Contents

Introduction 5Algebraic Notation 6Using Puzzles to Improve 8

100 Chess Puzzles

Queen & Bishop Line-Up1) Picking Off the Pieces 122) The Classic Fork with Ëe4 133) The Two-Move Knockout 144) The Mega-Knockout 155) More Queen & Bishop Line-Ups 16

Attacks on the g6-Square (After Castling)6) The Ìg6 Trick 177) The Íxh6/Ëg6+ Combo 188) The Ìf6+/Ëg6+ Combo 199) How to Beat a World Champion 20

Attacks on the e6-Square(After Castling)10) Central Collapse 2111) The Ìxe6/Îxe6 Combo 2212) A Backward Pawn on e6 2313) Knightmare on e6 2414) More Knightmares on e6 25

Attacks on the King15) The Killer Ëf3/Ìf5 Set-Up (1) 2616) The Killer Ëf3/Ìf5 Set-Up (2) 2717) The Tricky Ëg3/Ìg4 Set-Up 2818) The Quiet Killer: Íf6 2919) Knight Sacrifice on f6 3020) More Ìf6+ Sacrifices 3121) Open the h-File with Íg5 3222) Fright Knight 33

23) The Belated King-Hunt 3424) Tactics on the Queenside 3525) Finishing Off with Îg4+ 3626) The Simple Íxg7 Capture 37

Forks, Skewers, Pins...27) Winning the Exchange 3828) Hungarian Horror Story 3929) The Unwelcome Visitor 4030) More Íg6 Bishop Offers 4131) Winning Material with Ìh6+ 4232) The Íh6 Exchange Win 4333) The Useful Ìh5+ Trick 4434) Another Useful Ìh5+ Trick 4535) Surprise Skewers 4636) Weak Queenside Dark Squares 47

Decoys & Deflections37) A Delightful Decoy 4838) More Delightful Decoys 4939) Dazzling Deflections 5040) Fun with Bishops & Knights 5141) Tal’s Tallinn Trick 5242) The Ía6 Trap 5343) The Rook & Knight Decoy 54

Zwischenzugs44) Mastering the Zwischenzug 5545) The Ìg4 Zwischenzug 5646) The Ìg6 Zwischenzug 57

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Mating Patterns47) A Mighty Mate on g8 5848) More Mighty Mates 5949) You Can Mate with Two Knights 6050) The Rarest Checkmate 6151) Boden & Friends 6252) Arabian Knights 6353) Remember the Rook-Lift 6454) Rook-Lift with Îf5 6555) Smothered &

Semi-Smothered Mate 6656) A Classic Semi-Smothered Mate 6757) A Queen Sacrifice on h7 6858) Off to the Beach 69

Attack on the Uncastled King59) Attacking the Uncastled King 7060) A Îxe6 Sacrifice 7161) A Rare & Deep Discovery 72

Discovered Attacks62) Prising Open the a-File 7363) Discovered Attack on the c-File 7464) Discovered Attack with Îg4+ 7565) Amazing Discoveries 7666) Carnage on the Chessboard 7767) A Neat Way to Win a Rook 78

Back-Rank Combinations68) A Susceptible Structure 7969) Snooze & Lose 8070) More Snoozing, More Losing 8171) Back-Rank Brilliance 8272) A Pawn-on-the-Seventh Trick 8373) Rook & Queen Double-Act 8474) The Triple-Act 85

75) The Classic Rook Deflection 8676) More Classic Rook Deflections 8777) In the Footsteps of Alekhine 88

More Attacks on the h7-Square78) Learning from History 8979) Pawn-Grab on the h7-Square 9080) More Free Pawns 9181) The Ubiquitous Greek Gift 9282) The Cunning Ìxd7 Trap 9383) Keep Control with Ëh6 9484) Hort’s Nifty Sidestep 95

Perpetual Checks85) Simple Perpetual with a Queen 9686) The Standard Queen Perpetual 9787) A Perpetual Classic 9888) Knight Sacrifice Perpetual Classic 9989) A Queen & Knight Perpetual 10090) The Rook & Knight Perpetual 10191) Something Old, Something New 102

Opening Traps92) Abnormal Opening Patterns 10393) The Slav Trap 10494) Double Trouble 10595) Balashov’s Queen Blunder 106

Endgame Themes96) A Right-Royal Endgame Tactic 10797) Upside-Down Chess 10898) Conjuring Up a Passed Pawn 109

And Finally...99) Don’t Try This at Home 110100) And It’s Good Knight from Him 111

Mission Impossible: Test One 112Solutions 118Mission Impossible: Test Two 120Solutions 126

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31a) White moves

D.Vinckier-Ann.BuschFrench Women’s League 2011

The classic trap. White wins the blackqueen with a knight fork – in just threemoves.

1 Ìh6+ Black resigns. The knight can’tbe taken as the white queen pins the g7-pawn against the black king. 1...Êh8allows 2 Ìxf7+ Êg8 3 Ìxd8.

31b) White moves

Belikov-Kalegin, Alushta 2007

Here a Russian grandmaster cleverlywins a pawn. Can you work out how?

1 Ìh6+ Êh8 2 Ëxe5! (very neat – if2...Ëxe5, then 3 Ìxf7+ Êg8 4 Ìxe5,or worse 2...Íd6 3 Ëxd6!) 2...gxh6 3Ëxf6+ and White is a pawn up with agreat position.

42

31 WINNING MATERIALWITH Ìh6+

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XABCDEFGHY8-+rwrvk+(7+p+-+pzp’6p+-+ns-+&5+-+p+N+-%4-+-Z-+-+$3+-S-+-W-#2PZ-+-ZPZ"1T-V-T-M-!xabcdefghy

This terrific attacking set-up features a white queen on g3 and awhite knight on f5. Among other possibilities, you can often win

pieces or pawns with a knight check on the h6-square.

32a) White moves

A.Kovaliov-Dmitrenko, Alushta 2003

Moving the bishop to h6 is a standardexchange-winning motif.

1 Íh6 g6 What else can Black do? Matein one with Ëxg7 was threatened. 2Íxf8 White goes rook for bishop ahead,whichever way Black recaptures on f8.

32b) White moves

W.Salamon-A.JirovecAustrian League 2007/8

A complex example. Can you see howto attack Black’s ‘Sicilian’ formation?

1 f5! exf5 (if 1...dxe5, then 2 f6! Íxf6 3Îxf6 or 1...Êh8 2 fxe6 dxe5 3 Îxf7) 2Íh6 g6 3 Íxf8 White’s aggressivekingside play has won rook for bishop.

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THE Íh6 EXCHANGE WIN

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XABCDEFGHY8r+-w-tk+(7z-+nvpzp’6n+p+p+-+&5+-+pZ-+-%4-+-Z-+-+$3+N+-+NW-#2PZ-+-ZPZ"1T-V-M-+R!xabcdefghy

32We have already learnt about the phrase ‘winning the exchange’ inPuzzle 27. In this standard theme, White wins a rook (worth five

pawns) for a bishop (worth three pawns) – a profitable trade.

33a) White moves

Strenzke-W.Klotzki, Bargteheide 1989

Two points to note: the black queen isundefended and the black g6-pawn ispinned.

1 Ìh5+! Black resigns. White’s checkwins the black knight on f6, as the blackking must retreat. Instead 1...Ìxh5 losesthe black queen to 2 Ëxd8.

33b) Black moves

Man.Pohl-F.Mietner, Füssen 1993

White has just played 1 h3, threateningthe black queen. Why was this a badidea?

1...Ìh4+! 2 Êf1 (the white queen on e2is undefended, meaning Black wins af-ter 2 Ìxh4 Ëxe2) 2...Ëxf3 Black winsa knight since 3 gxh4 Ëh1 is mate.

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33 THE USEFUL Ìh5+ TRICK

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XABCDEFGHY8-tlw-+-+(7z-s-+pmp’6-+-z-sp+&5+pzPtPW-%4-+P+-+-+$3+-S-+LSP#2PZ-+-+P+"1+R+-+RM-!xabcdefghy

This double-pin motif is a superb weapon to have inyour arsenal of tricks. The pattern can arise in quite a

number of different opening variations too.

34a) White moves

S.Darr-Womacka, Germany (teams) 2007/8

Black’s knight is pinned against hisking. This enables White to ‘swap’knights in style.

1 Ìh5+! gxh5 2 Ëg5+ Êf8 3 Ëxf6White’s smart little sequence has leftBlack’s kingside pawns a wreck. ShortlyWhite will capture the h5-pawn for free.

34b) White moves

Belikov-Lutsko, Voronezh 1997

How did White gain a huge attack –even with his rook on g5 threatened?

1 Ìf4! (1 Ìg3! is based on the sameidea) 1...hxg5 2 Ìh5+! Êh6 (2...gxh53 Ëxg5+ Êh8 4 Ëxf6+ leads to a quickmate) 3 Ìxf6 Black is in big trouble;e.g., 3...Íc6 4 Ìg4+ Êh7 5 Ëxg5!.

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ANOTHER USEFULÌh5+ TRICK

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34In this theme the white queen is on the e5-square – where it pins the

black knight. So after White plays Ìh5+, Black must capture with hispawn. This exposes the black king to a queen check on the g5-square.