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.

Black to play

P Svidler v A Grischuk, Candidates London 25/3/2013

Solution

Black missed – and it took me a couple of sittings before I solved this, even knowing it is a puzzle- 1…Qe5! which is a double attack.

In a game, I am bound to have played either 1…Qf3+, as Grischuk played, or 1…Qf5+; and likely, the game would have been drawn, as their game was. How to spot 1…Qe5? Well, perhaps by identifying LPDOs (Rd4 and Ba6) and then looking for geometries (Qf6 hits both Kf1 and Ba6, but it is a hard stretch..

FEN

1r6/5pk1/B5p1/7q/P2R4/2N5/1P4RP/5K2 b – – 0 29