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.

What is wrong in the sequence shown over the last several days?

1 Qh6

1…Qc7 2 Bd4 Rd7 3 Rf3 Ng6 4 Rbf1 Kg8 5 Qg7+ Rg7[] 6 Ng6+ Kh8[]

7 Rf7 Qf7 8 Rf7 Rg8 9 Rd7 Bd7 10 Nf7 mate.

Black missed a stunning defence somewhere towards the end of this line.

Blumenthal v McGunnigle  corres 1962

Solution

7…Qf7?? is a mistake, and instead 7…Qe5!! almost turns the tables.

8 Be5[] Ne5 9 Rf8+ Rg8!

And White’s best is 10 Ng8 Rf8 11 Rf8[] Kg7

and I know, if I were White, I would be seriously thinking I had messed up, and likely lose, “on tilt”.

The engine says best play is 12 Rf5 cd! 13 cd[] (13 Re5?? d2! -+) Nd3 14 Ne7 Nb2 15 Nd5 and the game goes on. I know in my practice, I could lose with either colour.

FEN

2rr1n1k/6pp/p3Q3/qb1p1N2/1pp5/3P3P/1PP2BP1/1R3RK1 w – – 0 1