Test your chess: daily chess puzzle # 139 (variation)

White to play: evaluate the Greek gift sacrifice

(Refinement of piece placing from position 139)

Solution

Here, with the only difference being that the white rook is on a1 and not on c1, the Greek gift is nowhere near as strong. I saw the line when looking at the game position, noting how 'lucky' white was that his rook was well placed.

What's the difference? 1 Bh7? Kh7! 2 Qh5+ Kg8[] 3 Be5 Re5! 4 Qf7+ Kh8!

And now 5 Qb7?? loses to 5…Re7! 6 Qc6 Rc8! and white's queen is trapped.

So, instead of 5 Qb7, white is left with the rook lift 5 Ra3! met by 5…Bc8 , 6 Rg3 (the reason why 4…Kh8! is better than 4…Kh7: Rg7 won't be check) 6…Qe7 and black defends everything (again, if 4…Kh7?, 6…Qe7 would simply lose, 7 Rg7+ and 8 Qe7 1-0)

The position after 6…Qe7 still has some interest: 7 Qe7 Re7 8 Rf8+ Kh8[] 9 Rc3! and if 9…Bb7, to keep the piece, then 10 Rh3+! with perpetual! Black's choice is to go for an equal rook plus four pawns ending.

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Nice: the trapping of the queen in particular.

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