Today is shaping up as another glorious day in marvellous Melbourne.   The temperature is 25 degrees, my boss (the Chess Guru) is on holiday roaming around Europe, so I’m free to do whatever I want.   I’ve decided that listening to old goon shows on the radio, watching Tomic play in the Davis Cup on TV (with the sound turned down) and eating Lindt chocolates is the way to go.  That takes care of the senses of sight, sound and taste so all I need now is a bit of intellectual stimulation.   That must be why chess was invented.  I could drag out Fred Reinfeld’s book “1001 Chess Combinations” but I’ve found his puzzles on the internet via my iphone and so am working my way through them.

I particularly like endgame puzzles where, despite the absence of many pieces, you can still find a quirky twist or an unexpected finish.  Here is one that appealed to me with only four pieces on the board.   I’ll give you a Lindt chocolate if you can solve it in under 30 seconds.

8/8/8/6pp/6pk/1R6/6KP/8 w kq – 0 1White to play ... Find the Quickest way to win

ANSWER:

The quickest win is 1.Rh3+!! gxh3+ 2.Kf3 g4+ 3.Kf4 g3 4.hxg3#.   A pretty finish.  Would you like white, milk or dark chocolate?