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A queen for a back rank
Aron Nimzowitsch vs Semyon Alapin · St Petersburg 1914 · White to play and win
White to play. Mate in 2.
Find the move Aron Nimzowitsch found. The other side answers by itself.
Aron Nimzowitsch vs Semyon Alapin
St Petersburg, 1914
Share this puzzle on X →The game
Aron Nimzowitsch against Semyon Alapin, St Petersburg, 1914. The board above holds the position as it stood: White to move, and mate in 2. Find the move that was played and the other side answers by itself, exactly as it answered then.
The story behind it, which gives the finish away
Nimzowitsch, the theorist of quiet positional play, wins with a queen thrown onto d8. The rook mates on the file the queen opened.
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