Black to Play and Mate in Four
Published in Chess Puzzles
This is our second entry in our ego building puzzle week. The first thing you should recognize is the weakness along the diagonal h1-a8 White has created by playing his pawn to g3. Black now can mate White with an imaginative first move that shows just how bad that weakness is. This is a challenge, but the knowledge that there is a mate here should be a help.
Solution:
The actual game between Erstein and Laes in 1956 started out: 1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e6 4.Nf3 Bb4 5.Qc2 c5 6.e3 b6 7.Bd2 Bb7 8.Be2 0–0 9.a3 Bxc3 10.Bxc3 Ne4 11.0–0 Rf6 12.Nd2 Rh6 13.g3 Nxd2 14.Qxd2 and now White Resigned after Black played: (see diagram)14...Qh4 because 15.Bh5 [15.h3 Qxh3 16.d5 (16.Bh5 Qh1#) 16...Qh1#; 15.gxh4 Rg6+ 16.Bg4 Rxg4#] 15...Qxh2+ 16.Kxh2 Rxh5+ 17.Kg1 Rh1# If you figured out 14...Qh4, give yourself a nice ego boosting pat on the back!
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