I don't think Black would even want to move Nc2... the Queen fork is too obvious...
My First Puzzle Post
Good despite some moves making me angry (Nc5 instead of Rd8, Nxb3 instead of Qd8 preventing promotion and like velocity said Nxc2 instead of Qe6) I would have to believe that black made some serious blunders and confuzzlings, though none of us are perfect :]
Anyways about the puzzle, it was good except I have two problems with it.
1) Too much going on, I was confused about the objective so perhaps put a title above it like "Seeking Promotion & More" It helps to know the direction of the puzzle.
2) Too many moves, simply put Ba7, Bxb8, Bxc7, b8=Q+ and the puzzle should be complete. No sense in dragging it out and looking for a queen fork. The promotion was the centerpiece.
Hope this helped Saccadic!
I look forward to doing more puzzles by you in the future!
I personally think the queen sacrifice wasn't the best way to go (moving it along the b-file to keep the tension looks better to me), and a computer readout at the end is definitely not enough to convince me that this was the best solution, especially when White's advantage is probably around that much to begin with.
I don't think Black would even want to move Nc2... the Queen fork is too obvious...
I'm pretty sure that knight is trapped anyway, so Nxc2 ensures that Black has at least something for the knight.
This line featured in the puzzle wasn't in the game. In fact it was something I had missed. Rybka finds all of Blacks moves to be the most effective.
13... Nc5 is tied with 13...Qd8.
13... Rd8?? is much worse (3 point difference). Leading to 14. b8Q Rxb8 15. Qxb8.
14...Qd8?? is horrible and leads to 15. Bxc7 Qxc7 16. b8=Q+ Qxb8 17. Qxb8+
17...Qe8?! isn't as good (as Nxc2) because then White takes the knight for free.
dmeng, the White Queen cannot stay on the b-file. b6, b5, b3 are all under attack. Qb4?? gives Black a winning score, after 14... Rxb7! 15. Qa5 Ne6
This line featured in the puzzle wasn't in the game. In fact it was something I had missed. Rybka finds all of Blacks moves to be the most effective.
13... Nc5 is tied with 13...Qd8.
13... Rd8?? is much worse (3 point difference). Leading to 14. b8Q Rxb8 15. Qxb8.
14...Qd8?? is horrible and leads to 15. Bxc7 Qxc7 16. b8=Q+ Qxb8 17. Qxb8+
17...Qe8?! isn't as good (as Nxc2) because then White takes the knight for free.
dmeng, the White Queen cannot stay on the b-file. b6, b5, b3 are all under attack. Qb4?? gives Black a winning score, after 14... Rxb7! 15. Qa5 Ne6
Well okay, so that wasn't the best move there. That's what I get for doing puzzles late at night.
I was simply wondering why go for promotion when the resulting position didn't seem all that much better for White, if at all. I don't think the best line involves going for an immediate promotion. White has other possibilities that might be worth looking at.
Seeking Promotion & More
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