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

Efimenko v Ekeberg, Rogaska Slatina, 25/9/2011

Solution

1 Nf7! and after 1…Kf7, 2 Qe6+ Kf8[] 3 Bg6

And Black is helpless. One line is 3..Qc7 4 Bd6+ R5d6 (4…Qd6 5 Qf7 mate: the Q is tied to f7 5 Rd6 Rd6 6 Qe8+! and mates.

Nicely, this whole line, quite deep, is visible from the start: the line is fairly linear, a narrow tree with few branches in Kotov tree terms.

FEN

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