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Home , Backward pawn, Bishop (chess), Decoy (chess), Exchange (chess), Smothered mate, The exchange (chess)

Contents

Introduction 5 Algebraic Notation 6 Using Puzzles to Improve 8

100 Puzzles

Queen & Line-Up 23) The Belated -Hunt 34 1) Picking Off the Pieces 12 24) Tactics on the Queenside 35 2) The Classic with Ëe4 13 25) Finishing Off with Îg4+ 36 3) The Two-Move Knockout 14 26) The Simple Íxg7 Capture 37 4) The Mega-Knockout 15 5) More & Bishop Line-Ups 16 Forks, Skewers, Pins... 27) Winning the 38 Attacks on the g6-Square (After ) 28) Hungarian Horror Story 39 6) The Ìg6 Trick 17 29) The Unwelcome Visitor 40 7) The Íxh6/Ëg6+ Combo 18 30) More Íg6 Bishop Offers 41 8) The Ìf6+/Ëg6+ Combo 19 31) Winning Material with Ìh6+ 42 9) How to Beat a World Champion 20 32) The Íh6 Exchange Win 43 33) The Useful Ìh5+ Trick 44 Attacks on the e6-Square 34) Another Useful Ìh5+ Trick 45 (After Castling) 35) Surprise Skewers 46 10) Central Collapse 21 36) Weak Queenside Dark Squares 47 11) The Ìxe6/Îxe6 Combo 22 12) A Backward on e6 23 Decoys & Deflections 13) Knightmare on e6 24 37) A Delightful 48 14) More Knightmares on e6 25 38) More Delightful Decoys 49 39) Dazzling Deflections 50 Attacks on the King 40) Fun with Bishops & Knights 51 15) The Killer Ëf3/Ìf5 Set-Up (1) 26 41) Tal’s Tallinn Trick 52 16) The Killer Ëf3/Ìf5 Set-Up (2) 27 42) The Ía6 Trap 53 17) The Tricky Ëg3/Ìg4 Set-Up 28 43) The & Decoy 54 18) The Quiet Killer: Íf6 29 19) Knight on f6 30 20) More Ìf6+ Sacrifices 31 44) Mastering the 55 21) Open the h-File with Íg5 32 45) The Ìg4 Zwischenzug 56 22) Fright Knight 33 46) The Ìg6 Zwischenzug 57

3 Mating Patterns 75) The Classic Rook 86 47) A Mighty Mate on g8 58 76) More Classic Rook Deflections 87 48) More Mighty Mates 59 77) In the Footsteps of Alekhine 88 49) You Can Mate with Two Knights 60 50) The Rarest 61 More Attacks on the h7-Square 51) Boden & Friends 62 78) Learning from History 89 52) Arabian Knights 63 79) Pawn-Grab on the h7-Square 90 53) Remember the Rook-Lift 64 80) More Free Pawns 91 54) Rook-Lift with Îf5 65 81) The Ubiquitous Greek Gift 92 55) Smothered & 82) The Cunning Ìxd7 Trap 93 Semi- 66 83) Keep Control with Ëh6 94 56) A Classic Semi-Smothered Mate 67 84) Hort’s Nifty Sidestep 95 57) A on h7 68 58) Off to the Beach 69 Perpetual Checks 85) Simple Perpetual with a Queen 96 Attack on the Uncastled King 86) The Standard Queen Perpetual 97 59) Attacking the Uncastled King 70 87) A Perpetual Classic 98 60) A Îxe6 Sacrifice 71 88) Knight Sacrifice Perpetual Classic 99 61) A Rare & Deep Discovery 72 89) A Queen & Knight Perpetual 100 90) The Rook & Knight Perpetual 101 Discovered Attacks 91) Something Old, Something New 102 62) Prising Open the a-File 73 63) on the c-File 74 Opening Traps 64) Discovered Attack with Îg4+ 75 92) Abnormal Opening Patterns 103 65) Amazing Discoveries 76 93) The Slav Trap 104 66) Carnage on the 77 94) Double Trouble 105 67) A Neat Way to Win a Rook 78 95) Balashov’s Queen 106

Back-Rank Combinations Endgame Themes 68) A Susceptible Structure 79 96) A Right-Royal Endgame Tactic 107 69) Snooze & Lose 80 97) Upside-Down Chess 108 70) More Snoozing, More Losing 81 98) Conjuring Up a 109 71) Back-Rank Brilliance 82 72) A Pawn-on-the-Seventh Trick 83 And Finally... 73) Rook & Queen Double-Act 84 99) Don’t Try This at Home 110 74) The Triple-Act 85 100) And It’s Good Knight from Him 111

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

4 WINNING MATERIAL 31 WITH Ìh6+

This terrific attacking set-up features a white queen on g3 and a white knight on f5. Among other possibilities, you can often win pieces or pawns with a knight on the h6-square.

XABCDEFGHY 31a) White moves 8-+rwrvk+( D.Vinckier-Ann.Busch 7+p+-+pzp’ French Women’s League 2011 6p+-+ns-+& The classic trap. White wins the black 5+-+p+N+-% queen with a knight fork – in just three 4-+-Z-+-+$ moves. 3+-S-+-W-# 1 Ìh6+ Black resigns. The knight can’t 2PZ-+-ZPZ" be taken as the white queen pins the g7- 1T-V-T-M-! pawn against the black king. 1...Êh8 xabcdefghy allows 2 Ìxf7+ Êg8 3 Ìxd8.

XABCDEFGHY 31b) White moves

8r+-+rvk+( Belikov-Kalegin, Alushta 2007 7zlw-+pzp’ 6-zp+ns-+& Here a Russian cleverly 5+-+-zN+-% wins a pawn. Can you work out how? 4P+-+P+-+$ 3+-S-+-WP# 1 Ìh6+ Êh8 2 Ëxe5! (very neat – if 2...Ëxe5, then 3 Ìxf7+ Êg8 4 Ìxe5, 2LZP+-ZP+" or worse 2...Íd6 3 Ëxd6!) 2...gxh6 3 1T-V-T-M-! Ëxf6+ and White is a pawn up with a xabcdefghy great position.

42 THE Íh6 EXCHANGE WIN 32

We have already learnt about the phrase ‘winning ’ in Puzzle 27. In this standard theme, White wins a rook (worth five pawns) for a bishop (worth three pawns) – a profitable trade.

32a) White moves XABCDEFGHY 8r+-w-tk+( A.Kovaliov-Dmitrenko, Alushta 2003 7z-+nvpzp’ Moving the bishop to h6 is a standard 6n+p+p+-+& exchange-winning motif. 5+-+pZ-+-% 1 Íh6 g6 What else can Black do? Mate 4-+-Z-+-+$ in one with Ëxg7 was threatened. 2 3+N+-+NW-# Íxf8 White goes rook for bishop ahead, whichever way Black recaptures on f8. 2PZ-+-ZPZ" 1T-V-M-+R! xabcdefghy

32b) White moves XABCDEFGHY 8r+-+-tk+( W.Salamon-A.Jirovec Austrian League 2007/8 7+-w-vpzp’ 6pz-zp+-+& A complex example. Can you see how to attack Black’s ‘Sicilian’ formation? 5s-+-Z-+-% 4P+-SlZ-+$ 3+-+-V-W-# 1 f5! exf5 (if 1...dxe5, then 2 f6! Íxf6 3 Îxf6 or 1...Êh8 2 fxe6 dxe5 3 Îxf7) 2 2-ZP+L+PZ" Íh6 g6 3 Íxf8 White’s aggressive 1T-+-+R+K! kingside play has won rook for bishop. xabcdefghy

43 33 THE USEFUL Ìh5+ TRICK

This double- motif is a superb weapon to have in your arsenal of tricks. The pattern can arise in quite a number of different opening variations too.

XABCDEFGHY 33a) White moves 8-tlw-+-+( 7z-s-+pmp’ Strenzke-W.Klotzki, Bargteheide 1989 6-+-z-sp+& Two points to note: the black queen is undefended and the black g6-pawn is 5+pzPtPW-% pinned. 4-+P+-+-+$ 3+-S-+LSP# 1 Ìh5+! Black resigns. White’s check wins the black knight on f6, as the black 2PZ-+-+P+" king must retreat. Instead 1...Ìxh5 loses 1+R+-+RM-! the black queen to 2 Ëxd8. xabcdefghy

XABCDEFGHY 33b) Black moves

8r+-+rvk+( Man.Pohl-F.Mietner, Füssen 1993 7z-z-+pzp’ 6-z-z-+n+& White has just played 1 h3, threatening the black queen. Why was this a bad 5+P+R+-+-% idea? 4P+P+-+q+$ 3+-+-ZNZP# 1...Ìh4+! 2 Êf1 (the white queen on e2 2-V-+QZK+" is undefended, meaning Black wins af- 1T-+-+-+-! ter 2 Ìxh4 Ëxe2) 2...Ëxf3 Black wins xabcdefghy a knight since 3 gxh4 Ëh1 is mate.

44 ANOTHER USEFUL Ìh5+ TRICK 34

In 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 his pawn. This exposes the black king to a queen check on the g5-square.

34a) White moves XABCDEFGHY 8-+-t-+-+( S.Darr-Womacka, Germany (teams) 2007/8 7zlt-+pmp’ Black’s knight is pinned against his 6-z-wpsp+& king. This enables White to ‘swap’ knights in style. 5+-+-W-+-% 4-zPZ-+-+$ 1 Ìh5+! gxh5 2 Ëg5+ Êf8 3 Ëxf6 3+-+-+-S-# White’s smart little sequence has left Black’s kingside pawns a wreck. Shortly 2PZ-+LZPZ" White will capture the h5-pawn for free. 1+-TR+-M-! xabcdefghy

34b) White moves XABCDEFGHY 8-+r+-t-+( Belikov-Lutsko, Voronezh 1997 7zpwl+pm-’ How did White gain a huge attack – 6-+-Tpspz& even with his rook on g5 threatened? 5+-+-W-T-% 4-+-+-+-+$ 1 Ìf4! (1 Ìg3! is based on the same 3+-Z-+-+P# idea) 1...hxg5 2 Ìh5+! Êh6 (2...gxh5 3 Ëxg5+ Êh8 4 Ëxf6+ leads to a quick 2PZL+NZP+" mate) 3 Ìxf6 Black is in big trouble; 1+-+-+-M-! e.g., 3...Íc6 4 Ìg4+ Êh7 5 Ëxg5!. xabcdefghy

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