The other day I was looking at an old book, Chess Combination as a fine art (a collection of chess columns by Kurt Richter).
I stumbled on an exercise I had marked years ago.
Richter took it from a Belgian chess column, but could not trace the source.
Today we know, thanks to the excellent Endgame Studies Database IV compiled by Harold van der Heijden:
The following position looks easy.
But there are surprises galore.
W. von Holzhausen, Rigaer Tageblatt 1912
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Q-F3; I don’t see the suprises.
Kg5 Bg8
Qf3 Bf7
Qh3#
Qd1 🙂
Dear Gary,
1.Qf3? is met by 1…Bf7!
After 2. Qxf7 b5 White sill cannot win.
Dear Amgaa,
Congrats!
However, numbering moves would help other readers.
Also, the sign # indicating mate should appear two moves after 3.Qh3.
Qe4 Bf7,Qf5#
Dear Stanislas,
After 1.Qe4 Bf7 2.Qf5 Kb1 3.Qxf7 b5 there is no win.
Qg3, leaving no hope for black but a mate in one with Qg8… black no matter what it does.. can’t stop that from happening as the pawn at B7 remains pinned making the rook immovable as well as the King is just a sitting duck! took me 30 seconds to figure out!… Its a win for White all the way.. wonder why they had to figure out such complex combinations!
If I’m wrong.. forgive me! I’m still learning!
If 1.Qg3… Black moves Kb8.
Now there’s another option instead of 3. Qf3 and it’s Qe4.
Should go as followed:
3. Qe4 Be6
4. Qh7 Bc8(best possible move I assume)
5. Qxc7
giving an inevitable mate, might take 1 or 2 more moves but it’s a sure win hehe.
1.Qf3 Bf7 2.Qxf7 Kb1 3.Qf8# …..congratulations… white won!!!
Dear Sahil and JoeAxl,
You have to practise algebraic notation a bit.
1.Qg3 is an impossible move.
After 1.Qg2 Be6 Black threatens 2…Kb8 and 3…b5.
Dear deepanshu,
After 1.Qf3 Bf7 2.Qxf7 there follows 2…b5.
Instead check out the solution above.
Dear chessbibliophile,
I am a beginner so I don’t know about proper notations. Anyway puzzle was very nice, thank you. I had several failure until finding solution.
Dear Amgaa,
Still it’s nice.
Do check our Problems section:
http://www.thechessworld.com/learn-chess/33-problems
and ARVES web site:
http://www.arves.org/English/
Keep it up.