Daily chess puzzle: Check Mate #328

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

White to play and mate Black

Navarovsky v Sebestjen, 1967

Solution

I messed this one up, thinking that 1 Nc4 Qd8 2 Nb6 won- the idea being 2..Qb6 3 Rh7+!; but 2..Bf4 refutes it.

Instead, same idea of infiltating, but 1 Rc6! as played, or 1 Nf5+!! per Komodo, followed by Rc6, infiltrate on e7, and are followed by mate or decisive material gain.

I haven’t really been able to fathom why 1 Nf5+!! is so superior, in engine assessment terms, to 1 Rc6. The difference is too subtle for me.

FEN

rb3r2/1p1b2kp/pqnNp1p1/3p1p2/3P1N2/Q3P1P1/PP2KPP1/1BR4R w – – 0 1