White to Play
Published in Chess Puzzles
Solution:
You no doubt found there was a lot to think about. Let’s look at some possibilities: What White did was force the Black side to deal with a threat and remove the mate threat: 1.Ba3 Qxa3 [You would have to think also about 1...Qc4 2.Qf5 Bxa1 3.Nh5+ Ke8 4.Ng7+ Kd8 5.Nf7+ Qxf7 6.Qxf7;and 1...Bxf2+ 2.Kxf2 Qxg4 3.Nxg4 Ke8 4.Nxe5, both leaving won games for White. Now White also, having seen the mate in two threat, found a really cool way of finishing the game) 2.Qe6 Nd8 3.Qf7+ Nxf7 4.Ne6# What a great final position! You have to look for possibilities and then find a way to make them happen giving your opponent little choice. Knowing what you now know, try, from the initial position, to play out all the moves and variations in your head. Do this with every problem you see on this page and you will get better!
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