8/1k6/1pNb1pp1/1P1q3p/Q6P/6Pb/5P2/6K1 w – – 0 1
White to move. How should White continue?
Daily Chess Improvement: Pattern chess tactic
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8/1k6/1pNb1pp1/1P1q3p/Q6P/6Pb/5P2/6K1 w – – 0 1
White to move. How should White continue?
1.Qa7+ Kc8
2.Qa8+ Kd7
(2…. Bb8 3.Ne7+)
3.Qd8+ Ke6
4.Qg8+ Kd7
(4…. Kf5 6.Qxd5+ Be5 7.Nd4+ Kg4 8.Qf3# )
5.Qxd5
A7++
Qa7 +
I think either beginning check with the queen is ok here. I thought we would be looking for a knight fork at some point, and that is a variation in some lines. I had also envisioned a skewer from a8, but I really didn’t foresee the skewer that matters most- from g8.
1. Qa7 Kc8
2. Qa8!
Probably the only move for white now. Playing Qa6+ from this point will allow the black king to escape by playing to d7 and then blocking checks along the 7th rank with Bc7. 2.Qa8 allows the followup of Qd8:
2. ……Kd7
If 2. …Kc7, then white plays Qb8 first to force Kd7 anyway. And if 2. …Bb8, white can just fork with Ne7. Continuing:
3. Qd8 Ke6
4. Qg8 wins the black queen and the game.
Finally, at move 1, white should get the same result by starting with Qa6:
1. Qa6 Kc7
2. Qa7! Kc8
3. Qa8 and we have transposed to the previous variation.
1.Qa7+.Kc8.
2.Qa8+.Kc7.
3.Qb8+.Kd7.
4.Qd8+.Ke6.
5.Qg8+.K~
6.Qxd5 wins the queen and the game!