K, B & N vs. K (Analysis from 1-27-18 Daily Puzzle)
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I discovered this possibility as an alternate to the forcing main Daily Puzzle line beginning with 1. Ba2!!. Now please correct me if I'm wrong, as king, bishop and knight vs. king endgames are not a strength of mine, but I believe white cannot force checkmate here because black's king cannot be prevented from having access to the corner square of a1, which is on the wrong color of white's bishop. If I am wrong then white has another winning method in this puzzle.
Your method also wins for White but the method in the puzzle solution is much faster. Black lasts longest by 3...Kc1 when mate needs 28 moves by White against correct defence as against 22 moves with 3...Ka1. White can extract the Black king from the wrong corner after 3...Ka1 by 4.NxP 5.Nb4 6.Kc3 and 7.Nc2 (5.Bg6+ shown is a mistake because it threatens stalemate and the bishop will just have to move again.)
MARattigan wrote:
Your method also wins for White but the method in the puzzle solution is much faster. Black lasts longest by 3...Kc1 when mate needs 28 moves by White against correct defence as against 22 moves with 3...Ka1. White can extract the Black king from the wrong corner after 3...Ka1 by 4.NxP 5.Nb4 6.Kc3 and 7.Nc2 (5.Bg6+ shown is a mistake because it threatens stalemate and the bishop will just have to move again.)
Yes. I see now. Yet another semi-faulty Daily Puzzle courtesy of Chess.com.
Thanks.
chessicAngel wrote:
1. Nf3 wins too:
That looks even clearer than 1. Ne2. So basically this is a rubbish puzzle!
Thanks.
To be honest I really didn't think it mattered if the king tried to hide in the "wrong corner." But once again I gave Chess.com too much credit in assuming the puzzle had only one solution. Hopefully I have finally learned my lesson.
And for whatever it's worth I did solve the puzzle correctly almost instantaneously!