White to move. White is down by a lot of materials. How should White proceed?
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White to move. White is down by a lot of materials. How should White proceed?
1.Qh3+ Kg8 2.Qc8+ Qf8 3.Qe6+ Kh8 4.Qh3+! Kg7 5.Qd7+ and mate to follow.
This took quite much time -about 20 minutes :-(. Many attractive-looking candidates and easy to lose your way in your calculations. It seems that finally “regognizing the pattern”, as they say, B: Kg8+Qf8 W: Ng5+Qh7 was crucial to me (Qd7+).
Pretty sequence and good exercise. And yet another proof how difficult it’s for me do Kotov-like exhaustive analysis in my head. Inefficiency rules…
I am sorry, I have made a mistake
Oh my, this is hard to see
1. Qh3+ Kg8
2. Qc8+ Qf8
3. Qe6+ Kg7
4. Qd7+
Black has several options
4. Qd7+ Kf6
(5…Kf8? Qh7#)
6. Nh7#
4. …Kh6/Kf8/Kh8 is met by Qh7#
Alternatively
3. Qe6+ Kh8
With mate to follow.
If not, draw by three-fold repetition is also an option. This kind of combination seems quite difficult to solve. Good puzzle!
By the way susan, where do you get all these puzzles from? They are interesting to solve! Thanks for the puzzles!
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1.Qh3+ Kg8 2.Qc8+ Qf8 3.Qe6+ Kh8 4.Qh3 Kg7 5.Qd7+ and white is lost. Tough one.
I hardly see what is so difficult about this. Nf7 either draws by repition or wins, at least, thats how I see it. If the king goes down the board, it is quickly checkmated by the dark-squared bishop, if it goes across, it will take alittle longer, but white should end up ok. Maybe I’m missing something, certaintly didn’t take me 20 minutes to find that.
For a draw it is trivial. Qe8+ Qg8 Qe5+Qg7 and repeation. (0 time to find)
1.Nf7+ is dubious.. The most it can hope is a repatition, but this is also unlikely.
But the answer that it did take me a bit (ofcourse not 20min:))
1.Qh3+ kg8 2Qc8+ Qf8 3 Qe6 then 3… Kg7 4 Qd7+ and if Kf6 5.Nh7 mate, if Kh6 or Kh8 5.Qh7 mate
If 3…Kh8 4 Qh3+ Kg7 (Kg8 5 Qh7#) 5 Qd7+ and we are in the same line as before…(mate with Qh7 or Nh7)
Guys,
I am heading to work right now, but I think I saw the possibility of a winning line for white. Of course the draw is guaranteed by Qe8+ Qe6+ perpetual, but I guess white wins with the fantastic Bf4!!? (the “?” is because I haven’t analyzed it completely). Something like this:
1.Bf4!!? Rxc1+ 2.Kg2 R6b1 (black can’t avoid Be5) 3.Be5 (pinning the queen and immediately threatening Qe8 mate!) Rg1+ 4.Kh3 Bf1+ 5.Kh4!Rb8 (forced, as Qxe5, Qxe5+ leads to mate)6.Bxg7+ Kxg7 7.Qf7+ Kh6 and 8.Kh7 mate!!
This is because the K protects the N after 4…Bf1+. If black does not make this check, then after Rb8 white simply plays Bxb8 and the threat is renewed! 🙂
So probably after 1.Bf4!!? black needs to play Rb8 and then 2.Rxb1! (hehe) Rf8 (if 2..Ra8 then 3.Be5 a2 4.Bxg7+ with mate) 3.Be5 a2 4.Bxg7+ Kxg7 5.Qe7+ and mate as well! Also, if instead, 2…Rg8 (instead of Rf8) then 3.Be5 a2 4.Qh3 mate!!
Wow, is any hole in these lines? is Bf4!!? the great move? 😀
No computer calculation and need to hurry for work. Let me know if you find anything else!
-Renzo
Hi Renzo,
I think you missed something…
For black, how about:
1. Bf4 Rxc1+
2. Kg2 Bf1+
3. Kh1 Bh3#
Dan
After 1.Bf4? Rxc1 2.Kg2?? there is
2. … Bf1+ 3.Kg(h)1 Bf3(+) and white’s
queen is lost
This seems like a silly puzzle – especially once you realize that since the position is presented, there must be a draw or win. The difficulty of course is in knowing when the position is worth looking at.
White just checks at h3-c8-e6-h3-d7 to reach a position where Black cannot guard both f7 and h7. The king trapped in the corner with the safe knight attacking all those squares makes this easy.
p.s. – Nf7+ is a simple draw so if you find that first you may stop and miss the win.
I bet in 3 min ICC or chessbase blitz (and when the time is almost over) those moves are hard to find 😛 My first move was 1.Qc8 and after 1… Qg8 white has nothing but a perpetual
1. Qh3 wins of course. 1. Bf4 looks like just another way to draw after 1…. Rb8 (2. Rxb1? Rxb1+ 0-1)
btw
1. Bf4 Rxc1+
2. Kg2 Bf1+
3. Kh1 Bh3#
is no “#” because of 4 Bxc1. But 3… Rg1+ is actually a “#” 😎