Another puzzle for an easy main chess puzzle day: Simon Williams magic

Black to play and win

J McPhillips v S Williams, British Chess Championships, 29 July 2014

Source: Daily Telegraph column by Malcolm Pein.

Solution

If I were black, I would be happy with my positon, but would probably play 1…Nf3, gain the two bishops, and see what happens. Not the best type of evaluation, but honest.

Simon however played the wonderful 1…Bc2!

I thought the king could tuck it self away on b3: but, in fact, it would be in a mating net there.

1…Bc2 is the first sac by Britain's answer to 'Fire on Board'Alexei Shirov. After 2 Kc2 Qf5+ 3 Kc1 Simon followed up with the incredible 3…Rc3+! the point of which is to remove the Ne2 from its control of f4.

If 4 bc, 4…Ba3+ 5 Kd2 Nc4+ wins the queen. So 4 Nc3 is forced. Then 4…Nc4 opens the way for 5…Bf4+ when the Q and B diagonal battery win, especially since the Nc4 controls d2. White's best is 5 Qd6 Nd6:

There' s no forced win, and a piece count shows more or less equality, but black is in fact winning: white's king is unprotected, and a pawn advance coupled with Rc8 and maybe Nc4 will decide the game.

In the game, white took on d6, centralised his rook, and Simon played Rc8 and then improved his Nf6 by Nf6-d7-c5. White resigned in this position:

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