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Tag Archives: mate in 2

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?

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.

Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 62

Whether you prefer racking your brain, wracking your brain or even wrecking your brain, this chess puzzle is for you. White to move and mate in two by Herbert Siegfried Oskar Ahues (Troll, 1/2001).

So I was just playing a game of #chess and then this happened! 43

National Chess Day is celebrated in the United States on the second Saturday in October. The 38th U.S. President Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. declared National Chess Day on October 9th, 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial celebration. Today, the day honors chess’ lengthy history and the role it has played in uniting people fromContinue reading “So I was just playing a game of #chess and then this happened! 43”

Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 60

I enjoy mating puzzles where the target king is surrounded by open squares. In these puzzles, the appearance of freedom for the target king is only an illusion because, in reality, the open squares surrounding it are not free from the influences of distant pieces. In tonight’s puzzle, the black king appears to have severalContinue reading “Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 60”

#Chess Position Worth Sharing 137

In round 4 of the 2003 Corus Chess Tournament, Michal Vladimirovich Krasenkow fought admirably for 79 moves before allowing Vladimir Kramnik to end the game with a cute one-two combination. Can you spot Kramnik’s mating maneuver?

#Chess Position Worth Sharing 136

Great chess players have a way of making it look easy. However, making it look easy requires a lot of work. For instance, just to get to the feature position in today’s puzzle, Boris Spassky had to spend hours grinding out a winning position. (Not to mention the years of hard work to become anContinue reading “#Chess Position Worth Sharing 136”

Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 59

Considering that the black king is utterly alone in a forest of white pieces, this mate in two puzzle is rather tricky. Can you find the only two move checkmating line for white?

Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 58

When you think about it, our whole life is about solving puzzles. Chess problems are similar to life problems in that solving the puzzle requires careful thought and that through practice, we can improve our ability to quickly find the best solution. So enjoy our daily chess puzzles and smile knowing that by doing soContinue reading “Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 58”

#Chess Position Worth Sharing 132

In my last post, I challenged the reader to solve a mate in two which required truly understanding basic move possibilities in order to be solved. Returning to puzzles that test our mastery of the basics is a great way to learn how to play the game at a higher level and especially so whenContinue reading “#Chess Position Worth Sharing 132”

#Chess Position Worth Sharing 131

Similar to how military units such as armour, artillery and cavalry have their own unique roles, each piece in the game of chess has unique movements. In order to solve this mate in 2, you must first truly understand how the pieces can move.

Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 57

This particular mate in two managed to confound me for a couple of hours. I am sure if you give it a shot, you will soon see why!

#Chess Position Worth Sharing 127

Oftentimes, an introduction to a specific situation that requires deep thought is just the inspiration we need to spark new developments in our chess ability. Here is a mate in two by Александр Ажусин that a student of mine found immensely satisfying to solve. Enjoy…

Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 56

An equally ingenious and absurd chess puzzle by William L. Barclay from Chess Life and Review. White to move and mate in 2 (William L. Barclay, Chess Life and Review, 1972.)

So I was just playing a game of #chess and then this happened! 27

Probably my favorite finishing mate of the year! My opponent has just captured my rook on f1 with his bishop. White to move and mate in 2. (Not too hard to spot but very satisfying play!)