I found this one from the chessbase website (first round report by Albert Silver). This position is from the game between Sam Shankland (USA) and Joan Fernandez Lopez (Andorra) after black’s last move 15. – Qb6? White can get a winning position. But how?
The obvious 16. b5 doesn’t work. What will? It took me a while to figure this one out, and of course I didn’t see all the variations. But at least I found the wining move. 🙂 Solution…
By the first looks of it black is in big trouble. He is two pawns dawn and his pieces are very loose.
Is there a way out of this quandary? Well there is. It is a very glorious one. Do you see how? Solution…
Source: problem #166673 ChessTempo
White just played 38. Qxf7 and left his rook on d1 en prise. It seems like a piece of cake for black to win the game. When you are hungry, indulge yourself with the food that is been offered.
Or not? Solution…
The tactical puzzles on ChessTempo are more difficult then on some other websites. They are taken from real chess games.
The solution is often a bit messy and not allways straightforward. Many times there is some sort of sting. And you guessed it right: I fall right into the trap. 😦
White just played 1. Kg4-f5. The threat is obvious: if white gets the chance to play Ke6 or Kg6 he threatens mate (Rf7#). This makes the conversion off f3-pawn into a queen a bit complicated. But it is the only way to win the game. Therefore let’s play 1. – f2 White answers 2. Kd3. The question is: how can black not only save the game but win it? See the solution…
Does it ever happen to you? I mean you look for a position almost endlessly, but still you can’t find the correct moves. It is not the first time this happened to me and I am afraid it won’t be the last time either. See the diagram.
White was already facing a lot of problems. But with 30. f4?? he turned a bad position in a losing one. How can black obtain a winning advantage? Solution…
PS. I failed to find the correct solution 😦
I found this puzzle on ChessTempo
This position occurred after white played 17. Qf4 in the game Levon Aronian – Hikaru Nakamura (Candidates 2016, round 6).
Why is 17. – Nh5 a terrible move? Solution…
PS. Of course Nakamura played a much better move, but in the end he lost the game after 86 moves.
Yesterday was an important day for my team (Manhem III). With a win in our match against Säffle SK we would be the victor of our group (Allsvenskan div II – 5).
But it was not to be. Personally I feel responsable because I messed up against my opponent and therefore the match ended in a very disappointing 4-4. Â
Before the game I told one off my team mates about my game plan: ‘I will play it very safe, just do some moves and hopefully he will make a mistake and I will punish him for it.’ This plan turned out to be very effective. That is: up to some point.
I gradually gained the upper hand after a dull start in the game. We arrived at move 20. White has the better pawn structure, a good versus bad bishop and he pins black down to the defense of c6. Moreover white has a ‘tiny’ threat. Black didn’t see it and played 20. – Qg7?? How can white take advantage of this mistake? Solution…
I did see (and play) the combination. But very soon after this I missed some better moves and finally the game petered out in a draw. The first stage of my plan was a big success. The second stage however was big let down with dire consequences for my team. 😦
White threatens to mate the black king. But there is a problem. The black queen is checking the white king.
Your task is obvious: try to escape the female’s harassment. 🙂
I found this chess puzzle on chesstempo.com (puzzle 55657). To the game…
I found this position on the website ChessMastery.co.uk.
It is a mind boggling position. The white threat is quite obvious:
1. Qxh6 Kxh6 2. Ng4#
It all looks forced. Is black fighting for a lost cause or does he have one last trick up his sleeve? (If one asks a question like this, the answer must be a resounding ‘yes’). Solution…
In the foreword of his excellent book ‘Recognizing your opponent’s resources’ the author, Mark Dvoretsky’ writes:
‘Your opponent also has a right to exist – Savielly Tartakower remarked with his characteristic irony. Absorbed in our own thoughts, we sometimes forget this, for which we have to pay dearly.
As Viktor Korchnoi wrote, Well, if you do not check what your opponent is doing, you will end up complaining about bad luck after every game.’
Korchnoi’s statement is the reason why I stopped ‘wishing my opponent luck’. It implies that I wish myself to blunder. I hate making big mistakes! Nowadays I wish them a nice game and think ‘I hope my game will just be a bit more nice then yours!’
It’s great advice to take your opponent’s resources into account. It will net you a lot of extra points. We allways have to take care and ask ourselves:
‘Are there any threats’ and ‘What if I do…. how might my opponent react?’
Even the simplest positions sometimes hide unexpected tactical tricks. See the diagram*. At first glance it seems that white is completely winning. He simply queens his pawn (c7xb8Q) and will be a queen and a rook up. Also taking with the rook on b8 gives white more then enough material to win the game.
Or is this a bit too cheerful? Well see for yourself. White to play and win (yes, he has a win)! But it is no so easy as it looks. Solution…
*Source: Chessbites.com
Michel's Chess Blog 