Daily chess puzzle: Check Mate #153

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

White to play and mate Black

Denker v Gonzales 1945

Solution

I played 1 Nh7! which wins: 1…Kh7 2 Qh4+ Kg8 3 Qh6 and if 3…Nf5 4 Qg6+ exploiting the pinned Pf7. But 1…Nf5  prolongs (but 2 g4); Fritz says 1 Nh7 is mate  in 17.

Fritz gives 1 h4 as +19, whatever that means.

The engine’s preference is the move in the game: 1 Nf7+! “mate in 15”: 1..Rf7 2 Bf7 Nf7 3 Qh6 is all you need to calculate (3…Nh6 4 f7+ mating is the point); or similarly 1…Nf7 2 Qh6

FEN

rnbq1r1k/pppp1p1p/3n1Pp1/6N1/2B2Q2/8/PB3PPP/R4K1R w – – 0 1