Daily chess puzzle: Check Mate #41

Another puzzle from Dragoslav Andric’s 1981 book “Matni Udar”.

Black to play and mate White

Chigorin v Blackburn, Vienna 1898

Solution

White has two queens, and threatens mate, and so only checks will do. It took me a couple of glances to see the win: 1…Qa5+ (after which Chigorin resigned) 2 Ra2[] Qe1+!  3 Ne1 c1(Q) mate. An unusual motif.

It’s a good job the players couldn’t analyse afterwards with Fritz or their engine of choice: White dominated the unusual game; being +21 up before White’s last move before the diagram, 45 Qf4-d4. Most anything else would have won.