White to move. How should white proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
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1. Bh6!
Bh6
1. Bh6!
Bh6
1. Bh6
Threatening Qg7# as well as Rd8#.
Bh6
Bh6 with the double mate threat of Rxd8 and Qxg7.
greets, jan
1.Bc1 Ra8 2.Bb2
1Bc1 Ra8 2.Bb2 f6 3.Qc1
1.Bc1 Ra8 2.Bb2 f6 3.Qc1
1.Bh6 Rd4
(1…gxh6 2.Rxd8+ Qe8 3.Rxe8#)
(1…Qf6 2.Rxd8+ Qxd8 3.Qxg7#)
(1…f6 2.Rxd8+ Kf7 3.Be3)
2.Rxd4 f6 3.Bc1
My first instinct is 1. Bh6
1. … gxh6 2 Rxd8+ Qd8 3. Rxd8#
1. … R@d8-anywhere Qxg7#
1. … Qf6 2 Rxd8+ Qxd8 Qxg7#
That leaves Black with 1. … f6, so White gains a Rook with 2. Rxd8+. That could be enough, but I’d really like to find something better than retreating the Bishop after 2. … Kf7. I looked at 3. Qc5 threatening both the R@a3 and mate @f8, but Black has 3. … Qd7 to defend both threats and attack the R@d8. After 4 Qxd7 Kxd7 5 Bc1 the passed pawn @a3 is making me feel pretty uncomfortable. Is there something better in this line?
This is pretty obvious, isn’t it?
1. Bh6!
with the double threat Qxg7# and Rxd8+ Qe8 Rxd8#.
1. … f6 (Enforced. Qf6? Qxf6 gxf6 Rxd8#)
2. Rxd8+ Be8/Kf7
is up with rook.
Instead of simply retreating bishop, I might now concider:
3. Rb8 (!?) gxh6 (Nd7? Bc4! takes queen, or Na4? Qb4! takes another rook)
4. Rxb6
and black can’t retake because of Bc4 taking queen, so it’s still up with rook.
White is saddled with the bishop pair, so he should strive to exchange one of them, e.g., by 1.Be3!!
To Richard Schwartz:
Interesting to see that you had the same idea as me, to find something better than retreating bishop on move #3.
I mentioned 3. Rb8 (!?) seeming possible, but I think I will withdraw it, looks “artificial”.
After 2. … Ke7? then 3. Qc5! must be a good move, black hardly has Qd6? since Rd8 is now white and white rooks like to eat black queens.
I guess black rather defends his king with
2. … Be8
Not “good” since he has lost anyway, but the “least bad” move.
Now I think I would proceed with
3. Be3!
Retreating bishop to this field is actually an attack also.
It threats 4. Bxb6 cxb6 5. Bc4 taking the queen!
Against this black has neither 3. … Qe7 nor 3. … Kf8, dropping rook to Bc5. I guess black plays 3. … Kh8, but he is falling totally apart anyway.
To Richard Schwartz once again:
Sorry for misunderstanding you in this line (I am analyzing without a board and that is pretty difficult):
1. Bh6 f6
2. Rxd8+ Kf7 (must be “OK”)
3. Qb4? Qe7! (you wrote Qd7 but meant Qe7)
If now exchanging queens, the big trouble would be black’s threat b2! and Ra1!, so white must avoid this line.
I suggest to “restrict immagination” and simply play:
1. Bh6 f6
2. Rxd8+ Kf7
3. Be3
I think it’s absolutely necessary to “save the lead” now, also keepimg in mind the necessity to defend black’s counter plan to exchange queens and then play b2 and Ra1.
Be3 should be actively positioned for both defence and attack?
Or is Bc1 necessary?
A natural plan further is Red1, doubling rooks in d-file.
To pht: thanks for the comments. I was also analyzing without a board, and also without sleeep in 24 hours. Interesting test to see how well I could calculate. Glad to see we were thinking the same way! 🙂