Daily Puzzle Analysis for Tuesday 5.5.26

It’s time for a Tuesday Puzzle!

Legend:

• 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 sides having both colors.

* We are equal on kNights.

* We both have Queens.

* We are down a Pawn.

* We have castled, and it appears that Black retains castling rights.

* We have no immediate checking opportunities.

* We have an immediate capture opportunity with Be6, but it’s an exchange.

* We have an immediate capture opportunity with Qxa4, but it’s a Queen sac and for a pawn.

* Black’s King has 4 escape squares, (if you include a Kingside castle option) so there isn’t really a current King Trap.

* It is our turn to move.

* The puzzle’s title is “Double Play”.

* It is Tuesday.

The above observations inform potential strategies:

In what looks to be an early stage of the game, both sides have lost a kNight and we have lost two pawns while our opponent has lost one. The majority of our pieces are inactive, with our Rooks and dark squared Bishop blocked in by our own pieces.

Our kNight is active, however would need two moves to be effective. Our light squared Bishop is in a standoff with it’s opposite number. Our Queen is free to move along either light diagonal, however if she goes left it’s a Queen sac if she captures or goes to b3, and she’s then blocked on the light diagonal to the right by our d pawn if she goes to c2.

If she goes right however, she can pin Black’s f pawn to their King with Qh5. This pin is also a fork of Black’s f pawn diagonally and Black’s dark squared Bishop along the 5^th row.

This means that our Bishop standoff is now a capture opportunity, as Black cannot move their f pawn to recapture. Black has a few response options here, let’s examine them in turn.

Opening with Qh5 is not a forcing move. So…

-----If g6, destroying our pin and threatening our Queen, we can Qxc5, winning Black’s dark Bishop and a material advantage.

-----If Bd6 (or a similar play to remove Black’s dark Bishop from danger) we can Bxe6, winning Black’s light Bishop and a material advantage.

-----If Bxa2, we can Rxa2 and be none the worse for it, an equal exchange. That’s not a puzzle solution, but it’s not losing either, we’re still just down a pawn. Being a puzzle, I’ll put this on hold and examine other opening options. Material equivalence is a no go.

What if instead of pinning Black’s f pawn and targeting their dark Bishop, we pin their light Bishop? This would prevent Bxa2.

Opening with Qe2 does just that, and prepares for Bxe6, prompting fxe6, to which we can Qxe6, and emerge with material equivalence. But that’s not a puzzle solution either.

What, however if we resolve the standoff first?

Opening with Bxe6 almost certainly prompts fxe6.

-----We can now Qh5+, forking Black’s King and dark Bishop.

----------If Black moves their King, we Qxc5, winning their 2nd Bishop for free.

----------If g6 to block, we Qxc5, winning their 2nd Bishop for free.

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

Well, we open with a capture, and Black does not have to respond with a recapture. However if they do not, we’re up a Bishop and have a material gain solution.

On my physical board I make the first move and then flip the board to examine it from Black’s perspective. What else could they do here?

We’ve castled, and with our King tucked safely behind a pawn wall and their remaining kNight all the way across the board, they cannot check us.

Their dark Bishop is blocked by their own pawn on their left advancing diagonal, and has no safe squares to the right (from their perspective).

Both of their Rooks are blocked by pawns, and even if they weren’t there are no safe captures for them.

Their Queen can move along their advancing left diagonal, but to no clear end.

They only have the one immediate capture opportunity.

This plan cannot fail.

Ok, so is there a BETTER PLAN?

I don’t see one. This plan should put us up a Bishop in the middle game, and I don’t see a better opportunity at this point in the game / puzzle position.

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

Bxe6 is correct, and Black chooses to fxe6, as expected.

Qh5+ is correct, and Black responds with g6, as was a predicted possibility.

Qxc5 is correct, and the PUZZLE IS SOLVED!!!

A terrific Tuesday puzzle from a mystery puzzler.

Have an awesome day everyone!