Daily chess puzzle: Check Mate #95- further comment

A few days ago I posted this puzzle

“White to play and win”

My solution correctly shows that the problem is cooked: 1 Rg7+ doesn’t win, but gives White only a small advantage.

A reader asked me:

i) to add FEN to my blog posts, which I have now started to do (thank you for that suggestion)

r5k1/pp2R1pp/3N1r2/2qpQ3/1n3B2/8/1P4PP/1K6 w – – 0 1

ii) wondered why 1 Re8+ didn’t work.

I should have considered it, because I have drilled into myself Purdy’s requirement to examine all biffs.

So, for today’s problem, why doesn’t 1 Re8+ work?

Solution

The answer is not:

1…Rf8?? – the natural move: 2 Qe6+ Kh8[] 3 Nf7+ Kg8[] 4 Qg8+! Rg8[] 5 Nf7 mate, the well known smothered mate technique that all beginners learn.

But

1…Re8! [] 2 Qe8+ Rf8 3 Qe6+ Kh8[] 4 Nf7+

and now the crucial difference:

4..Rf7! since if 5 Qe8+, 5…Rf8 and the rook is defended by the Qc5: Black emerges a rook ahead.

Not obvious at all: especially since 1..Rf8?? is the natural reaction to 1 Re8+