Daily Chess Puzzle

Today’s problem is a past edition of Chess magazine; I don’t know which one, which I photocopied the page, and it doesn’t have the magazine date on it.

As is my custom, I only say 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.

Black to play

Movsesian v Ponkratov, Tallinn 16/12/16

Solution

I muffed this one, but my team mate, Andy Reeve, solved it more or less instantly, when I showed it to him as we were travelling to a recent chess talk and simul hosted by Matthew Sadler and Natasha Regan about their book Game Changer,

Why is it that sometimes there are just blind spots? I saw the key moves, but not in the order that works. I tried pretty much every other move too; Andy meanwhile saw the moves 1…Rff2! 2 Rf2 Be3 well nigh immediately.

FEN

2k2r2/1pp5/q1n5/4B1bp/4Q1p1/P3N1P1/4rP1P/1R3RK1 b – – 0 28