or

b) I'm getting much better.

Since so many others thinks so, too, I'm afraid the answer is a).

Anyway, I saw that in order to mate, Black must move his bishop out of the way to allow Qh2#, and that the knight defends that square. So let's first remove the knight with 18. ..Rxf3. After 19. exf3 Bxg2, White is dead, so what about 19. Bxf3? I noticed that 19. ..Bxf1 20. Kxf1 gives White a new flight square and the queen cannot give check from h1 since the bishop defends it. So why take the rook anyway, it's worse than useless for White. The only other square to put the bishop on is g2, and then it was easy to see that all of 20. Bxg4, Bxg2, Kxg2 or any other White move that doesn't give check leads to mate in 1. And giving check with 20. Qg8+ Rxg8 would only delay the inevitable. Not taking the rook on move 19 leads to catastrophe, too.

Then I thought I must have missed something because this is too easy. The key themes (destroy the guard and clearance for the queen) are easy to see, and White doesn't have many options. Plus, checkmate happens quickly in most lines so there's no need for deep evaluation. All in all, my solution seemed to be more Tuesday or at most Wednesday level. But White really doesn't have any convincing response.

Personally, I did take a look at 19. Qe6, but considered the position to be dead lost for White after 19. ..Bxg2. And what does White threaten to do anyway? Sacrifice the exchange by giving Q for N or R while Black's king remains in total safety? I confess I didn't calculate it out to a forced mate, but I know enough about chess that if you're a piece and an exchange down, you'd better have some positional compensation. And in this position, White does not get any compensation whatsoever. In fact, Black's pieces are still more active and the king is much more secure. Multiply things with the material advantage and that's enough to realize that Black wins easily, even if it's not a mate in 3.

To illustrate things, 19. Qe6 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Rf6 may not be the fastest way, but it's not hard to see who's winning these positions:

a) After 21. Qxf6 Qh2+ 22. Kf3 Nxf6

click for larger view

or

b) After 21. Qxg4 Qxg4

click for larger view

or

c) After 21. Rh1 Qxh1+ 22. Kxh1 Rxe6

click for larger view

<Billy Ray Valentine: even if White plays 19. Qe6 and Black doesn't find the best moves, Black still has moves which will bring home the full point (unless I'm missing something>

18. hxg3 ♖xf3 19. ♕e6 ♗xg2 20. ♔xg2 ♕h2+ 21. ♔xf3 ♖f8+ 22. ♔xg4 <h5+> 23. ♔g5 ♖f5+ 24. ♕xf5 ♘xf5 25. ♔xf5 ♕h3+ 26. ♔g6

It will still take a while to win this:

click for larger view

White threatens Bxg4.

What is more interesting is the discussion going on twelve years ago about the Thursday puzzle 18....?

Obviously, 18....Rxf3 is the answer and would properly answer the puzzle. Some claim it's not the end of it, but I'd beg to differ, as neither of White's replies does something practical.

SF9 immediately announces -#9, with 19.Qe6 being the toughest defense. Black mates after 19....Bxg2, but if White does not play any #xf3, Black can destructively retreat the rook and win material: after 19.Qe6 Rf6 -+, after 19.Qe6 Bxg2 20.Kxg2 Rf6 or Rf5 -+. It's not the best, but it wins relatively fast as well.

<landshark: <CHC> I'd also be surprised if any beginners solved this one - Lately a lot of the 'easy' Tuesdays and 'medium/easy' Wednesdays have made me feel like a beginner>

This week's Tuesday was none too easy, either, although I got them both. I figure the Monday's at least should encourage beginners rather than make them do a lemming dive off the nearest cliff, chessboard in hand. That inspired me to think up a pun for this one: