Winning move

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The best move compared with a winning move

The best move is not exactly the same as a winning move. There are winning moves that are disapproved! What is winning and yet disapproved? What kind of move is winning and yet disapproved?

A minor promotion if promoting to a queen wins?
Repeating the moves
A loss of time Mate in three if you could mate in one
An obvious win instead of a win in 10 or more moves.

Some examples to make things clearer.


Black to move Correct move: 1. ... Rxa7. A loss of time is 1. ... Ra5 (winning but disapproved).		White to move Black threatens a knight fork on e2.

Black to move Correct move: 1. ... Rxh2+ 2. Kxh2 Qh4. Black is winning with 1. ... Rxe6 2. Qxe6 Rxh2+ but you lose Elo with winning in this way!		White to move The normal continuation 1. f5 h4 2. f6 h3 3. f7 h2 4. f8Q# is counted as correct. White can win in two other ways (both disapproved). 1. Kc7 h4 2. f5 h3 3. f6 h2 4. f7 h1D 5. f8D+ Kxa7 6. Db8+ Ka6 7. Db6# 1. Ka6 (now or on a following move) 1. ... h4 2. f5 h3 3. f6 h2 4. f7 h1D 5. f8D#

Black to move Mate in one (1. ... Qg2#) is correct. Wrong is the win 1. ... Qe2#, because it only mates in 4 moves.		White to move The only correct answer is 1. Qe4+. White is an exchange up and exchanging pieces is a good strategy. Maybe White is also winning after 1. Qc2+ or 1. Qd3+, but these moves are clearly worse than the check on e4.