White to move and has a number of options. Analyze the position and find the best continuation.
8/p3r3/6p1/1k2np1p/1N1B4/P5Pn/K7/3R4 w – – 0 1
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Find the best continuation
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The first thing that caught my eye here was the possibility of pinning and winning the knight at e5, but I think this will ultimately fail:
1. Re1 Nc6 and black should retain his advantage as white is forced to take at e7 or end up in nearly completely liquidated and losing endgame.
The next thing I noticed is that white might be able to win the a-pawn by simply capturing it:
1. Ba7 Ra7
2. Rd5 Kc4
3. Re5
And, white has won a pawn, but is still down in material, and will have a long, long struggle to hold the position.
Then I noticed the move Nd5:
1. Nd5
Attacks the rook, and the rook cannot move to e6 or e8 without allowing the knight fork from c7. So, what is black’ best reply here? It seems that he has the option of moving the rook to some other square on the 7th rank, or move the knight to c6 and concede the exchange and the a-pawn:
1. …..Nc6
2. Ne7 Ne7
3. Ba7 and with the material edge, I like white’s chances of converting the full point. Or
1. …..Rd7
Of all the moves on the 7th rank, this one looks superior in nearly every way simply because it makes black’s king safer once white wins his piece:
2. Be5 Kc5 (the point of Rd7)
3. Nc3 Rd1
I have not done the full analysis of this, but I think black should want the rooks off the board in this position- his king is open to numerous attacks from the three white pieces (my main objection to the other moves of the rook at move 1). Continuing:
4. Nd1
And white is definitely ahead, but I can’t see deeply enough to determine if the edge is decisive. Black can liquidate the white g-pawn, but I doubt the knight can protect the other black kingside pawns from the white pieces. What white will want to avoid is allowing black to exchange the knights since white cannot win with the a-pawn and the black colored bishop.
Right now, 1.Nd5 is the best I can find. If I have time later this afternoon, I will return to this.
1. Kb3 Rd7
2. a4+ Ka5
3. Bxe5 Rxd1
4. Bc7#
1-0
1. Kb3 wins.
After 1Kb3 I do not find any viable defence for black.
Wow, can’t believe I didn’t see this earlier.
1. Kb3!
With the deadly threat of a4, B off the d-file and Rd5#. Black has a real problem here- if he moves the rook off the d-file, white can just take the knight, and probably even has options for continuing to tighten the noose on the king. If black tries moving the knight:
1. …..Nf3
2. a4 Ka5
3. Nc6 bags the rook. If black tries moving the rook to e6 or e8:
1. …..Re6
2. a4 Ka5
3. Ba7! and there is no way to prevent the mate that I can see, only delaying moves.
That wall formed by the bishop and the knight preventing the black king from the sixth rank was invisible to me this morning.
1.Kb3! came to mind instantly since it traps the king somehow. The problem is: what can black do to prevent 2.a4+ Ka5. 3.BxN and the bishop can’t be taken do to 4.Nx6+
Well, the knight on e5 can’t move do to 2.a4+ and the rook gets forked, so that leaves rook moves only.
Let’s analyze the three major alternatives 2…Rd7,Re6,and Rb7.
A) 2…Rd7 3.a4+ Ka5 4.BxN (4…RxR 5.Bc7#) and mate will follow shortly.
B) 2…Re6 3.Bxa7 and mate is coming.
C)2…Rb7 3.BxN a5 4.a4+ Kb6 5. Rd6+ Kc7 6.Rxg6+ wins
At first glance… The White must:
1) Do not simplify the exchange of pieces of position.
2) White must prevent the Black King to support the advance of the mass of pawns on the east.
3) Take advantage of the special position of the black king (it does not have many free squares).
Even the white does not have many useful moves.
example
1. Be3? Nc4 2. Rd5+ Ka4 3. Bc1 Re2+ (or 1. Ra1)
or
1. Re1? Nc6 2. Rxe7 Nxe7
or
1. Nd5 Rd7! 2. Bxe5 Kc5 3. Nc3 Rxd1 4. Nxd1 Kd5 5. Bb8 a6 6. Kb3 g5 7. Nc3+ Kd4
8. Kc2 f4 9. gxf4 Nxf4 Draw
The move interesting is 1. Kb3!
Now, Black has no useful moves and white threat a4 followed by Bc3.
1. Kb3! f4
2. a4+ Ka5
3. Bc3 Re6
4. Nd5+ Ka6
5. Nc7+ Kb7
6. Nxe6 Nf3
7. gxf4 h4
8. Rd6 White wins (if not mistaken)
🙂
Best regards
Stef
Hi Susan Polgar,
Well,best move for this puzzle had already given by others,so nothing to add.
By
Venky [ India – Chennai ]