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. Or, actually, it isn’t from the book, but when looking in Megabase unsuccessfully for yesterday’s puzzle, I find several games between Sliwa and Doda.

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

Doda v Sliwa, Polanica Zdroj 21/8/1963

Solution

1 Bb5+! is a nice move, skewering K and R, and forcing 1…Qb5. But Qb5 removes the Queen’s protection of d6, so that after 2 0-0-0+, White threatens 3 Qd6 mate, so 2…Qd5 is forced: then 3 c4 is nearly game over.

FEN

r1b1r3/pp1k2pp/4p3/4qp2/4p3/Q1P5/PP3PPP/R3KB1R w KQ – 0 19