Daily Chess Puzzle: St. Petersburg edition
Today my wife Jane and I are in St. Petersburg (this blog is written in advance, before we fly to Russia): fulfilling a life long ambition of mine to visit Russia. We have spent 3 days in Moscow, and are now in St. Petersburg for a further 3 nights. I hope to play at least one game of chess, likely blitz, whilst in the home of chess.
Today’s game is by the player who I identify with St. Petersburg when it was called Leningrad: Viktor Korchnoi. The game I have chosen is his shortest victory against his life time rival, Anatoly Karpov.
The game, in 1974, when I was 12, and their fights, took place when my emerging interest in chess was burgeoning…and my interest in Russian took hold of me.
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
Korchnoi v Karpov, Candidates Moscow, 11/11/1974
Solution
1 Nh7!! was the startling move.
Black declined, and White soon mopped up.
FEN
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