It’s Your Move: daily chess puzzle #288

White to play and win: examine 1 Bf6

Taimanov v Hubner, Palma 1970

Solution

White played 1 Bh6?, apparently because he feared after 1 Bf6! Rg2+. But after 2 Rg2[] Rg2+[] 3 Kg2[] Ne3+ 4 Kf3 Nd1[]

White has 5 c4! and the N is trapped.

However, engines show a different light on the game. Teschner says that after the move in the game, all there is a draw after 1…h3, as played, but my engines show 1…Nd6! as winning. If White checks and checks, 2 Rg8+ Ke7 3 Rg7+ then 3…Nf7 and White’s pieces are un-coordinated and Black’s pawns can run: 4 Bf4 Kf8 puts a difficult question to White’s rook, which remains misplaced.

In fact, the starting position is just “and the game goes on”: 1 Bf6 Nd6 or 1…Rad2 are both unclear.