Daily chess puzzle: Check Mate #412

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

White to play and mate Black

Meyer v Freyer, correspondence 1975

Solution

The first moves are obvious, the only question is what to play after them: 1 Rh8+! Kh8[] 2 Qf8+ Ng8 (2…Rg8? 3 Qh6mate or 3 Rh1mate).

3 Bg6! seals the win. If 3…Rg6 4 Rh1+ mates. Black can grovel with 3…Rh7! 4 Bh7 Nc6! but then White is an exchange and pawn up, and has the compensation too.

FEN

r2n2k1/q2bn1r1/p3p1p1/1p1pP1P1/3P1QpR/P1PB4/3BKP2/1R6 w – – 0 1