It’s Your Move: daily chess puzzle # 86

White to play and win

Larsen v Matanovic, Zagreb 1965

Solution

This is a nice puzzle, including some of the side lines. 1 Nf5! is fairly obvious, and I saw instantly, the idea being a double attack with 2 Qc3:

If 1…ef 2 Qc3 hits both g7 and the Rc8, 1-0. Chess is double attack.

If 1…Bf8 then 2 Ngh6+ and if 2…gh, 3 Qc3 again, or if 2…Kh8, 3 Nf7+ and 4 Nd6.

What though against 1…Kf8?

White to play and win

I planned 2 Bg7+ Ke8 3 Ne7, which is fine, but White has far better: 2 Qa7!!