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 King and pawn endgame I witnessed at a Northern California youth chess tournament. AsContinue reading “Pawn Endgame Worthy of Study”
Tag Archives: tricky chess
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 meContinue 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 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 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 eventContinue 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 chessboardContinue reading “Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 70”
Puzzle Worthy Position 42
The action at the Chess Bundesliga is always worth checking out! A recent Bundesliga game between GM David Navara and GM Luke McShane reached a most remarkable position before concluding. In the position below, black (McShane) has just moved his pawn to b2 on his 34th move. GM David Navara (white) responds to the promotionContinue reading “Puzzle Worthy Position 42”
Puzzle Worthy Position 41
At just 19 years of age, FM Ekaterina Goltseva has made quite a name for herself by twice tying for first place at the European Youth Championships and also winning the silver medal at 2017 Russian Youth Chess Championship. Today’s Puzzle Worthy Position comes from the seventh round victory by Fide Master Ekaterina Goltseva overContinue reading “Puzzle Worthy Position 41”
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.
Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 66
Some of my favorite endgame studies have the reader playing from a disadvantage with the goal being a draw. In tonight’s puzzle, White is down to a single bishop versus Black’s four pawns but still can draw with perfect play. Enjoy…
Chess Position Worth Sharing 145!
Of all the chess puzzles I’ve ever enjoyed… Many of the finest were composed by Sam Loyd.
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!
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?
Winning Chess Moves: Palatnik vs. Geller, 1980
Ukraine has long been a source of great chess and great chess players. As such, many famous chess games have been an all Ukrainian affair. Tonight’s winning chess move comes from one such game. Ukrainian-American chess Grandmaster Sam Palatnik played a beautiful winning move over fellow Odessa native Grandmaster Efim Geller at the URS TeamContinue reading “Winning Chess Moves: Palatnik vs. Geller, 1980”
Francisco Friday for 5/6/2022
Attacking maestro Francisco Anchondo had the black pieces in the chess game below. As for white, “Le fue como a los perros en misa.” [Event “Casual Blitz game”] [Date “2022.03.02”] [White “Anonymous”] [Black “Francisco Anchondo”] [Result “0-1”] 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3 f5 4.d3 Nf6 5.Qc2 Bc5 6.Be2 Bb6 7.Na3 a6 8.b4 d6 9.Bb2 f4Continue reading “Francisco Friday for 5/6/2022”
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?
So I was just playing a game of #chess and then this happened! 45
A training game against my student took an interesting turn today. I had the black pieces and after some opening inaccuracies committed by my opponent, I believed I had the game well under control. However, I let down my guard and nearly lost the game in dramatic fashion. What is white’s threat and what isContinue reading “So I was just playing a game of #chess and then this happened! 45”
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! 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.
Francisco Friday for 3/18/22
Today I am sharing one of Francisco’s famous tabiyas. In chess a tabiya is a special position reached by fairly standard opening chess moves but that results in a complex starting point requiring a serious investigation. Francisco proudly showed me his homegrown theory on this particular tabiya a decade or so ago and it onceContinue reading “Francisco Friday for 3/18/22”