Test your chess: daily chess puzzle # 95

White to play and win

CB Russell v JHC Burton, correspondence 1909

Solution

I fluffed this one, just couldn't see the solution. What is worse, six years ago, when I got the book, and dipped into it, this was one of the puzzles I also couldn't solve.

Alas, once you see it, 1 Qg5! 'isn't too hard'.

1…Ke8 (say) 2 Rd8+! and 3 Qe7 mate.

I spent all my time making 1 Qb4+! work: and it does win, but makes a meal of it. 1…Kg8 is best (1…Ke8? 2 Qb7 and mate on c8 adds to black's woes) when 2 Qb7 enters. Black's best is 2…Qg2 when the machine tells me white is indeed winning after 3 Qc8+ Kh7 4 Qc7: but compared to 1 Qg5, white has to find repeated good moves.

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