Daily chess puzzle: Check Mate #465
Another puzzle from Dragoslav Andric’s 1981 book “Matni Udar”.
White to play and mate Black
Saharov v Čerepkov, USSR 1979
Solution
I struggled with this puzzle, but eventually found the game continuation (but see below)
1 Bh7+ Kh7 2 Rd6! (the harder move to find: the Greek gift is obvious) 2…Bd6.
3 Rh4+ Kg8 (3…Kg6 4 Rg4+ and mates) 4 Rh8+! 1-0
4….Kh8[] 5 Qh6+ and 6 Qg7 mate.
My engine (SmallFish on my iPad, so not the strongest engine) suggests 2..f5, giving an evaluation of only +2, and when I played a few moves against it, as White, I gave Black too much compensation and its evaluation dropped to +1.
SmallFish prefers 1 Rd6! Bd6[] 2 Bh7+!
Kf8 (2….Kh7 transposes: 3 Rh4+ etc) 3 Bg7+!!
…and the engine shows a forced win.
If 3…Ke7 then 4 Rf7+!! (can you believe it? Such great moves. 4….Kf7[] 5 Qh6! is a wonderful slow finish?)
If 3…Kg7 then 4 Rg4+ 5 Rg8+ 6 Qg5+ 7 Bf5+ 8 Re8 etc
FEN
4rbk1/1q3ppp/2Rr4/1p1P1B2/2b1PR2/p5P1/5P1P/B1Q3K1 w – – 0 1
allanbeardsworth 