White to move. How should White proceed?
q1bnrn2/2p1k3/r3p2p/3PNp1P/p4Q2/p2P2R1/1PP3P1/2K1R3 w – – 0 1
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I don’t know yet if it is the shortest mate (I simply have looked at only one beginning, and certainly not all the possible continuations within for white, though I think I have eliminated all possible defenses for black), but starting with the most obvious move to me, it looks like forced mate on the black king:
1. Rg7 Kd6 (Nf7 2.Rf7 Kd8 3.Qh4)
2. Nc4 Kc5 (Kd5 3.Qe5 Kc6 4.Rc7#)
3. Qf2 Kb4 (Kb5 below; Kd5 4.Re5)
4. c3 Kb3 (Kb5 5.Na3 Ka5 6.Qc5#)
5. Qc2 Ka2
6. Qb1 Kb3
7. Nd2#
Back at move 3, black still is mated with Kb5:
3. …..Kb5
4. Na3 Kb4 (Ka5 5.Qc5#)
5. Qd4 Ka5
6. Qc5#
Any shorter than 7?
Ok, found one improvement in my line for white:
1. Rg7 Kd6
2. Nd7 e5 (Kd5 3.Qc4 Kd6 4.Qc5)
3. Qb4 Kd5 (c5 4.Qc5#)
4. Qc5 Kd6
5. Qc5 Ke6
6. Re5#
White wins with d6!
The knight is protected the pawn isn’t, there’s a couple of checks to try.
Rg7+ Kd6 (Kf6?? Qxh6 Ng6 Qxg6#) Qb4+ Kxe5 (c5?? Qxc5#) c4+ Kd4 Rg4+ fxg4 Re4#
I think? It’s hard to visualize after 4 moves
Very difficult for me.
First I thought Rg7+ is good. After some analysis I thought d6+ is good. Now I’m back to Rg7+. Let us try that
Rg7+ Kf6 Qh6+ Ng6 Qxg6#
Rg7+ Nf7 Rxf7+ Kd6 Nc4++ Kxd5 Qe5+ Kc6 Rxc7+ Kb6 Qc5#
Rg7+ Kd6 Nc4++ Kc5 Rxc7+ Nc6 Qe3+ Kb5 Nxa3+ Ka5 Qc5#
Rg7+ Kd6 Nc4++ Kc5 Rxc7 Rc6 Qd6+ Kb5 Nxa3+ Ka6 , black somehow escapes from me.
This is a tough one.
Rg7+ wins easily. Too easy.
White’s queen can criss-cross the Black king: 1. Qh4+ Kd6 2. Qb4+ c5 3. dxc6 Kc7. Now, with the king stuck on the ledge, 4. Rg7+ triggers an avalanche, for example: 4. … Bd7 5. cxd7 Re7 (if 5. … a2 first, then 6. dxe8(N)+ and mate to follow before the a-pawn can promote) 6. Qxe7 and White is in the driver’s seat.
Okay, checking this again, I got the criss-cross wrong. 1. Qb4+ played first forces mate.
1. … Kf6 2. Qh4#
1. … Rd6 2. Qh4#
1. … c5 2. dxc6+ Kf6 3. Qh4.
If you find a good move, look again; there might be a better one.
Basic mate:
1 Qb4+ c5
Delays the inevitable by a move. If 1 … Kf6, 2 Qh4#. The other option is 1 … Rd6, 2 Qh4#
2 dxc6(e.p.)+ Kf6
3 Qh4#
Well, after the answer I offered was posted so quickly, went back over my line to see if I missed something, and realized I missed a really, really easy one. In the improvement, I played 3.Qb4 as a key shortening move, but it turns out that if you play this check right from the start, you get a much shorter mate on the black king (1.Rg7 is a forced mate, just not the shortest one):
1. Qb4
Three possible replies, two are mates with 2.Qh4:
1. …..c5 (Rd6 2.Qh4#; Kf6 2.Qh4#)
2. dc6 Kf6
3. Qh4#
Rg7+
this one was quite simple.. im not even bothering with the variations..
Qb4+
1.Rg7+ Nf7 2.Rxf7+ Kd6 3.Nd7+ e5 4.Qb4#
Mate in 3, easy: 1.Qb4+ c5 2. dxc6+ Kf6 (forced) 3. Qh4#
1. Rg7+ Kf6
2. Ng4+ Kxg7
3. Qxh6+ Kg8
4. Qg5+ Ng6
5. Nh6+ Kg7
6. Qxg6+ Kh8
At this point, there is a draw at hand by issuing perpetual checks from f6 and g6.
1/2-1/2
May be there is a winning line with Qxe8+ but I haven’t looked at it.
1.Qb4+!
You just want such “spectaculous” things like 1.d6+ to work that you can overlook those simple tactics
a) 1….Rd6 2.Qh4 mate
b) 1…Kf6 2.Qh4 mate
c) 1…c5 2.bxc6 en passant + Kf6 3.Qh4 mate
Here is the full thing: 1.d6! e*d6 2.Rg7+ Nf7 3.R*f7 Kd8 4.Qh5 Re7 Q*e7#…….
Qb4 c5 dc6ep kf6 qh4 mate
Omg so many missed this mate in 3:
1. Qb4+ c5 (1…Rd6 2. Qh4#)
2. dxc6 Kf6
3. Qh4#
It looks like my previous comment didn’t make it. Apologies if this is posted twice.
White has a fast mate:
1 Qb4+ c5
Both 1 … Rd6 and 1 … Kf6 are met by Qh4#.
2 dxc6 e.p.+ Kf6
3 Qf6#
Hehe, I just checked no one found the mate in three.
All those Rg7 ideas are pure nonsence, starting in the wrong end, because blacks escape ideas are all on the queenside, so you should attack this side first!
1. Qb4+ c5
The alternatives were Rd7 or Kf6, both answered with Qh4#.
2. dxc6 e.p.+ Kf6
3. Qh4#
As simple as that 🙂
Must admit that I spent some time finding it, because the diagram seems so full of goodlooking ideas, including Rg7.
Pht,The white knight is left hanging after 1…kf6 2.Qh5 K*e5.. The quickest checkmate starts with d6! As stated above.