It’s Your Move: daily chess puzzle #299

White to play and win

Laakmann v Jana Bellin, Cheltenham 1971

Solution

A much tougher one, and the best move, 1 Bb6! came to me after all else failed.

If 1…Rb6 then 2 Ne7+ and after K moves, 3 Ned5 picks up the exchange, as White also does after 2…Qe7 3 Qb6. So instead 1…Qb6[] when 2 Ne7+ Kh8 3 Qb6 Rb6[] 4 Nf5

and the surprising thing, which I couldn’t see from the initial position, is that the bind (which I could see) was winning. The threat of e6-e7 overloads the Rd8 which can’t protect the eighth rank and the Nd6 at the same time.

In the game, White chose the weaker 1 Rd6 Rd6! (1…Bd6 2 Ba7! rather than the move Teschner gives, 2 Qg3 which is met by 2..Kg8 or 2…g6) and Black eventually won.