It’s Your Move: daily chess puzzle # 203

White to play and win

Gheorghiu v Dr Troianescu, Bucharest 1967

Solution

This puzzle is Aagaardian in depth: by which I mean the type of position susceptible to the deep analysis Jacob puts into his books. My analysis is by no means complete, both in this posting and in the game file link below.

1 Be6! is “obvious”; but may not be best.

If Black ignores the Bishop, and captures on e5, then 2 b4 disturbs the connection between Qa5, Re5 and the square e1- the back rank mate theme repeats in the analysis.

2…Qc7 threatens a discovery on e1, so 3 Re3 hits the rook, and pins it to the LPDO Qc7.

3…f6 defending the rook 4 Bg8 (LPDO) 4…Rhe7 5 Nf3! protects everything, including e1.

Alternatively, (1 Be6) 1…Be6! 2 Ne6 fe

3 Rf3! Re5! ignoring the threat, in true CJS Purdy style- White can’t check and take on g8 due to the by now normal back rank mate on e1. The net result is an odd equality, at least after some engine analysis. I have given some further commentary here. In short, 1 Be6! is strong, but with best place leads to a small advantage; my engine prefers 1 Rd1 or 1 Nf3 which is says leads to larger advantage, but to me both lead to just unclear positions.