White to move. Which side is better. Which side would you take? How would you continue this game?
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I haven’t solved the puzzle but 1.Nf5+ exf5 2. Bxf5 threatens 3. Bd6+ and mate on the 8th rank. So it seems that White is good to at least equal the material and attack the black king with the powerful pair of bishops. This plan is faster than Black’s mating threats so I’d pick white.
White has a forced win by 1.Nf5+
A: 1.- exf5 2.Bd6+
a: 2.- Ke6 3.Bc4#
b: 2.- Kd8 3.Ra8+ Nb8 4.Rxb8+ Kd7 5.Bb5#
c: 2.- Ke8 3.Ra8+ transposes to Ab
B: 1.- Kf8 2.Ra8+ Nb8 3.Rxb8#
C: 1.- Ke8 2.Ra8+ Nb8 3.Bb5+ Kf8 4.Rxb8#
Gotta admire ps’s solution – and clear, compact notation.
Ne8 Kxe8
Bd6 any
Ra8 mate
Ne8 Rxe8
Bd6+ Kd8
Ra8 mate
Ne8 Kf8
Bd6+ Kg8
Nf6+ Nxf6
Ra8 Ne8
Rxe8 mate
wolverine
Wolverine:
“Ne8 […]”
… Nxd3
Now what?
Ne8 Nxd3
Bd6+ Kd7
Bb5+ any
Ra8 mate
Ne8 Nxd3
Bd6+ Kf6
Bxe5+ Ke7
Ra7 Ke8/Kd8
Bb5 any
Ra8 mate
theres many lines to play but i think Ne8 produces a mate.
wolverine
Wolverine:
“Ne8 Nxd3
Bd6+ Kd7
Bb5+ any
Ra8 mate
Ne8 Nxd3
Bd6+ Kf6
Bxe5+ Ke7
Ra7 Ke8/Kd8
Bb5 any
Ra8 mate”
Hmm… You might want to check that. I find lots of impossible or illegal moves there, like “Kd7” and “Bb5” (Nxd3, you know) and “Kf6”.
[FEN “7r/2Bnkp2/R2Np3/4P3/1p1p1Prp/1P1B4/7P/4n2K w – – 0 1”]
White has a forced win:
1.Nf5+ exf5 2.Bd6+ Kd8 (Ke6 3.Bc4#)3.Ra8+ Nb8 4.Bxf5! with 5.Rxb8#
1. … Ke8 2. Ra8+ Nb8 3.Bb5+ Kf8 4.Rxb8#
Ne8 Nxd3
Bd6+ Ke8
Ra8 mate
thats even easier i was looking at Nxe5 for that first one. im typing back and forth bewteen pages and sometimes mistype my coordinates. i think Nxe5 poses much more complications than does Nxd3.
To ps:
in Ab there is no mate on 5.Bb5 black has Ke6
To the last anonymous:
Ne8 Nxd3
Bd6+ Ke8
Ra8 mate (??) back has: Nb8 and then escape by the square d7.
In my opinion, the only solution is the one given by mtaurus.
White is winning then.
Loïc
1.Nf5+!… is the ONLY move to win this for white! This Ne8 line fails miserably: 1.Ne8?? Nxd3 2.Bd6+ Kxe8 3.Ra8+ Nb8 4.Rxb8+ Kd7 and black wins.
1…exf5
(1…Kf8 2.Ra8+ Nb8 3.Rxb8#;
1…Ke8 2.Ra8+ Nb8 3.Bb5+ Kf8 4.Rxb8#)
2.Bd6+ Kd8
(2…Ke8 3.Ra8+ Nb8 4.Bb5+ Kd8 5.Rxb8#;
2…Ke6 3.Bc4#)
3.Ra8+ …
(or 3.Bb5 Nb6 4.Rxb6 with mate to follow;
3.Bxf5?! Kc8 and the king escapes via b7, but still +-)
3…Nb8
4.Bxf5 (equivalent is 4.Bb5) with mate to follow after some spite checks on g1,g8,g1,f3.
Finally a hint for those who jump between this window and the position window to post their suggestions. Don’t jump, but use a pencil and a piece of paper instead ..^^
with a twinker, yours Vohaul
Ne8 Nxd3
2.Bd6+ Kxe8
3.Ra8+ Nb8
4.Rxb8+ Kd7
5.Rxh8
ya thats fails miserably i just got a rook and knight for my knight. ya thats a total and complete loss. what a reject.
Ne8 Nxd3
2.Bd6+ Kxe8
3.Ra8+ Nb8
4.Rxb8+ Kd7
5.Rxh8 any
6.Bxb4
now my b pawn can easily promote for a win. how is black going to stop it. my rook is nicly positioned on the back row and my bishop is dark square like my b pawn.
Anonymous:
“Ne8 Nxd3
2.Bd6+ Kxe8
3.Ra8+ Nb8
4.Rxb8+ Kd7
5.Rxh8 any
6.Bxb4″
[…]
5.Rxh8 Nf2++
@bertilo – you took the words right out of my mouth ^^
– indeed – after
1.Ne8 Nxd3
2.Bd6+ Kxe8
3.Ra8+ Nb8
4.Rxb8+ Kd7
5.Rxh8??
5…Nf2# mates
still smirking
ok so Ne8 was complete shyt move ill admit. cant get everyone of these. after looking it over should have been
Nf5 Pxe5
Bd6 Ke8
Ra8
ok so Ne8 was complete shyt move ill admit. cant get everyone of these. after looking it over should have been
Ne5 Pxe5
Bd6 Ke8
Ra8
1. Nf5+, exf5 2: kd8 does not lead to forced mate as far as I can see. 2…Kd8 3.Ra8+ Nb8 4.Rxb8+ Kd7 5.Bb5 is NOT checkmate as the king can then move to e6. It is however winning as the white bishop moves in order to prevent any dreams of the black knight mating.
Blogger commentary has some issues.
I think the whole point of this position is that Black has the threat of either R8g8 or Nf3 to threaten Rg1 mate. So white’s play must be forceful. If he plays a move whereby the threat of Nf3 followed by Rg1 mate cannot be stopped, then he will lose.
The threat of Bd6+ followed by Ra8 is not a mate because Black can return material with Nb8. Even if white wins the rook on a8, he will find that he cannot stop the threat of Nf3 followed by Rg1 mate by Black.
The sequence by ps:
1.Nf5+ exf5 2.Bd6+ Kd8 3.Ra8+ Nb8 4.RxN+ Kd7 5.Bb5+ is not a mate because the king now has the e6 square which was freed on exf5. But it does allow a perpetual. 5…Ke6 6.Bc4+ etc.
I think this is white’s best bet. Position is a draw.
to end this discussion:
1.Nf5+ exf5
2.Bd6+ Kd8
3.Ra8+ Nb8
4.Bb5! (or Bxf5!) with unavoidable mate after some spite checks
4…Rg1+ (what else?)
5.Kxg1 Rg8+ (what else?)
6.Kf1 Rg1+ (what else?)
7.Kxg1 Nf3+ (what else?)
8.Kg2 Kc8/Ke8 (what else?)
9.Rxb8#
the position is far away from being a draw, as posted previously by a couple of bloggers… ^^
Oh good point. I completely missed the intermizzo with Bb5 first.
black will win no matter what happens if white choose to attack blacks king with Nf5+, all black has to do is not take the white Knight, or if white chooses to defend his king with Ra1, that rook will be taken and the bishop too.
-Samir