A really tough one to start the New Year from national master Nelson Lopez
[title "White to move and win"]
[fen "1rkb4/pNp5/8/2N4p/8/5B2/4K3/8 w - - 0 1"]
asked Jan 1, 2023 at 11:50
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1 Answer
That's a nice positionnal attack on the light squares.
After 1.Bc6! Rxb7 is forced because of the threat 2.Bd7#, but then 2.Bd7 Kb8 3.Na6 Ka8 4.Bc6 freezes the whole Black army but the useless dark squared bishop and the h-pawn.
White finishes by bringing their king to c8 and mating with Bb7#, e.g.:
4...h4
5.Kf3 Bg5 (5...h3 6.Kg3, when the king will take the pawn but never the bishop to avoid stalemate)
6.Kg4 Bd8 (6...Be7 7.Kf5!)
7.Kf4!Z (We wait for the Bd8 to leave the defense of c7 ; Not 7.Kf5 h3 8.Ke6 h2 9.Kd7 h1Q 10.Bh1 when 10...c6 frees the rook, with a draw after 11.Kc6 Rc7! 12.Kd6 Rb7 or 11.Kc8 Rb6!)
7...Be7 (7...Bg5 8.Kf5!)
8.Kf5 h3
9.Ke6 h2 (9...Bg5 10.Kd7 h2 11.Kc8 h1Q 12.Bxh1 c6 13.Bxc6 Bh4 14.Bxb7#)
10.Kd7! h1Q
11.Bxh1 c6
12.Kc8 Rb8 (12...Rb6 13.Nc7# ; 12...Bd8 13.Bxc6 Ba5 14.Bxb7#)
13.Nxb8 a5
14.Nxc6! a4 (the black king is boxed again)
15.Bg2 a3
16.Bf1 a2
17.Ba6 a1Q
18.Bb7#
