exercise 1

XABCDEFGHY XABCDEFGHY
8l+r+-tr-mk( 8r+lwq-trk+(
7zp-wq-+pzpp' 7zppzppvlpzp-'
6Pzp-+nsN-+& 6-+n+-sn-zp&
5+-+psN-+-% 5+-+N+-sNQ%
4-+-zP-+Q+$ 4-+-+P+-zP$
3tR-+-+-+-# 3+L+-+-+-#
2-zP-+-zPPzP" 2PzPP+-zPP+"
1+-+-tR-mK-![ 1tR-vL-mK-+R![
xabcdefghy xabcdefghy
White attacks with 4 pieces the black king. The
next sacrifice will destroy the defense: ( 2.Nf4 Ne5 3.Bxf7 Bc5 ; 2.Nxf6 fxg6-+ )
1.Qxe6! 2...Rxf7 3.Qxf7 Bb4+ 4.c3 Ne5 5.Qxf6 gxf6
[ 1.Qg6 is also good Ng5 ( 1...fxg6 2.Nxg6+ 6.cxb4-+ ]
hxg6 3.Rh3# ; 1...hxg6 2.Rh3# ) 2.Qxg5+- ]
1...Bxf6 2.Bxf7+ Rxf7 3.Qxf7+ Kh8 4.Qg6
1...fxe6 Bxg5 5.hxg5 Ne5 6.Qh5+-
[ 1...Qc1 2.Nxf7+ Rxf7 3.Rc3! Rxc3 4.Qe8+ 1-0
Rf8 5.Qxf8# ]

2.Ng6+ hxg6 3.Rh3# exercise 3

1-0
exercise 2
(Diagram)
White has a strong attack and has pressure on
f7. Moreover, Black is even not developed.
However, the human player has to be calm and
calculate the safest way for winning the game:
(Diagram)
Black's pawn structure is weakened by the pawn
on g6 and absence of the dark-square bishop.
Moreover, the queenside is not developed and
the rook or bishop cannot defend the king in any
way.
1.Qxf8+ Kxf8 2.Bh6+ Kg8 3.Re8#
1-0

1.Nxf6+

[Here is the "trap" where somebody who

doesn't calculate all the candidate moves of
the opponent could fall:
the nice move 1.Qg6?! doesn't work as Black
can defend with: Kh8! (of course, not:
1...fxg6?? 2.Nxe7+ Kh8 3.Nxg6# ) 2.Nxf7+
 2

XABCDEFGHY 2.Nxd7+ Kg8 3.Nxe5+-

1-0
8r+l+-trk+(
7zpp+p+p+p' exercise 5
6-+n+-+pwQ& XABCDEFGHY
5+-+-+qvL-% 8r+-+r+k+({
4-+-+-+-+$ 7zppzp-+pzpp'
3+-zP-+-+-# 6-+-+-+-+&
2P+-+-zPPzP" 5+-+p+-+-%
1+-+-tRRmK-![ 4-+-+-wQnwq$
xabcdefghy 3+L+P+l+-#
2PzPP+-zPP+"
exercise 4 1tRNvL-+RmK-!
XABCDEFGHY xabcdefghy
8r+-+r+k+( Black is a piece down, but 4 of his pieces attack
against a weak White's defense.
7zp-zpl+-zpp' 1...Re1! threatening the f2-square.
2.gxf3
6-vlp+-+-+& [ 2.Rxe1 Qxf2+ 3.Kh1 Qxe1# ]
5+-sNpwq-+-% [ 2.Qxf3 Qh2# ]
[ 2.Nd2 Qxf2+ 3.Kh1 Qxg2# ]
4-+-+-+-+$ [ 2.Be3 Qh1+ 3.Kxh1 Rxf1# ]
2...Qxf2+ 3.Kh1 Rxf1#
3+-wQ-vL-+-# 1-0
2PzPP+-+PzP"
1tR-+-+RmK-![ exercise 6

xabcdefghy
The absence of the f6-knight (the best defender
of the king) can have serious consequences
even if the king seems to be safe. Here, the
white rook can enter through the f-file to draw
one of the black pieces to a mined square.
1.Rf8+! Kxf8
[ 1...Rxf8 2.Qxe5 ]
(Diagram)
Black's king seems enough protected, but after a
closer look we can notice that the black
defending pieces effectively suffocate him.
Therefore, White draws the black king out into a
mate net.
1.Qh6+! Kxh6 2.Nhf5+
[ 2.Ngf5+ Bxf5 ( 2...Kh5 3.g4+ Kxg4 4.Rg3+
Kh5 5.Be2# ) 3.Nxf5+ Kh5 4.Rh3+ Kg4
 3

XABCDEFGHY XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+rtr( 8-+r+-trk+({
7zppwql+pmkp' 7zpp+-sn-+p'
6-+pvl-zpn+& 6-wq-zpPsnpvl&
5+-+p+-+Q% 5+-+-zp-+-%
4-+-zP-zP-sN$ 4-zP-+P+-+$
3+-+L+RsN-# 3vL-sNQ+-+-#
2PzPP+-+PzP" 2P+-+L+PzP"
1+-+-+RmK-![ 1tR-+-tR-+K!
xabcdefghy xabcdefghy
5.Ne3# ]
2...Bxf5 3.Nxf5+ Kh5 4.Rh3+ Nh4
[ 4...Kg4 5.Nh6# ( 5.Ne3# )] exercise 8
5.Rxh4+ Kg6 6.Rh6# Conclusion: a
suffocating defense doesn't help.
1-0
XABCDEFGHY
8rsnl+-trk+({
exercise 7 7+-+-wqpzp-'
6-+-+p+-+&
(Diagram) 5+-+pzP-sNQ%
White's king is unprotected, while a lot of Black
pieces are orientated toward him. However, it
4-zp-+-+-+$
seems that there is no entrance. Usually, 3+-zP-+-+-#
something must exist in these situations and the
player should be very careful at every momonet 2-zp-+-zPPzP"
(move) during the practical game in order to not
loose the occasion.
1+R+-mK-+R!
In exercises, the student knows that something xabcdefghy
should exist. During the game, the player should
always look with a fresh eye to the position and The black king can be saved by only a move: the
find such simple combinations. queen sacrifice. After this, the white king will be
in an unproper position that the advanced black
1...Rxc3 2.Qxc3 Nxe4 3.Qb3 Nf2+ 4.Kg1 pawns can exploit.
Nh3+ 5.Kh1 Qg1+ 6.Rxg1 Nf2# This exercise is instructive if you will need to
0-1 calculate this situation in a practical game with
more moves in advance and to foresee this
defensive queen sacrifice.
1...Qxg5 2.Qxg5 bxc3 3.Qe3
 4

[ 3.0-0 Ba6 4.Rfe1 Nc6+- followed by Bd3

and/or d5-d4 ]
XABCDEFGHY
[ 3.Kd1 Nc6 4.Kc2 Ra3 5.Rxb2 Nd4+ 6.Kb1
cxb2 7.Kxb2 Rb3+ 8.Kc1 Ba6-+ ]
8r+-wqkvl-tr(
3...c2 4.Rxb2 Ra1+ 5.Kd2 Rxh1 6.Rxc2 7zppzpn+p+-'
Ba6-+
0-1 6-+-zp-+-+&
5+-+-+-zp-%
exercise 9 4-+LzPPvL-+$
XABCDEFGHY 3+-sN-+Rzp-#
8r+l+rwqk+({ 2PzPP+-snP+"
7zpp+n+pzpp' 1tR-+QsN-mK-![
6-+pvl-+-+& xabcdefghy
5+-+-zp-vL-% artificially placed cannot win against
harmoniously developed pieces.
4-+PzPQ+-+$ White wins easily in 2 ways:
1.Bxg3
3+-+L+N+-# [ 1.Bxf7+ Kxf7 2.Bxg3+ Kg8 3.Rxf2+- ]
2PzP-+-zPPzP" 1...Nxd1 2.Bxf7+ Ke7 3.Nd5#
1-0
1tR-+R+-mK-!
xabcdefghy
In absence of the knight on f6, the f-pawn is a
very good defende of the king's position. More
than protecting the b1-h7 diagonal, the f7-f5
advance creates space for the black pieces.

1...f5! 2.Qh4
[ 2.Qxf5?? Nf6 and the white queen is
trapped. ]

2...e4 3.c5 exd3

[ 3...Bc7 4.Bc4+ Kh8 5.Nd2 ]

4.cxd6 Qxd6 5.Rxd3 Re4 6.Qh5 h6

-

exercise 10

Black threatens mate on h1 and the white queen.

However, 2 pieces which also looks too