Answers.Body: <p>Yes, after 2...g6 black is only a bishop behind and not immediately checkmated.</p>
  
  <p>But that doesn't matter much for the result -- being a full piece behind is also enough to resign. <em>And</em>, that he stays a piece behind is immediately obvious -- white takes a bishop, black doesn't take back. So that doesn't really need to be explained.</p>
  
  <p>On the other hand, what happens after 2...Nxe7 (or 2...Rxe7 for that matter) is not as obvious, so it's pointed out.</p>
  
  <p>This is related to the concept of <em>critical moves</em>. To decide whether some move is good, there are some things that are important to look at more deeply and some things that aren't (2...g6 doesn't need further calculation, it's obvious that white wins). In a sense the question whether the initial position is winning depends more on whether 2...Nxe7 wins than on whether 2...g6 wins, <em>even if</em> the position after 2...g6 isn't quite as immediately lost as after 2...Nxe7.</p>
  
  <p>2...Nxe7 is a <em>critical move</em> in a sense 2...g6 is not.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2019-12-09T16:02:34.503Z
Answers.Text: But if you are studying a winning position for white, you should expect black to play the best moves. Then you should consider 2...g6 rather than 2...Nxe7 since the former doesn't lead to checkmate (not inmediately at least)
Answers.UserDisplayName: MBolin
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2019-12-09T16:09:06.930Z
Answers.Text: @MBolin Maybe at lower levels, but at higher, checkmate is not really the shortest loss... once down a piece, you are done, so forcing your opponent to also find Bh7 actually prolongs the game in a practical sense. It is either resign immediately down a piece, or force him to "prove" it a few more moves, and then resign.
Answers.UserDisplayName: PhishMaster
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2019-12-09T18:01:48.350Z
Answers.Text: @MBolin: there is nothing to consider after 2...g6. Black is a piece down.
Answers.UserDisplayName: RemcoGerlich
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2019-12-09T15:23:23.377Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2019-12-09T15:23:23.377Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: RemcoGerlich
Body: <p>The following is a winning middlegame for White from Capablanca's Chess Fundamentals. It's white to play.</p>
  
  <pre><code>    [FEN "2nb1rk1/1pqrnppp/p2p4/2pQ1N2/6P1/1P1B1N1P/P3RP2/3R2K1 w - - 0 0"]
  
      1. Nxe7+ Bxe7 2. Rxe7 Nxe7 3. Bxh7+ etc.
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I wonder about 2...g6. In this case White only wins material right?</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2019-12-09T18:21:16.357Z
Comments.Text: Why not Nxg7. Then White has a mating attack. After NxN White can also mate from the position shown.
Comments.UserDisplayName: yobamamama
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2019-12-09T21:05:47.717Z
Comments.Text: Nxg7?? Ne7xQd5 resigns.
Comments.UserDisplayName: PhishMaster
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2019-12-10T00:40:17.423Z
Comments.Text: OOPsies!  I can do mate in 7s pretty easy but I often leave my Queen en pris.
Comments.UserDisplayName: yobamamama
Tags: <middlegame><winning><capablanca>
Title: Winning middlegame?
ThreadText: # Winning middlegame?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2019-12-09)
  
  The following is a winning middlegame for White from Capablanca's Chess Fundamentals. It's white to play.
      [FEN "2nb1rk1/1pqrnppp/p2p4/2pQ1N2/6P1/1P1B1N1P/P3RP2/3R2K1 w - - 0 0"]
  
      1. Nxe7+ Bxe7 2. Rxe7 Nxe7 3. Bxh7+ etc.
  
  I wonder about 2...g6. In this case White only wins material right?
  
  **Tags:** middlegame, winning, capablanca
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: Why not Nxg7. Then White has a mating attack. After NxN White can also mate from the position shown.  
  > **username_2**: Nxg7?? Ne7xQd5 resigns.  
  > **username_1**: OOPsies!  I can do mate in 7s pretty easy but I often leave my Queen en pris.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_3 on 2019-12-09. Score: 3 | Accepted answer
  
  Yes, after 2...g6 black is only a bishop behind and not immediately checkmated.
  
  But that doesn't matter much for the result -- being a full piece behind is also enough to resign. *And*, that he stays a piece behind is immediately obvious -- white takes a bishop, black doesn't take back. So that doesn't really need to be explained.
  
  On the other hand, what happens after 2...Nxe7 (or 2...Rxe7 for that matter) is not as obvious, so it's pointed out.
  
  This is related to the concept of *critical moves*. To decide whether some move is good, there are some things that are important to look at more deeply and some things that aren't (2...g6 doesn't need further calculation, it's obvious that white wins). In a sense the question whether the initial position is winning depends more on whether 2...Nxe7 wins than on whether 2...g6 wins, *even if* the position after 2...g6 isn't quite as immediately lost as after 2...Nxe7.
  
  2...Nxe7 is a *critical move* in a sense 2...g6 is not.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: But if you are studying a winning position for white, you should expect black to play the best moves. Then you should consider 2...g6 rather than 2...Nxe7 since the former doesn't lead to checkmate (not inmediately at least)  
  > **username_2**: @username_0 Maybe at lower levels, but at higher, checkmate is not really the shortest loss... once down a piece, you are done, so forcing your opponent to also find Bh7 actually prolongs the game in a practical sense. It is either resign immediately down a piece, or force him to "prove" it a few more moves, and then resign.  
  > **username_3**: @username_0: there is nothing to consider after 2...g6. Black is a piece down.  
  
  ---
  
  