Old Weekly Puzzles

Below is the previous weekly puzzles. See if you can figure them out and then check the solution.

Beginner's Corner by Michael Ciamarra 7 years ago

White to move and checkmate in two.  In chess language, this means that White plays a move, Black’s move is forced and then White delivers checkmate. Can you find the checkmate in two moves?

Solution:

1.Qa6!+ Kxa6 2. Bc8 mate.  What happens if Black’s king does not capture the White queen and instead played 1…Kb8. It is still checkmate on move 2 with Qc8 mate. Did you notice the “!” after White’s first move? In chess notation that exclamation symbol “!” means a strong move.


Your Move! by Michael Ciamarra 7 years ago

White to play and win. Think through your moves carefully as one slip and it’s a draw. Hint - White’s rook pawn will defeat the Black’s king and knight!

Solution:

Congratulations! The check does win: 1.Ng7+! Nxg7 (if Black tries 1…Kf7 2.Nxf5 Kf6 3.h6 wins. The pawn and knight stay in place until White’s king races up the board to force through promotion of the pawn.) 2. h6 Kf7 (Now if  3. hxg7?? allows Kxg7 with a draw. Great job that you didn’t fall for this!) 3. h7 and Whites wins easily promoting the pawn to a new queen on the next turn! If you aren’t sure how to checkmate with your king and queen versus a king and knight in this position – practice it with a friend or your coach!


Your Move! by Michael Ciamarra 7 years ago

In this position White played the pawn move 1.c4 and offered a draw.  If you were playing Black would you: a) take the draw;  b) play a few more moves to see what might happen; c) get excited because you will win?

Solution:

Solution:  Excellent! You remembered the special pawn capture ‘en passant’. Black simply checkmates with 1…bxc3 mate.  Solving checkmate puzzles are a sure way to improve your chess skill.  That is how the young Polgar sisters made such rapid progress in chess.  The sisters became great players: Susan became a women’s world champion, and Judith holds the all-time record for the highest rated woman grandmaster defeating many of the world’s top male grandmasters.


Your Move! by Michael Ciamarra 7 years ago

Can you play chess detective? Black has two threats: 1…Rh1 mate and 1…dxc2.  The game continued (play these moves on your board) 1. Re2+ Kd4 (Why can’t Black capture the rook with 1…dxe2?) 2. Re8 (threatens to check the Black king from 8th rank)…Rh1+ 3.Kd2 Rh2+ 4.Kd1 Kc3 5.Rc8+ Kd4 5.Rc8+ Kd4 6.Rd8+ Ke4 7.Re8+ Kf4 8.Rd8 and a draw was agreed to.  Now, go back to the starting position and play over the moves carefully and can you find where Black missed a win?

Solution:

Solution: Congratulations on being a great chess detective! After 1.Re2+ Kd4 (if 1…dxe2 White is stalemated) 2.Re8, Black missed 2…Re3+! 3.Rxe3 (forced or else Black wins a rook for free)…Kxe3 4.Kd1 d2 5.Kc2 Ke2 and the pawns promotes to a queen on the next move with an easy win.  


Your Move! by Michael Ciamarra 7 years ago

White to play.  As you practice your basic endgames, this position is an important one to know in rook and pawn endgames. White’s pawn is one move away from promotion. But Black’s rook is not going to move from the ‘a’ file and the Black king threatens to race over to b7 winning the pawn and achieving a draw. White uses a basic tactic to win.

Solution:

Solution: Correct! White wins with the tactic of skewer - 1.Rh8! (threatens to promote the pawn to a queen)…Rxa7 (rook checks don’t help: 1…Ra1+ 2.Ke2 Ra2+ 3.Kd3 and White’s king marches up the board) 2.Rh7+ the Black king moves and 3.Rxa7 wins the Black rook.  (You know how to checkmate with king and rook versus king.)


Your Move! by Michael Ciamarra 7 years ago

Here is an opening trap you will want to know. Can you work out the winning move for White? Black did not make the best moves in the Scotch Game after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nge7?! 5.Nc3 g6? 6.Bg5! Bg7 7.Nd5! Bxd4? White takes advantage of the weakened dark squares around the Black king by removing the piece that protects those squares.

Solution:

White sacrifices the queen 8.Qxd4! (attacking the Black rook on h8) and now if 8…Nxd4 9.Nf6+ Kf8 10. Bh6 mate, and should Black play 8…O-O White wins all the same: 9. Nf6+ Kh8 10. Ng4+ (bonus – do you know the name of this particular type of check?)...Nxd4 11. Bf6+ Kg8 12. Nh6 mate.


Your Move! 8 years ago

White (to move) has kept his eye on Black’s d3 pawn for some time. White, whose Queen is being attacked by the Black rook, decided now was the time to capture the pawn and played 1.Qxd3. Was this a safe move or an unsafe move?

Solution:

Solution: An unsafe move! 1.Qxd3? Re1+! wins. If 2.Rxe1 Qxd3, or 2.Kh2 Qf4+ 3.g3 (3.Qg3 Qxg3+ followed by Rxd1)…Qxf2+ mate.  Instead of the blunder, White could have played 1.Qf3 Qxf3 2.gxf3 and would win the pawn on d3 in a safe way.


Your Move! 8 years ago

This puzzle will test your knowledge of chess rules.  Material is even but White’s King is misplaced. Black to play can checkmate on the spot! Hint – have you considered all of Black’s legal moves?

Solution:

Congratulations for finding the move! Black castles queenside O-O-O and it’s checkmate! 


Your Move! 8 years ago

Beginner’s Corner

Do you know your chess tactics?  If you remember your tactics you will spot the solution. White to move. To solve the puzzle find a ‘decoy’ and then follow it with a ‘double check’. 

Solution:

1. Qd8+!! (This is a decoy sacrifice. A decoy forces your opponent’s piece to move to a square or line that allows you to win material or checkmate.) …Kxd8 2. Nxe6+ (double check) …Ke7 (if Black tries 2…Kc8 you can spot the mate? Correct! 3. Rd8 mate, and if 2…Ke8 3. Nxg7+! Bxg7 4. Bg5+ with Rd8 mate to follow.) 3. Bg5+ f6 4. Nd8+! And White wins easy.  As you can see for yourself, the Black king cannot escape mate! 


Your Move! 8 years ago

Can you checkmate a Grandmaster? White to move and mate in five moves. Hint – every one of White’s moves is a check and use your queen, knight and rook.  Try to solve the puzzle from the diagram or set the position up on your chessboard – but don’t move the pieces around.  Try to work out in your mind like a real game!

Solution:

Congratulations, you solved the puzzle! In Round 3 of the 2015 Qatar Masters Open, Grandmaster Shak Mamedyarov checkmated American Grandmaster Alex Lenderman:  1.Qe8+! Kh7 2. Ng5+ Kh6 3. Rd6+ Bf6 4. Qh8+ Kg6 5. Qh7 mate.


Your Move! 8 years ago

Checkmating with a knight and bishop against a lone king is a fascinating and challenging checkmate! One of the keys to this checkmate is to make sure the defending king is forced into the ‘right’ corner.  That is, the corner of the same color of your bishop. For example, if you have a light square bishop the defending king must be forced onto a8 and h1. White to play.  Can you work out the checkmate in four moves?


By Michael Ciamarra

Solution:

1.Nf5 Kh8 2. Be7 Kg8 (Black’s king moves were forced) 3. Nh6+ Kh8 4. Bf6 mate. The dark square bishop checkmated the defending king on a dark square.  If you aren’t sure about how to checkmate with bishop and knight versus king, ask your MCCL coach to show you.


Your Move! 8 years ago

When your pawn reaches your eighth rank you generally promote to the powerful Queen. Sometimes, you can promote your pawn to another piece like a rook, knight or bishop. With White to play, how would you win this puzzle position? Be careful. 


by Michael Ciamarra

Solution:

A classic example of underpromotion. Congratulations! You found 1.hxg8=R – you promoted your pawn to a rook. Now Black must move 1…Ka2 2.Ra8 mate. If you hastily played 1.hxg8=Q – it would have been stalemate – a draw.


Your Move! 8 years ago

Set your pieces up for the start of the game and play through these moves: 1.e4 e6 (Do you know the name of this Black defense?) 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.cxd4. Now, can Black safely capture the d-pawn with 7…Nxd4, or is this a trap?

Solution:

The name of the Black defense is called the “French Defense.” It is a very solid way to meet White’s 1.e4. Yes, Black has fallen into a trap by unwisely capturing a ‘poisoned pawn’: 7…Nxd4?? (two question marks in chess notation mean a blunder) 8.Nxd4 Qxd4?? 9.Bb5+ (a check and a discovered attack on the Black queen) …Bd7 10. Bxd7+ Kxd7 11. Qxd4 wins the Black queen.