Mark Twain popularized the idiom there is more than one way to skin a cat in his novel “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.” “Cat” had supplemented “dog” in the American lexicon after the short story “The Money Diggers” by humorist Seba Smith 1840. Before that, it had been there are more ways to kill a dog than by hanging, which can be traced back to 1678.
With this hint, please find two ways to skin black’s hide.
Black’s king is crouched in the corner, like a cat hiding in plain sight under the chair. White’s knight captures black’s e7 pawn with check. Black’s queen captures the knight, which allows white’s queen to snatch black’s rook on h8 with check (see next diagram).
Black’s queen retreats and blocks the check, only for black to be mated next with either white’s rook or queen.
Alternatively, instead of knight to e7, check, white’s queen immediately takes black’s rook on h8. If black’s queen captures white’s queen, knight to e7 delivers checkmate (see next diagram).
After the immediate queen takes rook, black can delay the inevitable with knight to c6, which leads to knight takes e7, check. The black knight takes the white knight and white’s queen or rook mates on d8.
Black can also accept massive material losses after queen takes rook if black gives its king an escape square on b7 by advancing its “b” pawn.
In all lines black loses its fur.
As Mark Twain opined, “If man could be crossed with the cat, it would improve man but deteriorate the cat.”