Daily Puzzle Analysis for Sunday 4.12.26

It’s Time for a Sunday 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 down both Bishops.

* We are up a kNight.

* We both have Queens.

* We are equal on Pawns.

* We have an immediate checking opportunity, with Ng3+, but it’s a kNight sac.
* We have an immediate checking opportunity, with Qxh4+, but it’s a Queen sac.

* Black has two pawns downfield, on the g and h files.

* We have a pawn downfield on the e file.

* Black has a Queen Rook battery on the c file.

* We have a Rook Rook battery on the 3^rd row.

* With 2 escape square, there appears to be a King Trap.

* It is our turn to move.

* The puzzle’s title is “Heavy is the Crown”

* It is Sunday.

The above observations inform potential strategies:

Of our immediate checking opportunities, the Queen sac seems more positionally advantageous. Let’s start our examination there.

Opening with Qxh4+ forces either Kxh4 or Kg6, the former, IMHO being more likely.
-----If Kxh4, we can follow with Rch3+, forcing gxh3.
----------We can follow with Rbxh3+, forcing Kg4.
---------------We can next Rg4+, forcing either Kh4 or Kh5.
--------------------In either scenario, we can now Rxg8, winning Black’s Rook, however Black can Nxg8 in return, making it an exchange. Additionally, if we Rh3+ we risk draw by 3 fold repetition. This seems to be a no go. 

Hmmm, I don’t think this is the end of the exploration of this line, let’s try again.

Opening with Qxh4+ forces either Kxh4 or Kg6.
-----If Kxh4, we can alternately g3+, forcing either Kh5 or Kh3. The problem now is that our g pawn prevents both of our Rooks and our kNight from entering the mating attack. So we have no follow up checking moves. This too seems to be a no go.

Hmmm, ok, I’m still not convinced this isn’t the best opening play, let’s try this again and focus on the other response option to see if we can get through that way, and then circle back to -----If Kxh4 if that’s successful.

Opening with Qxh4+ forces either Kxh4 or Kg6.
-----If Kg6, we don’t have an immediately successful follow up checking opportunity, however we can Ng3, preparing for Qh5+. Black could prevent this with Rgh8, threatening our Queen, or they can Kg7, preventing check on h5, but enabling check from g5.
----------If Rgh8, we can now Qxh8, winning Black’s Rook, pinning Black’s dark squared Bishop to their remaining Rook, and completely trapping Black’s King. Black can however Bfh6, threatening our Queen with their Rook, which is covered by their Queen.
---------------We can now however Qf6+, forcing Kh7.
--------------------Here we are left with no follow up checking opportunities, so this line ends in a no go.

Ok, but we have more options than that, let’s try again.

Opening with Qxh4+ forces either Kxh4 or Kg6.
-----If Kg6, we can alternately follow with Rch3, preparing for Qh6#. Now Black has 3 reasonable response options, Kg7, Rh8, and gxh3.
----------If Kg7, we now Qh7#.
----------If Rh8, we can Qxh8, winning Black’s Rook, pinning their dark squared Bishop to their remaining Rook, and preparing for Qh6+. Black could Ng8, in an attempt to protect h6, or Bfh6, attempting to threaten our Queen.
---------------If Ng8, we simply Qxg8#.
---------------If Bfh6, we simply Qxh6#.
----------If gxh3, we can now Rbg3#. Gotcha!

Ok, now back to the first response option, let’s see if we can make that work, or if this opening truly is a no go…

Opening with Qxh4+ forces either Kxh4 or Kg6.
-----If Kxh4, we can follow with Rch3+, forcing gxh3.
----------We can follow with Rbxh3+, forcing Kg4. Now this is where the above examination of this line failed, as I tried to follow with Rg3+, but revisiting it, we presently have Black’s King completely trapped and unable to move. And we have other pieces on the board we can bring into play. What if we stage?
---------------We could Ncd3, preparing for Ndf2#. This threat must be dealt with, and Black’s is unable to capture our threatening kNight. They must therefore play a stunning move to steal tempo, stopping our attack. Their only option is Qc1+.
--------------------We can respond with Nexc1, almost certainly prompting Rcxc1+.
-------------------------From here we have two options, we can Nxc1, winning Black’s Rook, or we can escape check and try to regain tempo in order to deliver mate.

If we Nxc1 we emerge down on material, having lost a Queen, a Rook, and a kNight while only claiming a Queen, a Rook and 2 pawns. And we’ve lost position to immediately checkmate, allowing Black tempo and forcing us to reposition our attack. With 2 minor pieces, a Rook and a kNight against four minor pieces, 2 Bishops, a Rook and a kNight, the odds don’t sound great for us, however we still have Black’s King completely trapped and all of their minor pieces are far away from the action. We’d need 2 moves to #, Nd3, followed by Nf2#. So what in that time could Black do to stop us? It’s their turn to play… 

WAIT! This is the mistake I’ve been making for a very long time in my daily puzzle analysis, specifically MISSING HOW THE BOARD HAS CHANGED WHEN DEEP INTO CALCULATION OF A GIVEN LINE. At first I would miss remote Bishops and Queens along the diagonals, but @EnPassantFork drilled R.B.B.S. into me and now for the most part I’m conscious of remote diagonal threats, even when the board changes. Next I noticed myself missing remote horizontal and vertical attacks from Rooks and Queens, particularly over the last couple of weeks, I missed two of them, causing two puzzle solve fails in that time period. And today I almost missed a proximate (as opposed to remote) capture from Black’s King as the board changed. If we Nxc1, winning Black’s attacking Rook, we remove coverage from our pawn on f4, and our trap is broken. Black could respond with Kxf4, and he’s free. This is an absolute no go. Not only would we emerge in material deficit, but our King trap would fail.

So evading Black’s threatening Rook must be our path. And our only choice is Kf2. Black’s only remaining checking opportunity is Rbc2+. We can now close on their lone attacker, it’s time for our King to draw his sword.
-----We Ke1, and if they want to keep checking, they must Rcc1+.
----------We Kd2, and they are out of checking options. Black still has one effective play left though, Rcf1, preventing Nf2#. But our King has not yet sheathed his sword.
---------------We can Ke2, and Black’s f Rook must now either flee or be captured. It has no safe checking square. If it moves, we Nf2#. But what if it doesn’t? Black could instead play Rgh8, threatening our Rook.
--------------------If Rgh8, we can Rxh8, winning Black’s Rook, and retaining our King trap in the interim until it can return to h3. We also retain our King’s threat on Black’s f Rook. Black could attempt to prevent us from returning with Bfh6, but Rxh6 handles that nicely and only deters us one play. Again, Black is in a position where they must withdraw their f Rook or lose it. I suppose they could Ng8 at this point, threatening our Rook, but this just allows us to return to Rh3, stabilizing our mating net. 

I don’t think they can stop us.

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

Well today we open with a forcing move allowing for two response options.
-----If response 1 (Kxh4), we follow with a forcing move, allowing only 1 response.
----------We follow with another forcing move, allowing only 1 response.
---------------We follow with a quiet move, threatening checkmate on our next play, and allowing for really only 1 reasonable response that can potentially stop it, tempo stealing check of our King.
--------------------We capture, eliminating that threat, only to have it replaced with another.
-------------------------We make the choice to march on our attacker, knowing they must keep checking or lose to checkmate. Hmmm, interesting. Upon review of the line, I’m realizing that our only escape square, Kf2, is also the square our kNight needs to land on for us to deliver mater. What if they don’t check us here and instead engage their g Rook? Rgh8 could be met with Rxh8, and we’re still on track to get back to h3 without anything capable of stopping us. Ok, let’s proceed then assuming the checking line. They check, we advance. They check, we advance. They can no longer check and instead flee to cover our mating square, we advance. They can now delay mate but cannot prevent it. A handshake and a resignation would follow in a game. But as this is a puzzle, and there is no need to draw it out, I would expect Rook to anywhere and we Nf2#.
-----If response 2 (Kh6), we follow with a staging move preparing for mate on the next play, allowing Black 3 response options that could prevent this mate.
----------If 2a, we checkmate.
----------If 2b, we capture, winning material advantage and preparing for mate on the next play, leaving Black 2 response options.
---------------If 2b1, we checkmate.
---------------If 2b2, we checkmate.
----------If 2c, we checkmate.

I’m not seeing how this plan can fail.

Ok, but is there a BETTER PLAN?

Well there is no better plan than checkmate, and this plan seems to ensure it.

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

Qxh4+ is correct, and Black chooses to Kxh4, as expected.

Rch3+ is correct, and Black is forced to gxh4.

Rbxh3+ is correct, and Black is forced to Kg4.

Nd3 is incorrect, there is a better move. Hmmm, I must have missed something. Back to the board, I reset the puzzle to the present position and review my options.

Hmmm, what would the better move be? 

We cannot move our e kNight, as this abandons the f pawn and allows for Kxf4, and our trap falls apart. 

We cannot move our c kNight in any way that does not get it immediately captured, other than Nd3, preparing for Nf2# - which the puzzle says is not the best move, or Nb3 which accomplishes nothing.

We cannot move our Rook in such a way that it abandons the h file, lest we allow for Kh4 or Kh5, either of which both allow escape from our King trap, and prompt potential draw by 3 fold repetition. 

Ahhhh, we can move our Rook such that it retains ownership of the h file, but abandons the 3^rd row, as our pawns have this escape route covered. Yes, this paves the way for h3#, very clever. But where shall we move our Rook? Certainly not h8 as that fails to Rxh8. Certainly not to h6, as that fails to Bxh6. Certainly not to h5 or h4 as this fails to King capture. Rh7 it must be then, and with our c kNight still in place to prevent a checking attack, there is naught but a single delaying tactic (Bh6, which fails to Rxh6) that Black can play to stop us. Perfect! Time to set the board aside and re-engage with the puzzle. 

Rh7 is correct, and Black surprises me with Ng6. What would this accomplish? Interesting. It accomplishes nothing, but honestly no other move would have accomplished anything for them at this point in the long run. I am undeterred.

h3# is correct, and the PUZZLE IS SOLVED!

A spectacular Sunday puzzle from a mystery puzzler. Whoever you are, you got me.

While I’ll count this as a fail from a solving perspective, I’m also pleased to chalk up a personal win today, as I did not miss how the board might change detrimentally as I examined an unplayed attack line. I suppose I may have missed how that attack line might eventually fail, but I don’t know if it would have, it just might not have been the best move at the junction where I chose Nd3 instead of Rh7. Rh7 certainly led to a quick and unstoppable mate, and an elegant puzzle solution. Lasker’s voice echoes in my ears again today. When you find a good move, look for a better one!

Have a great day everyone.