Daily chess puzzle: Check Mate #193

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

White to play and mate Black

Kostov v Bogdanovic, Belgrade 1054

Solution

I suspect I have seen this puzzle before, maybe in a Dragon book, maybe elsewhere, since 1 Rh8+! was my first thought.

The lines aren’t too hard: if 1…Bh8, 2 Qg6+, and if 1…Kh8 2 Bf7, with similar motifs: mate on the h file, likely.

The only line I will give is 1 Rh8 Bh8 2 Qg6+ Bg7 3 Qf7+ Kh8 4 Rh1+ Nh7 5 Rh7+ Kh7[] when I was pleased to find the best move, 6 Qf5+! disrupting Black’s defence.

FEN

r2r2k1/p4pb1/2bp1np1/qp2p1Q1/2BBP1P1/2N2P1R/PPP5/2KR4 w – – 0 1