Daily Chess Puzzle

A position from the recent tournament in Stavanger.

White to play: what was my engine’s first choice of move?

Nakamura v Karjakin, Stavanger 6/6/18

Solution

Most moves win, and Hikaru played 1 Rc4 and mopped up the Q side pawns. But the engine prefers 1 a4! which is a nice transformation of the advantage, from RvN to a simple K and P ending; since if 1…Nd5+ 2 Kd2[] Nb6 White has 3 a5 before eating the c pawns.

Therefore, 2…Nc3 3 Kc3-c4-c5 and the a pawn falls, without White’s king being trapped.

FEN

7k/p5p1/7p/2p5/1np5/2R1K1P1/P6P/8 w – – 0 31
wKe3,Rc3,Pa2,g3,h2/bKh8,Nb4,Pa7,c4,c5,g7,h6