White to move. Which side is better? What is the best continuation for White?
6kr/1pn1Qp1p/1q2n1p1/4Bp2/p2P4/4PP1P/Bp4PK/8 w – – 0 1
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Monday chess tactic
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Nice one! I had to play through both knight captures and the obvious-looking Qf6 before finally settling on what I think is the right first move for white as the only way to successfully dislodge the black king’s defenders. The inadequacy of Bc7 and Be6 should be easily seen by anyone. The trickier move, Qf6, is less obviously bad, but probably won’t win for white as I found after a while working on it:
1. Qf6? Kf8 (only move, obviously)
2. Qh8 Ke7
And, now, white is going to lose a piece, at a minimum, to b1Q. The only hope to hold is to try for a perpetual, in my opinion:
3. Qf6 Ke8
Here, I simply don’t like the looks of Kf8 or Kd7- Kf8 could be very, very dangerous for black after white plays 4.d5 [Kf8 4.d5 Nd5 5.Bd5! with the threat of Be6 and Qf7# or Qd8#, and Kd7 could also get very dangerous after 4.Qf7 with check. Ke8 forecloses both of these options for white:
4. e4
About the only hope to ever get d5 in now. For example [4.d5? Nd5! 5.Bd5? b1Q 6.Be6 Qe6 and the threat of Qd8# no longer exists- compare to the line in the previous note]. Continuing:
4. …..fe4 (b1Q is likely ok, too)
5. fe4 b1(Q)
6. Bb1
White has time for nothing else, now. Continuing:
6. …..Qb1
The position looks a bit scary for black, but I think it only looks that way. Continuing:
7. Bd6
Here, 7.d5 loses decisively to Qe4: [7.d5? Qe4 8.de6 (8.Qh8 Kd7 no better for white) Ne6 9.Qh8 Kd7 10.Qf6 Qf5 and black should win with the extra pawns]. Continuing:
7. …..Kd7
Here, this is the only move I can find for black. Continuing:
8. Qe7
Here, Bc7 also looks playable, but doesn’t look better in the end. Continuing:
8. …..Kc6
Here, Kc8 is also playable, but looks just a bit scarier to my eye, but could possibly be a superior move to Kc6. Continuing:
9. Bc7
Again, though d5 looks visually good, it probably is the more worse move: [9.d5?! Nd5! 10.ed5 Kd5 and white is down three pawns and should lose, though black is going to have to play carefully]. Continuing:
9. …..Nc7
Here, though I didn’t go very deep into it, Qe4 is also playable for black (maybe better?). It is just that the materialist in me would rather be up a piece a bit longer in this endgame, but the knight can’t be saved. Continuing:
10.d5 Kb6
Here, Nd5 is playable, but, again, I didn’t look deep at it- it exchanges out white’s central pawns, but at the cost of the kingside pawns. Which is better here? I don’t know. Continuing:
11.Qd6 Ka7
The point of the above moves for black- find a hidey hole for the king. Continuing:
12.Qc7
Of course, now, black needs to find a way to hold his edge. He can’t play a move like Qe4 and win since white has a perpetual with Qa5 and Qd8 with check. So, Qb6 or Qb5 seem to be the only ways to try for the win:
12. …..Qb5
Here, I stopped in this line because I could see that only black is trying for the win, and I was pretty sure I had found a much, much better first move for white anyway. Continued in my next comment.
Down a Rook, with enemy pawns moving towards promotion, White needs to find a way to penetrate Black’s defense.
1 d5!
White disrupts the defense this way.
1… Qxe3
Or 1 … Nxd5, 2 Qe8+ Nf8, 3 Bxd5, and Black must give up his Queen to play on a few moves longer.
The given move captures a pawn and threatens the black-square Bishop.
2 Qf6
White threatens mate at h8
3 … Kf8
Black can also get rid of the mate threats by giving up the Queen with 3 … Qxe5+, 4 Qxe5 Nxd5+, 5 Qxd5, but with the Rook out of play, all of the Queen side pawns will fall quickly, and he’ll end up down a Queen for a Rook.
4 dxe6!
4 Qxh8+ also wins and is the choice of most computer engines, but some of the lines can get complicated. The given move is much more direct and easier to see.
4 … Nxe6
5 Bxe6!
Again, White forgoes 5 Qh8+, which leads to the same complications as the previous line.
5 … Qxe5+ (forced)
6 Qxe5
The point of this line. Black can’t play .. b1=Q without getting quickly mated.
6 … Kg8
Other moves also lose. 6 … b1=Q, 7 Qf6!, and Black will be mated soon. Or 6 …fxg6, 7 Qxh8+ Ke7, 8 Qxb2, and the rest of the Queenside pawns fall. The only other move that escapes Qf6 is 6 … Ke8, and this fails to 7 Ba2+ (simplest) followed by 8 Qxh8+
7 Ba2
Simplest. White stops Black’s threats and again threatens Qf6.
7 … h5
And not 7 … a3, 8 Qf6 and mate next.
8 Qxb2
In my previous comment, I discussed the line that starts with 1.Qf6. This was certainly the first move that caught my eye in this position, but I simply could not gain an advantage for white, no matter what I tried. One of the moves I looked at subsequent to 1.Qf6 in that line never quite worked out as long as black defends properly- that move was d5. The main reason that move was of little benefit was that by the time white played it in that line, the black king was on a safer square (e8 in the main line). This of course led me to look to see if d5 might be the right first move. I think it is:
1. d5
The power of this move is that it threatens both de6 and Qf6. There seem to be no good replies for black. Continuing:
1. …..Nd5
In some variations seen in my first comment, this was good for black, but not here:
2. Qe8 Nf8 (only move)
3. Bd5
And, now, there are only delays to the mate:
3. …..Qc7 (delays the longest)
4. Bc7 Kg7 (the point of Qc7)
5. Qf7 Kh6
6. Bf4 g5
Here, Kh5 loses, too: [Kh5 7.Qf6 Ne6 (h6 8.g4 fg4 9.hg4#) 8.g4 followed by mate]. Continuing:
7. Qf6 Ng6
8. Qg5 Kg7
9. Be5 Kf8 (knight is pinned)
10.Qd8#
Or
1. …..Nc5
2. Qd8 Ne8
3. Qe8#
Or
1. …..Nf8
2. d6!
Threatens Qf7#. I see only delays to mate, once again (might be overlooking something to save black here, but I doubt it). The longest line for seems black is
2. …..Qb3
3. dc7 h5 (else c8Q wins, too)
4. c8(Q)Kh7
5. Qh8 Kh8
6. Qf8 with mate on the next move.
Or
1. …..h5 (to give king a hole)
2. de6 Qe6 (else, shorter mates)
3. Be6 Ne6 (else is mate)
4. Bb2 give white a decisive material advantage.
Or
1. …..b1(Q)
2. Qf6
The only move I find for white that wins, though de6 forces black to take a perpetual draw starting with Qg1+ [2.de6 Qg1 3.Kg1 (3.Kg3?? f4! 4.Bf4 Ne6!-+) Qe3 4.Kf1 (4.Kh1?? Qe1; 4.Kh2 Qe5 both with check on all black moves giving time for Qe5 and Ne6) Qc1 5.Ke2 (5.Kf2 Qd2=)Qc2 6.Kf1 Qc1= and the white king cannot find a way to hide in my opinion]. Continuing:
2. …..Kf8
On playing Qg1 now, with the bishop at e5 protected, and black facing Qh8#, the white king can now hide after taking at g1 on the sacrifice: [2. …Qg1 3.Kg1 Qe3 4.Kh2! Kf8 (or sacrifice a second queen at e5) 5.Qh8 Ke7 6.de6 Ne6 7.Qf6+-]. Continuing:
3. d6!
Here, neither Qh8 nor de6 are decisive: [3.Qh8? Ke7 4.d6 (remember, black has two queens, so white must keep on the pressure) Kd7 5.dc7 Nc7 6.Bb1 Qb1 with rough equality, but black could have the edge]; or [3.de6 Ne6 4.Qh8 Ke7 5.Bb1 Qb1 with rough equality]. With 3.d6, white is keeping the pressure on with the threat of Qh8#. Continuing:
3. …..Qg1
Black has no good moves. Qd6 is met by Bd6+ and finally Bb1 bagging both black queens.
4. Kg1 Qe3
5. Kh2 Qe5 (else Qh8 or Qe7)
6. Qe5 Rg8 (stops Qh8)
7. dc7 wins easily.
Or, finally:
1. …..Qe3
2. Qf6
Only non-losing move for white, in my opinion:
2. …..Qe5
Or [2. …Kf8 3.de6 Ne6 4.Be6]. Continuing:
3. Qe5 Nd5 (what else?)
4. Qd5 and white should easily mop up the queenside pawns.
This is too difficult.
1.d5! is absolutely excellent
Threatening 2.dxe6! with extremely dangerous threats and bringing the pawn in the attack
If 1…Nf8 2.d6! Nfe6 (2…Nce6 3.Qf6!) 3.Qf6 etc….
I)1….Nxd5 2.Qe8+ Nf8 3.Bxd5 +-
II)1…b1/Q 2.Qf6! Kf8 3.d6! Qxd6 4.Bxd6+ Kg8 5.Be5!! Kf8 6.Qxh8+ Ke7 7.Bxb1 +++- !
III)1….Qxe3 2.Qf6 Kf8 3.d6!
IV)1…f6 2.dxe6! and mate to follow
V)1….h5 2.dxe6 and then 3.Qf6 to pick up the pawn
VI)