Confusion

 [Black to move]

Hi,

I would like to ask if this position is checkmate. I'm a little bit confused, since I think it's not :\

Why do you think it is not checkmate?

There are only three things the defender can do to get out of a check. If he can do any one of these it is not a checkmate. These defensive choices are:

• Capture the piece that is giving check.
• Move the king to a square where it is not attacked.
• Interpose a piece between the checking piece's line of attack and the king.

The white queen attacks the black king.

The black can not capture the piece giving check. The Bishop does not attack the Queen, and the King can't take it as it is protected by the bishop. So the first option is out.

The black king can not move to any square where it is not attacked. That takes care of the second option.

There is no ability to interpose a piece between the queen and the king. So the third option can't happen either.

Ergo, it's checkmate.

I'm confused on the 1st point you mentioned.

The black king can not capture the piece giving check as it is protected by the bishop.  

Actually the Bishop is pinned so it can not moved, so actually it doesn't protect the queen

That doesn't matter. The rule that the King can not move into check takes precedence over the rule that the bishop could not actually move to capture on f7. It doesn't matter that the bishop can't move, it still protects that square from the King as the rule that a King can not move into check is an absolute rule.

[COMMENT DELETED]

Yep, it really does protect the Queen. Imagine the following (illegal) moves: 1...Kxf7 2. Bxf7. You have already captured his King, so the game is over before he can take your King.

From the Laws of Chess:

3.9        

The king is said to be 'in check' if it is attacked by one or more of the opponent's pieces, even if such pieces are constrained from moving to that square because they would then leave or place their own king in check. No piece can be moved that will either expose the king of the same colour to check or leave that king in check.

I have a doubt on what you say "still protects". I'm not so sure if it protects it. Nevertherless, I'm not also sure for what you said "check takes precedence over the rule that the bishop could not actually move to capture on e7"

Read the laws of chess, section 3.9. I just posted it above.

Ok...thanks. I'm convinced!!! It's checkmate 

There is no debate here symeon, you can not take the queen as you will be putting the king into check.  These are the rules of chess.

I didn't know that rule  (3.9). Now it's clear. I was confused for the reasons I mentioned. Nevertherless the answer of Kingpatzer Law of Chess, and ChessisGood answered both theoretically and practically my question 

I've seen many cases where this type of situation confuses some players. I remember one player who wrote GM Larry Evans in Chess Life about this type of thing. His summation was, "Check must be respected." Of course, his answer was exactly in accordance with the responses given here.

I do not understand any of these posts, was this hypothetical? better to use an actual position as the the given position is impossible. check with retrograde analysis. in the diagram if it is white to move, then black moved last. what move would that have been? as to get to this position Black would have to make an illegal move. look at the diagram, what could possibly have been Black's last move?! this position is illegal if it is white to move. i notice the text next to the picture says Black to move in brackets, this would be more accurate as the given start and do more than suggest that White's last move was Qf7++

if Black to move then perhaps White just took a piece on f7

"White to move" in that case (first diagram) would be White doing a little dance and saying, "I won! I won!"

zebraleg, actually I came across a similar position on a game, that's why I got confused. Thanks again for your replies

Is that bottom puzzle supposed to be the same as the top one? If so, then where is the white queen in the bottom puzzle?

To sum up, if your King would die first, you can't do it.