It’s Your Move: daily chess puzzle # 195

Black to play and win

Solution

A difficult one today, and one I failed to solve.

I played 1…Nf4!?, which has the advantage of being better than the move actually played in the game, 1…Bh4?? 2 Qh5 1-0, but not much else. After 2 Bf4 Nd4 3 Qe3 White is to be preferred.

Far better is a move I never imagined, which is poor since examine all biffs would have made me consider it- 1…b3!!

2 Bb3 is best, when 2..Nd4 3 Bd4 Qb3:

When I saw this, reading the solution, the following came immediately to mind: 4 Qh5

Qd5+ 5 Rg2

Black to play and win

Solution

..and I just assumed that 5..Qg2+ would be better for Black, but the engine tells me that it loses: and, indeed, on close inspection, it does. The ending after 6 Kg2 gh 7 ef is surprisingly (to my mind) bad for Black.

Instead, simply 5…Bg7 is near winning for Black.