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.

Black to play:  Black played 1…Kh8; what happened next?

Korchnoi v Bastrikov, Tashkent 1958

Solution

The first move isn’t too hard, 2 h6, met with by 2..fg, when since it is a puzzle, I immediately met by 3 Qg6!!

It isn’t too hard, really: 3…hg 4 hg+, 5 Rh8+ and 6 promote the pawn, 1-0. Black though played 3…gh met with by 3 Bh6!

Black took on h6, and Korchnoi won about 10 moves later.

FEN

r1r1nbk1/1q3ppp/n2p2P1/1p1PpN1P/1P2P1Q1/2N1B3/5P2/2R1K2R b K – 0 27