Daily chess puzzle: Check Mate #428

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

White to play and mate Black

Malet v Hilsman, Menden 1976

Solution

I fluffed this one, missing entirely the idea 1 Ba3!! ba 2 Qf3!! with a double attack on a3 and f7.

It still isn’t easy: 2..Be3+ 3 Qe3! (3..Kh1 Rf8! is only some advantage to White) Nb5 and now 4 Qh6!! is obvious if you are made from silicon.

I played 1 Ne4! de, but couldn’t find a way to follow it up: 2 Qe1! is winning.

Also, 1 Rc8 Qc8 2 Nf3 is +-, but mainly because of the threat of 3 Qe1!, which is hard to see: though a Purdy player would see the LPDO and might find the retreat.

I think in a game I would have played 1 Nf3 which Komodo also says is +3, for the same idea of an eventual Qe1; and 1…Rc2 2Qc2 just leaves White threatening Qc5+ with mate: 3 Be3+ 4 Kg2 Qc7 5 Qb3! is another double attack on the LPDO Be3 and LPDO Pb4, 1-0.

FEN

n1rq3r/n3k2p/4p1p1/1B1pP1b1/Pp1P2P1/8/1BRNQ2P/5RK1 w – – 0 1