Slugfest

White to play and win

looks easy enough to me

Originally posted by General Putzer
looks easy enough to me

looks easy but with the constant threat to promote from black not that easy to solve.

Since no one else seems to take it, here my attempt:

1.Re4 is more or less forced e1=Q+ 2.Rxe1 Bxe1+ 3.Kh5 bxa6 4.Rb7 Ke8 (white threatened e6!) 5.Nxd7 f2 (or Kd8 Nf6 f2) 6.Nf6+ Kd8 7.e6 f1=Q 8.e7+ Kc8 9.e8=Q+ Kxb7 10.Qd7+ and now if black wants to try to escape from queen checks he must come down with the king Kb6 11.Qd8+ Kb5 12.Qd5+ Ka4 13.Qa2+ = white moves back and forth between a2 and d5, or if the king moves back up, the queen continues to give checks.

Originally posted by Mephisto2
Since no one else seems to take it, here my attempt:

1.Re4 is more or less forced e1=Q+ 2.Rxe1 Bxe1+ 3.Kh5 bxa6 4.Rb7 Ke8 (white threatened e6!) 5.Nxd7 f2 (or Kd8 Nf6 f2) 6.Nf6+ Kd8 7.e6 f1=Q 8.e7+ Kc8 9.e8=Q+ Kxb7 10.Qd7+ and now if black wants to try to escape from queen checks he must come down with the king Kb6 11.Qd8+ Kb5 12.Qd5+ Ka4 13.Qa2+ = whit ...[text shortened]... k and forth between a2 and d5, or if the king moves back up, the queen continues to give checks.

Close, but after 1.Re4 black has the chance to get a perpetual check...

1.Re4 e1Q+ 2.Rxe1 Bxe1+ 3.Kg5 bxa6 4.e6+ Bxe6 5.Rb7+ Kg8 6.Nxe6 Bc3 (6...f2 7.Rg7+ Kh8 8.Rf7) 7.Rd7 f2 8.Rd1 Kf7 9.Nd8+ Kg7 and the possibility of Bf6+ ensures Black a draw; 10.Nc6 Be1 11.Rd7+ with a perpetual.

I'll give a hint 😉

1.e6+

Originally posted by coentje
Close, but after 1.Re4 black has the chance to get a perpetual check...

1.Re4 e1Q+ 2.Rxe1 Bxe1+ 3.Kg5 bxa6 4.e6+ Bxe6 5.Rb7+ Kg8 6.Nxe6 Bc3 (6...f2 7.Rg7+ Kh8 8.Rf7) 7.Rd7 f2 8.Rd1 Kf7 9.Nd8+ Kg7 and the possibility of Bf6+ ensures Black a draw; 10.Nc6 Be1 11.Rd7+ with a perpetual.

I'll give a hint 😉

1.e6+

Oops! I misread the puzzle and played for a draw for white. OK, let's try:

1.e6+ Bxe6 2.Rxb7+ Kg6 3.f5+ Kxf5 4.Nd3 Bxc4 (still have to figure out Be1+ 5.Nxe1 f2) 5.Bxc4 Ke4 6.Ba6 e1=Q6 7.Nxe1 Bxe1+ 8.Kh3 and white's problems are over. He will grab pawn h7 next and win, but not in a trivial way.

Anyone better?

Originally posted by Mephisto2
Oops! I misread the puzzle and played for a draw for white. OK, let's try:

1.e6+ Bxe6 2.Rxb7+ Kg6 3.f5+ Kxf5 4.Nd3 Bxc4 (still have to figure out Be1+ 5.Nxe1 f2) 5.Bxc4 Ke4 6.Ba6 e1=Q6 7.Nxe1 Bxe1+ 8.Kh3 and white's problems are over. He will grab pawn h7 next and win, but not in a trivial way.

Anyone better?

Again close 🙂

Here is the final solution though 🙂 beautiful mate at the end.

1.e6+
Not 1.Nd3 e1Q+ 2.Nxe1 f2, or 1.Re4 e1Q+ 2.Rxe1 Bxe1+ 3.Kg5 bxa6 4.e6+ Bxe6 5.Rb7+ Kg8 6.Nxe6 Bc3 (6...f2 7.Rg7+ Kh8 8.Rf7) 7.Rd7 f2 8.Rd1 Kf7 9.Nd8+ Kg7 and the possibility of Bf6+ ensures Black a draw; 10.Nc6 Be1 11.Rd7+ with a perpetual.
1...Bxe6 2.Rxb7+ Kg6 3.f5+ Kxf5
Or 3...Bxf5 4.Rb6+ Kf7 5.Nd3!
4.Nd3
(4.Re4 Bd5!) Now Black loses after 4...e1Q+ 5.Nxe1 Bxe1+ 6.Kh3 Bxc4 7.Bxc4 and after 4...f2 5.Rc5+ Kf6 6.Nf4 f(e)1Q 7.Nh5+ Kg6 8.Bd3+ Kh6 9.Rxh7 mate, but he has the unlikely
4...Be1+!
Blocking his own promotion square. 4...e1Q+ 5.Nxe1 Bxe1+ 6.Kh3 Bxc4 7.Bxc4 leads to a slow but inevitable death.
5.Nxe1 f2
It seems the other pawn will promote. But:
6.Rf4+! Kxf4
Now after 7.Ng2+? Kf3 Black would win, as b7 is blocked. Vacating this square is worth a rook.
7.Rxb4+
The pawns' fate seems sealed now: 7...Kf5 8.Bd3+ Kf6 9.Rf4+ or 7...Ke3 8.Nc2+ Kd2 9.Rd4+ followed by Bxe2.
7...Bc4!
The last resort - an unguarded guard (also a Novotny) to close the diagonal a6-e2.
8.Rxc4+ Kf5 9.Rf4+!
After two bishop sacrifices by Black, now a second rook sacrifice by White, to open the diagonal again.
9...Kxf4 10.Ng2+ Kf3
To prevent Bxe2. But now:
11.Bb7 with a fairy tale mate in which, except for pawn h7, all remaining pieces cooperate.

Originally posted by coentje
Again close 🙂

Here is the final solution though 🙂 beautiful mate at the end.

1.e6+
Not 1.Nd3 e1Q+ 2.Nxe1 f2, or 1.Re4 e1Q+ 2.Rxe1 Bxe1+ 3.Kg5 bxa6 4.e6+ Bxe6 5.Rb7+ Kg8 6.Nxe6 Bc3 (6...f2 7.Rg7+ Kh8 8.Rf7) 7.Rd7 f2 8.Rd1 Kf7 9.Nd8+ Kg7 and the possibility of Bf6+ ensures Black a draw; 10.Nc6 Be1 11.Rd7+ with a perpetual.
1...Bxe6 2.Rxb7+ Kg6 3.f5+ ...[text shortened]... :
11.Bb7 with a fairy tale mate in which, except for pawn h7, all remaining pieces cooperate.t

well, that was the line I was still working out, no?

Originally posted by Mephisto2
well, that was the line I was still working out, no?

you are right, i missed the part about still working out 🙂