Solution to Chess Problem Number 12

Brian Stephenson, British Chess Problem Society President and organiser of the annual British Chess Problem Solving Championship, did an excellent job is capturing the essentials of one of my early problems and converting it into a nice miniature (7 or less men on the board).

Solution:

Key move 1. Bc2

(a) 1...cxb5 2. Qe4 b4 3. Qd3 mate.

(b) 1...c5 2. Qf4 c4 3. Qd2 mate.

In each variation the black pawn blocks a different escape square for the black king.