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| Aug-02-16 | | Once: Sometimes I get tunnel vision. Maybe it's an age thing or the fact that I have to wear vari-focals specs these days. When I look at a puzzle, I usually look at the enemy king first. Is he safely tucked away or in the firing line of my pieces? So when I first looked at this puzzle, all I saw was this: 
click for larger viewThat's a position which screams out for Rxh7. It might even be mate if the white Rh6 has any friends looking down on h7. After the forced 20. Kxh7, I'm looking for a queen or rook to jump to the h file. Oh, goody, there's a queen on g3 and no h pawns. Now my board vision widens to this: 
click for larger viewThrow in some more pieces to block off the king's escape and our tunnel vision widens to this: 
click for larger viewSo that's the pattern. - Rxh7+, Q to h2, 3 or 4 and then Qh6#. A quick spell check to make sure that black can't wriggle out, and we're done. Waddya mean white has some bishops too? I didn't look that far across the board. If the h file hack had stalled I might have gone fishing in a different part of the lake, but there really didn't seem much point today. |
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Aug-02-16
 | | steinitzfan: Now that's an easy puzzle. In addition to the solutions shown, White has an interesting mate with 21 Rh1+ Kg7, 22Nf5+ Kf6, 23Rh6+ Kf5, and there are at least two ways to mate in a couple of moves. |
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Aug-02-16
 | | OhioChessFan: The game line was my third try. My first try was 20. Rxh7+ Kxh7 21. Rh1+ and I spent a little time figuring out if the King could escape. That seemed too long for a Tuesday puzzle (It turns out not too long as the correct line is:
20. Rxh7+ Kxh7 21. Rh1+ Kg7 22. Nf5+ Kg6 23. Rh6+ Kxf5 24. Qf4+)
click for larger view Then I tried 20. g6 which is obviously winning. I tried fxg6 and Rg6 as a defense, again it seemed too long for a Tuesday, and at that point realized my original line needed 21. Qh4+ to win quickly |
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| Aug-02-16 | | TrollKing: If ever there was a game which exemplified why pawn chasing in the opening is generally a bad idea... |
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| Aug-02-16 | | Chess Dad: <Pawn Slayer: In the final position, almost any sensible move wins (Be5+ is crushing but a bit slower than the line played)> Yep, that was the line that held my interest.
But after seeing the Rxh7+ line, I count myself as missing the problem. I found a really good move, but with so many really good moves available, I did not find the *best* move. |
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| Aug-02-16 | | eblunt: I just went Qe5+ Rg7 Qxe4.
Then I'd expect black to resign as he's 2 pieces down now. That's certainly what I'd do OTB, as that's 3 seconds on the clock. |
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| Aug-02-16 | | zb2cr: I went for the pedestrian 20. Qe5+. Gets the White Queen out of being <en prise>, with check, and with both the Black Knight and Rook being threatened, Black has to lose more material. Nice case of Lasker's dictum: "When you see a good move, look for a better one!" |
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Aug-02-16
 | | Jimfromprovidence: 20 Qe5+ is in fact a forced mate.
One way is after 20...f6, seeing 21 Rxh7+ Kxh7 22 Qxe4+ f5 23 Qxf5+ Kh8 24 Qe5+ Rg7 25 Rh1# 
click for larger view |
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| Aug-02-16 | | roentgenium: I was at first wondering why Black did not play 10...e5 , but then I noticed that this would also be a good candidate for an early week tactical puzzle, with 11.Qc3! winning material, for example: 11...exf4 12.Qxg7 Qf6 13.Qxf6 Nxf6 14.Nc7+ with maybe 15.Rc1 to ensure the Knight can retreat safely. 11...Rb8 12.Bxe5 13.Bxe5 14.Qxe5+ forking both Rooks
11...a6 12.Bxe5 f6 13.Bc7 trapping the Queen. |
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| Aug-02-16 | | patzer2: It's an easy and rather mundane Tuesday mate-in-three position starting with 20. Rxh7 +. However, the game itself, starting with 9. Nd5!, is a fun, instructive display of tactics. Black's last best chance for survival appears to be with 9...Qd6  as in A Karlovich vs A Tamilin, 2000. After 9...Qd8 10. Bf4  to  , Black is practically busted. |
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| Aug-02-16 | | kevin86: The position looks a lot like an Anastasia's mate- except black has an escape at g7. Since a queen at h6 will mate the king at g7, the position is a mate in three. |
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| Aug-02-16 | | chadurang: <Once> the explanation using "tunnel vision" was great. You should write a book on something! |
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| Aug-02-16 | | YouRang: <Once> Even with tunnel vision, you can perceive what you see different ways. When I saw your position:
click for larger view
I thought: "Do I have anything that can hit that diagonal to h8?" And the bishop was standing there waving its pointy hat at me. |
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| Aug-02-16 | | PeterJ: Actually Be5 is the most fun after f6,gf if either capture on g3 then f7 and Ng6 mate |
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| Aug-02-16 | | wooden nickel: incredible... can't find a move that does not win! |
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| Aug-02-16 | | Zhbugnoimt: I Put this on the engine. White has 61 legal moves. Every single one of them wins. There is no move which does not solve the POTD. |
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| Aug-02-16 | | patzer2: Early in the game, 13. Nxe7! was a winning shot.
If 13...Kxe7, then 14. Qa3+ forces mate-in-two. If 13...Qxe7, then the pin 14. Bd6 wins the Queen. |
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| Aug-02-16 | | siggemannen: <Zhbugnoimt>, that's a pretty cool fact! |
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| Aug-02-16 | | mchess: I was looking for a mate on the a1_h8 diagonal before simpler and easier moves like Rxh7+.Need more training on tactics. |
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| Aug-02-16 | | King Harvest: So Stockfish gives 20.Ka1 as M14. 20.Re6 seems white's best attempt at losing, but it's still a healthy +4... |
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Aug-02-16
| | OhioChessFan: I had to try 20. Qc3 for myself to believe it was winning, but sure enough..... 20. Qc3 Nxc3+ 21. bxc3 Rxg5 22. Bd3 Kg7 23. Rxh7+ Kf6 24. Rh6+ 25. Rdh1 and clearly White is going to win this. 
click for larger viewBlack's Queen side pieces remind me of the old Lasker adage that his pieces might as well be anywhere but on the board. |
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Aug-02-16
| | OhioChessFan: <mchess> you can see some of our other kibitzers with some pretty good chess chops also went for the a1 diagonal attack. While Be5+ is good enough to win, the simpler and stronger Rxh7+ was available. When you find a good move, look for a stronger one. |
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| Aug-02-16 | | BOSTER: The position recognition means not only the pos with mate, but also well known pos with great positional motive.
White bishop d6 blocked pawn d7, bishop c8 and the rook a8.
The same idea was in the game Paulsen vs Morphy when white d2 pawn, bishop c1 and rook a2 were blocked by black queen. |
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| Aug-02-16 | | King Harvest: White played strong. I guess she knew this book. And 13.e7! is sweet |
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| Aug-02-16 | | Nullifidian: 20. ♖xh7+ ♔xh7 21. ♕h4+ and it's mate on h6 in the next move. |
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Kibitzing
sac: 20.Rxh7+