Daily chess puzzle: Check Mate #263

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

Black to play and mate White

Gurgenidze v Sergijevski. , Minsk 1962

Solution

A far meatier problem today, after several fairly easy ones in recent weeks.

Because it is a problem, I found the first move fairly quickly, but doubt I would have in a game, unless I had remembered to examine all biffs, as one should do.

White must capture, else the Nb4 falls, after which 2…Ne4:

The N can’t be taken, so mayhem will happen by a discovered check, either on d2 or g5: the latter better, looking at h3.

White played 3 Qe3 and resigned after 3…Qg5+ 4 Qg5 Ng5+ 5 Kg3 Rh3+

and mate in a couple of moves: the hyenas jump in: Bf3+ and Rh5+ snaffle the king.

FEN

3rk2r/1b2qpp1/p4n2/1p2pPb1/1N2P3/3B4/1PP2BKP/R3QR2 b k – 0 26