White to move. How does White create a winning attack?
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Move Rook to C3.
A very cool problem … 1.Qe6+ Kh8 (Qf7 2.Qxc8+) 2.Rc1 Qxc1 3.Qe5+ Kg8 4.Qg7#
Rc1 – baiting the queen to abandon her defense of checkmate on G7. If she takes the queen, RxC8+ with mate to follow if queen doesn’t sacrifice herself.
GM Polgar can you tell us how the thinking process on this posisition? In my opinion the candidates move are :
1. Qe6+ (check move)
2. Qxh4 (taking material)
3. Qxc7 (taking material)
4. Rc1 (attacking move)
if 1. Qe6+ then …Kh8 2. Rc1 attacking the queen if 2..Nc5 then 3.Bc3 + d4 4. Bxd4 and follow by mate
if 1. Qxh4 then …b5 2.Rd1 and white has initiative for taking weak pawn on d5
if 1. Qxc7 then …Rxc7 and white lose because of material
if 1. Rc1 then…Kc5 2. Mxh4 and position is equal
My answer was right or not ? Thank you GM Polgar.
Rc1 1-0
1.Qe6+ Kh8 2.Rc1 and wins
I decide to not look at moves like Qxh4 or Qxc7.
I do look at the trapped Nh4, but taking advantage of that now seems no option either.
I must go for this idea:
1. Rc1! Qxe7 (Qxc1? Qg7#)
2. Rxc8+ Kf7
3. Bxe7 Kxe7
But what now?
The primary choices would be
4. Kh3 g5 (or Nxg2 Kxg2)
5. fxg5 Ng5
Or
4. Rc7+ Kd6!
5. Rxh7 Nf6
6. Rg7 Ng4+
7. Kh3 Nxh6
8. Kxh4 Ng4
I have problems deciding what to prefer here.
1. Qe6+!
If 1….Qf7
Then 2.Qxc8+ Qf8(e8)
3. Qxf8(e8) mate
If 1….Kh8
2. Rc1
If 2…Qxc1
3. Qe5+ Nf6
4. Qxf6 Kg8
5. Qg7 mate
If 2….Qb8
3. Rxc8+ Qxc8
4. Qxc8 mate
Rc1 looks stunning. The black queen cannot leave the 7th rank as Qg7 is mate.
But after Qxe7 by black, then Rxc8+ will mate anyway.
And moves like Nf3+ are just spite checks
1Rc1 wins
This position seems to have a neat twist to it. 1) Rc1 is obviously tempting because the Black Queen can’t capture the Rook because it guards against the mate on her 2nd rank […Qxc1??, 2) Qg7 mate]. At same time, the Rook is skewering the Queen and Rook. But 1)… Qxe7, 2) Rxc8+ Kf7, 3) Bxe7 Kxe7 doesn’t look entirely clear although White has won the exchange for a pawn and can probably win the h-pawn. This could be good enough for White but there seems to be somehing much more decisive.
1. Qe6+! Kh8 The interposition …Qf7 is simply disastrous after 2. Qxc8+ Black’s Queen has blocked in her own King, taking away the flight square and now the interpositions on the back rank give up everything.
2. Rc1! … the skewer/deflection still works even though White’s Queen has moved off the 7th rank and no longer threatens Qg7 on the move. If 2…Qxc1, 3. Qe5+ and White still mates on g7 There’s no guarding against the threats of both RxR and Qe5+ Black can try a check but it’s futile
2. … Nf3+
4. gxf3 … Qd8 at leat setting up a possible Q check at h4. But no matter where the Queen goes, White always has Rxc8 at the very least, winning.
What’s neat in the solution is that with Qe6, White seems to give up on the mate threat at g7 and in turn reduce the threat of his playing Rc1 deflecting or overworking the Black Queen. But in fact the threat of Rc1 is still there and in the meantime Black is deprived of the resource of exchanging Queens.
– Craigaroo
Direct 1.Rc1 trying to divert Q does not succeed because of 1…. Qxe7
2.Rxc8+ Kf7 defending Q.Correct is
1.Qe6+ kh8
2.Rc1 Qxc1
3.Qe5+ Kg8
4.Qg7#