculating…).