Test your chess: daily chess puzzle # 42

White to play and win

LR Reitstein v L Wilken 1961

Solution

I found Reitstein's move, and the solution, fairly easily: 1 Bc7 is fairly natural, exploiting the fact that the Qc8 is tied to the Ra8. It can also be rationalised by one of Jacob Aagaard's three questions, namely 'which is the worst placed piece'.

Black's best is probably to play 1…Nc6, blocking white's queen's sight of the Ra8, and hoping to struggle on after 2 Bd6+. Neither king move looks appealing, and it is only a question whether white can find a manoeuvre before black gets some coordination. White has moves like Nf3-h4-f5; Qe4-g4; Nf3-d2-e4. Provided he finds the right ones of these, perhaps also with the prophylactic c3 (to close d4 for the black knight) he should be able to convert.

Probably Nf3-d2-e4 after Ke8; and Qg4/ Nf3-h4-f5 after Kg8

When entering the position into Stockfish to produce this blog, the engine says 1 Red1 is just as strong as Bc7, hitting d5. Essentially, white has more space and better pieces, and black's queen side pawn advance has just created holes.

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