2024/02/12 DPA: "Triangulation And Backpedaling"

White to move.

Black is one move from promotion and this time, it will come with check.  White's Bishop can sacrifice itself for the new Queen if need be.

Ideally, White would like to play 1. Qg8#.  But since he can't teleport through his g pawn and King, maybe there's another way to get there.

I think I see it:  1. Qa8+ Kg7  2. Qg8+ [supported by the Bishop] Kh6  3. Qf8#.

Yup, that was it.  No point in Black interposing with the Queen as it's unprotected.

Long distance moves can be tough to see as well as triangulation [getting to a destination by two sides rather than directly with one].

Also, the Queen had to move backwards [in the sense it went back in the direction it came from] from g8 to f8 for the coup d'grace.  If you only think about moving forwards [in the same direction as the original move], you would have missed 3. Qf8#.