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.

Today’s position is from a past edition of Chess magazine.

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

Timofeev v Paravyan, Russian Rapid Championships, 2018

Solution

1 Nc4! and Black loses the exchange. 1 Qd8[] 2 Nd5 Qd5[] 3 Nb6 and the Ra8 falls.

FEN

r1b1kb1r/pp2pppp/2nq4/2pnN3/Q7/2N5/PP1PPPPP/R1B1KB1R w KQkq – 0 7