White was the one and only Mikhail Tal, the greatest attacker of chess. I wrote quite a bit about my wonderful experience with him in my book “Breaking Through“.
In this position, it is White to move. Black is the great Argentinian Grandmaster Miguel Quinteros. It seems that Miguel had Tal’s Queen trap. How should Tal proceed? Can you play this position like Tal?
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Hmm, I would first neutralize the attacking knight by 1.Rxf5 gxf5. Then white has a mate if only the f6-knight can be distracted. Thus 2.Nce4 fxe4 and now the rook can attack the knight 3.Rf1. Now white is going to sacrifice his rook for the f6-knight and then follows the mate from h7.
Black has no defence, or at least that’s what I think. 🙂
-VV-
Well, after
1. Rxf5 gxf5
2. Rf1
Black can’t continue on the queenside without losing:
2. … bxc3?!
3. Rxf5 cxb2?
4. Rxf6 b1=Q+
5. Rf1
Can’t see anything else in particular for Black to try to defend, but assume there’s something; otherwise it’s straight-forward and wouldn’t need Tal’s magic. 🙂
Even if 2.Rf1 wins, too, 2.Nce4 is better on general principles. It’s forcing play, so there’s less for White to analyze => less chance of human error.
Bill Brock
Chicago
Right now h7 is under attack and is defended by two pieces. If one of thoses pieces can be removed, before h7 can be reinforced, h7 will fall. Rxf5 threatens the defender and creates an immediate emergency for the defender on f6. Since there is no way of bolstering the h7 square in time, f6 must be defended by the conterattack gxf5. After this the tactic can be repeated with Nce4 and finally Rf1 creating the same scenario – at that point black is out of defensive resources and h7 falls. 🙁
1.Qxh7 followed by moving the rooks to the h column will put pressure on the black king. Sorry I don’t see how the other things will work.
Nice work first -W-, I certainly agree with your line.
Second anonymous user:
1. Rxf5 gxf5
2. Rf1 bxc3!
3. Rxf6? cxb2!
4. Rxf6 b1=Q+
5. Rf1 Qxc2
and the h7 pawn is defended 🙁
Last anonymous user:
1. Qxh7? Nxh7
2. Nxh7 Kxh7
3. Rf4
This isn’t so good since the rook can’t get to h4 because of the knight on f5. Also the rook isn’t likely to mate without help and none of the other white pieces look like they’re gonna make it in time. I’d recommend playing through the first suggested line a few times and see if it makes more sense.
NS
1. N[c3]e4, NXe4
2. QXh7 ##
red baron u r joking right ?
sorry for being rude but that is a suicide attack
I only have a board wizh me so it is going to be hard to remember all the variations and because I’m playing agains myself I may not find the best defence …
1. Rxf5 gxf5 (forced) 2. Rf1 e6 (also forced I think) 3. dxe6 gxe6 4. Nxe6 (with a mate threat) Rf7 (again I think this is all forced) 5. Rxf5 (I’m not shure …) Qb7 6. Rxf6 Rxf6 7. Qxf6+ Kg8 8. Bxc4! bxc3 9. Nc7+ d5 10. Bxd5+ Qxd5 11. Nxd5 1-0
I hva to chec a few other lines too but I think this is the right one?!
D.K.
Wups must have moved the king Qxf6 is not check but nevertheless white’s night no c3 is still sitting preety because if black captures it then Bxc4 is still the end so I guess white is just material up!?
D.K.
1. Rxf5, gxf5
2. Bh5!
Wayne from Canada says:
1.Rxf5! gxf5
2.Nce4! fxe4
3.Rf1 Qe3
4.Rxf6! Qxg5 (the only move)
5.Qxg5+ Kh8 (the only move)
6.Rh6 Rg8
7.Qxe7 b3
8.Qxe4 Rg6
9.Rxg6 hxg6
10.axb3 cxb3
+-
what about
Rxf5
gxf5
Bg4!
fxg4
Nce4
then take knight and mate.
1.Rxf5 gxf5?
2.Nce4 fxe4
3.Rf1 Qe3
4.Rxf6 Qxg5
5.Qxg5+ Kh8
+-
is pretty forced.
Black might last longer if he plays:
1.Rxf5 Qe3!
2.Rxf6 Qxg5
3.Qxg5 ef
and 4..b4xNc3
White ought to open lines .. the g-file and/or the b1-h7 diagonal …
1.Rxf5 gxf5
2.g4 Qe3
(2. … f4 or 2. … gxf4 3.Bxc4, followed by 4.Bd3)
3.gxf5 cxb3
4.b3
shutting down the b-file, and now Black has nothing against
5.Rg1
4.bxc3 opens the b-file and allows Black to blunt the attack by playing Rb1, and 4.Rg1 allows 4. … cxb2 and the pawn queens while the queen is sacked for the rook …
About the last two posts: Just couldn’t see any other way to introduce any ‘Tal magic’. The line
1.Rxf5 gxf5
2.Nce4 fxe4
3.Rf1 Qe3
4.Rxf6 Qxg5
5.Qxg5+ Kh8
etc. does win by force, and it’s nothing extraordinary, much less something only Tal would do …
The first moves by both sides are forced, and 2.Nce4 is a natural move since the knight is under attack …
Consider the following line:
1. Rxf5 gxf5
2. Nce4 Rfc8!?
(freeing f8 for the king … 2. … fxe4 loses as already noted)
How should White continue?
1. Rxf5 gxf5
2. Nce4 Rfc8!?
can be answered with
3. Nxf6+ exf6
4. Qxh7+ Kf8
5. Qxf7 mate
I still think my first analysis is correct although black can prevent the mate by sacking his queen.
-VV-