White to move. How should White proceed?
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Tactic calculation practice
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White to move. How should White proceed?
Tactic calculation? Spotted the mate in 5 sec’s. Starting with Qf7, Kh6, Rxf6+….mate will follow.
No need to calculate anything else. A whistle of a penny.
1qf7 2rf6 3q g6 mate
A rook move to open for Bd3 seems important, now or later.
First looking briefly at Rxg5+? Nxg5! disallowing Qf7+ and giving K a safe harbor on f8, I decide to go for:
1. Qf7+ Kh6
2. Rxg5! Kxg5
Enforced.
If Nxg5/Bxg5/fxg5 then Qg6#.
If Nxd3 then Rh5#, was the point here.
3. Qg6+ Kf4 (Kh4 Qg4#)
4. Qf5#
Delay by one move:
2. … Bf4+
3. Kh1! (not Qxf4??) Kxg5
Surprisingly easy mate in 5.
PS.
I posted a question to all of you on yesterday’s puzzle.
Ash! An inaccuracy sneaked into my solution (as usual). To be precise, this goes:
1. Qf7+ Kh6
2. Rxf6+ exf6/Nxf6 (enforced)
3. Qg6#
I ridiculously missed this simple mate in 3.
My first solution might be loosing to:
1. Qf7+ Kh6
2. Rxg5?? Bg1+!!
and white is in trouble here, due to a K escape route via e3 after Kxg1 Kxg5, or it goes Kg3? Ne4+ Bxe4 Qc3+ etc.
Rxg5 check !!
A sacrifice which gives Black three ways to re-capture and one way to decline , all of which lose.
Declined :
1…Kf8 2.Qf7 mate
Accepted :
1…fxg5 or Nxg5 or Bxg5
2.Qg6 check , Kf8
3.Qf7 mate
OR 2.Qf7 check , Kh6 3.Qg6 mate
I first considered Rxf6?? , but the reply exf6 wins for Black by allowing the Q to defend f7.
Another easy one Suzie, 1. Qf7+ Kh6 2. Rxf6+ followed by Qg6 Mate………..Kanayo
After toying with
1. Qg6 and the lines that result from that, I finally saw:
1. Qf7+ Kh6
2. Rxf6+ Nxf6 (or e7xf6)
3. Qg6 mate
1. Qf7+ Kh6 (forced)
2. Rxf6+ (clearance) Nxf6/eXf6 (forced)
3. Qg6#
1.Qf7+ Kh6 2.Rxf6+ and 3.Qg6++
1. Rxg5+ N/B/fxg5 2. Qg6+ Kf8 3. Qf7#
My first idea was
1. Rxg5+ with the threat of
2. Qg6+ Kf8 3. Qf7#, but 1. … Nxg5 protects square f7, and there is nothing more for White. However, the same idea (moving the rook to control square g6 with the bishop) works for the h-file instead of the eighth rank:
1. Qf7+ Kh6
2. Rxf6+! and 3. Qg6# cannot be stopped.
I see Rxg5 after about 10 seconds as a way to clear the line for the bishop at d3 with force, but there is a problem:
1. Rg5
Threatens Qg6+/Qf7# and Qf7# if black takes with the bishop or the pawn or moves the king, so….
1. …..Ng5!
And now what for white?
Once I had 1. Rg5 out of my head, 1.Qf7 immeidiately became apparent, and I should have seen it right from the start:
1. Qf7 Kh6
2. Rf6!
Captures the pawn with check and threatens Qg6#, which I see no defense for.
AH ! In deceiving myself that Rxg5 was worth two !!’s , I missed Nxf7.
Curse then backward Knight moves ! 🙂