Test your chess: daily chess puzzle # 200

Black to play and win

Mate in 5

J Van den Berg v D Wolf 1989

Solution

There is clearly a smothered mate motif, and also back rank mate ideas. Once I saw that the Rf1 was tied to the first dank, 1…Qf2! came to mind, and, as soon as I saw it, the lines clicked into place.

The mate in five follows after 2 Rf2 Rd1+.

If instead 2 Rg1, 2…Qg1+! and after 3 Kg1, Rd1+ 4 Ne1[] Re1 mate.

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