Daily Chess Puzzle

Today’s problem is from the recent Bolton Rapidplay.

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

(i) solve the problem

(ii) what move does Komodo 10 suggest to me is Black’s second best move?

P Seery v Paul Macklin, Bolton Rapidplay, 2/12/19

Solution

I was playing on the adjacent board, and saw Paul doing the inexorable KID build up of loading his pieces on the king side and h-file in particular.

Paul, the deserving co-winner (with a potential rising star, Han Yinfen, 12, from Necastle) of the tournament, didn’t of course miss 1…Bh2.

With the nice point of 2 Qh2 or 2 Kh2 both being met by 2…Bg2+ -+

The second part of my puzzle is harder: much harder.

1..Bg2+ is clearly Komodo’s first choice; but 1….Ra8?!?! is its second choice. And for some reason 1…Bg2+ is mate in 11, whilst 1…Ra8 is not mate in 12 but mate in 13.

(I’ve played through to see why: in fact, in one of the shortest mating lines, the Ra7 comes into play).

FEN

7k/rBp4p/P1Pp3r/3Pp2q/4Pp2/1R3Pbb/4Q2P/2R4K b – – 0 1