White to move. How should white proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Sunday early morning chess tactic
About Author
White to move. How should white proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
1. Nf6+ Bxf6
If N is not taken black loses exchange.
2. Bxf6 Re6
if 2…Rxe3 3. Rxh5, mate at h8 is unavoidable.
3. Rg3+ Kf8 4. Rxh5 Ke8 5. Rd3
This is the final jolt.Escape square is blocked and again mate at h8 can not be stopped.
[Event “Friendly game”]
[Site “Millie’s house”]
[Date “2011.07.02”]
[White “Lucymarie”]
[Black “Millie”]
[Result “1-0”]
I’m playing a game of chess against my friend Millie recently. As shown in the diagram, it’s my turn as White to move, and I notice straight off the mating possibility with the bishop on f6 and a rook on h8. So quick as a bullet, I play 1. Nf6+. Then as expected the play goes 1. …Bxf6 2. Bxf6. I’m not sure what Millie is going to play now, but I suppose she’s probably going to play 2. … Rxe3, allowing me to set up the mate by playing 3. Rxh5. I’m ready, naturally, for 2. … Kf8 3. Rxh5 and for 2. … Ne7 3. Rxe7 too.
Millie looks at this position for a while, picks up the rook on e8, starts moving it towards the rook on e3, but inadvertantly drops this elephantine heavy piece on e6. Now Millie tells me that she meant to play 2. … Rxe3, excuses herself for having dropped the rook. I magnanimously tell her that I won’t enforce the rules strictly, and that if she wants, she can take my rook on e3. But Millie is very respectful of the rules, and insists that I let her “mistake” stand. 2. … Re6. And here I was expecting the game to be over
immediately. I hadn’t even thought of 2. … Re6 as a possibility. Is there still a way to win this game? Ah, yes! There is! 3. Rg3+ Kf8 4. Rxh5 Rxf6 5. Rh8+ Ke7 6. Rxc8. Thank goodness!
Lucymarie
1.Cf6+!! Fxf6 forced 2.Bxf6!
a)2…Rxe3 3.Rxh5 and you cannot avoid mate
b)2…..Kh7 3.Rg3!
c)2…Re6 3.Rxe6! fxe6 4.Rxh5 and we’ve won a pawn
This is too hard.
1.Nf6+! BxN 3.BxB and black can’t take white’s rook to 3.Rh5 and mate is unstoppable.
This is one of those positions where the solution comes to me as I attempt to imagine where I would like my pieces to be to mate the black king. In this case, I would love to have my bishop on f6, black’s bishop gone, and threaten Rh5 followed by Rh8. This sort of thinking suggests Nf6+ to exchange pieces there. The rest is just brute calculation:
1. Nf6 Bf6
If 1. …Kh8, Ne8 wins a rook. If 1. …Kf8, white is going to win the exchange. Continuing:
2. Bf6! Re6
If black takes at e3, white plays Rh5 and Rh8# is unstoppable. Every other move I can see just loses a piece, and may still be mate, though I haven’t looked too closely to be sure of the mate. Continuing:
3. Rg3 Kf8 (or get mated)
4. Rh5!
Taking advantage of the unprotected rook at c8. Continuing:
4. …..Rf6 (Ke8 5.Rd3 Rf6+-)
5. Rh8 and white will be up by an exchange and a pawn.
According to my records,
white:Lucy not “Lucymarie”
black : Marie not “Millie”
opening :Ruthless attack
It has to be a friendly game.