Daily chess puzzle: Check Mate #140

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

White to play and win (a good challenge: and Black does have a good line of defence, leading to White merely being better: a puzzle to spend time on)

Szabo v Stuart Milner-Barry, Hastings 1938

Solution

I found the main line fairly quickly, but told a long time to work through and defeat Black’s best defence.

1 Qc3! double attack.

In the game, Black played 1…Qg6, losing in similar fashion to the alternative defence 1…Bf6.

After 1…Qg6 2 Rae1 brings more pieces to the party, and after 2…Kf8 3 Qa3+/3Qb4+/3Qc5+ are all 1-0. Szabo played 3 Qb4+, but 3 Qc5+ is prettiest:

The better defence was 1…Bf6! when 2 Rae1 Qb5 follows:

3 Qc4!! shades of Torre-Adams New Orleans 1920;  Qd7

Here, I chose 4 Qc7 (similar to 4 Qd5)

a move I would have to play in a game, given the chance, but Fritz says White is only somewhat better after 4…Re2 5 Qd7 Re1+ 6 Kg2 Rd8 7 Qb7 Re2 8 Qa7 Rb2: no doubt true. (FEN 3r2k1/Q4ppp/5b2/5N2/8/6PP/Pr3PK1/8 w – – 0 37)

Better 4 Qg4! and White gets a better version of the ending: 4..Re2 5 Nh6+ Kh8 (5…Kf8 6 Qd7 adds a mating threat Qf7 so is 1-0) 6 Nf7+! Kg8 7 Nh6+ Kh8 8 Qd7 Re1+ 9 Kg2 Rf8

and White is better.

FEN

2r1r1k1/pp3ppp/1q6/5Nb1/8/5QPP/PP2RP2/R5K1 w – – 0 29