It’s Your Move: daily chess puzzle #218

White to play and win

Sigurjonsson v Segal, Ybbs 1968

Solution

This being a problem, the first moves are obvious. Whilst from the initial diagram I for one can’t see all lines to the very end, it is easy to be confident to enough to play it: Black will soon be trussed up, with the opposite colour bishops advantaging the attacker: Black’s black squared bishop is not in the game.

So, 1 Nf6+ gf[] 2 Rg1+ Kh8[] 3 Qh6

3…Rf8[] and now 4 Rg6! (examine all biffs) is stronger than the next best, 4 Rg3, because from g6 the rook hits the Pf6, and Black can’t add more defenders.

All Black can do is grovel, and try to close the lines, without success: 4.. Bf5 5 Rf6 Kg8 6 Rg1+ Bg6[] 7 Rgg6+ and mates: 7…hg 8 Qg6+! since if 8…Qg7, 9 Rf8+ discovers an attack on the Q by the Bb2.