Daily chess puzzle: very special edition

On the morning after the end of the World Chess Championship, I had to publish a fitting puzzle from the very last game of the match. 

White to play and win 

Solution

The very fitting end to the last rapid play game of the tiebreak was 1 Qh6+!! and mates next move. 

After a fairly lack lustre WCC, the third round rapid play game, where Magnus got the most of his position and Sergey’s time trouble by …a5!! and ….e4!!, the fourth game, with Sergey playing Black in a must-win situation, was classic Magnus: or actually classic Mickey Adams’ Sicilian. Magnus had control throughout, and towards the end, when I would have won more stodigly, Magnus must have seen the coup de grace several moves earlier, when playing Qd2*f4: a move I would never have risked. 

Very pleased that Magnus has pulled through, but Sergey’s defensive skills have been so impressive, and he proved a worthy challenger. His defence in the second rapidplay game, including …h5!! was memorable.