Daily Chess Puzzle: Alphazero moment (2)

Today’s problem is from the same game.

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.

White to play: rather than 3 Qd5 as played in the game, what would happened after 3 Qb5?

“blazing banana” vs Allan Beardsworth, Chess.com 3-0, 18/5/19

Solution

Wonderfully, 3,..Qd1!! alone would have won.

4 Qd3+ Kh8 (4….Kh6 would have been the move AlphaZero or LeelaZero would want to play, and it is also winning, but 4…Kh8 is stronger) 5 Rb7 (say) Qe1!! wins.

The shuffle Qb1d1-e1 has done what? : it means that the White Queen is on d3, so White can’t play Nc5-d3, hitting the Qe1.

FEN

8/3R1prk/8/pQNp2p1/P2P3p/4P2P/3n1PPK/1q6 b – – 0 43