Daily Chess Puzzle

Today’s problem is from one of my collection of chess cuttings. For perhaps 20 years I have been cutting articles out to read later, and rarely get round to it. The pile is (or the piles are) now embarrassingly large, so for part of the time I have available for chess I am reading through them, and will blog about interesting things or positions from them.

Where known, I will say where the cutting was from. Normally I will be able to tell this. Sometimes, though, I for example only cut out the puzzle and might not know.

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

Tal v Suttles, Sukhumi 24/8/1972

Solution

Engines, engines, engines.

Suttles played (of course) 1…Ra5 here, with complications as posted in the last several days.

But Komodo 10 says 1…Nb2! with the cute point 2 Qb2 Qa4! hitting the B and Rook 3 Rd8+ defending against the threat 3…Rd8[] 4 Bd8 Qd1+ double attack! Hitting the K and the LPDO Bd8.

After 5 Kh2[] Qd8[] 6 Qb7 Qa5 White is better. I don’t know if it winning. I assume it is, perhaps as a grind. (7 Ng5? Be5+ 8 g3 Qc7 holds, and White has dissipated much of his advantage).

FEN

r5k1/1p3pbp/2q1p1p1/B1p1P3/n1P5/P4N1P/1P2QPP1/3R2K1 b – – 0 27