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Black to Play

Pete Tamburro on

Published in Chess Puzzles

There is a series of moves in chess known as the Steinitz Trap. It comes out of this opening series of moves: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0–0 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bh4 g5 8.Bg3 h5 9.Nxg5? [Better is 9.b4 Bb6 10.h4 Nh7] 9...h4 10.Nxf7 hxg3 [10...Qe7 11.Nxh8 hxg3 12.Bf7+ Kd8 13.hxg3 Qf8 is equal.] 11.Nxd8 Bg4 12.Nf7 [A Steinitz game, worth playing through, went 12.Qd2 Nd4 13.Nc3 Nf3+ 14.gxf3 Bxf3 15.hxg3 Rh1#] 12...Rxh2 [ If 12...Bxd1 13.hxg3 Rf8 14.Rxd1 Ng4 15.Rf1 Nd8 and Black’s just a little better] 13.Qd2 Nd4 14.Nc3 and here we are at our position. In order for you to get credit, you have to see Black’s best defense and how to meet it.


Solution:

You may very well have seen the first move, but did you catch the possibility of the White queen move? 14…Nf3+ 15.gxf3 Bxf3 16.Qh6 Rg2+ [a big oops is16...Rxh6 17.Nxh6 and White wins]17.Kh1 Rxf2+ 18.Kg1 Rg2+ 19.Kh1 Rh2#

 


Send questions and comments to PTamburro@aol.com.

 

 

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