Test your chess: Reitstein problem 31

White to play and win

CP Momberg v E Fellmayr 1982

Solution

A decent exercise, with some lines to calculate.

1 Rg7+ is a fairly obvious try, and the variations are not too hard to calculate. 1…Kh8 2 Rh7+ Kg8[] then prettiest is 3 Qg4+! Ng4[] 4 Rh8 mate.

If instead 1…Kg7 then 2 Qg4+ Kh8[] 3 Qh5 (oddly, Stockfish 'prefers' Qh4, though only to the extent of one being +33, one +110: maybe my 'human' move, of bringing the queen closer to the king, is indeed 'weaker': why out the queen in a square that it can be taken (albeit there is a pin) and also on h4, the queen adds pressure to the Nf6) with the pretty point (which I missed at first, trying instead Qg5+/Qh6) of 3…Kg7 4 Qh7 mate.

Note that 3 Bf6+ (which I tried first, aiming for Qh5) loses, to 3…Bf6 4 Qh5 Bc3+, which then gives the tempo for 5…f5.

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