White to move. How should white proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
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White to move. How should white proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
Fascinating position, and quite instructive in how subtle chess can be.
I could see two moves that suggest themselves at the first move-Qh5+ and Qf3, and on the surface, once you have delved deeply into the first of them, they seem quite similar, but contain one big difference. My very first thought was 1.Qh5 because it was a check, but when stymied by the only move reply of g6 blocking the check, I fell back to 2.Qf3:
1. Qh5 g6 (Ke7 2.Qf7#)
2. Qf3
Unless I am missing something, this is the only meaningful continuation in this line. Now, white is threatening Qf7#, and black can either guard f7 with the queen, or give the black king a hole at d8 with a move like Qc8:
2. …..Qe7 (Qc8 3.Qf7 Kd8 4.Qf6+-)
3. Nc5 wins a piece since the recapture at c5 allows 4.Qf7 followed by Qf6 forking the king and rook. And this answers why the immediate 1.Qf3 is less effective- unless black is forced to play g6 by 1.Qh5 first, the f6 square unavailable to white’s queen for the fork.
1. Qh5+ g6
2. Qf3 Qe7
3. Nxc5 Qxc5
4. Qf7+ Kd8
5. Qf6+
and 6. Qxh8
1-0
1. Qf3!! 1-0
1.Qf3 threatning checkmate. 1…Qxg5 2.Bxg5 1-0
1. Qh5+ g6
2. Qf3 Qe7
3. Nxc5
and White has a big advantage
1.Qh5+ g6
2.Qf3 Qe7
3.Nxc5
if 3..Qxc5 then
4.Qf7+ Kd8
5.Qf6+ picking up the rook
1. Qf3, Qe7; 2. NxN
1. Qf3 Qe7
2. Nxc5 and Black can’t recapture because of mate threat.
1.Qf3 forces Qe7
2.Nxc5 forces Qxc5
3.Qf7+ forces Kd8
4.Nxe6+ forces Bxe6
5.Qxe6 with a pawn more, a Black king in the center with no rights of castling, a strong threat (Bg5+) and nearly all Black pieces are in the eighth rank.
4.Qxe6 is also good, with the idea of forking king and queen if 4…Bxe6, and if 4…h6, 5.Nf7+ Kc8 6.Qg6 with attack and material.
Qf3 is a key move, but not on the first one.
1. Qh5+! g6
2. Qf3! Qb8
( 2…….. Qe7 loses a piece
3. Nxc5 )
3. Qf7+ Kd8
4. Qf6+
( The point of the first move. White wins a full rook. )
1 – 0
Qf3 directly achieves nothing due to Qe7 and Nxc5 and Qxc5 and Black can escape. Instead, White should do 1.Qh5+ g6 (the purpose of disturbing the pawn position will be known later)
2.Qf3 Qe7
3.Nxc5 Rb8 (now Black cannot take due to 3. .., Qxc5 4. Qf7+, Kd8 5. Qf6+ getting the rook)