Chess and Checkers : the Way to Mastership by Edward Lasker
page 97 of 267 (36%)
page 97 of 267 (36%)
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3 | | | | | | | ^P | | |---------------------------------------| 2 | ^P | ^P | | | | | | ^P | |---------------------------------------| 1 | | | | | | | ^K | | +---------------------------------------+ a b c d e f g h DIAGRAM 42. White on the move can force the mate by (1) R-d8, a very surprising sacrifice indeed, for not only can Black take the Rook with either Queen or Rook but he can also take White's Queen. In the latter case, however, he would be mated in two moves by (2) Rxe8+, Q-g8; (3) Kt-f7. This is one example of the "throttled mate" by the Knight. Another one, which is really the typical one, occurs if Black takes the Rook instead of the Queen. The mating process then is: (2) Kt-f7+, K-g8; (3) Kt-h6 double check, K-h8; (4) Q-g8+, Rxg8; (5) Kt-f7+/-. White could not have played Q- g8+ right on the second move because then Black would have taken the Queen with the King, while he could not do so with White's Knight on h6. Sacrifices made with the view of a direct mating attack are, as a rule, the easiest to figure out, as there is no guesswork connected with them. In those cases the player does not face the question as to whether the position attained after the sacrifice will be strong enough to insure a gain of material at least equivalent to the amount of material sacrificed, a question which |
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