White to move. Find the best continuation for White. No computer lines please. This is a fun one.
1R4nr/2k1ppb1/b1p5/4Pp1p/p2N1P1B/4n2P/q1P3P1/3Q2K1 w – – 0 1
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1.NB5+ leads to mate.
Kb5+…
then Qd8+ and mate to follow.
1. Nb5+ cxb5 (1… Bxb5 2. Qd8#) (1… Kxb8 2. Qd8+ Kb7 (2… Bc8 3. Qc7+ Ka8
4. Qa7#) 3. Qc7+ Ka8 4. Qa7#) 2. Qd8+ Kc6 3. Qb6+ Kd5 4. Rd8+ Ke4 5. Qd4#
1. Ne6+ then 2. Qd8#. This is easy.
1. Nb5+! Kxb8
2. Qd8+ Kb7
3. Qc7+ Ka8
4. Qa7 mate
1. Nb5+! Bxb5
2. Qd8+ mate
1. Nb5+! cxb5
2. Qd8+ Kc6
3. Qb6+ Kd5 (Kd7? Rd8+mate)
4. Rd8+ Kc4 (or Ke4)
5. Qd4+ mate
1 Nb5+ is the move.
(Not as good as Ne6+, as after Kxb8, Qd8+ black can run away). But with the knight on b5, the king is mated if Kxb8 (Qd8+ followed by Qc7+, etc. with Qa7# to follow). So…
1 Nb5+ cxb5 (for the king to run)
2 Qd8+ Kc6
3 Qb6+ Kd5
4 Rd8+ Kc4 or e4
5 Qd4#
Nb5+ followed by Qd8+
Not so easy… if 1.Ne6+ then 1…Kxb8 2.Qd8+ Ka7 3.Qc7+ Bb7 4.Qa5+ Ba6 etc…
The best continuation is 1.Nb5+ Kxb8 2.Qd8+ Kb7 3.Qc7+ Ka8 4.Qa7#
AcBrasil, from Brasilia – Brasil.
i disagree with Ne6 because
If 1.Ne6 Kxb8 2.Qd8 Ka7 3.Qc7 Bb7 4.Nc5 Qb2
white should proceed:
1. Nb5
if black plays 1…c6xb5
2. Qd8 Kc6
3. Qb6 Kd5
4. Rd8
if 4 …Ke4 then 5. Qd4#
4. Rd8 Kc4
5. Qd4#
Other
1. Nb5 Bxb5
2. Q8#
Other
1. Nb5 Kxb8
2. Qd8#
From Spain.
1)Nb5+,cb5
2)Qd8+,Kc6
3)Qb6+,Kd5
4)Rd8+,Kc4 o Ke4
5)Qd4#
1)Nb5+,Kb8
2)Qd8,Bc8
3)Qc7,Ka8
4)Qa7#
1)Nb5+,Bb5
2)Qd8#
1)Ne6+??,Kb8
Greetings from Spain
1. Nb5+ cxb5 (else Qd8-c7-a7#)
2. Qd8+ Kc6
3. Qb6+ Kd5
4. Rd8+ Ke4/c4
5. Qd4#
Nb5+ cxb5
Qd8+ Kc6
Qb6+ Kd5
Rd8+ Ke4
Qd4++
Nb5+ cxb5
Qd8+ Kc6
Qb6+ Kd5
Rd8+ Kc4
Qd4++
Nb5+ Kxb8
Qd8+ Kb7
Qc7+ Ka8
Qa7++
just a few variations.. some favlouring to the sauce…
Ne6 doesn’t win, I think:
1. Ne6 Kb8 (else, Qd8 is mate)
2. Qd8
Is there any other possible move here for white than Qd8? I don’t see a candidate:
2. …..Ka7
Here, I don’t like Bc8 simply because it drops the bishop to Qc7+ and leaves the king alone against the queen and knight, and I doubt black survives it, but I can’t see the mate after staring at it for 5 minutes. On playing Kb7, I think I can see a mate starting with Nc5 with check. However, this is all fairly unimportant since black draws easily with
2. …..Ka7
Here, white needs to continue to check the king, or the queen comes to the defense, too, starting with Qb1+, and the material disadvantage gives the game to black. The options are Qd4, Qd7, and Qc7. The first seems to lose to me while white is forced to accept the perpetual draw:
3. Qd4? c5!
And, with two pieces en prise, white must either take at c5 with the knight or with the queen, but both lose, I think:
4. Nc5 Nd5 (Qb1 is probably ok)
5. Nd7
Or give up the attack, either loses:
5. …..Kb7
6. Nc5
On 6.Bf2 black can play the simple Qc4 since Qa7 is no threat: [6.Bf2 Qc4 7.Qa7 Kc8 and black has every checking square guarded but a8, and that one will lose the knight].
6. …..Kc8
7. Na6 Qb1
8. Kh2 Qb7 and the king will find refuge on the kingside eventually. Or, at move 4, white still loses with
4. Qc5 Ka8
5. Nc7 Kb7! and now Qb1+ can’t be prevented without having to give up the attack on the black king.
However, white can draw at move 3 with:
3. Qc7 Ka8 (Bb7 4.Qa5 Kb7 5.Qc7=)
4. Qd8
Here, I think white is treading dangerously with Qc6: [4.Qc6 Bb7 5.Nc7 (5.Qe8 Ka7 might win for black) Kb8 6.Na6 (or 6.Qb6 Qc2 7.Na6 Kc8 and white will have to exchange queens to prevent mate) Ba6 7.Qb6 Bb7 8.Qd8 Ka7 9.Qa5 Ba6 and, I don’t know for sure if black can escape the checks, but it will be white struggling to draw]. Continuing:
4. …..Ka7
5. Qd7 Kb8 and white will continue checking.
Now, I have not actually been exhaustive here, but that is mostly due to the fact that it is easy to see that white had a much more effective first move. Continued in my next comment.
The anonymous commenter had the right fundamental idea, but the knight needs to cover the a7 square on his first move:
1. Nb5!
There are only three moves, Bb5 which is met by Qd8#, and cb5 and Kb8. The latter two seem to be mates in 5 and 4 moves respectively:
1. …..cb5
2. Qd8 Kc6
3. Qb6 Kd5 (Kd7 4.Rd8#)
4. Rd8 and Qd4 mates on the next move whether black plays Kc4 or Ke4. Or, at move 1:
1. …..Kb8
2. Qd8 Kb7 (Bc8 is # the same way)
3. Qc7 Ka8
4. Qa7#
1 Ne6+ doesn’t work because Black can play 1 …Kxb8, 2 Qd8+ Ka7!, 3 Qc7+ Bb7, and now White has nothing better than a perpetual, as 4 Nc8(or Nd8) is met by 4 … Qb1+ followed by 5 … Qb6.
Better for White is this:
1 Nb5+!
With the Knight here, the King won’t have the flight square of a7 anymore, and the Knight is better coordinated to assist the Queen.
1 … Kxb8 cxb5
Not 1 … Bxb5, 2 Qd8#. 1 …Kxb8, 2 Qd8+ (the point of Nb5+; Black can’t retreat to a7 and get protection from the Bishop), Kb7, 3 Qc7+ Ka8, 4 Qa7#
2 Qd8+ Kc6
3 Qb6+
And not 3 … Rb6+? Kd5, 4 Bxe7+ (4 Qc7+ Kd4, and White has no mating net) Nxe7, 5 Qd6+ Kc4, 6 Qd3+ Kb4, 7 Qd2+ Ka3! (else White has a perpetual), 8 Qc3+ Qb3, 9 cxb3 N7d5, and the best White can hope for is a perpetual.
3 … Kd5
or 3 … Kd7, 4 Rd8#
4 Rd8+ K-any
5 Qd4#
Nb5+!!
(Ne6 is a draw at least i think
1.Ne6 Kxb8 or Qd8# 2. Qd8 and white simply has to check.)1…Kxb8 2.Qd8 and black is busted because if any move besides resign Qc7+ and Qa7#
Another line is 1.Nb5+ cxb5 2.Qd8+ Kc6 3.Qb6+ Kd5 4.Rd8+ Kc4 (if Ke4 5.Qd4#) 5.Rd4+ Kc3 6.Qb4+ Kxc2 7.Rd2+ Kc1 8.Rxa2 black move and then 9.Qd2+ Kb1 10.Qb2#
AcBrasil from Brasilia, Brasil.
Ne6 does not work.
Ne6 Kxb8
Ka7
and white can make no progress.
Draw.
The object is to win not to draw. So we need to look for a win.
Thank you, Yancey Ward, for steering me away from Ne6.
1. Nb5+ (a) KxR
2. Qd8+ Kb7
3. Qc7+ Ka8
4. Qa7#
1. … (b) cxb
2. Qd8+ Kc6
3. Rb6+ Kc5
4. Bxe7+ Kc4
5. Rb4+ Kc3
6. Qd3#
Mark
Another line is 1.Nb5+ cxb5 2.Qd8+ Kc6 3.Qb6+ Kd5 4.Rd8+ Kc4 (if Ke4 5.Qd4#) 5.Rd4+ Kc3 6.Qb4+ Kxc2 7.Rd2+ Kc1 8.Rxa2 black move and then 9.Qd2 Kb1 10.Qb2#
AcBrasil from Brasilia, Brasil.
1. Nb5+ mates.
1…K:b8 2. Qd8+ Kb7 3. Qc7+ Ka8 4. Qa7#
1…B:b5 2. Qd8#
1…cb5 2. Qd8+ Kc6 3. Rb6#
Pretty!
Yeah…this one was fun (and surprising!). Here is the winning line:
1. Nb5+ cxb5
2. Qd8+ Kc6
3. Qb6+ Kd5
4. Rd8+ Kc4
5. Qd4#
Many people said:
1. Nb5+ cxb5
2. Qd8+ Kc6
3. Qb6+ Kd5
4. Rd8+ Kc4
5. Qd4# …
But after 5.Qd4 the King has a safe move Kb5!
The continuation must be:
5.Rd4+ Kc3
6.Qb4+ Kxc2
7.Rd2+ Kc1
8.Rxa2 black move and then
9.Qd2+ Kb1
10.Qb2#
AcBrasil from Brasilia, Brasil.
Antonio Carlos,
There is a black pawn at b5, so the black king cannot go there on move 5 as you described.