It’s Your Move: daily chess puzzle # 17

White to play and win (If black doesn't defend well…the problem is cooked)

Try to find the purported winning line; and then try to find the refutation. It is a worthwhile exercise.

Kraus v Capelan, Solingen 1961

Solution

Take a quick glance at the position: which side would you take, of the two? I would take black, for his Marshall Attack like pressure, and thinking that white was hemmed in. But no, the puzzle is white to play and win, and more or less the only try is 1 e4!, but at first it didn't seem to work.

Eventually I saw the trick, but before then I saw black's better defence, eventually turning to the solution and being surprised: and then checking, it confirmed that the problem is cooked.

Simply 1…Qe7 keeps everything under control.

White's best is 2 Bg5! whose aim is not simply to biff the queen, but to prevent it moving to h4: 2 e5 Qh4 and the queen hits the LPDO Rf2 and black has activity. But after 2 Bg5! the queen must shuffle aside, say to d7, when 3 e5 gains space and dents black's pressure. Then, as Jon Speelman says, 'and the game goes on'.

The above is the cook- white isn't winning, the game is equal, but even after the 'main line' 1 e4 fe?! 2 fe Black can improve. Here, 2…Rf8! is equal, for if 3 ed? Rf2 4 de?? Qh2 mate.

Below though is the purported winning line. 1 e4 fe 2 fe Re4 3 Re4 Re4 4 Bd5! cd (4….Qd5 5 Rf8 mate) 5 Qx7! with s standard back rate mate diversion of defender tactic.

Black has one nice little try: 5… Bg2+, hoping for 6 Kg2 Qg6+, but even then white is still winning, but 6 Kg1 is more clinical.

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