Daily Puzzle Analysis 5/2/2025

Here is my analysis for today's daily puzzle!

Key Tactics: Removing the Defender, Mating Net, Battery, Pin, Back-Rank Mate

At the start of the position:

- Black is up one point of material.

- White's queen is currently hanging.

- White's h6-bishop is very strong and controls the critical dark squares around Black's king.

- White's rooks on the e-file have a strong battery, currently pointing at the e7-pawn (which they also pin to Black's e8-rook).

So, this puzzle can either be of material gain or checkmate, or perhaps even using checkmate threats to gain material.

First, there is a seemingly strong move of 1. Qd4, getting the queen out of danger, preparing to win the knight, and setting up a mate on g7 once the e5-rook moves. However, Black has 1. ... Qc3, offering a queen trade and defending the position. So, this line doesn't work.

Next, there is 1. Rxe7, ignoring the threat on White's queen and threatening Rxe8+ with back rank mate. However, Black can simply play 1. ... Rxe7, and both White's queen and rook are hanging. So, White cannot continue the attack, and this line won't work.

Now, if our queen can reach g7, it would be checkmate. This can be reached with 1. Qf6. However, there is one small (big) problem: the f6-square is currently being defended by both Black's knight and e7-pawn. But, it actually is only really defended by the knight, because after 1. ... exf6, White wins with 2. Rxe8+ Rxe8 3. Rxe8#. If we can remove this knight, this line can work! How should we do this?

That's it: 1. Rxd5, removing the threat on our queen and removing the defender of the f6-square! At worst, this move wins a knight, so White would be completely winning if Black declined the sacrifice. So, Black recaptures with 1. ... Rxd5, and we can now play 2. Qf6, threatening checkmate on g7. Black's only way to stop this mate is to give up their queen. The puzzle chooses 2. ... exf6, and we can then back-rank mate Black with 3. Rxe8#. And the puzzle is solved!

There is another tempting move on move 2, which is 2. Rxe7. This move threatens Rxe8+ and Qf6, both of which will lead to checkmate. However, Black has the defense 2. ... Qd1+ 3. Kh2 Rxe7 4. Qf6 Rd4, stopping mate. Now, after 5. Qxe7 Qe5+ 6. Qxe6 Rxe5, Black is up an exchange and is winning.

Great puzzle, @SAMAR12_11!

I hope this helps, and have a nice Friday!