It’s Your Move: daily chess puzzle #250

White to play: can he play 1 c6*d7?

Smirnov v Yeleznov, USSR 1969

Solution

The answer is, “he might as well” since all moves lose, and here Black must fund something; but it is not too hard: 1 d7 e2+ 2 Be2 Qd4+!

and it is all over. If the King moves, or the B interposes, the Q can be taken, since the Qd4 controls the promotion square. So 3 Qd4 but then 3..Rc1 is a pretty mate.