White to move. Which side is better? How should White proceed?
4q2n/1Np2p2/p6P/1k4N1/2p2p2/P5P1/K1B1PP2/8 w – – 0 3
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1. Ba4+ Ka4 2. Ne4 (▵ Nc3#)
2. … Qxe4 3. Nc5+
2. … Kb5 3. Ned6+
2. … Qe5 3. gxf4 Qd4 4. e3
After winning the Q White is clearly better, although the win is not obvious.
I’m stumped on this one. Black looks better because black has a queen, but I’m sure white wins somehow.
Ne4 looks interesting, because it stops …Qxe2, and it threatens a royal fork because both white’s knights are focused on the fork square d6. However, black can retreat the king to b6, or even ignore the threat with f4xg6, queening another pawn if white wins the queen. So I’m stuck. Also, black’s king and queen are on the diagonal of the same color as whit’s bishop, but unless white can force the king to c6, there’s no way to exploit that either which I can see.
Still can’t find it. If white had one extra tempo it would be mate:
1 Ne4 (still looks like it has to be the first move)
(if black passes by making a random pawn move)
2 Ba4+ Kxa4??
3 Nc3 mate
Ok, that’s a ‘helpmate’, but I still am stumped what to do if black simply retreats to b6 the first move.
Ok, there’s no immediate mate, but after
1 Ne4 Kb6
2 Nb7-c5, white’s three minor pieces work powerfully together with white’s knights centralized and protecting each other: they balance the black queen and black’s knight in the corner is useless. Hence, white is better.
This very elegant.
1. Ba4+ Kxa4
2. Ne4 threatening Nc3 mate
2….. Kb5
3. Nbd6+
2…. Qxe4
3. Nc5+
2…. Qe5
3. gxf4 Qd4
4. e3 and the queen has run out of squares to cover c3.
So white emerges with an extra pawn in a N+P ending, and with a huge h-pawn (rooks pawns are normally particularly strong in N endings). I assume that the N+P endings are won for white and a quick sample of lines suggests they are, but I have not checked them thoroughly. I am not as rigourous as Mr Ward ! 🙂
1. Ba4+! Kxa4
(On other moves the bQ drops.)
2. Ne4! Kb5
(The threat was 3. Nc3# and 2. … Qxe4 would have allowed 3. Nc5+ and 4. Nxe4.)
3. N(either)d6+ cxd6 4. Nxd6+ ~ 5. Nxe8
and White should be better with a solid extra pawn.
Wow, I got this pretty easily even though it was a knight puzzle (I suffer from knight blindness). Actually, I really got by just playing what looked like the least obvious move suspecting that it was the right one for that reason alone, and the mate threat and the various forks were straightforward.
1. Ba4!! Ka4 (or lose the queen)
2. Ne4!
And black’s queen will have to give herself up for the knight now or later as white is threatening Nc3#. As far as I can tell, there are really only three moves-Kb5 to escape the trap, Qe5 to cover c3, and Qe4 to kill the knight before he makes his jump, but they all lose the queen:
2. …..Kb5
3. Nbd6 cd6
4. Nd6 Kc6 (best in my opinion)
5. Ne8 fg3
6. fg3 and I think white will win this as black will have to spend time freeing his knight from the guard on h8 while white’s knight and king can corral the a and c pawns of black giving a decisive position. Or, at move 2
2. …..Qe5
3. gf4! Qd4 (Qe4 is like below)
4. e3! and the queen now has no safe square from which to eyeball c3 and must sacrifice herself at e4. Or
2. …..Qe4
3. Nc5 Kb5
4. Ne4 fg3
5. Ng3
All in all, these positions should be wins with proper technique. The black knight is out action until his king can come take h6, while every one of black’s pawns is isolated and totally unprotected.
Later, if I have time, I will analyze the what I considered to be black’s best reply at move 2-Kb5 and see just how much an advantage white really has. I think they are decisive, but I have some ideas for counter play for black that might be tricky for white to answer.
1.Ba4 Ka4 2.Ne4!! threatens Nc3 mate 2… Qe5 (2… Kb5 3.N*d6 wins) 3.gf4 Qd4 4.e3! and there is no escaping the fork. Beautiful. Knight on h8 serves to take h8 away from the queen…
1.Ba4+ Kxa4
2.Ne4 Threatening Nc3# Qe5
3.gxf4 Qd4
4.e3 Black must allow mate or a deadly knight fork.
1.Ba4+! Kxa4 2.Ne4! Qe5 3.gxf4! Qd4 4.e3! and the queen has no place to move, knight ending is won for white
B-a4ch and N-e4 eventually wins the queen for two pieces then white wins with the pawns.
1.Ba4+ Kxa4 2.
1.Ba4+ Kxa4 2. Ne4!! Qe5 3.gxf4 Qd4 4.e3!! Qd3 5.Nb7-c5+ +-
Ba4+ Kxa4
Ne4 threatening Nc3 mate and also either Nd6+. After Qxe4 then Nc5+ leaves white better.
TVTom,
Do like I did, just pick the least obvious move and analyze that.
First Ba4+ then AFTER KXB play NE4 and if Qe5 then gxf4 Qd4 e3 and Nc3 wins. Or black plays Kb5 and loses to Nd6+
1.Ba4+ !! KxB
2.Ne4 !! with a mate threat (Nc3)
if 2…Kb5 then 3.Nd6+
if 2…QxN then just Nc5+ with a won endgame
if 2…Qe5 then 3.gxf Qd4 4.e3 and its over
what a beauty!
Yes, 1. Ba4+ K:a4 2. Ne4 and the threat of 3. Nc3# forces 2…Kb5 allowing the N fork. It’s still a long, difficult ending, but white’s h-pawn should carry the day against black’s collection of weak pawns.
White has a tactical shot here to win the Queen for two minor pieces:
1 Ba4+! Kxa4
2 Ne4
Threatening Nc3 mate
2 …. Kb5
2…Qxe4 isn’t much better after 3 Nxc5+ Kb5, 4 Nxe4 fxg3, 5 Nxg3 with the advantage. Play might continue with 5 … Kc5, 6 e3 (to keep the Black King out) Kd5, 7 Kb2, Ke5 (heading for the h pawn; otherwise the Knight can’t get into play), 8 Kc3 Ne4+ Kg6, 9 Nc5 a5, 10 a4 Kxg6 11 Nb7, followed by capturing the a and c Pawns and marching the a pawn down the file.
2… Qe5 fares worse: 3 gxf4 Qd4, 4 e3 Qd3 (4 … Qxe4 leads to the same basic position as above, except that White has also picked up the Pawn on f4 in the process as well as defending it with the e Pawn)5 Nc5+ Kb5, 6 Nxd3, cxd3, 7 Kb3, and White captures the Pawn on d3 with a winning endgame.
3 Nbd6+ cxd6
4 Nxd6+ Kc6
5 Nxe8 fxg3
6 fxg3 Kd7
Attacking the Knight and proceeding towards the h pawn.
7 Nf6+
7 Ng7 is also possible, but White can’t save the h pawn in any case and the Knight will be better centralized with the given move.
7 … Ke6
Other King moves lead to the same general thing
8 Ne4 Kf4
Continuing towards the h Pawn. If Black tries to hold everything together with such as 8 …. Kd5, White can outmaneuver with 9 Nc3+ Kd4, 10 Na4 Ng6 (If Black goes after the pawn with 10… Ke3, then 11 Nc5 c3, 12 Kb3, and Black can’t protect the Pawn by 12 … Kd2 because of Ne4+,) 11 h7 Kd5, 12 Kb2 Kd4, 13 Kc2 f5, 14 Kd2, and White will eventually win Black’s c and a Pawns.
9 Nc5 Kg6
10 Nxa6 Kxh6
11 Kb2 Kg5
Heading after the g pawn.
12 a4 Kg4
13 Kc3 Kxg3
14 a5!
There’s no hurry to capture the c pawn. With the above move, White starts the pawn towards promotion, forcing Black to start his Knight in that direction.
14 … Ng6
15 Nc7 Ne7
16 a6 Nc8
Better than Nc6, as Black can move to b6, if needed, to protect the back rank.
17 Kxc4 f5
18 Nb5 Kf7
Nothing else works, either, as White proceeds as in the main line.
19 Kc5!
White cashes his material and positional advantage into calculated tactical win. There are also slower and “safer” ways to win.
19 … f4
20 Nf6 Na7
21 Kb6 Kxe2
22 Ka7 f3
23 Kb6 f2
24 Nf4!
And White eliminates Black’s pawn, and promotes his own, as 24…f1=Q, 25 Ng3+ removes the Queen.
There are, of course, several other lines available, but most lead to the theme of White taking advantage of the Black Knight’s limited mobility and eventually running Black out of options.
White has a tactical shot here to win the Queen for two minor pieces:
1 Ba4+! Kxa4
2 Ne4
Threatening Nc3 mate
2 …. Kb5
2…Qxe4 isn’t much better after 3 Nxc5+ Kb5, 4 Nxe4 fxg3, 5 Nxg3 with the advantage. Play might continue with 5 … Kc5, 6 e3 (to keep the Black King out) Kd5, 7 Kb2, Ke5 (heading for the h pawn; otherwise the Knight can’t get into play), 8 Kc3 Ne4+ Kg6, 9 Nc5 a5, 10 a4 Kxg6 11 Nb7, followed by capturing the a and c Pawns and marching the a pawn down the file.
2… Qe5 fares worse: 3 gxf4 Qd4, 4 e3 Qd3 (4 … Qxe4 leads to the same basic position as above, except that White has also picked up the Pawn on f4 in the process as well as defending it with the e Pawn)5 Nc5+ Kb5, 6 Nxd3, cxd3, 7 Kb3, and White captures the Pawn on d3 with a winning endgame.
3 Nbd6+ cxd6
4 Nxd6+ Kc6
5 Nxe8 fxg3
6 fxg3 Kd7
Attacking the Knight and proceeding towards the h pawn.
7 Nf6+
7 Ng7 is also possible, but White can’t save the h pawn in any case and the Knight will be better centralized with the given move.
7 … Ke6
Other King moves lead to the same general thing
8 Ne4 Kf4
Continuing towards the h Pawn. If Black tries to hold everything together with such as 8 …. Kd5, White can outmaneuver with 9 Nc3+ Kd4, 10 Na4 Ng6 (If Black goes after the pawn with 10… Ke3, then 11 Nc5 c3, 12 Kb3, and Black can’t protect the Pawn by 12 … Kd2 because of Ne4+,) 11 h7 Kd5, 12 Kb2 Kd4, 13 Kc2 f5, 14 Kd2, and White will eventually win Black’s c and a Pawns.
9 Nc5 Kg6
10 Nxa6 Kxh6
11 Kb2 Kg5
Heading after the g pawn.
12 a4 Kg4
13 Kc3 Kxg3
14 a5!
There’s no hurry to capture the c pawn. With the above move, White starts the pawn towards promotion, forcing Black to start his Knight in that direction.
14 … Ng6
15 Nc7 Ne7
16 a6 Nc8
Better than Nc6, as Black can move to b6, if needed, to protect the back rank.
17 Kxc4 f5
18 Nb5 Kf7
Nothing else works, either, as White proceeds as in the main line.
19 Kc5!
White cashes his material and positional advantage into calculated tactical win. There are also slower and “safer” ways to win.
19 … f4
20 Nf6 Na7
21 Kb6 Kxe2
22 Ka7 f3
23 Kb6 f2
24 Nf4!
And White eliminates Black’s pawn, and promotes his own, as 24…f1=Q, 25 Ng3+ removes the Queen.
first ba4 check and then ne4
How about the following:
1 Ba4+ Kxa4
2 Ne4
Now Qxe4 or Kb5 lose the queen due to Nc5 and Nd6 respectively. Since white are threatening mate with Nc3, the only other option for black seems to be Qe5. However, this only delays things a bit: 3 gxf4 Qd4 4 e3 and black has to give up the queen.