gxf6 is not foreced, but alternative moves are losing the Rh7 (mate threat Qxf7)

21. Rf8#

Not a queen sac today.

The move is 20. Rbe1.

The follow-up is then 21. exf7+ (double check) Kd8 22. Rf8 mate.

To prevent this, black must give up Q for R with 20....Qxe1, or 20....Qxe6 etc.

Too casual.

21.....Kd7

click for larger view

<20.?>

A queen sac, of course, but there's a little depth to it.

With the bishop's diagonal cutting across Black's king, a standard pattern is Q/Rf8#. There's a pawn in the way, but the obstacle can be pressured by <20.Qxg6>, incidentally attacking the rook as well.

However, accepting the queen is not forced. Black can't afford to move the rook to safety (20...Rh8 21.Qxf7+ Kd8 22.Qd7+), but <20...Rg7> seems to hold some promise. Since White's queen is atatcked, 21.exf7+ Kd7 22.f8Q Rxf8 isn't as crushing as you might think (though there's probably a win there somewhere).

What is crushing is <21.Rxf7>. The rook mate is on if the queen is taken; the queen mate is on if the rook is taken. That appears to be it, though I must confess that a spent a few seconds looking at 21...O-O-O in response.

21.Rxf7 also answers 20...Qg7.

the black rook is on b8!

(A) 20 Qxg6. Now Black has a few possibilities, the toughest of which, 20...Qg7 (or Rg7) require White to find 21 Rxf7 (kudos to <PhonyBenoni>);

or the more forcing

(B) 20 exf7+ Rxf7 21 Rfe1 (or 20...Kd7 21 f8/Q)

Instead of whispering in your ear, maybe the late great Dean Martin could sing for you?

Here's the non-chessy version first:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69O4...

In Napoli where love is king
When boy meets girl here's what they say

When the moon hits you eye like a big pizza pie

That's amore
When the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine

That's amore
Bells will ring ting-a-ling-a-ling, ting-a-ling-a-ling And you'll sing "Vita bella"
Hearts will play tippy-tippy-tay, tippy-tippy-tay
Like a gay tarantella

When the stars make you drool just like a pasta fazool That's amore
When you dance down the street with a cloud at your feet You're in love
When you walk down in a dream but you know you're not Dreaming signore
Scuzza me, but you see, back in old Napoli
That's amore

Great eh? And here's the (not quite in the same league) chessy version:

When the king has no squares like a pie made of pears that's aMonday

When the mating is near like a cold pint of beer
that's aMonday

Today's puzzle has all the ingredients of a pizza fazool. The black king is nearly stalemated. We are only one move away from at least two mates - make the f7 pawn disappear and Rf8# or make the g6 pawn vanish and Qg8#. The black king and queen are on the same half open file - which suggests a rook pin.

And when you see one or more of those things on the board (it's like walking down in a dream but you know you're not dreaming signore) then there is a good chance that it's amore ... sorry, I mean it's amonday.

When the position is this juicy, you have permission ...no, you have the obligation to start looking for sacrifices, smiting moves, forcing moves. That's amonday!

Having aid that, I missed 20. Qxg6 myself and went with the more prosaic 20. exf7+ with the idea of Rfe1 to pin the black queen. It wins, but not as handily as the text.

The solution is another song, and this time it's the time warp. Everyone has to take a jump to the left...

1. Qa1+ Kxa1
2. Kc2 f1=anything
3. Nb3#

And nearly every piece has made a jump to the left. Just like Christopher Biggins in the film, the only piece not in step is the f2 pawn which steps forward when it really ought to be taking a jump to the left, or was that bringing your knees in tight ... or the pelvic thrust that nearly drives you insane...

Yep. <20 exf7+> may not be strongest but is easily winning and has a simplicity that would be fitting for a Monday.

a6 and a5 already lose to Nb6#

b6 and b5 already lose to Ba6#

e6 and e5 already lose ot Nd6#

So we need to do something about the other black pawn moves. And we can quickly see that gxh6 has to be met by the white queen getting to the back rank. And d6/d5 has to be met by Qe6#. And that means that the only square that the white queen can go to which allows both 2. Qe6# and Q(back rank)# is g6.

So that give us a possible key move of 1. Qg6, and then we notice that hxg6 is met by Rh8#.