Daily Puzzle Analysis for Saturday 4.4.26

It’s Time for a Saturday puzzle! 

Legend: (Color Version)

• Observations in Yellow

• Strategies in Purple

• Responses (Unforced, Anticipated or Actual) in Orange

• Fails (Potential or Actual) in Red

• Successes (Potential or Actual) in Green

On setting up the board, we observe:

* We are equal on Rooks.

* We are equal on Bishops, both being light squared.

* We are equal on kNights.

* There are no Queens.

* We are equal on Pawns.

* We have no immediate checking opportunites.

* We have an immediate capture opportunity with Rxd4, resolving the Rook standoff on the d file.

* Our kNight is under threat of capture.

* We have an opportunity to place a pin with Bf5, pinning Black’s kNight to their King.

* With 5 escape squares, there does not appear to be a King Trap.

* It is our turn to move.

* The puzzle’s title is “Tractor Beam”

* It is Saturday.

The above observations inform potential strategies:

Being exactly equal on material, and with no clear King trap in sight, this appears to be a material gain puzzle. 

Opening with Rxd4 wins us Black’s Rook, and gives Black a choice to make. They can either recapture with Nxd4, or capture our kNight with Bxf1.
-----If Bxf1, we can move our Rook, escaping Black’s kNight, and emerge 2 points up in material, but still a roughly even match of 2 minor pieces on both sides.
-----If Nxd4 however, we can either save our kNight, or capture theirs, and the material balance remains intact. So that seems like a no go.

Opening with Bf5 pins Black’s kNight to their King. They now have the option to Bxf1, or Rxd2.
-----If Rxd2, we can Nxd2, both recapturing and removing our kNight from danger. However Black can then Kd7, Bd7, or Bc4, either breaking our pin or covering for recapture. In either scenario we still have an equal material balance. So that’s a no go.
-----If Rxd2 we could alternately Bxe6+, forcing either a King move or a block with Bd7.
----------If Kd8, Kc7, Kb7, or Kb8, we can now Nxd2, and we’ve captured Black’s Rook and their kNight for our Rook, and have removed our kNight from danger. So we emerge up a minor piece.
----------If Bd7, we can Bxd7+, almost certainly prompting Kxd7. Even if their King for some reason moves instead of recaptures, we can either Nxd2 or Kxd2 performing a delayed recapture of Black’s Rook, and emerging up a kNight in the endgame.

Ok, it’s a plan – but how could it fail?

Well, our opening pin is not a forcing move, so Black does not have to respond with Rxd2, as we anticipate. Bxf1 is also an option, let’s explore that.

-----If Bxf1, we can either now either Rxd2 or Kxd2 with impunity. Rxd2 seems the wiser choice, as it leaves us in control of the d file, preventing Black’s King from coming to the aid of their still pinned kNight. Additionally Rxd2 gives us coverage of c4, should Black next play Bc4 in attempt to protect their kNight.

Ok so Bxf1 is not a way out of our trap. Does Black have any other options? Yes, they could play Bd7 in response to our opening Bf5. Let’s see how that plays out.

-----If Bd7, we can press forward with Bxe6, winning Black’s kNight. This gives Black options, the most likely of which being Bxe6 – a recapture, or Rxd2.
----------If Bxe6, we can Rxd4, emerging with a Rook and a kNight against a Bishop in the endgame.
----------If Rxd2, we can Bxd7+, almost certainly prompting Kxd7.
---------------We can then Nxd2, emerging up a kNight in the endgame.

It seems that opening with Bf5, if we play carefully, we’ll emerge up material.

Ok, but is there a BETTER PLAN?

I don’t see a checkmate today. There is no Queen on the board to capture, nor is there a path to pawn promotion. It looks like material advantage is the best plan we have, and opening with Bf5 seems the best way to get there.

Fairly confident in my plan, I set the board aside and engage with the puzzle online.

Bf5 is incorrect, there’s a better move. Hmmm, I guess I missed something. Back to the board then.

So what haven’t I looked at here? I suppose a pawn move? Hmmm, nothing looks particularly advantageous there. Our kNight cannot move anywhere useful. What about a backwards Bishop move? 

Opening with Bd3 breaks both the standoff between our Rooks and the threat of capture to our kNight. Black could then Bxd3, or Rxd3. I suppose they could play something else as well, but if they move their kNight they’ll remove protection from their Rook. And their King is too far away to be of service to the situation. If they don’t capture, they’ll lose their Bishop. Interesting!
-----If Bxd3, we can cxd3 or Rxd3. Rxd3 would almost certainly result in Rxd3, to which we would Kxd3, and emerge equal in the endgame, both with a kNight. cxd3 again gives Black a choice. If they move their kNight, we win their Rook. If they capture with Rxd3, we Rxd3 and emerge up a Rook in the endgame.
-----If Rxd3, we again can either cxd3 or Rxd3. Rxd3 would almost certainly result in Bxd3, to which we cxd3, and emerge equal in the endgame, both with a kNight. cxd3 wins a Rook for a Bishop, putting us up 2 points of material, but still roughly equal both having 2 minor pieces. Furthermore our kNight is still trapped. Hmmm – it’s technically material advantage, but I’m just not sure that’s enough?

Ok back to the top. Let’s revisit opening with Rxd4. That was my first instinct, to resolve the Rook standoff anyway. Maybe I missed something there.

Opening with Rxd4 almost certainly prompts Nxd4.
-----We cannot now Bf5+, as this would fail to Nxf5, and when we recapture with gxf5 we’ll lose our kNight to Bxf1, leaving us with pawns vs a Bishop in the endgame. No go.
-----Aha! We can interrupt Black’s Bishop’s line of fire on our kNight, forcing it to either move or capture, with c4! If it abandons the light diagonal culminating in f1, we get their kNight for free. If the Bishop stays in place, we can capture it and still retain the threat on their kNight. If the Bishop captures, we can now Nd2, which removes our kNight from danger and working alongside our King (both literally and figuratively) threatens both the Bishop and the kNight simultaneously. Black can only save one or the other, so we emerge up a minor piece. Perfect! Thanks physical chess board. Back to the puzzle!

Rxd4 is correct, and Black chooses to Nxd4, as expected.

c4 is correct, and Black chooses to Bxc4.

Nd2 is correct, and Black chooses to Ne6.

Nxc4 is correct, and the PUZZLE IS SOLVED!

A Splendid Saturday puzzle from a @JohanVA! Very well composed my friend. 

I’m really not sure what I missed from the Bf5 opening line, but I’m out of solving time for the day, and I’m sure one of the skilled solvers here will likely have my answer in commentland. If not, the most beautiful thing about these puzzles is that I can revisit it time and again both online and on my chessboard. Great stuff.

Have a great day everyone.