TTeenn sstteeppss ttoo lleeaarrnn CChheessss TTaaccttiiccss aanndd CCoommbbiinnaattiioonnss A resource from Dr Dave Regis Exeter Chess Club Introduction A note for players Here is a collection of very short games organised by tactical theme. The main aim is to give you a quick run-through the basic tactical ideas in genuine positions. One advantage of using short games is that you can set the positions up on a board very quickly and accurately. You can of course just use the diagrams as test positions. I have selected as many of the games as possible from opening systems that are commonly recommended for improving players. This is the great main highway of chess, and the views to either side are wonderful. I've marked where I think the losing side could have played better with the chessplayer's frown, "?", so you can go over each game once again, trying this time to improve the play. DR A note for teachers and coaches Anyone could have done this, and maybe you would have done it better, but you might find it useful that it has been done by someone else. I find it as easy to play over a short game from the start position as it is to set up a position from scratch, so when working with players over a board I like to use this type of example. Nearly all the games start 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3, which I hope means they will connect with, and reinforce, good opening principles for learner players, and show poor play punished. The exciting main lines of the Max Lange and Fried Liver Attacks feature throughout, and Damiano's Defence endures some terrible beatings. There is an opening index by ECO code so you can run through several tactical ideas associated with one opening or even one variation. DR Contents 1 The ABC of tactics...............................................................................................8 2 The three most common reasons games are lost.................................................10 2.1 Take a piece for nothing................................................................................10 2.2 Take a more important piece..........................................................................11 2.3 More attackers than defenders.......................................................................12 3 One-move ideas..................................................................................................13 3.1 Forks..............................................................................................................13 3.2 Pins and skewers............................................................................................16 3.3 Skewers..........................................................................................................19 3.4 Nets................................................................................................................20 4 Two-move ideas and more..................................................................................23 4.1 Jumps.............................................................................................................23 4.2 Undermining..................................................................................................29 4.3 Overloading...................................................................................................30 4.4 Interference....................................................................................................31 4.5 Decoy.............................................................................................................32 4.6 Clearance.......................................................................................................33 4.7 Intermezzi and Zwischenzuge........................................................................34 5 Combinations......................................................................................................35 6 Counting and calculating....................................................................................40 6.1 Defending......................................................................................................43 6.2 Counterattacking............................................................................................45 6.3 From bad to worse.........................................................................................46 6.4 Traps..............................................................................................................48 7 What makes a combination work?......................................................................49 7.1 Checks............................................................................................................49 7.2 Captures.........................................................................................................49 7.3 Loose pieces...................................................................................................50 7.4 Unsafe King...................................................................................................50 8 Checkmates.........................................................................................................51 8.1 Checkmating the uncastled King...................................................................51 8.2 Checkmating the castled King.......................................................................60 8.3 King hunt.......................................................................................................62 8.4 Longer checkmates........................................................................................64 9 Lots of ideas at once!..........................................................................................72 10 Test yourself!......................................................Error! Bookmark not defined. Opening Index..............................................................................................................80 How to read and write down chess games W________w Each square is described by a áwgwdwdwi] lower-case (small) letter (a-h) àdwdQdwdw] which names the file, and a ßwdwdwdwd] number (1-8) which tells you Þdw)P0Ndw] the rank. So, the square marked with a * is a4. Ý*dNdw0wd] Üdwdwdw)w] ÛwdwdwdKd] ÚdRdwdwdw] WÁÂÃÄÅÆÇÈw Each piece is shown with a letter, K K King as follows: Q Q Queen B B Bishop N N Knight R R Rook Each move tells you which piece has moved to which square. So Rb5 means the White Rook moves to the square b5. Pawn moves are shown without a "P", just the square is named: so d6 means the White Pawn on d5 moves to the square d6. When you take a piece a cross (x) is used: so Rxb8 means the Rook takes the Bishop on b8. If you take with a Pawn, you write the file that the Pawn starts on, for example, gxf4. Check is shown with a plus (+), Rh1+. Checkmate is shown with two plus signs, Qg7++, or a hash, Qg7#. Castling King's-side is shown as O-O; castling Queen's- side is shown as O-O-O (neither shown on the diagram). Sometimes two of the same kind of piece can move to the same square. For example, both Knights could move to d6. We show which Knight we have moved by naming the starting square, so N(f5)d6. Most players shorten this to either Nfd6 or N5d6. Three dots before a move (...Rb7) mean it is a move by Black. Also, sometimes you see a "!" or "?" sign after a move. It's a quick way of telling you how good the move is. ! means a good move !? means a risky move which might turn out well ?! means a dodgy move which might turn out badly ? means a bad move Daniel – Gericke [C41] Game information is like this: corr BDF, 1993 White was Daniel and Black was Gericke. The opening was Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings code C41, which is Philidor's Defence. The game was played by correspondence with the BDF (German Correspondence Chess Federation) during 1993. 1 The ABC of tactics The building blocks of combinations are these ideas: Loose pieces Outnumbered pieces cuuuuuuuuC cuuuuuuuuC (wdwdwdwd} (wdw4wdkd} 7dwdkdwdw} 7dqdwdp0p} 6wdwdwdwd} 6wdwdwdwd} 5DwDwdqDw} 5dwdndwdw} White &wdwdwdwd} to &wdwdwdwd} 3DwDwdwDw}move 3dwdwdB)w} 2wdQdKdwd} 2Qdwdw)w)} %dwdwdwdw}a %dwdRdwIw}a v,./9EFJMV v,./9EFJMV Forks Nets cuuuuuuuuC cuuuuuuuuC (wdkdwdwd}e (wdwhwdwd} 7dw1wdwdw} 7dXdwdXdk} 6wdwdwdwd} 6wdXdXdwd} Black 5DwDndwDw} 5GwDBdwDw} to &wdwdwdwd} &wdwdwdwd} move 3DwDwZwDw} 3DwDwDwDw} 2wdwdwdQd} 2wdwdwdwd} %dwdKdwdw} %dwdKdwdw}a v,./9EFJMV v,./9EFJMV Pins Skewers cuuuuuuuuC cuuuuuuuuC (wdwdwdkd}e (wdwdwdkd}e 7dpdbdw0w} 7dpdbdw0w} 6wdXdwdwd} 6wdXdwdwd} 5DwDwdwDw} 5DwDwdwDw} &wdwdQdwd} &wdwdKdwd} 3DwDwDwDw} 3DwDwDwDw} 2wdwdwdKd} 2wdwdwdRd} %dwdwdwdw} %dwdwdwdw} v,./9EFJMV v,./9EFJMV Ties (undermining) Ties (overloading) cuuuuuuuuC cuuuuuuuuC (wdw1kdwd} (wdw1wdkd} 7dwdwdwdw} 7dw4wdp0p} 6wdwdwdwd} 6wdwdwdwd} 54wDwdwDR} 5DwDwdwDw} &wdwdwd"wd} &wdwdwdwd} 3DwDwDwDw} 3D!wDwDwDw} 2wdwd!wdwd} 2wdw"dw)P)} %dwdQdwIw}a %dw!w$wIw}a v,./9EFJMV v,./9EFJMV Jumps (discoveries, unmasking) Checkmates cuuuuuuuuC cuuuuuuuuC (wdkdwdwd}e (wdwdwdwd} 7dwdqdwdw} 7dwdwdwdw} 6wdwdwdwd} 6wdwdwdwd} 5DwDndwDw} 5DwDwdwDw} &wdwdwZwd} &wdwdwdwd} 3DwDwDwDw} 3DwDwiwDw} 2wdwIwdQd} 2wdQdwdwd} %dwdwdwdw} %dwdKdqdw} v,./9EFJMV v,./9EFJMV Decoys Clearances cuuuuuuuuC cuuuuuuuuC (wdwdkdqd}e (wdrdwdkd}e 7dwdwdwdw} 7dwdwdpdw} 6wdwdwdw"d} 6wdwdpdw0} 5DwDwdwDw} 5dwdwdw0w} &wdwdKdwd} &wdw!whwd} 3DwDwDwDw} 3dwdwdNdw} 2!w0wdwdwd} 2wdwdq)P)} %dwdwdQdw} %$wdwdwIw} v,./9EFJMV v,./9EFJMV Idea ...Ne2+! 2 The three most common reasons games are lost The three most common reasons games are lost between learning players don't have anything to do with all the fancy ideas you'll see in the rest of the book. They are more like accidents than tactical tricks; oversights and carelessness are the cause, not your opponent's clever play. The three most common accidents are: 1. You lose a piece for nothing. 2. You lose a piece for a less important piece (or a pawn). 3. Your piece is outnumbered: there are more attackers than defenders 2.1 Take a piece for nothing cuuuuuuuuC (rDb1kDn4} A free gift 70pDnDp0w} Daniel - Gericke [C41] 6wDpgwDw0} corr BDF, 1993 5DwDw0wDw} 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nd7?! &wDBDPDwD} 4.Bc4 h6 5.Nc3 c6 6.dxe5 dxe5 3DwHwDNDw} 7.0-0 U DIAGRAM 2P)PDw)P)} The simplest idea of all. %$wGQDRIw} v,./9EFJMV 7...Bd6? 8.Qxd6 Qf6 9.Rd1 1-0 cuuuuuuuuC (rhbDkDn4} A unique opportunity 70p0pDw0p} Jackson,J - Kozlov,V [C40] 6wDwDwDwD} corr Atars mem, 1993 5DwDwDwDw} 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 3.Nc3 fxe4 &wgwDwDwD} 4.Nxe5 Qf6 5.d4 exd3 6.Nxd3 3DwHNDwDw} Qe6+ 7.Qe2 Qxe2+ 8.Bxe2 Bb4? 2P)PDB)P)} U Black finds the only move on %$wGwIwDR} the board to lose a piece for v,./9EFJMV nothing. 9.Nxb4 1-0