Loomis, it is all too easy from 3... Nc7 for black to sac his queen for white's bishop, and then it's all over.
solve it
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Nytik, after 3. Bb2 Nc7 4. Ba1 how does the queen take the bishop? (without allowing f8=Q)
You are of course correct Loomis, I did not look at 3. Bb2 because I thought Rooperi had already refuted it (I didn't actually check) and no Rooperi this doesn't mean I'm blaming you, it was entirely my fault.
Yes, white has a mate even after ...Nc7. Sooner or later black will be forced to move away his queen (which is covering f8 square and white king's discovered-check squares), knight (e6 square - Ke6+ leads to mate) or h pawn (Kg6#).
If black start moving a-pawn down the board, then white just waits for that pawn to queen on a1 by moving bishop back and forth, so he can capture the queened pawn on a1.
Paranoid, that's a good plan, but to make it work, you have to choose the right move on move 3.
And that move is 3.Bb2. If 3.Ba1, then bishop ends up on a1 after black moves his a-pawn to a3, so the bishop is stuck.
But if 3.Bb2, the bishop ends up on Bb2 after ...a3, then Ba1 a2 Bb2 a1=Q Bxa1 and black is in zugzwang.
you give up too easy, yes, the knight and the queen cover all the important squares, but they can't be moved!