Today’s brain teaser!
SPRAGGETT ON CHESS
AFTERWARDS, Louis took a look at this position again, feeling that he had overlooked something. HE WAS RIGHT!
The position below was submitted to me by my Montreal colleague Louis Morin, whom my readers might remember has already had some of his games published here! Louis wrote saying that this position actually occurred during an ICC blitz game played recently. Take a look at it!
LOUIS
Mattearl
Louis has a dangerous attack, having sacrificed a piece to open up the White King position. However, how to make progress?? After some thought (remember, this was a blitz game!) Louis decided to give perpetual check with 17…Nxf3-ch 18.BxN Bh2-ch 19. Kh1 Bd6-ch 20. Kg1 Bh2-ch etc.
BLACK TO PLAY AND WIN!!
SOLUTION:
Black can win with the amazingly cool 17…h5!!!. The threat is simply …Rh6 and …Rg6 and mate to follow. In some lines White can take the Rook on h6 with his Bishop, but Black calmly recaptures the Bishop with the pawn, opening up the g-file and threatening …Rg8 and mate. It is a nightmare for White. He is helpless, as the reader can easily verify.
Sometimes it is the IDEA that is the hardest to find; but once you see it, everything falls into place…