Tag Archives: tricky chess

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”

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 isContinueContinue 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 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”

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 onceContinueContinue reading “Francisco Friday for 3/18/22”

Puzzle Worthy Position 37

We truly are living in the Golden Age of Chess as it seems everywhere one looks, incredible chess is being played. Just today, GM Harsha Bharathakoti played a truly breathtaking move in his victory over GM Arjun Erigaisi in the Bangladesh Premier League. Can you spot white’s best move in the position below? What isContinueContinue reading “Puzzle Worthy Position 37”

#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 whenContinueContinue 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. White to move and mate in 2(Alan R., 1895).