Chess Puzzle of the Week (234): Solution

On Monday I offered you this endgame study (Ernest Pogosyants 1 Pr Leninskoye Znamya 1967) which I found in a review of Anthology of Miniature Endgame Studies by Yochanan Afek in the May 2023 issue of The Problemist.

The solution is short but eventful.

The main line runs like this:

1. Qh5+! Ka4! 2. Qh4+! Qg4! (a Mitrofanov Deflection) 3. axb3+! Kb3 4. Qg3 Qxg3, or 4. Qh3 Qxh3, in each case with stalemate.

Click on any move to play through the solution here.