Daily chess puzzle: Check Mate #145

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

White to play and mate Black

Rather v Belcher, 1940

Solution

A fairly standard line clearance/throw away the pieces to get the Queen to h7, position: but the precise move order needs careful calculation.

I chose 1 Neg5!, bur 1 Ba6! is identical, and transposes after 1…Bg5 2 Ba6!

Black’s best is to grovel with 2…f6 3 Bb7 Rcd8 and say 4 Rh5 and Rdh1 will be 1-0.

In the game, Black played 1..Ba6 2 Neg5 Rfd8 when 3 Rh8+! is a standard motif: 3…Bh8 4 Qh7+ and 5 Qh8 mate.

FEN

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