Friday, April 30, 2010

great book

I'm really enjoying this book, A Course in Chess Tactics. It's similar to a lot of other tactics books: chapters on all the usual topics: pin, deflection, perpetual check, etc., (plus some unusual ones: f7: weak by presumption, attacking the fianchetto, the vunerable rook's pawn) but I'm a sucker for books with pretty positions:

white to move, from Knight Fork

white to move, from Clearance



solutions

knight fork puzzle

1.Qf5+ Kxf5 2.Ne7+ Rxe7 3.Ne3+ Kf6 4.Nxd5+ Kf5 5.Nxe7+ Kf6 6.Nxg8+ Kf5


7.Ne7+ Kf6 8.Nd5+ Kf5 9.g4#

clearance


1.Rxh7+ Kxh7 2.Qh5+ Kg7 3.Qh6+ Kxh6 4.f5+ Rg5 [4...Kg7 5.f6+ Kf8 6.Bh6+ Rg7 7.fxg7+ Ke8 8.Nf6+ Ke7 9.Rd7#; 4...Kh7 5.Rh4+ Kg7 6.Bh6+] 5.Rh4+ Kg7 6.f6+ Kf8 7.Rh8+ Rg8 8.Bh6+ Ke8 9.Rxg8+ Kd7
10.Nb6+ Kc7 11.Rc8+ Kxb6 12.Be3+ c5

13.Bxc5+ Ka6 14.Ra8#

Happy Friday!!!

3 comments:

  1. These problems are completely sick!

    Do you think that these make good teaching tools? On the one hand, the positions are so obviously composed and not realistic. On the other hand, they certainly expand your brain and make you think about things you wouldn't ordinarily consider.

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  2. my kids appreciate them aesthetically. ("miss, those mad tight")

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  3. Check out this *great* tactics book, "Understanding Chess Tactics" by Weteschnik.

    http://www.qualitychess.co.uk/products/2/31/understanding_chess_tactics_by_martin_weteschnik/

    Enjoy!
    :-)

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