Daily Chess Puzzles

A tactic a day keeps the losses at bay! [FEN “rnb2r1k/pp1p2bp/3Pp3/2p1q2P/4N1Q1/8/PPP2PP1/R1B1KB1R w KQ - 0 14”] How did White follow up after 14.h6 Bf6? Kreiman,Boris (2526) - Hanken,Jerome (2200) American op 40th Los Angeles (2), 25.11.2004 Modern Defense [B06] 1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.h4 c5 4.d5 e6 5.d6 f5 6.exf5 gxf5 7.Nf3 Nf6 8.Nc3 0-0 9.h5 Ne4 10.Nxe4 fxe4 11.Ng5 Qf6 12.Nxe4 Qe5 13.Qg4 Kh8 14.h6 Bf6 15.Rh5! 1-0 The black queen is trapped. (The commentators are correct: The queen is not trapped. 15...Qd4 16.c3 Qa4 17.Nxf6 Qxg4 18.Nxg4 wins the black bishop.) … [Read more...]

A tactic a day keeps the losses at bay! [FEN “5bk1/ppq3pp/2p5/2P2Q1B/3r4/1P4P1/P6P/R5K1 w - - 0 23”] How did White follow up after 23.Rf1 Rd8? Reti,Richard - Bogoljubow,Efim New York (12), 02.04.1924 Catalan [E01] 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 e6 3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2 Bd6 5.0-0 0-0 6.b3 Re8 7.Bb2 Nbd7 8.d4 c6 9.Nbd2 Ne4 10.Nxe4 dxe4 11.Ne5 f5 12.f3 exf3 13.Bxf3 Qc7 14.Nxd7 Bxd7 15.e4 e5 16.c5 Bf8 17.Qc2 exd4 18.exf5 Rad8 19.Bh5 Re5 20.Bxd4 Rxf5 21.Rxf5 Bxf5 22.Qxf5 Rxd4 23.Rf1 Rd8 24.Bf7+! Kh8 25.Be8!! 1-0 Black must give up the queen to stop mate. … [Read more...]

A tactic a day keeps the losses at bay! [FEN “2rr2k1/5ppp/p3pn2/q3n3/P2N4/R1N1P3/5PPP/R3Q1K1 b - - 0 26”] How did Black follow up after 26...Nd3 27.Qd2? Bobrowska,Monika (2470) - Zhukova,Natalia (2460) Groningen Festival, Women (2), 21.12.1998 Slav Defense [D15] 1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 c6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.e3 b5 6.a4 b4 7.Nb1 Ba6 8.Be2 e6 9.Nbd2 c3 10.bxc3 bxc3 11.Nb1 Bb4 12.0-0 c5 13.Bxa6 Nxa6 14.Qd3 Qa5 15.Ba3 0-0 16.Rc1 Rfc8 17.Nxc3 Bxa3 18.Rxa3 cxd4 19.Nxd4 Rab8 20.Qd1 Nb4 21.Ncb5 a6 22.Nc3 Rd8 23.Qf3 Nd3 24.Rca1 Ne5 25.Qd1 Rbc8 26.Qe1 Nd3 27.Qd2 27...Nxf2! 28.Qxf2 If 28.Kxf2 Rxc3! 29.Rxc3 Ne4+. 28...Rxc3 29.Rxc3 Qxc3 30.Rf1 Rf8 31.Qf3 h6 32.h3 Qa3 33.Qg3 Nd5 34.Rf3 Qxa4 … [Read more...]

A tactic a day keeps the losses at bay! [FEN “8/2kP1np1/P7/2p2P2/2N4p/1K6/8/8 w - - 0 64”] How did White follow up after 64.a7 Kb7? Stefanova,Antoaneta (2490) - Dzagnidze,Nana (2452) FIDE-Wch k.o. (Women) Elista (4.1), 29.05.2004 Trompowsky Attack [A45] 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 e6 3.Nd2 c5 4.e3 Be7 5.Bxf6 Bxf6 6.c3 cxd4 7.exd4 0–0 8.Bd3 b6 9.Qe2 Bb7 10.Ngf3 d6 11.h4 Re8 12.0–0–0 Nd7 13.Ne4 Qc7 14.Nfg5 d5 15.Nxf6+ Nxf6 16.Rde1 a5 17.Rh3 a4 18.a3 h6 19.Nf3 Ne4 20.Kb1 Rac8 21.Ne5 f6 22.Ng6 Qf7 23.h5 Qc7 24.Re3 Qd6 25.Bc2 Bc6 26.f3 Ng5 27.g4 Rc7 28.Nh4 Rcc8 29.Qd3 Qd7 30.Qg6 Rcd8 31.Ng2 Qc7 32.Bf5 exf5 33.Rxe8+ Rxe8 34.Rxe8+ Bxe8 35.Qxe8+ Kh7 36.Qg6+ Kh8 37.Qxf5 Qc4 38.Ne3 Qe2 39.Nxd5 … [Read more...]

A tactic a day keeps the losses at bay! [FEN “r4r1k/1p1b1p1B/p2qp1p1/3p2N1/1n1P2Q1/2N5/PP5P/R4R1K w - - 0 22”] How did White prove the win after 22.Qh4 Kg7? McDonnell,Alexander - Finch,James Gayler London, 1830 French Defense [C00] 1.e4 e6 2.f4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.Nf3 a6 5.c3 Nc6 6.Bd3 Be7 7.Bc2 Bd7 8.d4 cxd4 9.cxd4 Nh6 10.Nc3 0-0 11.0-0 Nb4 12.Bb1 Nf5 13.g4 Nh6 14.f5 Nxg4 15.f6 Nxf6 16.exf6 Bxf6 17.Kh1 Qb6 18.Bg5 Bxg5 19.Bxh7+ Kh8 20.Nxg5 g6 21.Qg4 Qd6 22.Qh4 Kg7 23.Bg8! Leads to the quickest win. Black tried 23...f5 but was quickly done in: 24.Qh7+ Kf6 25.Nce4+ dxe4 26.Nxe4# 1-0 … [Read more...]

A tactic a day keeps the losses at bay! [FEN “r4r1k/p5pp/1p3p2/2P3R/2B1b3/P7/6PP/B2n2K1 w - - 0 27”] How should White follow-up after 27.Rxg7 Bg6? Denker,Arnold S - Baker,H USA, 1937 Nimzo-Indian Defense [E43] 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 b6 5.Bd3 Bb7 6.f3 c5 7.a3 Ba5 8.Nge2 d5 9.0-0 Bxc3 10.bxc3 Nbd7 11.cxd5 exd5 12.Ng3 0-0 13.e4 dxe4 14.fxe4 cxd4 15.cxd4 Nc5 16.dxc5 Qd4+ 17.Kh1 Qxa1 18.Qe2 Qe5 19.Bb2 Qg5 20.Rf5 Qg4 21.Qxg4 Nxg4 22.Rg5 Nf2+ 23.Kg1 f6 24.Bc4+ Kh8 25.Nh5 Nd1 26.Ba1 Bxe4 27.Rxg7 Bg6 28.Rg8+ 1-0 It is mate upon 28...Rxg8 29.Bxf6+ Rg7 30.Bxg7#. … [Read more...]

A tactic a day keeps the losses at bay! [FEN “r2r4/2R2p1p/pp1np1k1/7N/3P4/8/PP3PPP/4R1K1 w - - 0 27”] How did White win in style after 27.Nf4+ Kf5? Al Modiahki,M (2425) - Sundar Rajan,K (2245) Asian Teams, Genting Highlands MAS (3), 1998 Nimzo-Indian Defense [E54] 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nf3 Bb4 7.Bd3 dxc4 8.Bxc4 0-0 9.0-0 b6 10.Ne5 Bb7 11.Bg5 Be7 12.Re1 Nc6 13.Ba6 Qc8 14.Bxb7 Qxb7 15.Qf3 Rad8 16.Rac1 Na5 17.Qxb7 Nxb7 18.Nb5 a6 19.Na7 Ra8 20.Nac6 Bd8 21.Bxf6 gxf6 22.Nd7 Re8 23.Nxd8 Rexd8 24.Rc7 Nd6 25.Nxf6+ Kg7 26.Nh5+ Kg6 27.Nf4+ Kf5 28.Re5+! Kxf4 Now it is mate in seven at most. 29.g3+ Kg4 30.h3+ Kxh3 31.Rxf7! Nf5 If 31...Nxf7 32.Re4 with mate … [Read more...]

A tactic a day keeps the losses at bay! [FEN “r7/3Pkp1p/p5p1/1p4P1/7P/7B/PPP1N3/1K6 w - - 0 32”] How did White win in style after 32.Nd4 Kd6? Ni,Hua (2645) - Fier,Alexandr (2571) Aeroflot op-A 10th Moscow (4), 11.02.2011 Sicilian Taimanov [B48] 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Be3 a6 7.Qd2 Nf6 8.0-0-0 Be7 9.f3 0-0 10.g4 b5 11.g5 Nh5 12.Nce2 Rd8 13.Ng3 Nxd4 14.Qxd4 Nf4 15.h4 Bb7 16.Qb6 Qb8 17.Kb1 d5 18.Bxf4 Qxf4 19.Qxb7 Bc5 20.exd5 Rdb8 21.Qd7 Rd8 22.dxe6 Rxd7 23.exd7 Be7 24.Ne2 Qxf3 25.Rh3 Qg4 26.Re3 Kf8 27.Rd4 Qf5 28.Bh3 Qc5 29.Rde4 g6 30.Rxe7 Qxe7 31.Rxe7 Kxe7 32.Nd4 Kd6 33.Nc6! 1-0 If 33...Kxc6, then 34.Bg2+. … [Read more...]

A tactic a day keeps the losses at bay! [FEN “rn2r1k1/pp3p1p/3p1qp1/2pP3n/2P3P1/2N2P2/PP1Q3P/1R1K1B1R w - - 0 15”] How did White follow-up on 15.gxh5 Qxf3+ 16.Kc2 Qxh1? Anand,Viswanathan (2791) - Gelfand,Boris (2727) World Championship Moscow (8), 21.05.2012 King’s Indian Defense [E60] 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.f3 c5 4.d5 d6 5.e4 Bg7 6.Ne2 0-0 7.Nec3 Nh5 8.Bg5 Bf6 9.Bxf6 exf6 10.Qd2 f5 11.exf5 Bxf5 12.g4 Re8+ 13.Kd1 Bxb1 14.Rxb1 Qf6 15.gxh5 Qxf3+ 16.Kc2 Qxh1 17.Qf2!! 1-0 Threatens to trap the black queen. What is Black’s best option now? 17...Nc6 could turn the game in Black’s favor if White proceeds with, say, 18.Bh3, when 18...Qf3! comes as a lightning bolt. Upon 19.Qxf3 … [Read more...]

A tactic a day keeps the losses at bay! [FEN “r3k3/5p1R/p3pBp1/3bP1K1/2r5/4R2P/8/8 w - - 0 41”] How did White follow-up on 41.Rd3 Ra7? Padevsky,Nikolai - Polugaevsky,Lev EU-chT (Men) 04th Kapfenberg (3.3), 12.05.1970 Sicilian Najdorf [B87] 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bb3 b5 8.0-0 Be7 9.f4 0-0 10.e5 dxe5 11.fxe5 Nfd7 12.Bf4 Nc5 13.Nce2 Bb7 14.Qe1 Nc6 15.Rd1 Nxd4 16.Nxd4 Qb6 17.c3 Nxb3 18.axb3 b4 19.Rd3 Bc5 20.Bg5 bxc3 21.bxc3 Qxb3 22.Bf6 Qd5 23.Rg3 g6 24.Qd2 Rfc8 25.Rf4 Kf8 26.Rh4 Ke8 27.Rxh7 Bxd4+ 28.cxd4 Qe4 29.h3 Rc2 30.Qg5 Qe1+ 31.Kh2 Rc1 32.Rb3 Qg1+ 33.Kg3 Qxg2+ 34.Kh4 Qf2+ 35.Qg3 Qxd4+ 36.Qg4 Qf2+ 37.Qg3 Rc4+ 38.Kg5 Qd2+ 39.Qe3 Qxe3+ … [Read more...]