It’s Your Move: daily chess puzzle #282

Black to play and win

Bellon- Smejkal, Siegen 1970

Solution

Firstly, my initial try 1…Bg4 fails to 2 Nd4, and whilst Black is better after 2…Bh3, it isn’t decisive. But changing the order of moves reveals a nice mating line, 1…Rf3!

Then 2 Kf3 Bg4+ 3 Rg4 (3 Ke4 Bh5+ and mate next move)  Qf2+ 4 Ke4 Qf5+ 5 Kd4 Qe5 is a pretty mate, which Bellon sportingly allowed to happen.

If instead 2 Nd4 then 2..Rf2+ wins the exchange, with a dominant position to boot.