Test your chess: daily chess puzzle # 66

Black to play: can he safely play 1…Qc1?

J Broster v D Alexander 1995

Solution

It might just be me, but when I see questions framed this way, I know the answer is 'no, he can't do that'. Unless of course it is a trick question.

So, with this in mind, you look at 1…Qc1, and realise white's only try, which was played in the game, is the zwischenzug 2 f6!

I enjoyed the calculation exercise, though it showed my limitations. My judgment was correct, that 1…Qf1+ is relatively best, but it still loses: 2 Nf1 Kf8 and Reitstein in his solutions says 3 fg+ Kg8[] 4 Ng3, noting that the Qg5 watches c1 (and if black plays f6 trying to distract the queen, then Qh6), and then Nh5 spying f6: 1-0. Stockfish prefers 3 Qg7+ and then checks, checks, checks and checks, not mating, but obtaining a dominant position. I prefer the human fg+.

I got the above right, but only part marks on what I thought was black's best defence, which Reitstein doesn't cover. 1..Kf8 when 2 Qg7+[] Ke8[] 3 Qg8+[] Kd7[] 4 Qf7+[] Kd6 5 Qe7+[] Ke5. That was my horizon, except to the extent that I saw 6 Nf3+ Kf4[] 7 Qd6+ but couldn't see a mate after 7…Qe3.

Alas, and as soon as you see the above position, you notice that the precise geometry creates a different tictac: 6 d4+! forces 6…Kd4 when 7 Nb3+ forks king and queen. Game over.

Of course, after 2 f6!, black can't play 2…g6 because he is then mated after 3 Qh6. So the answer is, as guessed that black can't play 1…Qc1. He should instead have played 1…f6 when he has some advantage.

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