White to move. How should white proceed?
4r1k1/1b5p/n1p4B/1p2n1pR/3Q4/p3P3/PP2BqP1/K7 w – – 0 1
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Sunday chess challenge
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White to move. How should white proceed?
4r1k1/1b5p/n1p4B/1p2n1pR/3Q4/p3P3/PP2BqP1/K7 w – – 0 1
1. Rxg5+ Kh8 2. Bg7+ Kg8 3. Bxe5+ Kf8 4. Qd6+ Re7 5. Bg7+ Kg8 6. Qd8+ Re8 7. Qxe8+ Qf8 8. Qxf8 mate
The line that jumped out was 1. Rxg5+ Kh8 2. Bg7+ Kg8 3. Bxe5+ and now h5 is vacant for the e2 bishop. Looking into it, White has mate in all lines:
1. Rxg5+ Kh8 2. Bg7+ Kg8 3. Bxe5+ Kf7 4. Qd7+ Re7 5. Rg7+ Kf8 6. Qxe7#
3. … Kf8 4. Bd6 Kf7 5. Rg7+ Ke6 6. Qe5#
1. … Ng6 2. Qg7#
1. … Kf7 2. Bh5+ Ke6 (or Ke7) 3. Rxe5+ Kf6 4. Qd6+ Re6 5. Qxe6#
2. … Kf6 3. Qd6+ Re6 4. Qf8+ Nf7 Qxf7#
2. … Ng6 3. Qg7+ Ke6 4. Bg4+ Kd6 5. Qd7#
4. … Qf5 5. Bxf5+ Kd5 6. Qd4#
5. … Kd6 6. Qd7+ Kc5 7. Qd4# or Bg7#
6. … Ke5 7. Bg7#
I would just follow the bread crumbs here and hope for the best- Rg5 seems the most obvious start to this:
1. Rg5 Kf7 (Kh8 is below)
2. Bh5 Ng6
Or [2. …Kf6 3.Qd6 Re6 4.Qf8 Nf7 5.Qf7#]; or [2. …Ke6/e7 3.Re5 Kf6 4.Qd6 Re6 5.Qe6#]. Continuing:
3. Qg7 Ke6
4. Bg4
I think Rg6 will win, too, but I had trouble finding the mate if black gives up the queen in defense: [4.Rg6 hg6 5.Bg4 Qf5 6.Qg6 Kd7 7.Bf5 Kc7 and the king hides, though black is way down in material and will lose. However, it is easy to see the mate with 4.Bg4:
4. …..Qf5 (Kd6 5.Qd7#)
5. Bf5! Kd6 (Kd5 6.Qd4#)
6. Qd7 and 7.Qd4 mate is next.
Back at move 1, I think black is going to get mated more quickly with Kh8:
1. Rg5 Kh8
2. Bg7 Kg8
3. Be5 Kf8
Or [3. …Kf7 4.Bh5 Kf8 (or 4. …Ke6/e7 5.Qd6#) 5.Bd6 Re7 6.Qg7#]. Continuing:
4. Bd6 Re7 (Kf7 5.Rg7 Ke6 6.Qe5#)
5. Qg7 with 6.Qe7# to follow.
Rxg5+ Kh8
Rxe5 Qg1+
Bd1 Qxd1+
Qxd1 Nc7
Rxe8+ Nxe8
Qf1 Nf6
Qxf6+ Kg8
Qg7++
There is a few variations.. I like this variation..targeting the back rank..
Very Straightforward ! Pure calculation:
1.Rxg5+
a)1…Ng6 2.Qg7 mate ! Obviously 🙁
b)1…Kh8 2.Bg7+ Kg8 3.Bxe5+ White has so much power and initiative that he wins this.
c)1…Kf7 2.Bh5+
1)…Kf6 3.Qd6+ Re6 4 Qf8+ and mate
2)….Ng6 3.Qg7+ Ke6 4.Bg4+ Kd6 5.Qd7 is mate !
Right. Don’t say it. (Check, check, check, check, check, etc.) No credit awarded for that answer. Now the real difficulty with this puzzle is to choose which one of the several variations receives pride of place, to be printed in bold type. So, magnanimous Dame that I am, I choose the variation where practically all of my men, to whom I give due credit, take part in saving my poor excuse of a husband (on the a1-square), who has
gotten himself into yet another quagmire. I choose the variation where I, regal Lady that I am, survey the whole board from the center d4-square, and don’t move a muscle, letting my men do all of the fighting. Even in the final mate, in which I take a dramatic if silent part, there is only one square (f6) over which only I, and not one of my men, takes control. Cakes and ale for all. (Even for the resident of a1-square.)
1. Rxg5+ Kf7
(1. .. Kh8 2. Bg7+ Kg8 3. Bxe5+ Kf7
(3. .. Kf8 4. Bd6+ Re7
(4. .. Kf7 5.Rg7+ Ke6 6. Qe5#)
5. Qg7+ Ke8 6. Qxe7#)
4. Qd7+ Re7
(4. .. Kf8 5. Qg7#)
5.Rg7+ Kf8 6. Qxe7#)
(1. .. Ng6 2. Qg7#)
2. Bh5+ Ke6
(2. .. Kf6 3. Qd6+ Re6 4. Qf8+ Nf7 5. Qxf7#)
(2. .. Ke7 3. Rxe5+ Kf6 4. Rxe8+ Kf5 5. g4#)
(2. ..Ng6 3. Qg7+ Ke6 4. Bg4+ Kd6
(4. .. Qf5 5. Bxf5+ Kd6 (5. .. Kd5 6. Qd4#) 6. Qd7+ Kc5 (6. .. Ke5 7. Qd4#) 7. Qd4#)
5. Qd7#)
3. Rxe5+ Kf6
4. Rxe8+ Kf5
5. g4#
Lucymarie
An interesting question is:
Is wolverines idea
Rxg5+ Kh8
Rxe5
a mistake, or not?
I might actually have played the same (though it looks suspiciously simple for a puzzle). Is it just a bit slower than it had to be, or does black have a surprising resource here?
I may be wrong.Opening could be
Ruth Nopeg
I think my first comment was not posted.It was as follows.
white: Lucy not Lucy marie.
black: Maria not Milli.
opening :Ruthless attack
My later comment appeared first.
Rxe5 and there is no defense.. all black can do is throw his pieces in the way to prevent the mate.. thats a simple fast mate..this is based on the bishop covering d1.. that is what allowed the attack on the back rank.. personally i think my solution is the most powerful and crisp.. if you had any ability you could see my solution works..
a scrub like yours opinion i value as much as a dog relieving himself against a tree..
Dear Susan,
I would like to lodge a protest against the reply “wolverine” made to “pht”s not impolite inquiry about this Sunday chess challange. A “scrub” is a defined in the dictionary as “a person of insignificant standing”, and although that is literally true of the chess playing ability of many of your respondents, including myself, it is quite rude to venture this opinion about a particular person. And “wolverine”s reference to the value he places on “pht”s opinion is beyond the pale.
Lucymarie
Dear prof.S.G.Bhat,
I’m glad you appreciated the humor of my posted solution to this problem.
Thanks for the replies.
Lucymarie
I am very glad that Lucymarie gives “A1” status to the husband.regarding her statement “letting my men do all fighting.” at least in India we consider them as animals like
Rook :Elephant
Bishop:camel ,(some people call chariot)
Knight:horse
Only men(besides king) are pawns:foot soldiers.
whats with google.. cant post
google.. working?? posts