It’s Your Move: daily chess puzzle #286

White to play: 1 Kh1 or 1 Kh2?

Uhlmann v Fischer, Siegen Olympiad 1970

Solution

This problem is solved by “ruling the other option out”. White played 1 Kh2! which is the better move, after White has some advantage, but the game was drawn after 1…Nf4! 2 Bf4! Qe1!

Instead, 1 Kh1? loses. 1…Ng3+ 2 Kh2[] Nf1+

White is forced to capture, else 3 Kh1 Qg1mate. But 3 Rf1 Be5+ and mates anyway.

I have played around with the lines after 1…Nf4, using my engine, and think Uhlmann let the advantage slip away: but some of the lines aren’t human, and the draw which occurred seems the natural result.