White to move. How can white save this game?
rn5k/1p4b1/1q1p4/2pPpp2/2b1N1Q1/p5P1/1P1B1P1P/6K1 w – – 0 1
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We have seen this one before, haven’t we? Pretty simple overpowering of the bishop, which is the black king’s only defender:
1. Qh5 Kg8
Or [1. …Bh6 2.Qh6 Kg8 3.Nf6 Kf7 4.Bg5 and there is no defense against the twin mating threats that start with Qh7 or Ne8 (if black plays Ke7)]. Continuing:
2. Qe8 Kh7
Or [2. …Bf8 3.Qg6 Kh8/Bg7 4.Nf6 followed by mate]. Continuing:
3. Ng5 Kh6
4. Qe6 Kh5 (Bf6 5.Qf6 Kh5 6.Qf7)
5. Qf7 Kh6 (Kg4 6.h3#)
6. Qf5 and white will mate with either Nf7 or Qh7 on the next move.
The first move was obvious, but there are very many sub-variations, and there were several places to easily go wrong. This one was a lot of work, but I guess I’m hooked for now.
1. Qh5+ to which there are 2 replies, 1. … Kg8 and 1. … Bh6
1. … Kg8 2. Qe8+ to which there are 2 replies, 2. … Kh7 and 2. … Bf8
2. … Kh7 3. Ng5+ Kh6 4. Qe6+ to which there are 2 replies: 4. … Kh5 and 4. … Bf6
4. … Kh5 5. Qf7+ to which there are 2 replies: 5. … Kh6 and 5. … Kg4
5. … Kh6 6. Qxf5 and we consider 3 replies: 6. … a2, 6. … Kh5, and 6. …Bd3
6. … a2 7. Qh7#
6. … Kh5 7. Nf3#
6. … Bd3 7. Nf7#
Returning to 5. … Kg4:
[1. Qh5+ Kg8 2. Qe8+ Kh7 3. Ng5+ Kh6 4. Qe6+ Kh5 5. Qf7+] Kg4 6. h3#
Returning to 4. … Bf6:
[1. Qh5+ Kg8 2. Qe8+ Kh7 3. Ng5+ Kh6 4. Qe6+] Bf6 5. Qxf6+ Kh5 6. Qf7+ and then 6. … Kh6 7. Qh7# or 6. … Kg4 7. h3#
Returning to 2. … Bf8:
[1. Qh5+ Kg8 2. Qe8+] Bf8 3. Qg6+ and then:
3. … Kh8 4. Nf6 wins (with either Qg8# or Qh7# next move depending on what Black plays) or 3. … Bg7 4. Nf6+ Kh8 5. Qh7# or 3. … Bg7 4. Nf6+ Kf8 5. Qe8#
Returning to 1. … Bh6:
[1. Qh5+ Bh6] 2. Qxh6+ Kg8 3. Nf6+ Kf7 4. Bg5! and then Black can reasonably try either to promote the a-pawn or try to escape with his king:
4. … a2, or 4. … Ke7
4. … a2 5. Qh7+ Kf8 6. Bh6#
4. … Ke7 5. Ne8+! and then 5. … Kf7, 5. … Kxe8, or 5. …Kd7
5. … Kf7 6. Qe6+ Kf8 7. Bh6#
5. … Kxe8 6. Qe6+ Kf8 7. Bh6#
5. … Kd7 6. Qe6#
1Qh5+ Kg8
2Qe8+ kh7
3Ng5+ Kh6
4Qe6+ Kh5
5Qf7+ kh6
(if 5… Kg4 6h3#)
6Ne6+ f4
7Qxg7+ Kh5
8Qg5#
Dear Lucimarie,
I have a comment on May 13 Late Night Chess Teaser, made recently.Kindly have a look.
The black has a big material advantage but the black king is completely exposed.
So…
1. Qh5+ Kg8
2. Qe8+ Kh7 (if 2… Bf8 3. Qg6+ Bg7 4. Nf6+ Kf8 5. Qe8#)
3. Ng5+ Kh6
4. Qe6+ Kh5
5. Qf7+ Kh6
6. Qxf5 a2 (The pawn on a2 leads to defeat. New Rule eheh.)
7. Qh7#
Best regards
Stef
Hi Susan Polgar,
Well,nice puzzle,at surface level seemed to be simple but needed time to actually bring in matting combination.
White wins the game.
Example one
===========
1.Qh5+ Kg8
2.Ng5 Qc7
3.Qh7+ Kf8
4.Ne6+ Kf7
5.Q*Bg7+ Ke8
6.Qf8+ Kd7
7.Qf7+ Kc8
8.Q*Qc7++ Mate.
Example Two
===========
1.Qh5+ Kg8
2.Ng5 Qc7
3.Qh7+ Kf8
4.Ne6+ Ke8
5.Qg8+ Ke7
6.Q*Bg7+ Ke8
7.Qf8+ Kd7
8.Qf7+ Kc8
9.Q*Qc7++ Mate.
By
Venky [ India – Chennai ]
Dear Prof.S.G.Bhat,
To reply to your question on the Susan’s May 13 column, “Late night chess teaser”, in the Road #2 part of my given solution, I played 6. Qxa2+, as I wanted to drive Black’s king to b5 AND give check with Qc4+ next move, leading to quick checkmate. This was only possible by playing 6. Qxa2+, as 6. Qa4+? would have been met by 6. … Bxa4, and White is then losing.
I share your appreciation for the beauty of a solution, but I also (hopefully) find the winning line, and the fastest one at that. Thank you for asking me to explain. It is a privilege for us that Susan Polgar allows us to post our comments in this forum.
Lucymarie Ruth
Yes Lucimarie, you are right. I had not put the pieces on physical board and was just analysing seeing starting position of the problem on computer and was chess blind not to visualise that the knight had moved and a4 was accessible to black bishop.In this problem also I have not used the board and am afraid whether my 6Ne6 dbl+ is correct since everybody else has played 6Qf5 over there.you may ask me why I have not used the board. It is for the simple reason that I do not have the board.does it look strange?