White to move.

(From Bogdan Sliwa vs Gosta Stoltz, Bucharest, 1953)

QxB and the pawn gets home

And what happens next? 🙂

edit: Oh, what happens next isn't forced... But it's nice nevertheless... 🙂

edit: OK, the point is what happens after QxB PxQ and then b7 and Qd8. Sorry, I thought it was a good puzzle, but it apparently isn't.

It is good. A lot better than people may think.


Black is threatening 1...Rd1+ and 2...Qxg2 mate.

Playing 1.Qxc6 and b7 is easy to see but how easy was it to see till the end
There is a Yo Ho McNasty in there for Black and you have to spot that too.

Exactly! 🙂 But Black doesn't have to play Qd8... Does he?

Originally posted by WanderingKing
Exactly! 🙂 But Black doesn't have to play Qd8... Does he?

Black could give his king a flight square by moving a pawn.

Originally posted by WanderingKing
Black could give his king a flight square by moving a pawn.

Originally posted by greenpawn34
It is good. A lot better than people may think.

[fen]6k1/1p3ppp/1PbNp3/3rP1q1/2Q5/8/5PPP/1R4K1 w - - 2 33 [/fen]
Black is threatening 1...Rd1+ and 2...Qxg2 mate.

Playing 1.Qxc6 and b7 is easy to see but how easy was it to see till the end
There is a Yo Ho McNasty in there for Black and you have to spot that too.

[pgn]
[FEN "6k1/1p3ppp/1PbNp3/ he Black Queen or mates. If 5...c5 6.Rd8+ Qxd8 7.Nxd8 c4 the Knight does halt the pawn.}[/pgn]

Still, it is indeed a nice combination.

It was hard to imagine that back-rank mate was a part of the puzzle.

Originally posted by vivify
Still seems avoidable:

[pgn][Date "????.??.??"]
[Result "*"]
[FEN "6k1/1p3ppp/1PbNp3/3rP1q1/2Q5/8/5PPP/1R4K1 w K - 0 1"]

1.Qxc6 bxc6 2.b7 Qd8 3.b8=Q Qf8 {Black is still down in material, yes; but still a ways to go before the game's over.}
*[/pgn]

Originally posted by USArmyParatrooper
Mind you I'm not very good, but after Queen takes Queen, King takes Queen, doesn't white moving f4 make his position winning?