English
Hi chess fans! After presenting you some positions which arose in real chess games, today I let you crack a self-composed chess nut again.
Obviously black has a big material advantage but at the same time a rather cramped position full of immobile pieces. How can white exploit that and show that in our fascinating chess game quite often mind wins over matter? :)
Hint: one really great game of the English grandmaster Nigel Short inspired me to create this chess problem for you.
|
Deutsch
Hallo Schachfreunde! Nach einigen Stellungen aus real gespielten Partien, lasse ich euch heute mal wieder eine selbst komponierte Schachnuss knacken.
Offensichtlich hat Schwarz einen großen materiellen Vorteil, aber zugleich eine ziemlich verkrampfte Stellung voller unbeweglicher Figuren. Wie kann Weiß das ausnutzen und zeigen, dass in unserem faszinierenden Schachspiel nicht selten der Geist über die Materie siegt? :)
Hinweis: Ein wirklich fantastisches Spiel des englischen Großmeisters Nigel Short inspirierte mich, dieses Schachproblem für euch zu entwerfen.
|
Hi @jaki. Here my solution:
I guess you mean 3. Ng4 ?
Yes Ng4, sorry.
Looks good in general but after 2. Ra1 black need not to play Qa8 (better is 2. ... e5). Therefore you should think about your second move.
I will check again tomorrow - and I really guess you will present the completely correct variation until then.
Thinking about it better, you are right. (2. e5) is better than (2. Ra1) because after (2. Ra1), black can move (2. ... e5) winning the e6 square for the knight, so:
a7 Qc8
e5 g5
Qxg5+
3.. ...Bg6
4.. Qh6 (black king can't go to h7) Bf5+
5.. Kh2 Bg6
6.. Rg1 Qa8 (unique move if black does not want to lose material)
7.. Ne4 f5
8.. Rxg6+ Kf7
9.. Qg7#
Well done! :)
You will find the complete solution above.
1.) a7 has to be first move. It doesn't seem to me that black can ignore the threat of pawn captures queen, so a queen response is essentially forced. Either Qa8 or Qc8, but the Queen seems overworked between stopping white's knight from eventually capturing black's d7 pawn and/or a7 from being pushed to promotion with a rook behind it.
Black's first goal I'd guess is to get the two c-pawns to advance one space so that the knight can find an outpost on c6, also opening up the back rank to the rooks.
2.) regardless of where black's queen goes, next is e5 to stop black from pushing e5, keeping black near zugzwang (only c pawn moves and queen moves available, other than a rook sac on e7 that I'd pass on capturing or a g5 pawn push that simply leads to Rg1, then Bg6 or g4+; a.) if g4+ then Rxg4, if hxg4+ then Nxg4 and Nh6# is coming, if the pawn doesn't capture on g4 and goes with something like Bg6, then rook comes back to g1, setting up the Ng4 idea*; b.) if Bg6, Rxg5, with the same idea to pull back the rook to g1 and offer the Knight sac on g4). I think black's best bet is c4, with the idea of clearing an outpost for the knight on c6.
3.) With black's pieces tied up, white can focus on the exposed king. *Ng4. If black captures Knight, then white captures back on g4 with the king. If no capture and black does any other legal move, then Nh6#.
4.) Assuming black captures Knight and king captures pawn on g4, I don't see how white's king can be stopped from walking up via g5 and h6 to set up the queen mate on g7 (protected by white's king on h6).
Nice description of plans and ideas ... How can white win after:
Yeah, I was working on that scenario before I noticed your comment...
If 2.) ...g5
3.) Rg1 (skewer pawn to black's king) and there are several replies by black, but it would be unwise to ignore the threat of Rxg5.
The two best replies as I see it are g4+ and Bg6 (blocking the pawn/ rook skewer and opening up g7 to black's king, which can also open the g8 square to black's rook)
a.) if 3.) ...g4+; 4.) rxg4+, and hxg4 leads to 5.) Kxg4... now black can ignore white's threat of walking the king (unchallenged) to H6 to set up Qg7# (via Kg5 and Kh6, all helped by black's bishop blocking the king from moving), or try to give it's king some escape squares by moving it's bishop. It really doesn't matter where the bishop goes as it can only protect the light squares, all of which black doesn't need in order to mate. Say 5.) Bf5+; then 6.) Kg5, Kh7 (to stop Kh6) 7.) Qh6+ (forcing king back to g8, which also keeps rooks from having access to the g-file, not that it really is even relevant at this point), Kg8 8.) Kf6... and Qg7# is inevitable on the next move.
b.) if 3.)...Bg6; 4.) Rxg5 (bishop is now skewered to king), waiting move by black (any captures lead to a loss, probably push a c-pawn. 5.) Ng4...
...if 5.)...Hxg4; 6.) Kxg4, there are no checks on white's king or threat to take major pieces and best move is probably Kh7 to move out of skewer and open g-file 7.)
...this is a tough one, lol...
Well done! :)
You will find the complete solution above.
I'm noticing the black king doesn't have too many squares. If white can bring another piece into the attack that'll decide the game. There's the crazy idea of sacing the knight and moving white king up but is that too slow?
Black could try to untangle himself with moves like bxa, Qxb6 and also e5, Re6 so white needs to address that first IMO.
I think best way to stop black's potential counterplay is to fix the pawn structures. Perhaps something like this:
White's going to play Kg5, Kh6 next and I don't think there's much black can do to stop that.
Why would black play a stupid move like g5?
Rook in g1.
2 . ... g5 is actually the toughest move.
Rg4 g4
Ng4
Please, whole move order:
Black king can't move and is one move away from mate Nh6+
g5 is dumb and didn't even consider it....
Now the knight is pinned and cannot move.
It's late, I'm tired. I'll figure it out tommorrow.
With threats to follow like Qxh5 or sneaking in with Qh6.
After Nf6 black can play Rh8 ... Check the complete solution above ...
Well done! :)
You will find the complete solution above.
Good solution. But one question: how did the black bishop manage to get to h7 ?! The route from c8 seems pretty blocked and there has been no pawn promotion so far (all 8 pawns are still on the board)
I forgot to mention that it wasn't a standard chess game but Chess960 - so of course the bishop moved from it's starting position at g8 to h7. :-)
... Haha, that's just kidding of course.
You have a valid point here: as the pawns at b7 and d7 are still in the starting position they cannot have moved so far and thus a bishop at c8 also couldn't have moved. Indeed one could think about if black may just have promoted one of its pawns into a bishop before, but as there are still eight black pawns on the board this isn't possible, neither. That means even if it was not meant like that from the beginning, we have to assume the position arose in a Chess960 game.
Well spotted!
I didn't win but I didn't lose.
You will find the complete solution above! :)
for the first time your chess puzzle leaves me totally clueless. can't wait for the answer :D
You will find the complete solution above. :)
You will find the complete solution above. :)
Wow this puzzle was the toughest one yet. Great job @jaki01! Looking forward to your next one!
Let's see: it is quite some work to create artificial positions like that because I must verify all variations. :)
How would you continue as white now?
I'm persistent with checkmate than worrying about a passing pawn
Do you mean:
Then 3. ... e5 wins for black.
Okay. So what about
This is assuming black wants to promote the pawn
This is one of the most challenging positions you have posted in my opinion! Well done. My guess is this:
Wondering if I'm close
0 : 1
Seems like the key is pawn in a7.
Queen moves to a8 or c8 and black is even more cramped up.
Then rook in a1.
Have you won after your suggested moves? :-)
a6 - a7, Qa7- a8
e4-e5, c5-c4
Nf2 - e4, c6-c5
Ne4 x c5, Nd8 -c6
Nc5 x d7
If now 3. Ne4, then 3. c5 (idea Nc6).
Am I on the right track, or else I'll play a crazy move like
Ng4, g4
Kg4, Black I don't know
Rg1
According to this answer to my knowledge his
Es - A8
A7 - c5
Rg1 - C4
Ng4 x g4
Rg1 x g4
H6 - C3
H7 - C1
Rc1x C1
Rg1 - c5
Q97
You will find the complete solution above. :)