Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Pastimes

Chess

William Hartston
Saturday 03 February 1996 00:02 GMT
Comments

Usually the best way to solve a chess problem is to stare at the position and wait for inspiration. Eventually, the answer will jump out of the position and hit you between the eyes.

If interocular trauma fails to develop, however, you sometimes have to try the logical approach. It's slow, but it gets there in the end. Try this position. It's White to play and mate in two, composed by IA Shifman in 1927. The answer must have a good deal to do with the bishop on g8, which is just waiting to deliver a discovered check. Any rook move, however, is met by Qxg8. But if the black queen were somehow distracted, then any sideways rook move would do the trick.

It's a pity the rook on f4 is in the way, or we could play Rg4 mate. Come to think of it, we could play Nb4 mate, if only the third rank were better guarded.

Now put them all together, and we have the answer: what's the move to distract the black queen, lure the rook off f4 and guard b3 and a3? It's 1.Qf3!! of course, when 1...Qxf3+ is met by 2.Re4 mate, 1...Rxf3 allows 2.Rg4 mate, 1...Rxc4 is still mated by 2.Nb4. Finally, 1...b1=Q is met by 2.Rc2 and 1...Kb3 by 2.Nc1 mate. A nice composition.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in