This is the final position from the first game in Chernev’s Logical Chess: Move by Move. White resigned in an apparently drawn position, and AFAIK, no one noticed until 2005 or so…
WHITE TO PLAY RESIGNED
I showed this to a master and a couple experts at the Evanston CC event yesterday: many heads were scratched (including my own, and I’d seen the computer analysis).
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My first thought was Bc1-f4, but that does not seem to save White.
Next:
GIVEN that I am told there IS a move that enables White to hold a draw, the solution simply must begin with a “forcing” move. That simple algorithmic technique nicely limits the possibilities to only:
[aa] Qd1-a4+
[bb] Bc4:f7+
[cc] Bc4-b5+ (ruled out, clearly fails a6:b5)
[dd] Rf1:f2 (rule out, loses to mate in one Ng4:f2++)
Of the two plausible forcing moves, I lack the ability to see the solution any deeper.
I can maybe see something if Ke8:f7 Qd1-d5+ followed by Qd5-h5 (to press squares h3 & h2). But Black’s king does not have to capture White’s f7B, such as with Ke8-f8 instead.
Although, now that I write these words, perhaps after Ke8-f8 the original thought of Bc1-f4 might work after all, if followed by Qg3:f4 Bf7-h5 to harass Black’s g4N?
Maybe, I am unsure.
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Wow, very good! You’re right that the algorithm isn’t hard: there’s something about the smell of the position that makes human masters give up, not even bothering to apply the algorithm.
After 1.Bxf7+ Kxf7 2.Qd5+, the only thing you missed is that there’s a bizarre perpetual: the Queen checks on d5, e6, and f5, and if the BK goes to e7, then Bg5+ If Black tries to escape with 1…Ke7 2.Bg5+ Kd7 3.Be6+! forces Black into the perpetual line.
1.Bxf7! Kf8 2.Bf4! Qxf4 3.Bh5!! is indeed the main line. The obvious “refutation” is 3…Qh6 (which, incidentally is the real refutation to 3.Be6), but amazingly, it’s the Black king that’s more exposed after 4.Nh2! (opens the f-file!) and White is better.
Evaluating the position after the best move 3…Nf6! (who would see THAT from the initial position?) 4.Rxh2 Nxh5 5.Qd5 g6! is beyond my powers. General human / computer consensus is equal-ish.
I watched my computer discover this Saturday a.m. Haven’t seen this in print, but folks at chessgames.com found it in 2005…