click for larger view

26...d3 is not a threat due to 27.Qf6+

To my surprise, Black indeed played 24...Nd4+ and White, no doubt intimidated, responded 25.Ke1? Sort of reminds me of yesterdays Help-mate or Self mate

You gasp and look around. That is not surprising, for the foul deed of murder has been committed this day.

Straight away I had three suspects. My suspicion first fell on sweet innocent 24...d4, the chambermaid. And rather fetching she looks too in that uniform. But after 25. Bc5, or Ke1 or Rf6, I can find no stain of blood on her pretty pink hands. No, dear little 24...d4 is free to go.

Then I wondered if the Lady of the house had enough of a motive for this murder. Does dark infamy hide behind her lavender scented pearls and lace? Might 24...Qg4+ have been the dagger to the heart?

But no. I find that her Ladyship has a compelling alibi. The simple 25. Ke1 is enough to establish her innocence. Now there can be no murder.

Then my attention turned to the stable boy. A shifty looking character with eyes set too far apart, a long nose and an enduring odour of ... horse. Was it 24...Nd4+ which tipped poison into his Lordship's porridge? But as my faithful assistant morfishine has pointed out, this line of inquiry is flawed. After 25. exd4 exd4+ 26. Kd1

click for larger view

our mystery becomes unclear again.

The solution eluded me for quite some time. I could not find a single suspect. Everyone had an alibi.

But then inspiration struck in the most unlikely of places. I could not find a <single> suspect. Every<one> had an alibi. Maybe I was mistaken in looking for only one suspect? Maybe, just maybe, there were two killers - each providing an alibi for the other.

I find a devastating clue in her Ladyship's underwear drawer. Why was I looking there? Well, um, ahem. Standard detective practice. Some of my best clues have come from looking in ladies' undertrappings. That court case some years back was just a misunderstanding.

Back to our story... Nestled between the lacy lingerie, damasqued double DDs and surprisingly racy leather thongs I found the slightest trace of a familiar smell. I pressed my nose into the gossamer scanties ... purely for research you understand ... and then I was sure. The unmistakeable aroma of thoroughbred stallion.

A few pieces of straw amidst the silkies confirmed my new theory. I accuse ... her ladyship and the stable boy, working together!

You see, after 24... Nd4+ 25. exd4

click for larger view

We all assumed that 25...exd4+ would follow. But as we have seen 26. Kd1 is an adequate alibi. But instead her ladyship and her equerry lover had planned 25...Qg4+. And now there can be no annoying check on f6. They have both poisoned his breakfast and plunged a knife into his vitals.

24. … Nd4+

A) 25. Kd3 e4+ 26. Kxd4 Qe5#

B) 25. Kf3 Qh3#

C) 25. Kd1 Qg4+

C1) 26. Rf3 Nxf3 and black is a rook less without enough compensation

C2) 26. Ke1 Nc2+ and black has to give up its queen to avoid mate.

D) 25. Ke1 seems a much better defense, for instance :

D1) 25. … Nc2+ 26. Kd1 and 26. … Qg4+ 27. Rf3 doesn’t work any longer because the black knight isn’t any ore on d4 and can’t capture the rook (compare with the C1 line).

D2) 25. … Qg4 (threatening) 26. … Nc2+ seems to me the right move but the solution isn’t immediately evident. For instance :

D2a) 26. e3 and the continuation for black doesn’t appear immediately to me.

D2b) 26. Rf4 ?! and doesn’t work 26. … Nc2+ 27. Qxc2

So let’s analyse further the D line in order to check first:

E) 25. exd4. exd4+

E1) 26. Kd3 Qe4#

E2) 26. Kf3 Qh3+ 27. Kf4 Re4+ 28. Kg5 Qh4#

E3) 26. Kd1 Qg4+ 27. Rd2 Qxd2#

So, for the moment, after 24. … Nd4+, we met winning lines for white after 25. Kd3 / K f3 / Kd1 / and 25. exd4

A) 27. … e4 ?! 28. Qf6+! and the position becomes very tricky for both, for instance : 28. … Re7 29. Qxe7# or 28. … Kd7 29. Qd6# and after 28. … Kc7 white could try 29. Kxc2 or Qd6+ or the interesting 29. Bc5! Threatening mate in many lines

B) 27. … Rc8 ? 28. Bxc8

C) 27. …. Nd4 28. exd4 exd4

So I don’t see for the moment how should follow black after : 24. … Nd4 25. Ke1 Nc2+ 26. Kd1 Qg4+ 27. Rf3

And I forgot too that the continuation 27. ... Rc8 28. Ke2 Qe4+ 29. Re3 Qg2+ just doesn't work at all because 27. ... Rc8?? is met by 28. Bxc8

25.exd4, exd4+ 26.♔d1, ♕g4+ 27.♖f3, ♖f8 28.♔e2, d3+ 29. ♔e1 (29.♔e3/d3?, ♕e4#), ♖xf3

25.♔d1, ♕g4+ 26.♔e1, ♘c2+

25.♔e1, ♘c2+ 27.♔d1, ♕g4+ 28.♔c1 (28.♖f3, ♖f8 ), ♘xe3+

click for larger view

For those that played 24...Nd4+ (which is all I went for) and worked out it could not be taken then you/we can chalk it up as solved.

25.Kd1 Qg4+ or 25.Ke1 Nc2+ and the attack is playing itself.

But here (Black to play)

click for larger view

My first thought was to keep the e2 Rook pinned 28...Qh4 instead of 28...Qxh3.

This was a blitz game and posting honestly, I do these things as though I was playing, I fear I may have played 28...Qh4. Which looking at it has no back rank check and possibly lets White off the hook.

In blitz I (as I'm sure a lot us of do) usually snatch at the first idea and only give it time if the hackles go up. (the old gut feeling...'you are missing something')

The knight sacrifice 24... Nd4+ seems the logical start of the attack against he white king:

A) 25.exd4 Qg4+ (25... exd4+ 26.Kd1 Qg4+ 27.Rf3 Qg2 (or 27... Qe4) 28.d3 and the attack appears to vanish)

A.1) 26.Ke3(d3) Qe4#.

A.2) 26.Ke1 exd4+ 27.Re2 Qxe2#.

A.3) 26.Rf3 e4 wins the exchange at least.

B) 25.Kd1 Qg4+ wins decisive material (26.Ke1 Nc2+).

C) 25.Kd3 e4+ 26.Kxd4 Qe5#.

D) 25.Ke1 Nc2+

D.1) 26.Ke2 Qg4+ 27.Rf3 (27.Kd3 e4#) 27... Nd4+ 28.exd4 e4 transposes to A.3.

Nd4+ naturally featured, but I never considered it as the point of departure or saw the game line at all.