Test your chess: daily chess puzzle # 71

White to play and win

Black played here 1…Na5-c4 here, met with by what?

W Kobese v L Bouah 2003

Solution

Fairly straightforward, since the 1 Rg7+! biff has to be tried, and if 1…Kg7, 2 Qf6+ and 3 Bh6 is mating. If instead 1…Kh8, then 2 Rf7 is sufficient to win: 2…Rf7 3 Qf7 Ne3 fails to 4 Qf6+ forking the K and LPDO Rd8.

A far tougher puzzle is: how should black have defended instead? Reitsein gives as best 1…Nd5, and he may be correct, but also 1…Qc3 has its merits. However the analysis I have done to date, aided by Stockfish, suggests white has a clear advantage against all defences. (The problem with 1…Nd5 is 2 Bh6 g6, when white doesn't need to fake the exchange but can proceed with 3 c4)

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