It’s Your Move: daily chess puzzle # 19

Black to play and win

Novosibirsk v Saratov, 1960

Solution

A lovely puzzle, and a prime example of CJS Purdy's maxim to ignore threats: imagine they can't possibly happen, and decide what you would wish to play.

1…Rb8!! is the star move, ignoring the threat of 2 Bd8; then 2….Rb2+ 3 Ka1[] c2 is another of Purdy's themes, in fact the moniker which when I read it in his book (The Search for Chess Perfection) I found it one of the deepest, most profound, and yet simple ideas, potassium cyanide. The c2 pawn hits d1 and b1 (Rb1 mate).

Then 4 Kb2 cd+(N)! and picks up the queen, plus the knight can't be trapped, because at worse it can be defended by Bh6.

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