Daily chess puzzle: Check Mate #141

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

White to play and win (or, have a good advantage)

Taube v Finotti, Hamburg 1939

Solution

1 Qa6! is fairly obvious, with the typical motif of 1…ba?? 2 Ba6 mate. So 1…Qb4 and 2 Qa7 and White is better: 2..Bd6 3 a3 Qb6 works, since if 4 Qb6 Nb6 protects the Bd6. White ends a pawn up.

FEN

2kr1b1r/pp1nqpp1/2p1bn1p/3p4/3P1B2/2N2N2/PPP1QPPP/1K1R1B1R w – – 0 1