In 1597 at the Battle of Myeongnyang, Korean Admiral Yi Sun-Sin faced an advancing Japanese Navy of 333 ships. Yi’s 13 ships were no match. Yi, however, knew the Myeongnyang Strait like the back of his hand.
The Strait averages under a thousand feet in width and has treacherous whirlpools. Yi funneled the Japanese into these whirlpools and into a bottleneck. This caused the Japanese vanguard to panic and trip over each over, as it were. The Japanese lost 31 ships before retreating, while all 13 of the Korean ships survived.
Like the Japanese Navy, black’s forces seem overwhelming, as black’s queen threatens both checkmate on b2 and white’s queen on g1. White can trade queens only to simplify into a lost position. With Yi-like cleverness, white weaponizes the position’s nuances to win despite the odds. Never underestimate your opponent. With this hint, please try to find white’s winning attack.
Black’s rook stops white’s f7 pawn from promoting. White deflects this impediment with queen to g8, check. Black is forced to capture white’s queen with its rook.
Next, white does NOT take the black rook. For example, taking the rook and promoting the pawn to a queen, double checks black. But black’s king just takes the new queen and white only has a rook for its troubles. Instead, white’s f7 pawn advances to f8 and underpromotes to a knight, checking black with both the rook and knight (see next diagram).
This forces black’s king to flee to h8. White then mates with rook to h7 (see next diagram). Again, never underestimate your opponent.
In South Korea, the Yi Sun-Sin bridges now crosses the Strait. Today, the Japanese are free to cross that bridge when they come to it.
Reach Eric Morrow at ericmorrowlaw@gmail.com or (505) 327-7121.