Daily Chess Puzzle

Today’s problem is from an old edition of Chess Magazine. I don’t know which one, because, as is my habit, from time to time I photocopy a page to solve on walks or on trains etc; and my copy doesn’t show the magazine date.

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

Naoum v Skiadopoulous, Isthmia 23/8/2011

Solution

I had a complete fail with this puzzle: I wonder if my readers fared better?

After much effort, I chose 1 b4 as the move I would play, but didn’t think I had much after an exchange of pawns and 2…Qc4. And White doesn’t: it is level

I looked several times at 1 Nd5! but couldn’t make it work.

Even when I looked on Megabase for the solution, I couldn’t see how 1Nd5 worked against 1…Qd5. But first, what I did see was how to beat 1…Qc2, as played in the game.

2 Qa5! (a better move order than my solution, 2 Ne7+, because 2 Qa5 prevents Rc7) Rd7 3 Ne7+! (key, and pretty)

and mates.

FEN

3r2k1/3P2pp/2r5/ppq5/4p3/PPNnP3/2RQ2PP/5RK1 w – – 0 29