White has five pieces with easy access to Black’s castled position. FIVE!! That’s about as good as your ever going to see. If a position such as this ever shows up in one of your games, you should sit there until you find the best continuation. There has to be the win of major material or mate. There just has to be!

Solution:

The game was Wolf,Heinrich - Przepiorka,Dawid [C84], Bad Pistyan, 1922 and went this way:

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Be7 6.Nc3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.d3 Na5 9.Ne2 Nxb3 10.axb3 c5 11.Bd2 0–0 12.Ng3 Qc7 13.Qe2 Re8 14.h3 Bf8 15.Nh4 d5 16.Bg5 Qc6 17.Qf3 dxe4 18.dxe4 Re6 19.Rad1 Bb7 20.Rfe1 c4 21.Nhf5 Rc8 22.bxc4 bxc4 23.Re2 a5 24.c3 Nd7 25.Red2 Nc5 26.Rd8 Re8 27.R8d6 Bxd6 28.Rxd6 Qc7

At this point, if you chose 29.Qg4 or 29.Bf6, you did well! White is the exchange down (rook for knight), so the line has to be forcing lest Black give material back in order to defend. The moves in bold are the actual game moves.

(See Diagram)

29.Bf6! [The alternative was also good: 29.Qg4 g6 30.Nh5 Nxe4 31.Nh6+ Kf8 (31...Kh8 32.Qxe4 Bxe4 33.Bf6#) 32.Rd7 Re6 33.Qd1 (33.Rxc7 Rxc7 34.Bd8 Rc5 35.f3 Nd6 36.Nf6 Rc8 37.Nxh7+ Kg7 38.Nxf7 Kxf7 39.Ng5+ Kf8 40.Nxe6+) ] 29...Re6 30.Qg4 [Here, White could have won with: 30.Rxe6 Nxe6 31.Nxg7 Kf8 (31...Nxg7 32.Qg4) 32.Qg4 Qd7 33.N3f5 Nf4 34.Bxe5 Ng6 35.Bd6+ Kg8 36.Nh5 Re8 37.Nh6+ Kh8 38.Qxd7] 30...g6 31.Qg5? [Again, White doesn’t see the necessary 31.Rxe6 fxe6 32.Ne7+ Kf7 33.Qh4 Rd8 34.Qxh7+ Kxf6 35.Nd5+ exd5 36.Qxc7 Ne6 37.Qxb7 winning] 31...Rxf6?? [ Black misses 31...Rxd6!! 32.Qh6 Ne6 33.Ne7+ Qxe7! 34.Bxe7 Rd7 35.Bf6 Rc5 36.Nf5 gxf5 37.exf5 Rcd5 38.Kh2 e4 39.fxe6 fxe6 40.Bd4 and White has an advantage, but there is a lot of work ahead.] 32.Qxf6 Ne6 And now White mates in three: 33.Rxe6 gxf5 34.Nxf5 fxe6 35.Nh6#

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