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 puzzle was seen in David Howell’s Sunday Telegraph column.

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

Goryachkina v Gunina, Kazan 1/6/19

Solution

1 Nh4! and if 1…Rh4, 2 Ra4+ skewers the K and R; after the rook is captured, the pawn promotes.

Black defended well: 1…Kg3 2 h8(Q) Rf2+ 3 Ke1 Bb4+ picking up the rook; but lost 15 or so moves later.

FEN

8/7P/5p2/R1b2N2/6k1/8/7r/5K2 w – – 0 72