Daily chess puzzle: Check Mate #379

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

White to play and mate Black

Fancy v Hodgson, London 1974

Solution

White must be Stuart Fancy, and Black Julian Hodgson: here the future IM beats the future GM. White’s positon looks desperate, which means only forcing moves can help: which makes the solution easy. Whether it was easy for Stuart in the game, I really doubt it.

1 Bh6+! Kh6 (else 2 Re8+ and 3 Qg7 mate) 2 Rh5+!!

2…Kh5 (2…gh 2 Qf6 mate) 3 Qf6 and Black is helpless against the threat of 4 g4 mate.

If 3…g5, 4 g4+ Kh4[] 5 Qh6 mate.

FEN

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