I sincerely hope that each and every one of you had a truly enjoyable and memorable Christmas. As we move forward, I am excited and optimistic about the opportunities and good times that this New Year will bring to all of us.
Now is the traditional time of year when people make their New Year’s resolutions, setting goals and intentions for the months ahead. With that thought in mind, let me suggest just one meaningful resolution for you to consider in your ongoing game of Chess—something that could positively impact your skills and enjoyment of the game.
Chess is fundamentally a game that revolves around tactics and strategic thinking, so it is essential to be familiar with various tactical ideas. Here are just a few important tactical concepts and patterns that you should actively look for during your games to improve your chances of success and outmanoeuvre your opponent.
Unprotected pieces are targets
Set up Batteries
Recognise weakness in opponents position
Look for Pins and Fork opportunities
Swap off pieces or pawns for your benefit not your opponents
Calculate attacking pieces v defending Pieces
Checks, Captures and Targets
Example 1
White to play, a simple example of calculation and Checks, Captures and Targets…
White has 2 pieces attacking the Knight (target), Black only has one defending, but don’t take with the pawn or you’ll lose the Rook on d1, instead Q x N+ (check being a forcing move) Q x Q (forced) pawn x Q (capture)
Example 2
A common tactic is the Pin, here it’s Black to play, note the Black Bishop is pinning the pawn on f2, Black takes advantage of this by playing Q x g3# checkmate as the Rook on h8 stops the King from moving.
Puzzle
Black to play
What is the tactic(s) in this position?
Christmas Puzzle Answer
Queen c5 !
if Rook x Queen..Knight d4 #
if pawn x Queen…Rook e5 #
See all on 17th January
