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February 9, 2012

Poisonous filet mignon – White to move and win?

By Eric Morrow Chess Corner

One of the most common mating motifs is the back rank mate. With this hint in mind please try to find white’s best move.

Black has an extra knight and strong center pawns. However, white’s rook battery on the “f” file is like a loaded gun ready to be cocked and fired. White puts the gun to black’s head by moving its queen to b7, placing the white queen en prize.

The point of the queen sacrifice is illustrated if black’s queen grabs white’s queen, white busts through on f8, first by taking black’s rook on f8 with check. After black’s remaining rook takes white’s rook on f8, white’s other rook takes black’s rook, delivering a back rank mate. Black’s knight on g7 unwittingly assists in the mate because the knight prevents the king from fleeing to g7.

White’s queen also threatens black’s queen. If black’s queen does not capture white’s queen and moves to a safe square, such as g4, white’s rooks again bust through on f8 and mate black.

Black’s best response to white’s moving its queen to b7, which is a poisonous piece of filet mignon, is to protect the back rank by having the rook on f8 capture white’s rook on f2. White’s queen then takes black’s rook on a8, checking black. Black blocks the check by moving its queen to e8, which is supported by the black knight.

White trades queens, and when the dust settles white has a rook to black’s knight. The rook will dominate the position and white wins easily.

The lesson here is, as the old saying goes, what is one man’s poison is another’s meat.

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