White to move. How should White proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
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White to move. How should White proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
1. Rxd5 dxd5
2. Be3 seems to win.
2…. Qa5
3. Qb4 is very pretty
2…. Qd6
3. Bd5 Qd7
4. Bf3 seems to win loads of material.
1. Re5 de 2. Ba5 Qa5 3. Qc3 Qb6 4. Nc7 Qc7 5. Bb5
1.Rxe5 dxe5 2.Ba5! Qxa5 3.Qa4! QxQ 4.Nc7 mate
1.Rxe5 dxe5
2.Be3 Qc6 (2…Qa5 3.Qb4 Qxb4 4.Nc7#)
3.Bd5 and Black will feel pain.
I guess I would investigate Re5 before any other move, but mostly because I want to take the d-file away from black’s king:
1. Re5 de5 (alternatives below)
Now, here, if I were white, I would want to be able to play a move like Bb5, but the knight is in the way- in addition, I still haven’t taken the d-file away from black’s king, so I have some options I need to choose from- moving the knight out of the way, or attacking the queen with the queen’s bishop. Since I want to keep my own queen, moving the knight out of the way should be a secondary consideration (and that knight plays a key role in the threat of Nc7), so I am left with either Be3 or Ba5. My natural selection is Be3:
2. Be3
Here, black has as realistic options, Qc6 and Qa5 (Qa6 and Qf6 lose to Nc7#). Continuing:
2. …..Qc6 (Qa5 3.Qa4! wins the Q)
Here, white has a few winning options, and it took a while to puzzle out the better ones. Naturally, playing the knight out of the way in order to pin the queen to the king with Bb5 merits consideration. Of the options, Na7 looks most forcing:
3. Na7
And, now, black has few good options. The double attack on the queen and the bishop means that Bb5 is a unanswerable threat to the queen since the king won’t have a square to move to. Black seems to have the moves Ra7, Bd7, Qc4, and Qc7 to choose from, but they all lose, and quickly:
3. …..Ra7
4. Ba7
No need to be hasty with Bb5, the black king isn’t going anywhere, and to stop the immediate mate, black still has to give up the queen. Or
3. …..Bd7
4. Nc6 and the material advantage is overwhelming in white’s favor. Or
3. …..Qc4
4. Qc4 with the same note as above.
Or
3. …..Qc7
4. Bb5 Bd7
5. Bd7 Qd7 (only move)
6. Rd7 Kd7
7. Qd5 Ke8 (what else?)
8. Nb5 Rf6 (Rc8 9.Nd6 ed6 10.Qe6)
9. Nc7 winning another rook anyway.
The only important variations arise with black’s first move, but they just look losing, too, since they all involve just conceding the loss of the bishop, except for a6 and Bg4:
1. …..a6
2. Be3 Qc6
Most of the alternatives black could play here have already been mostly covered above:
3. Nd6 and black is toast, why bother going further? Or
1. …..Bg4
2. Be3 Qc6 (Or give her up)
3. Nd6 and the black can’t even win an exchange with Bd1- black is toast.
All in all, 1.Re5 is unanswerable, and wins quickly.
I like Qa4, with the threat of discovered check and/or Ba5. Black’s options are limited. He can’t move the King, and he doesn’t have any threats of his own, so Bd7 seems rather forced, after which Ba5, Q moves, Nc7 should win material.
I’m not sure that this is the best line. The fact is, White’s position is so attractive that there are probably several good lines.
Sacking the Rook looks right to me, as it leaves the black king with no squares to run (so any uncovered knight check would be mate) and it gets rid of black’s strong bishop, which otherwise could pin white’s bishop with B-f4. So the first move is:
1 Rxe5 dxe5
2 Be3 attacking the queen, which has to cover the c7 square, else Nc7 mate.
2 … Qa5 (only safe square)
3 Qa4+- as the black queen has no safe squares, and can’t leave protection of c7, and now white is also threatening a double check with the knight, which also would be mate.
So black can’t take the rook, and it’s a free bishop for white:
1 Rxe5 a6 (or …Bd7)
2 Be3 attacking the queen, and then white has all sorts of shots, such as Rxe4 or Nxe4+ next, and black is lost.
Bh6
Rxe5 dxe5 followed by Be3 Qa5 and Qa4. Idea is to distract the queen from c7 so that Nc7#
I gave up and looked at the solution using Fritz. I completely missed the Qa4 tactic.
One of the most beautiful combinations I have ever seen!!
Bh6 looks good, vacating the d file with gain of time, but I think that Black can reply Bf4+ and exchange Bishops. How should White continue after Bh6 Bf4+ Bxf4 Rxf4 ?
chop da bichop!
Bh6? Brian L., I did’t know you posted here!
1. Rxe5 dxe5
2. Be3 Qa5
3. Nc7+ Qxc7
4. Bb5+
1-0
1. Rxe5 dxe5
2. Be3 Qa5
3. Qa4 (Qxa4 4. Nc7#)
1-0
1.Rxe6! (opens d-file) dxe6
2.Ba5 Qxa5 (else Rd8 wins)
3.Qa4 (threatening Nc7) Rh8
4.Qxa5 (White wins material, maintains attack)
White should play Be6 to exchange Black’s better bishop.