White to Play
Published in Chess Puzzles
Solution: Heisman spends important time on each of the three moves. While 1.a3 is safe, he points out that it accepts being a pawn down. 1.Qd3, threatening mate, is also safe, but it, too, accepts material loss. 1.Rxf6 actually wins, but it was the little twist he put in that resonated with me, because I have seen this happen in so many average player games it’s enough to make you scream. And, when it happens in a game of mine, well, you can imagine my reaction…In this position, I can see players going with the 2.Qd3 move below because they don’t think about their opponent actually playing defense! Here’s the solution 1.Rxf6 gxf6 2.Qg4+ [How many would just carelessly play 2.Qd3 just to meet up with 2…f5 3.Qxf5 f6 and White is lost!] 2...Kh8 3.Qf5 and mate is unstoppable We’ll do more from this interesting approach in the coming days.
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