Test your chess: Reitstein problem 32

White to play and win

CCA de Villiers v P Kroon, 1971

Solution

A tougher one, today. Reitstein says that black was confident he was winning the above adjourned position, but white's sealed move was irrefutable. I mention this partly because, were it to be a game rather than a puzzle, I might have played a bland move such as a5, rather than looking for a killer blow: especially because the only winning move is a 'little' move.

1 Qc6! changes everything

Applying Purdy principles, the move could have been found: examine all biffs, and threats to biff. Here, Qc6 is a threat to biff by Qe8 (Purdy exhorts us to examine all such biffs, and not to rule them out) and a threat to biff by Qf6+.

Black's perhaps strongest reply is 1…Re6, but (applying wither of two Purdy rules: consider all biffs, or 'ignore the opponent's threat, imagine that it can't possibly be carried out, what would you like to play') then 2 Rf7! kills.

Or, black might try 1…e4, but then 2 Rf7! again: the Rf8 is 'tied' to defending the Re8, so the Pf7 is LPDO. Not that it matters, but if then say 2…Rb8, then 3 Rh7+! is a fitting finale: 3…Kh7[] 4 Qg6+ Kh8[] 5 Qh6 mate.

One of the nicest puzzles so far.

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