Today’s Chess Problem 9/10/11
on 09/10/2011 at 12:41 AM
Ok, this one is much more clear-cut than yesterday’s example.
1w) White queen d1-g4. Or d1-g1, it’s the same thing.
1b) Black has no choice; he must move his rook d6 - g6 to block.
2w) White rook takes black rook, c8 - d8, for the mate.
1b.2) What if Black chose instead to block the execution instead of the set-up and moved his lead rook back one, d6 - d7? That keeps White’s queen from taking the g7 pawn, right?
2w.2) In that case White goes rook for rook in the back rank, c8-d8 for a check. This leaves Black only one move:
3b.2) rook for rook, d7 - d8. But this leaves the other White rook at c7, so white’s next move is for the obvious mate:
4w.2) Queen kills the pawn, g1-g7. Mate. Black’s King can’t hit White’s Queen due to White’s rook at c7. Black’s Queen can’t do a thing. Black can’t use his h7 pawn, and moving his rook from d8 - d7 won’t stop the check. Naturally Black can’t get his King out of the way, and he can’t castle either. Game over.
When white first moves her queen, what if Black instead moved up a pawn, g7 - g6? (g7 - g5 would be suicide, so let’s ignore that)
2w)White advances the queen, from either g1 or g4 to g5. This blocks Black’s pawn from any advance, and threatens Black’s back row rook. What can Black do?
3b.1) Move up the other pawn, h7 - h6, to put pressure on the White Queen.
4w.1) Queen takes rook, g5 - d8 for a check.
4b.1) Black HAS to take out the queen, d6 - d8.
5w.1) rook takes rook, c8 - d8, for the mate.OR
3b.2) block White’s queen’s diagonal path with his lead rook, d6 - f6. It’s still covered by his queen, so it’s safe, right?
4w.2) We don’t care! rook takes rook once again, c8 - d8 for the mate.
4b.2) It’s not mate, it’s merely a check. Black can (must) move his rook back to block, f6 - f8. Take that you scunner!
5w.2) queen goes for a slide, g5 - d7. No check, but Black has only one rook at g8, boxing in his King. Moving it one over or one up won’t help. He can move his queen in a risky attempt to threaten White’s queen, but to no avail: White’s next move takes her queen to g7, and that’s mate.You got it Drew! 1.Qg4 is the correct first move. We’ll make you a decent chess player. Well done! Don’t over-think. Most times your first move is the right one.
I agree with d1-g4 and would have suggested that move. I think however I have found another win for white that though much harder fought is still certain.
That would be d2-c2. After d8xc8 c7xc8 check things look bad for black. If black does not play d8xc8 white will force the issue with c2-c5. This line should eventually lead to a another trade of queens or rooks and white will end in time with a passed queen side pawn or two and a win.
Wes, I thought about that one at first - perhaps over thought it as Christopher says - and decided it wasn’t the best move for Black. But it is a possible one, and an “obvious” one.
Ok, White moves queen to c2. Why does Black then take the rook at c8? That seems suicidal. Ok, it eliminates the check threat, but his rook is now unguarded. White takes his rook, c7-c8 for the check. Black has to break the check, and has 3 ways to do it: rook to d8 (suicide), queen to d8 (more suicide) or king to f7. Which move is best?
I’d go with king to f7. White moves rook, c8-c7 for another check. Now what? Put the king back in the hole, or try to make a break for the open zone in rows 6 - 4? It’s no longer a sure thing for white. That’s why I decided the best first move was to bring the queen over to the right side of the board. d1-g1 provides some coverage of that side, but d1-g4 is better. No chance of a pawn threat (unless black is suddenly naive), and it covers his rook at c8. From there? Lots of little moves I think, and no sure end in sight for either black or white.
Don’t miss that, although black is weak in the back at the beginning, one or two weak moves from white will allow him to get a rook to g6 and either queen or rook into white’s back rank for check. Getting the queen in there would be best of course, as he could then zip her across to column g for the mate, unless he wanted to be cruel and go on a pawn killing spree. That’s why I had black make his first move to bring the rook d6-g6 for the block: it’s also the first move of his attack should white play weakly.
Try turning this game around: black to move first and win. It’s just as possible.
Well I did say that this line is harder! However on d8-c8 c7-c8 check --- k-f7 white plays q-c7 check. That move forces a queen trade and whites rook will soon be at c5 and about to pick a pawn.
Not a simple win but I think a win.
Wes:
When solving chess problems the goal is to find the shortest and most forceful win.
Agreed, over-the-board a win is a win. But I remember in a high school tournament I won a game. A couple of years later I was in college. I’d also gotten better. I analyzed that game and found I could have won 15 moves earlier. And it would have been a forced win, not the ‘iffy’ route I actually took.
So when you say your line is ‘harder’ I take that to mean your line is ‘iffy’. Nothing you’ve posted leads me to believe you’ve found a forced win in three moves.
Solution posted
here.
