It’s Your Move: daily chess puzzle # 48

White to play and win

Ciocaltea v Pietzsch, Bad Liebenstein 1963

Solution

In the game, the position was agreed drawn here, move 43, no doubt on the presumption that white has to repeat with Qd8+/Qf6+, in view of Black's threat of Qf3+ Qf3 ef+ and, after freedom of his Rh8, Black will eventually win.

But the threat is not real. I suspect the optical illusion which White missed is that 1 Ra7 is the only way to get to the eighth rank, and that it is frustrated by Qf3+ and if Kg1 or Kf1, Qd1+, with Kh2 always been met by Ng4+ K moves Nf6 ef h5, and there is no mate.

But 1 Rc1! Qa6[] 2 Rd1! and white wins the queen, and the resultant position is won for him. Best technique is also to flick in the intermediary move 2 b5! Qb7[], so the b pawn is one square nearer to queening. If after 3 Rd1 e3+, simply 4 f3 renews the threat, keeps control, and keeps the N out of g4 to boot.

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