Signup for FREE online play at www.Chess.com! FM Kostya Kavutskiy gives us some excellent advice on how to create a "mating net" around the enemy king by taking away his escape routes.
I saw a lot of comments on why the white knight can't go to f6 in the last puzzle, and I thought so too, but then I realized that the Black Queen can just take back and although Black loses a queen (by the rook), the d7 square isn't defended anymore, thus letting the king escape. Though white is still winning; the point of this video is to find the most efficient way to checkmate and Nf6 doesn't really support that. Hope this answers all your questions! ;)
Sometimes in chess you just have to take the easy route instead of wasting time calculating random moves like a rook sacrifice for a checkmate that may or may not be there.
@jkbrowns12 It is called en passant (in passing). Because the pawn moved twice and didn't give the pawn on e5 a chance to take it, then the pawn on e5 is allowed to capture anyway, as if the f pawn had only moved once. It is a move to balance the game since pawns are allowed to move twice on their first move.
Brilliant...I've always had a strong offense but always found my self in stale mates...this will help open my mind to see the bigger picture as haste mmakes waste
Glad I checked top comment 'cause I was about to post the same thing. I'm guessing the point of moving the rook first would have been 'quicker' in the long run as it is basically a guaranteed checkmate in 3 moves vs. a hopeful mate in 2 as black could still prolong the game by sacrificing the queen and reinforcing the 'F' file with one of their rooks to prevent the set up following Rxf6. It would still be a losing game for black but it could be dragged on from there.
If the Knight moves to F6, the Queen will take on F6 to relieve the threat of Checkmate. After Queen takes on F6, the Rook will take the Queen on F6. The Rook on H8 or D8 will swing over to F8 to, again, block any threats of Checkmate. From here there are many different variations. While white will have the winning Endgame, white could have just ended the game by playing Rook to F7 in the beginning.
This is definitely a problem I have. Excellent video explaining it. As far as the last problem goes I think he did it right. It's the most efficient way to checkmate.
The first example. After the rook moves to e1, black still has a way out. Pawn on f7 moved to threaten the knight and open up the king's movement. Then the queen move is no longer checkmate, but it does make the queen vulnerable. However, I would rather lose my queen than get checkmated.
good video! in the second puzzle I had another mate (in 7) in mind: 1. Qh7+ Kf8 2. Bh6 (threatening mate on g7, but here I overlooked that instead of taking the bishop, Black can move his knight, in this case the mate gets prolonged by at least a few moves I guess) gxh6 3. Qxh6+ Kg8 4. Bh7+ Kh8 5. Bg7+ Kg8 6. Qh7+ Kf8 7. Qf7# hope I didnt get a typo in there!
In the final Puzzle, first move can be Knights to G6, which is guarded by the rook on the F file and attacks the D7 square. If the queen counters rook takes queen. What do you all think?
@MyWorldOfBlocks The first move that came to my mind was Nf6, but it doesn't force mate because he can play Qxf6. Objectively it is winning I believe. But since the previous examples all forced mate, I took a second glance and found the Rf7 move
The last example doesn't lead to mate immediately as Black has the resource Qf2+. After Kxf2 (if Kh1 or Kh2 then Bg8#), Black plays Rdf8+, followed by Kd8. As such, Nf6 is probably just as good as Rf7.
As far as I can see, Nxe5 is actually better. In the rook sac variation, both rooks can sacrifice themselves to prolong the game by giving checks. In the knight takes version, only the queen can give check.
@eldavido761 You are right 1.Nf6 wins the queen, because black must take it. However 1.Rf7! leads to mate by force (the black queen cannot sac herself for the knight on e5).
*LAST POSITION * still possible to prolonge the game. engine shows that, after N*e5 Qf2+ and then King takes, Then Rf8+ Then King moves to g3 Then black King moves to d8 And after that, we can still prolongue
for the last one i saw ne5 and when and the queen is forced to take because the knight would be protecting the d7 square. after the queen takes then the rook could freely move to f7
@thewickedzirenita If white have a pawn on the 5th rank and black moves his pawn 2 squares so that it is level with white's, white can take it, just the way it happend in this video. it's called "en passant"
but the video does not show a very quick mate either, because black can sacrifice queen at f2 and delay the mate. i think, nf6 would lead to a faster mate then rf7, but nevertheless, both moves are strong and decisive moves.
Nf6 is wrong (although still eventually winning) because the queen sacrifices herself, and when the rook retakes, it doesn't control the king's flight square. Nxe5 is better.
Black would have to, Nf6 leads to Qa8 mate. Black would have no other move but to sacrifice the queen to stay alive a few turns longer more but it would be a bad position for him.
In the last puzzle, you said that Qa8+ leads to you winning the pawn on b7. But this is terrible as it causes you to lose the knight on g4. Unless I'm missing something here.
I think the idea was to end the game as quickly as possible. While as Nf6 would result in a Queen sac and prolong the game a bit, though clearly in white's favor.
no, nxe5 is not better because queen goes to f2, kxf2, tdf8, kg1, kd8 and black can escape. so white still will win, but after nf6 at the beginning, white will win a little bit faster.
so Qf2, Kxf2 Rxd2, Kg1 is that the idea? It's just throwing pieces in the way. mate is still coming. After Nxe5 it may take 4 more moves if you throw away all your pieces first in a desperado piece giveaway.
I really don't see what you ar talking about, I'm saying during the example at 6:49 I would play Knight f6. And I would bet money that enough people playing black would play rook g8, the for white queen a 8 and checkmate.
yes i am, even grandmasters fail sometimes, look at a strong chess computer if you do not want to believe me, there is no forced mate in 3 moves. you can take my word or even better look at it yourself, it is quite easy to find. ok black is still losing, that is clear, but that is not the point, he will lose after nf6 too.
