Test your chess: Reitstein problem 25

White to play and win (find the first few moves)

P Aalbersberg v RF Griffiths

Solution

A nice exercise. It is immediately obvious that 1 Rg7+ is a must look-at; but immediately obvious what the follow up is. After a bit of time, I saw the idea: bring more pieces to the party with Nf5.

I prefer 1 Rg7+! Kg7[] 2 Bf6+ Kh7[] (2…Kg8 is trite: 3 Qg3+ mating) 3 Nf5! and if 3…ef 4 Qf5+ Kg8[] 5 Qg4+ and mates. If black doesn't take the N, he is mated by Qh6+, perhaps deferred a few moves by spite checks, but it can easily be seen that they come to nought.

Reitstein's solution is the move played in the game, 2 Nf5, which is more or less equivalent, but gives another line to calculate- the king coming up to g6. It does though win all the same, of course.

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