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

Gligoric v Szabo, Moscow 1963

Solution

An odd one: 1 h4! and Black resigned. Zugzwang.

1 Kg2 is also +-, and maybe other moves are too. The point, I think, is that after 1 h4, g5 is covered, so that after e.g. 1…Bh6 2 Rd5 Rd5[] 3 Bd5, Black can’t play 3…Bg5 defending d8.

FEN

7k/3P2bp/1p1rB3/p1p2R2/P7/1P6/7P/7K w – – 0 42