Eric Morrow
“Last year I went fishing with Salvador Dali,” opines the comic Steven Wright. “He was using a dotted line. He caught every other fish.” With this hint in mind please try to find white’s best move and winning strategy.
Black has just captured white’s pawn on c2 with its bishop. White’s queen exploits black’s greed and penetrates black’s king side by moving to f6 (Qf6). White is now poised to move its bishop to e5. This connects the bishop and queen along the a1-h8 diagonal and threatens mate.
If black responds to Qf6 by checking white from c5 with its queen, white’s bishop slides to f2, blocking the check and attacking the enemy queen. Black’s best reply is to move its queen to f8, guarding g7. White’s bishop then posts itself on d4, threatening Qh8 mate.
From here, black is forced to move its king to h7. White’s rook slides to e7, as the attack continues. Black’s bishop returns to g6 to protect its f7 square and pawn. White continues to pressure black by moving its rook to c7, which will win black’s c6 pawn. White’s pressure should prove decisive.
If black responds to Qf6 by moving its queen to f5 in an attempt to trade queens, white’s queen snatches the c6 pawn, which threatens black’s rook. The rook moves to c8, attacking the queen. White’s queen slides across the board and grabs the h6 pawn. Soon white’s bishop will move to e5 and again dominate the a1-h8 diagonal.
Black’s best response to Qf6 is to move its king to h7. White’s bishop then moves to e5, threatening mate on g7. This forces black’s rook to move to g8.
White’s pressure should prove decisive. For example, white will bring its rook into the attack after moving its bishop to d4.
The lesson here is dominating a critical diagonal or line, especially if it runs near the enemy king, can be the straightest line to victory.
