White to move and mate in 3.
3K4/8/1p6/8/k7/P2Q4/8/8 w – – 0 1
Otto Fuss
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kc7han
1Qc3 & Qb4 mate in both variation
1.Kc8!! Ka5
2.Dd7!
..b5 3.Qa7++
..Ka6 3.Qa4++
Trial and error found this one for me. Obviously, with the queen where she is, black will have two moves- Ka5 and b5, and it was pretty obvious that white cannot allow the king off of the a-file. Clearly, at some point, the white king will have to come to the c-file, so which move should white play here- Kc8 or Kc7? Let’s look at the wrong one first, since that is what I did:
1. Kc7 Ka5 (b5 2.Qc3 b4 3.Qb4#)
2. Qd7
The key move to see, I think for the correct line. I tried every other move here, practically, and there is no mate in 3. Continuing:
2. …..b5 (Ka6 3.Qa4#)
And, now, if the white king were at c8 instead of c7, white could play Qa7#. However, at best, the mate is 2 moves away.
Now for the right king move:
1. Kc8 b5
Or [1. …Ka5 2.Qd7 Ka6 (or b5 3.Qa7#) 3.Qa4#].
2. Qc3 b4 (only legal move)
3. Qb4#
1. Kc8
1. … Ka5 2. Qd7 Ka6 [2. … b5 3. Qa7#] 3. Qa4#
1. … b5 2. Qc3 b4 3. Qxb4#
A mate in 4 is dead simple, of course, but how to shave a move off that?
Finally, I saw it:
1. Kc8! Ka5 (if …b5, then Qc3 and mate at b4)
2. Qd7! and mate next; if … Ka6, then Qa4 mate; if … b5, then Qa7 mate.
Very elegant.
1. Kc8!
If 1… b5;
2. Qc3!, b4 (forced)
3. Qxb4#
If 1… Ka5;
2. Qd7! and:
If 2… b5;
3. Qa7# or
If 2… Ka6;
3. Qa4#
Kariston Pereira
Joinville – Brazil
1. Kc8 leads to mate:
1. Kc8 b5 2. Qc3 b4 3. Qc4# first of all,
1. Kc8 Ka5 2. Qd7 b5 3. Qa7#;
1. Kc8 Ka5 2. Qd7 Ka6 3. Qa4#.
So the white king had to go on the c file, but stay out of the way of the queen on the eight rank.
Looks simple but teases your brain. After trying with 1Kc7 when K blocked Q movements I got
1Kc8
(a)1… b5 2Qc3 b4 3Qxb4#
(b)1…. Ka5 2Qd7
Now 2… Ka6 3Qa4#
2…. b4 3Qa7#
1.Qc3?? Kb4 and black escapes from mate in 3
Solution I found is 1.Kc8! the key is to leave the 7th rank clear for the variation 1…Ka5 2.Qd7! b5 3.Qa7#, or alternatively 2…Ka6 3.Qa4#. Finally if 1…b5 then (and only then) 2.Qc3 and mate on b4.