White to Play
Pete Tamburro
on
Published in Chess Puzzles
Solution:
In this game, played at Baden-Baden in 1925, Gruenfeld demolished Tarrasch by an exclusive use of the dark squares. The first move of this combination isn’t even a check, but a threat to check. Black can’t muster a defense to this dark square dilemma and goes down quickly: 1.Bh4 h6 [Alternatives also spectacularly fail—worth looking at: 1...Bg6 2.Bf6+ Qg7 (2...Kg8 3.Nh6#) 3.Bxg7+ Kg8 (3...Nxg7 4.Qf8#) 4.Qe7 h6 5.Bf6 h5 6.Nh6#; 1...Rxa3 2.Bf6+ Ng7 3.Bxg7+ Kg8 4.Nh6#] 2.Qf8+ Nxf8 3.Bf6+ Kh7 4.Rg7+ Kh8 5.Rxf7+ Kg8 6.Nxh6# A devastating attack.
Send questions and comments to PTamburro@aol.com.