Frequent readers of this blog know that Grandmaster Max Euwe is one of my favorite chess heroes. In 1935, chess prognosticators didn’t give Machgielis “Max” Euwe of the Netherlands much of a chance in his title match against World Champion Alexander Alekhine in part because Dr. Euwe wasn’t a professional chess player but rather aContinue reading “Puzzle Worthy Position 45”
Tag Archives: mate in 3
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 spaceContinue 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, cozyContinue reading “Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 71”
Puzzle Worthy Position 43
Today’s puzzle worthy position comes from one of the many great battles between GM Anatoly Karpov and GM Jan Timman. Both chess geniuses were born in 1951 and their chessboard rivalry stretched for a half century from 1967 until 2016. Karpov had a winning record against his Dutch contemporary with a score 30 to 8,Continue reading “Puzzle Worthy Position 43”
Chess Position Worth Sharing 146!
“Capablanca’s phenomenal move-searching algorithm in those early years, when he possessed a wonderful ability for calculating variations very rapidly, made him invincible.” – Mikhail Botvinnik
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!
Chess Position Worth Sharing 143
The 1927 World Championship Match was a fiercely contested clash of chess styles. Jose Raul Capablanca had a straightforward playing style which, combined with his famously precise endgame play, was his recipe for success. Alexander Alekhine, on the other hand, preferred creating complexities and oftentimes employed risky attacks in route to his victories. Capablanca wasContinue reading “Chess Position Worth Sharing 143”
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 solveContinue reading “Chess Position Worth Sharing 140”
Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 63
During the mid-nineteenth century, Samuel Loyd was one of the strongest chess players in the United States. However, his real passion was for the compositional art of chess puzzles, not tournament play. Known as the “Puzzle King”, his book Cyclopedia of 5000 Puzzles was published in 1914, three years after his death. Below is aContinue reading “Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 63”
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 squaresContinue reading “Chess Position Worth Sharing 139”
Winning Chess Moves: Carlsen vs Harestad, 7/23/2003
Future generations of chess enthusiasts will undoubtedly treasure the early games of Magnus Carlsen in the same manner we honor Paul Morphy’s first brilliances. Of course, comparing players from different eras is difficult but there is an argument to be made that Magnus may very well be the greatest chess prodigy ever. For evidence onContinue reading “Winning Chess Moves: Carlsen vs Harestad, 7/23/2003”
Winning Chess Moves: Bronstein vs Geller, 1961
There have been many great chess players over the years, but only a small percentage of them manage to captivate the public imagination and receive considerable mainstream attention at any given time. David Bronstein never became a world champion, but there’s no denying that at the height of his career, he frequently captivated imaginations whileContinue reading “Winning Chess Moves: Bronstein vs Geller, 1961”
#Chess Position Worth Sharing 135
Emmanuel Lasker offered the famous advice, “When you see a good move, look for a better one.” Today’s position easily lends itself to this exercise in chess thought. First, find the obvious good move. Then, try and find the best continuation.
Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 55
White to move and mate in 3 (puzzle by Sigmund Herland, Revista Romana de Sah, 1937).
#Chess Position Worth Sharing 113
White to move and mate in 3.
#Chess Position Worth Sharing 112
White to move and mate in three.
Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 45
White to move and mate in 3 (Samuel Loyd, 1858).
Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 41
White to move and mate in three (Samuel Loyd, 1863).
So I was just playing a game of #chess and then this happened… 14
White to move and mate in 3.
So I was just playing a game of #Chess and then this happened… 5
Black to move and mate in 3. The complete game is a rather nifty Traxler Counter Attack(Wilkes-Barre) that ended up checkmating white’s Fried Liver dreams in just 13 moves!