[Puzzle Road] The way to checkmate. (P32)

Welcome to Puzzle Road!

Let’s change a bit and try to solve a checkmate puzzle! Instead of a position from an endgame, with only a few pieces or a position where you will need to draw, today, White can force Black being checkmated.

On the way to find the checkmate, you will have many problems and temptations for example winning material. But the variant that we search is not a material win. It’s a great checkmate in 3 moves! Check. Check. Checkmate.

32/ The way to checkmate. (Topic: forced checkmate)

First move: Queen h6+ (!!)

Indeed! Black has two possibilities: King h8, followed by Queen x h7# and King f6.
After playing King f6, White controls now the 7^th rank with the Queen and the Knight. The Knight is protected by the rook.

Second move: Bishop g5+ !

The two not controlled squares are e7 and f5. We should not let the king escape on e7, that’s why we take the square (and check the king) with our bishop. Now, Black is forced to play King f5 and will be checkmated, because we control all the squares near to him!

Third move: g4#!

Easy! Don't take the Queen!! Checking the king without moving Bishop, Knight, and Queen = Checkmate!

Have a great day,
@Kyu13

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