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White to Play

Pete Tamburro on

Published in Chess Puzzles

We’re going to look at another entry from the vastly entertaining and instructive book “Draw” by Leonid Verkhovsky. It’s published by Russell Enterprises as a translation of the original from the 1970s. Why is that important? Well, there is a foreword by Mikhail Tal. You don’t need to be Tal to figure out that White is in dire circumstances with mate threats closing the noose around the king’s neck. How do you escape with a draw if you’re White?


Solution:

White squirms out with: 1.Qb8+ Kb6 [Embarrassing is 1...Kxb8 2.Bd6#] 2.Qa7+ Kc7 [Equally embarrassing is 2...Kb5 3.Qc5+ Ka6 4.Bc1#] 3.Qb8+ with a perpetual check. That was cute. In taking a closer look it’s worth pointing out that 1.hxg3 Bh3! wins for Black because the bishop vacates the c8 square disallowing the perpetual. White could also draw with the unexpected 1.h4 gxf2+ [1...Bh3 2.Bc5! Bxf1 3.Qb6+ Kd7 4.Qxb7+ Ke6 5.Qxc6+ Kf5 6.Qd7+ Kg6 7.Rxf1 Qf3 8.Qh3; 1...Qf3 2.Qb8+] 2.Rxf2 Rg8+ 3.Kh1 Qxf2 4.Qb8+ and we’re back to the queen perpetual.

 


Send questions and comments to PTamburro@aol.com.

 

 

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