Test your chess: daily chess puzzle # 203

April 4, 2015

White to play and win

A Bickoff v M Rubery 1989

Solution

The move my hand wanted to play, the move I would play ten times out of ten in blitz, is 1 Nh6!- which turns out to be very good; but in a classical game, I would have more doubts, 'just in case' there was a defence: and I could see myself chickening out by playing the safe, and fairly strong, 1 Rh3.

Back to the best move, 1 Nh6, the easiest line to dispense with is 1…Rf8; then 2 Nf7+ wins the exchange, and white still has the attack. So only 1….gh needs calculating. Then 2 Qg4

Nc5 3 Bh6 wins.

I wrote the above before turning to the solution in the book, and before entering the position into Stockfish. Alas, I missed something, as did white in the game. Black did indeed play 1…Rf8 and white did indeed win the exchange by 2 Nf7+, but 2 Rg7!! is far classier.