White to move. How can white save this game?
6Q1/r7/1q1p1k2/2pBp3/8/p7/5P2/1r3RK1 w – – 0 1
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Fascinating position! I spent about 15 minutes working on 1.Qh8+ to drive the black king towards the b-file where the queen might deliver a double attack from f5 to win the rook at b1, or to mate the black king after a move like Be6+ followed by Qc8. However, I realized after a while that I had overlooked black’s first move of Rg7 blocking the check while delivering his own, allowing the capture at f1, and I think white will have to accept the draw by repetition.
So, I had to back up to reconsider white’s first move. The most obvious other check is from e6 with attempts to set up a double attack on the b1 rook. However, after black plays the king to g5, there is no time left for anything.
This left only one move- Qf8. Finally hit pay dirt!
1. Qf8 Kg5
Here, Kg6 is going to get black mated: [1. …Kg6 2.Be4 Kh5 (or 2. …Kg5 3.Qf5 Kh4 4.Qf6 Kg4 {or 4. …Kh5 5.Bf3#; or 4. …Kh3 5.Bf5#} 5.Bf3 Kh3 5.Qh6#) 3.Qf5 Kh4 (or 3. …Kh6 4.Qg5#) 4.Qf6 with mate to follow]. Continuing:
2. f4
The hard move to find. I tried this move in the line that starts with 1.Qe6 Kg5, but with the queen on the e-file rather than the f-file, black’s reply of ef4 is sufficient to hold the draw. Here, it is death for black. Continuing:
2. …..ef4
No better are the moves Kh5, Kh4, Kg6, and Kg4: [2. …Kh5 3.Bf3 Kg6 (or 3. …Kh4 4.Qh6 Kg3 5.Qh2#) 4.Be4 Kh5 5.Qf5 Kh4 (or 5. …Kh6 6.Qg6#) 6.Qg5 Kh3 7.Bf5#]; or [2. …Kh4 3.Qh6 Kg4 (or 3. …Kg3 4.Qg5 Kh3 5.Bf5#) 4.Qg5 with mate to follow]; or [2. …Kg6 3.Be4 Kh5 4.Qf5 Kh4 5.Qg5 Kh3 6.Bf5#]; or [2. …Kg4 3.Qg8! Kh3 (or 3. …Kh4 4.Qg5 Kh3 5.Bf5#; or 3. …Kf5 4.Qe6#) 4.Bg2 Kh4 5.Qg5#]. Continuing:
3. Qf4 Kh5
Here Kg6 is a quicker mate: [3. …Kg6 4.Qf6 Kh7 (or 4. …Kh5 5.Bf3#) 5.Be4 Kg7 6.Qf8#]. Continuing:
4. Qf5 Kh4 (Kh6 5.Qf6 see above)
5. Qf6 Kg4
We have already looked at the alternatives to Kg4 (we have even looked at Kg4, too, above, and they were all mates. Kg4 is the longest one left:
6. Bf3 Kg3 (Kh3 7.Qh6 Kg3 8.Qh2#)
7. Qg5 Kh3
8. Qg4#
This is too hard.
Qf8ch forcing a perpetual or winning blacks rook on the back rank.
Relatively easy.Go on restricting black king’s mobility till mate.
1 Qf6+
(a)1….. Kg5 or (b)
2f4+ exf4 Now white rook enters the fray in a supporting role.
3 Qxf4+ Kh5 or (c)
4 Qf5+ Kh6 or (d)
5 Qf6+ kh7
6 Be4+ Kg8
7 Qf8#
(d)4…. Kh4
5 Qf6+ Kg4
6 Bf3+ Qh3
7Qf5+ kh4
8Qg4#
(c)3… Kg6
4 Be4+ Kg7
5 Qf8#
(b) 1 Qf8+ Kg6 avoiding white rook joining the fray
2 Be4+ Kg5
3 Qf5+ kh4
4 Qf6+ kh3
5 Bf5#
Just now I saw “brian”‘s posting about perpetual check or winning black’s rook.The second one is impossible since white has to keep on checking and not the former one since there is definitely a win.
1. Qf8+ Kg5 2.f4+ Kh5 3. Qf4+ Kh6 4. Qf6+ Kh5 5. Bh3+mate. if 2. .. exf4 3. Qxf4 Kg6 4. Qf6+ Kh6 5. Be4+ Kg8 6. Qf8+ mate
Whenever one of these positions that I’ve seen in this blog says “How can White save the position?”, it has always turned out that White can force the win. So the search for a checkmate begins, where all of that Black armour on the queenside is of no account.
1. Qf8+ Kg6
2. Be4+ Kg5 or [ 2. … Kh5 3. Qf5+ Kh4 4. Qf6+, continues as in 4. Qf6+ line below]
3. Qf5+ Kh4 or [ 3. … Kh6 4. Qg6+mate]
4. Qf6+ Kg4 or [ 4. … Kh5 5. Bf3+mate]
or [ 4. … Kh3 5. Bf5+mate]
5. Bf3+ Kh3
6. Qh6+mate
1. Qf8+ Kg5
2. f4+ exf4 or [ 2. … Kg6 3. Be4+ Kh5 4. Qf5+ Kh4 5.Qg5+ Kh3 6. Bg2+mate]
or [ 2. … Kg4 3. Qg8+ Kh4 ( 3. … Kf5 or Kh5 4. Qg5+mate; 3. … Kh3 4. Bg2+ Kh4 5. Qg5+mate) 4. Qg5+ Kh3 5. Bg2+mate]
or [ 2. … Kh5 3. Bf3+ Kg6 ( 3. … Kh4 4. Qh6+ Kg3 5. Qh2+mate) 4. Be4+ Kh5 5. Qf5+ Kh4 6. Qg5+ Kh3 7. Bg2+mate]
or [ 2. … Kh4 3. Qh6+ Kg3 or Kg4 4. Qg5+ Kh3 5. Bg2+mate]
3. Qxf4+ Kg6 or [ 3. … Kh5 4. Qf5+ Kh6 5. Qf6+ Kh7 (5. … Kh5 6. Bf3+mate) 6. Be4+ Kg8 7. Qf8+mate]
or [ 3. … Kh5 4. Qf5+ Kh4 5. Qf6+ Kh3 (5. … Kh5 6. Bf3+mate; 5. … Kg3 6. Qg5+ Kh3 7. Bg2+mate) 6. Be6+ Kg3 7. Qg5+mate]
4. Qf6+ Kh7 or [ 3. … Kh5 4. Bf3+mate]
5. Be4+ Kg8
6. Qf8+mate
1. Qf8+ Rf7
2. Qxf7+ Kg5
3. f4+ Kg4
4. Qg7+ transposing to variations above without the Black rook.
I got a little weary at the end. The last move I gave should have been Qg6+ rather than Qg7+. Lucy is going to sleep in Sunday morning.
Hi Susan Polgar,
Well,I don’t think its an hard puzzle.
If I represent White piece then I will go for “Qh8” – of course variations exist – White can win the game,let me give one of the possible,partial approach so that the brainy minds of blog will fill the rest of the moves.
1.Qh8+ Rg7
2.Qf8+ Kg6
3.Be4+ Kh6
4.Qh8+ Kg5
5.Q*Rg7 [ Rest of the moves are child’s play for brainy minds of this blog ]
By
Venky [ India – Chennai ]