Daily Chess Puzzle

Today’s problem is from the 1972 book “Chess Combination as a Fine Art”, a book based on articles published in the 1950s-1960s by Kurt Richter.

Since the start of 2018, I have decided to adopt the style of only saying which side is to play: and not giving an idea if the move wins or otherwise, unless on occasion I think signposting would be helpful. Instead, the problems are posed with the instruction to decide what you would play, as in a game.

White to play

Richter v Brinckmann, Aachen 1935

Solution

As with yesterday’s puzzle, Kurt Richter here played a move I would not have considered, unless I was in top form. I think I would more or less automatically have reacted to the threatened hg by playing 1 Nf3, and had a very level game, with likely few chances.

As so often in my own play, I tend to ignore advice that I know. Here, I would ignore the advice of perhaps my favourite writer, CJS Purdy, to ignore threats.

Purdy on threats, In Search of Chess Perfection, pg 289

You must see all real threats. That means you must also see the unreality of real threats…. When in doubt, you can always save time by remembering it is really your move. Try then the following way of thinking:

Imagine the threat could not possibly be executed. Then what would be my best move? Try out each attractive move separately, considering each one as follows. Visualise the whole position as it would be after this move of yours, and then work out whether the opponent would gain by executing his ‘threat’.

So, here, 1 d5! the point being 1…hg 2 de regains the piece since the Nd7 is attacked four times, but defended twice.

Black played 1…e5, met with by 2 Ne6 and Black’s position collapsed: 1-0, a few moves later, game in Megabase 2018.

FEN

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