2023/09/15 DPA: "Pardon Me While I Checkmate"

I’m trying a new approach:  writing my analysis in real-time, as I’m solving the puzzle, vs doing it after the fact.

White’s King is exposed and bereft of defenders.
Black has plenty of hardware to do the job.
The key will be restricting the King’s movement.

The Rook prevents the King from escaping the back rank.  So 1. … Rh1+ is probably not the right move.  And winning the White Rook is irrelevant since Black is down material.

1. … Bb4+ looks promising, as the light-squared Bishop prevents the King from moving away from the mating net to d1.  2. Kf1.

2. … Bg2+ blocks the Rook’s control of the 2nd rank and allows 3. Kf2, although does this win the Queen with 3. … Be4 discovered +. 4. Ke3 Bxh7 ?  It does but it then leads to 5. Kxf4 Bd6+ and White is still up in material.

2. … Be2+. 3. Rxe2 Nxe2. 4. Qxh5+ Kg3. 5. Qxe2 Rxe2. 6. Kxe2 and White is up.a Rook.

Let’s go back to 2. … Bg2+. 3. Kf2 [3. Kg1 Rh1+  4. Kf2 Bxd4+. 5. Re3;  can Black win this?] Bb7 discovered + [b7 so Black has Ba6 available]  4. Kf1

Wait:  there’s an error.  Black can’t play 4. … Bxd4 because the Bishop is on b4, not c3.

Back to the drawing board.

Most of the action has to be on the dark squares since Black has a dark-squared Bishop but White does not.  Checks by the light-squared Bishop could potentially be blocked more easily.

I played 1. … Bb4+ because I could not see any other move.

Correct is 1. … Nd3+, not because of the check but because it allows 2. Qxd3 Bg3+  3. Kf1 Rh1#.

I was hoping inspiration would strike if 1. … Bb4+ was correct but that clearly didn’t work.  I thought I had it with 1. … Bb4+. 2. Kf1 Bg2+. 3. Kf2 Bxh3 discovered +. 4. Ke3 Bd2+. 5. Ke4 Re2+. 6. Kf3 Bg4#.

But White will play 4. Kf3 instead and not allow Black to win the tempo with the Bishop check.

It never even occurred to me that the Bishop would go to g3.  I did consider 1. … Nd3+ but discarded it because after White captures, I didn’t see how Black gained and I thought the Knight was critical to holding the mating net.  I was looking at the wrong side of the board.

I failed to ask the question “What move would Black like to make if anything were possible?”.  That might have led to “Black wants to play … Bg3+.”