White to move. What should White do?
1k6/2p5/K1p1P1P1/2p1pP2/P1P1pQ2/4p3/4p3/4qn2 w – – 0 1
Puzzle by Korolkov and Mitrofanov, presented by Andreas
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what a weird position. o_O
maybe the solution is:
1. g7 Qa5+
2. Kxa5 e1-Q+
3. Ka6
and black cannot prevent the g8-Q with mate.
Black has a train of pawns to promote, but has the problem of the Queen occupying the queening square e1
White has it’s own train of pawns, and after e7 or g7 it’s mate next move, since the Black King is trapped on the back rank. So
1 e7
looks like the move.
Black has to cover e8, but can’t. So the next move is 2 e8=Q, and Black can’t even interpose a piece (1 … Qd8 can allow the Q to interpose but still loses). So Black has to get the King off the back rank. The c7 pawn is never going to move, so Black has to move the White King.
1 … Qa5ch
fills the bill. Black can burn a queen and get it back next move.
2 KxQ
is forced. Black CAN’T play e1=Q because that gets back to the original problem; Black can’t let white move the King back to a6, so
2 … Ka7
prevents mate this move or next move. Now Black threatens mate on the move, so White has to cover the e1 square. 3 Qh4 works. But since we know this is a puzzle, the Knight must be on the board for a reason. 3 … Nd2 threatens mate next move on b3 or c4, and there’s no way White can prevent it.
So is it back to the drawing board for White? Or is the puzzle White to play and lose?
1 Qxe5
threatens back-rank mate on h8;
1 … Qa5ch 2 KxQ Ka7
is the same. 3 Qc3 covers e1 and b3/c4, White is clear for a move but the game gets ugly. The forcing sequence
3 Qxc5ch Kb8
allows White to move the King back to a6
4 Ka6
White’s ready for 5Qa7ch Kc8 6Qa8mate, so Black has to move the King to avoid forced mate, but 4 … Kc8 walks into back-rank mate again 5 Qf8mate.
So what about
1 Qxe5 Qa5ch 2 KxQ Kb7
?????
I started with 3 Qb2ch Ka7 4 Qb8ch.
I broke out PocketFritz on my cell phone and got 19 moves to stalemate. I kept coming back to the theme of Black sac-ing the new Qs to move the White K back on a5, and White sac-ing the new Qs to move the Black K onto the back rank – which I suppose is the point of the problem, and is a very interesting theme. But is it a long problem?
3 Qxf7ch doesn’t seem to do anything.
3 Qxc5 e1=Qch 4Qb4 QxQ 5 KxQ e2 is a fairly quick Black checkmate.
I’m missing something on White’s third move?
Resign.
1. Qh6 . . .
2. Qf8+# or Qh8+#
1.Qxe5 Qb4
2.Qh8#
1.Qxe5
[1.e7 Qa5+! 2.Kxa5 Kb7! threats…Nd2.; 1.g7 Qa5+!; 1.Qh6 Qa5+!]
1…Qa5+! 2.Kxa5 Kb7
[2…Ka7? 3.Qxc7+]
3.Qb2+
[3.Qc3 e1Q 4.Qxe1 Nd2]
3…Ka7 4.Qb8+!
[4.Qxe2? Nd2 5.Qxd2 exd2 6.e7 d1Q 7.e8Q Qe1#]
4…Kxb8
5.Ka6 e1Q
6.g7 Qa5+
7.Kxa5 Kb7
8.g8Q e2
9.Qa8+
[9.Qb8+ Kxb8 10.Ka6 Kc8–+]
9…Kxa8
10.Ka6 e1Q
11.e7
11…Qa5+
12.Kxa5 Kb7
13.e8Q
13…Nd2
14.Qa8+ Kxa8
15.Ka6
15…Nxc4 [Or 15…Nf3 ]
16.f6 Nd6
17.f7 Nxf7
18.a5! and White is stalemated.
Pharaoh
1. Qxe5 Qa5+
2. Kxe5 Kb7
3. Qb2+ Ka7
4. Qb8+ Kxb8
5. Ka6 e1Q
6. g7 Qa5+ /6.e7?? Qa5+ 7.Kxa5 Kb7 8.e8Q e2 9.Qa8+ Kxa8 10.Ka6 e1Q 11.g7 Qg3 12.f6 Ne3 13.f7 Qxg7
14.a5 /threatens with stalemate/
Nd5 0-1 /
7. Kxa5 Kb7
8. g8Q e2
9. Qa8+ Kxa8
10.Ka6 e1Q
11.e7 Qa5+
12.Kxa5 Kb7
13.e8Q Nd2 /threatens with Nb3# or Nxc4#/
14.Qa8+ Kxa8
15.Ka6 Nxc4 /white has to lose the c and/or the f-pawn and move
a5/
16.f6 Ne5
17.f7 Nxe7
18.a5 1/2
1. Q:e5 Qa5+
2. K:a5 Kb7
3. Qb2+ K any
4. Q:e2 and the train is stopped in its tracks.
I see no answer to Qh6
take the knight
Pharoh seems to be right. All this play and just a draw???
Craig,
4… Nd2!, threatening …Nb3# and …Nxc4 wins for Black. He’ll have to play 5. Qxd2.