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Ng7
Ng7
The very first thing I noticed is the cramped position of black’s queen and wondered if Be3 might be a way to bag her:
1. Be3 Qb4
And now what? White could try Bd2, but black can return the queen to c5. Nothing to continue this line really hits me.
So, we turn our attention to the black king. There are three potential sacrifices- the knight at g7 or h6, and the bishop at h6. Let’s take the sacs at h6 first since they seem bad to me, though one is quite hairy depending on how white proceeds and black defends:
1. Bh6 gh6 (nothing better?)
2. Qh3
Here, white might try a second sacrifice at h6 with the knight, but black might foul up things by taking at c3 with the queen and taking control of the 3rd rank in time: [2.Nh6?! Qc3!? (2. …Kh6 is scary and unclear to me if I were black) 3.Rc3 Rc3 4.Qd1 Kh6 and black should have a decisive material edge with three pieces and a rook for the queen]. Continuing from move 2 above:
2. …..Ng8 (h5?! 3.Nd5 Bd5 4.Qh4)
3. Qg4 Bf5!
4. Qf5 Kh8!(Kg7 5.Rg3 Kh8 6.Qg4+-)
5. Rg3 Bd8!
6. Qg4 Bg5 (Bf6 7.Nd5 Bg5 anyway)
7. h4?! Nf6! and white will find he has no compensation for the material.
The other sacrifice at h6 looks bad, too, though at first I thought it was going to be the right move:
1. Nh6 Bc3! (gh6?? 2.Qf6+-)
I overlooked Bc3 for the longest time. Sheesh! Continuing:
2. Nf5
Looked at everything, I think. This is about as good as I can find:
2. …..Bf5 (cleanest to my eye)
3. Qf5 Kg8
And, I can’t find a way for white to win this now. The best hope I see for white might be the draw trap of 4.Qf6 since gf6 allows the perpetual check with the rook from g3 and h3, but black need not take the queen: [4.Qf6!? d5!! and white’s queen and the a1 rook are en prise and he must lose decisive material].
The correct sacrifice (offer, really) is the knight at g7 since it also has a second helping of poisoned white piece on the menu for black:
1. Ng7! Kg7?
2. Bh6! Kg6
Here, other moves loses quickly: [2. …Kh6 3.Qf6 Kh5 (or 3. …Kh7 4.Qh4 Kg6/7/8 5.Rg3 Bg4 6.Rg4#) 4.Rg3 and black can only delay the mate, not stop it]; or [2. …Kg8 3.Qf6 with Qg7# to come]; or [2. …Kh7 3.Qf6 Rg8 4.Rg3! Bg4 5.Qf7 Kh6 6.Qg8+-]. Continuing from move 2 above:
3. Nd5! Bd8 (what is better?)
4. Bf8 and white is up an exchange, and probably has black in a mating net, though I can’t quite see it right now.
Black might do best to decline the knight at move 1 and protect his f6 knight with the bishop from d8:
1. Ng7 Bd8
2. Ne6 fe6
And white has won a pawn, and has the black king a bit denuded, but he will have to take some time to consolidate to protect f2 which is under a bit of pressure from the black heavy pieces, so a move like 3.Be3 might be called for here:
3. Be3 Qb4
4. Qh3 Ng8
And, right now, I don’t quite see the strongest continuations here. White is clearly better, but I don’t have a specific plan to follow. Right now, I wonder if a sacrifice at g7 was the best move for white at move 1, but I really don’t have any other better idea.
And since Ng7 is now posted, I can see I am missing the right move at move 1. Will take another crack at it in the morning.
1.Be3 Qb4 2.Bxh6 gxh6 3.Qh3 Ng8 4.Qg4 Bxf5 5.Qxf5+ Kh8 6.Nd5 (after black Q-moves then 7.Nf6 with mating attack +-
1.Be3 Qb4 2.Bxh6 gxh6 3.Qh3 Ng8 4.Qg4 Bxf5 5.Qxf5+ Kh8 6.Nd5 (after black Q-moves then 7.Nf6 with mating attack +-