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: evaluate 1 Bf7+! Kf7

Glenn Flear v K Bhatia, 4 NCL Reading 19/11/2016

Solution

Yesterday we saw the game continuation, 1… Rf7, which I find easy to compute. For some reason, I struggled more with 1…Kf7.

Eventually I saw 2 Re7+ Kg8[] and 3 Qh6 and it is game over.

I also found, and this is what took so much time, 3 f7+ Rf7[] 5 Re8+ Rf8[] 6 Rf8+ Kf8 7 Qf4+ and if 7…Kg8 8 Re1, with the threat of 9 Re8+ and 10 Qf8 mate, before deciding “long variation, bad variation” (it isn’t that bad: it wins) and taking a fresh look and seeing Qh6.

FEN

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