For anyone who doubts that chess can be art, I present Josef Halumbirek’s 1st Prize winning composition for the Neue Leipziger Zeitung in 1933. It’s a mate in 5 and I betcha can’t solve this chess puzzle! White to move and mate in 5 (Josef Halumbirek, 1st Prize Neue Leipziger Zeitung, 1933). My other chessContinueContinue reading “Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 75”
Tag Archives: difficult chess
Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 73
Solving chess puzzles by master composer Josef Halumbirek is my new favorite pastime. Today’s selection comes from Halumbirek’s entry in the Mémorial W. Von Holzhausen, Österreichische Schachzeitung 1951-52. This mate in 4 is rather approachable and can be solved by examining all of the forced moves available. Still, it’s very satisfying to discover why everyContinueContinue reading “Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 73”
Pawn Endgame Worthy of Study
“Pawn endings are to chess what putting is to golf.” — Cecil Purdy Pure pawn endgames are said to be the simplest of all endings but that doesn’t mean they are always easy to win. A case and point is presented in a recent blog post where I shared a blown opportunity in a KingContinueContinue reading “Pawn Endgame Worthy of Study”
Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 72
The British Chess Magazine really hit the snail on the head by including this wonderful mate-in-2 chess puzzle in the January issue of 1911. I solved this Frederick Forrest Lawrie Alexander composition at a rather sluggish pace which is why I betcha can’t solve this chess puzzle at all! But go ahead and prove meContinueContinue reading “Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 72”
Chess Position Worth Sharing 149!
Samuel Loyd was one of the greatest creative geniuses of nineteenth century puzzles, both on and off of the chess board. Born on January 30th of 1841, Samuel (Sam) Loyd was a contemporary of Paul Morphy (1837-1884). In fact, Loyd moved from Philadelphia to New York City which means he was occupying the same spaceContinueContinue reading “Chess Position Worth Sharing 149!”
Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 71
The holiday season can be a little daunting, whether it’s due to the commotion of shopping, hosting get-togethers or traveling. Rather than adding to this extra stress with the high intensity of online bullet chess, I recommend enjoying the slower pace of chess puzzles. Why not fill a mug with your favorite hot beverage, cozyContinueContinue reading “Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 71”
Puzzle Worthy Position 44
Since it’s inception in 2018, the Tata Steel Chess India tournament has invited five of the most talented Indian Grandmasters to compete in their home country against an equal number of top international competitors. The annual event features the strongest rapid and blitz chess on the subcontinent. For 2022, the Tata Steel Chess India eventContinueContinue reading “Puzzle Worthy Position 44”
Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 70
Today’s puzzle of interest is a mate in 2 with many carefully placed ingredients. I was struck by this chess problem’s modern design and surprised by the fact that it was composed over a century ago in 1920. Not only is this chess puzzle a beautiful reminder of how much is possible on the chessboardContinueContinue reading “Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 70”
Puzzle Worthy Position 40
Today’s puzzle worthy position comes from the 1985 Baden-Baden Chess Tournament. 1985 was a strong edition of this historic tournament featuring many prominent chess players including Susan Polgar, Efim Geller and Ludek Pachman. However, our puzzle worthy tactic comes from a winning combination played by Robb Witt. FM Robb Witt of the Netherlands sadly passedContinueContinue reading “Puzzle Worthy Position 40”
Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 68
I thoroughly enjoy chess studies that task us with finding a seemingly impossible draw from a position that looks totally lost. Chess puzzles like these push the boundaries of what’s possible on the chessboard and a regular dose of such compositions will help young players stretch their own chess imaginations. So nothing makes this chessContinueContinue reading “Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 68”
Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 67
When well composed, mate in 2 chess problems are highly enjoyable which is why I share so many of these gems with the Daily Chess Musings community. Tonight’s puzzle was definitely well composed and although I had never heard of Gyula Andre before, I now have a deep respect for his talent as a composer.ContinueContinue reading “Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 67”
Chess Position Worth Sharing 145!
Of all the chess puzzles I’ve ever enjoyed… Many of the finest were composed by Sam Loyd. White to move and mate in 3 (Samuel Loyd, 1887).
Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 65
Some mate-in-3 compositions are much trickier than others. This particular chess puzzle by Erich Ernest Zepler is diabolical! White to move and mate in 3 (by Erich Ernest Zepler from the January 1925 Chemnitzer Wochenschach).
Winning Chess Moves: MVL vs. Aronian, Superbet Romania 2022
GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave round 6 game against GM Levon Aronian at the Superbet Romania chess tournament came to a sudden conclusion after MVL (white) errored with 25. Kd4. How does Grandmaster Aronian (black) punish his opponent’s careless king advance? Black to move and win (Vachier-Lagrave – Aronian, R6 of the 2022 Superbet Romania, Bucharest).
Chess Position Worth Sharing 142
Tonight I showed Werner Springe vs Hans Gebhardt, Munich 1927 to my chess students at Gomes Elementary School in Fremont, California. This game, played by relatively unknown players, is a delightful choice for a chess lesson. In the position below, black has just played pawn to h6 threatening white’s bishop. What is white’s best move?ContinueContinue reading “Chess Position Worth Sharing 142”
Winning Chess Moves: Le Quang Liêm vs. Jorden Van Foreest, 4/28/22
Chess Superstar GM Le Quang Liêm played a spectacular finish in route to his Round 7 victory over Dutch Grandmaster Jorden Van Foreest. In this first diagram, Van Foreest (black) has just played 23… Bd6 threatening white’s queen. Position after 23… Bd6 GM Le Quang Liêm ignores his opponents’ formidable threat and replies with oneContinueContinue reading “Winning Chess Moves: Le Quang Liêm vs. Jorden Van Foreest, 4/28/22”
Chess Position Worth Sharing 140
A young fan of this blog enjoyed the last Sam Loyd puzzle I shared (see: Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle 63) but asked if I had a “slightly easier problem by Samuel Loyd.” So, as was requested, this evening I am sharing another Sam Loyd mate in 3 that is much easier to solveContinueContinue reading “Chess Position Worth Sharing 140”
Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 64
German chess puzzle composer Herbert Ahues (1922-2015) specialized in the art of the mate in two. He composed more than 4000 chess problems and was awarded the title of Grand Master of Chess Composition by FIDE in 1989. Below is one of his final masterpieces first published in the year of his passing. White toContinueContinue reading “Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 64”
Chess Position Worth Sharing 139
Mentally visualizing possible chess positions while calculating accurately is an essential skill for chess players to possess. Since, the ultimate goal in chess is to checkmate, it therefore makes sense to incorporate checkmating puzzles into chess visualization training. A good training puzzle for this purpose should challenge the solver’s ability to properly visualize the squaresContinueContinue reading “Chess Position Worth Sharing 139”
Winning Chess Moves: Repka vs Ali Marandi, 2022 Spring Chess Classic
Tonight’s chess position comes from Round 1 of the 2022 Spring Chess Classic organized by the Saint Louis Chess Club. Black (GM Cemil Can Ali Marandi) has just played 28… Qxf5. Grandmaster Christopher Repka (white) plays a powerful move that causes black to resign immediately. What move did GM Repka play? White to move andContinueContinue reading “Winning Chess Moves: Repka vs Ali Marandi, 2022 Spring Chess Classic”