Cordingley puzzle 124 #chess

White to play and win

Solution

(Firstly, unless I am mistaken, white is not the famous player Aaron Nimzowitch; I haven't checked into it, and whether the two are related).

The motif is pretty obvious: get to f7, by fair means or foul. My first try was 1 Bh6, but it is terrible, 1…Nh6 is -+, so the next square to try to throw the bishop away at is g5: 1 Bg5. I then spent most time on 1….Qg5, though the move played in the game, 1…Qd7, was also nice to look at- there are various flashy mates- all much of a muchness. The better defence is 1….Qg5 and I suspect in practice I might then, playing white, chicken out and take a draw by perpetual: but Houdini assisted, the one and only way to win (first bring all the pieces to the party, by the obvious 1 Rae1) is to push the black queen by 1 h4!

In practice, I suspect most average or above club players would find 1 Bg5: and I would play it, knowing I had the comfort blanket of a perpetual check after 1…Qg5; and this is more or less as far as I got before checking the solution and switching on Houdini. It is a worthwhile Aagaardian calculation exercise to look forward and try to bottom all lines.

Game124

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