White threatens 20.hxg4 or 20.Qxb6 or 20.Nxb6.

The move I find most interesting is 19...Rd3. 20.Bxd3 Qxg2# is simple enough. 20.Qxd3 Bh2+ 21.Kh1 Nxf2+ 22.Kxh2 Nxd3 is winning. 20.Qxb6 may be the only possible refutation, which isn't to say it's the only possible reply (20.Qc2 is also possible, and 20...Rxh3 may be the response).

So 19...Rd3 20.Qxb6 Bh2+ 21.Kh1 Nxf2+ 22.Kxh2 Rxh3+:

A) 23.gxh3 Qh1+ 24.Kg3 Qf3+

A.1) 25.Kh2 Qf4+ 26.Kg1 Qg3+ 27.Bg2 Qxg2#

A.2) 25.Kh4 Qf4+ 26.Kh5 g6#

This game is included in "Smyslov's 125 Selected Games" and in, "My Best Games of Chess 1935-1957".

Smyslov stated: <"This was my first tournament game to appear in print (in the newspaper 64)".>

I was famliar with this puzzle position from the excellent book, "Chess Gems - 1000 Combinations You Should Know", by Igor Sukhin.

I'm not so sure about that <sevenseaman>. After 19...Nf2 20.Kxf2 b5?! 21.Qf3!? white can make a game of it.

click for larger view

21...bxa4(<21...Rd2+ 22.Re2 >) 22.Qxf4 Qb6+ 23.Qe3 Rd2+(<23...Qxb2+ 24.Be2 > with a slight advantage for black) 24.Re2 Rxb2 25.Qxb6 26.Rxb6

click for larger view

I too cannot very well say I am sure as we may not be selecting the best White responses to the robot. Working off the cuff here is how it went (picking your continuation at 23. Qe3);

If 20.Qc2 then Rd2 and Rxf2 next move when black has three pieces threatening g2.

White thinks that "d3" square is good protected, but black can prove that this is only illusion!

If you have the idea of the combo, but the direct consequence of moves doesn't work try to change the order of moves.

First I tried 19...Bh2+ 20.Kh1 Nxf2+ 21.Kxh2 Rd3 but after 22.Qxb6 I didn't see the mating continuation.

Then I changed the order of moves with idea, that because "f2" is unprotected black can fork when king on h1 and queen on d3.

White threatens 20.hxg4 and 20.Nxb6.

The proximity of the knight to the white king and the possibility of opening the white castle with a rook sacrifice on h3 suggest 19... Rd3:

A) 20.Bxd3 Qxg2#.

B) 20.Qxd3 Bh2+ 21.Kh1 Nxf2+ 22.Kxh2 Nxd3 - + [Q+P vs R+B] (23.Bxd3 Qxg2#).

C) 20.Qxb6 Rxh3

C.1) 21.gxh3 Qh1#.

C.2) 21.Qxc6 Bh2+ 22.Kh1 Nxf2#.

C.3) 21.Bd4 Bh2+ 22.Kh1 Bxe5+ 23.Kg1 Bh2+ 24.Kh1 Bc7+ 25.Kg1 Bxb6 - + [Q+P vs B].

C.4) 21.f3 Bh2+ 22.Kh1 Bxe5+ 23.gxh3 (23.Kg1 Bh2+ 24.Kh1 Bc7+) 23... Qxf3+ 24.Kg1 Qh1# (or 24... Bh2#).

D) 20.Qc2 Rxh3

D.1) 21.Re2 Bh2+ 22.Kh1 Bxe5+ 23.Kg1 Bh2+ 24.Kh1 Bb8+ 25.Kg1 Qc7 26.Be5 (26.g3 Rh1#) 26... Nxe5 27.gxh3 Nf3+ and mate next.

D.2) 21.f3 Bh2+ 22.Kh1 Bf4+

D.2.a) 23.gxh3 Qxf3+ 24.Bg2 (24.Kg1 Qh1#; 24.Qg2 Qxh3+ 25.Kg1 Qh2+ 26.Qxh2 Bxh2#) 24... Qxh3+ 25.Kg1 Be3+ 26.Kf1 (26.Rxe3 Qh2+ 27.Kf1 Nxe3+, etc.) 26... Nh2+ 27.Ke2 Qxg2+ 28.Kd1 Rd8+ wins.

D.2.b) 23.Kg1 Be3+ 24.Rxe3 Nxe3 - + [R+P vs B] (25.Qb3 Rh6 26.Qxe3 Qxa4).

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[A] <Phony Benoni: ... 20.Qxb6 Rxh3 21.Qxc6 Bxc6 22.gxh3 Bh2# ... Can White do anything else after 21.Qxc6 Bxc6?>

Ne need to worry about that: 20 Qb6 Rxh3 21 Qxc6 Bh2+ 22 Kh1 Nxf2#>

[B] <sevenseaman 19...Bh2+ 20 Kh1 Rd3 21 Qxb6 Rxh3 22 f3> Good try, but the windmill (...Bxe5+, etc.) still works, as White cannot ever play gxh2 Qxf3+. This also works in the transposed line [see next].

[C] 19...Rd3 may not be any better than 19...Bh2+, but it cannot be worse, as Black always can transpose, unless there is something even better.

The main point of my line starting with <19...Nxf2> is <22...Bh2> keeping the White King out of <g1>. All this depends on white accepting the knight with <20.Kxf2>. I see you looked at this line but varied with 22...Rd8. I spend a lot of time on that move

19... Rd3!! and the addition of another attacker with tempo is devastating:

A) 20.Bxd3 Qxg2#

B) 20.Qxd3 Bh2+ 21.Kh1 Nxf2+ 22.Kxh2 Nxd3 23.Red1 (Bxd3 Qxg2#) Nf2! 24.Rd2 Ne4 25.Rd2 moves Qxa4, winning a queen for a rook.

C) 20.Qxb6 Rxh3! 21.Qxf6 (gxh3 Qh1#) Bh2+ 22.Kh1 Nxf2#

C.1) 21.Re2 Bh2+ 22.Kh1 Bxe5+ 23.Kg1 Bh2+ 24.Kh1 Bc7+ wins.

C.2) 21.Qd4 Bh2+ 22.Kh1 Bxe5+ wins.

D) 20.Qc2 Rd2 21.Qb1 (Qe4 Bh2+ 22.Kh1 Nxf2+) Rxf2 22.hxg4 Rxg2+ wins.

At first I went through the line Nh2 attacking Bishop on f1 for the reason that it is the only piece supporting g2 square, elimination of which is a step forward to checkmate White. It just does'nt work. I found the winnin line by the help of Chessmaster:

19..............Rd3
20.Qxd3 Bh2+
21.Kh1 Nxf2+ (h1& d3 are attacked simultanously) 22.Kxh2 Nxd3
White Queen is lost

Gerassimov vs Smyslov.

Wicked sick! A Smyslov puzzle.

I'm liking 19...Rd3! 20. Qc2 [20. Bxd3?? Qxg2#; 20. Qxd3? Bh2+ 21. Kh1 Nxf2+ wins; 20. Qxb6 Rxh3! 21. Qxc6 (21. Bd4/Re2 Bh2+ 22. Kh1 Bxe5+ 23. Kg1 Bh2+ 24. Kh1 Bc7+ wins) 21...Bh2+ 22. Kh1 Nf2#]

20...Rd2 21. Qb1 (21. Qb3 Rxf2 and Black wins due to the threat of 22...Rxg2+; 21. Qe4 Bh2+ 22. Kh1 Nxf2+ wins) 21...Rxf2! 22. Qe4 Bh2+ 23. Kh1 Rxf1+ 24. Rxf1 Qxe4 and Black wins.