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: examine 1 Qb5, as played

Urbanec v Engel, 7th world correspondence chess final, year unknown

Solution

1…c6! overloads White:  2 Qc6 keeping an attack on the LPDO Re8 is met by 2…Bf7!, the key move, and White’s position collapses: either the Ra6 or Nd2 fall.

FEN

4r1k1/2p3pp/R3b1r1/1p1p1q2/3Pn3/1B6/PP1NQPPP/5RK1 w – – 0 1