ArcaMax

Miniature puzzles in chess truly show some great ideas in simple positions. The logic of the solution is staring right at you.

Mate in two.

White’s in a tough spot. What is the best move for the defense?

From Euwe-Lohman, 1923

This is from an old Koltanowski game. There are several ways to win. Pick one you would be proud of!

International Master Karel Opocensky reached this position some years past and saw a mating attack.

White’s pawns look dangerous, so you have to take that into account as Black to win this.

The first move looks really obvious, but it gets tricky. Can you see the best moves for White and Black all the way to the end? Both sides will queen a pawn—that’s your hint.

Knowing your king and pawn endings can make a huge difference. Here, Tartakower, as Black, transposed into a drawn ending against Yates when he could have won. He had even given up his queen for a rook to get into this position. Yates didn’t overlook what Dr. T didn’t think of.

One of the most important lessons you can learn in chess is to see indirect threats. In this position, the lineup of the B on b7 and the Q on d5 against the K on g2 is an indirect threat. How can you make it a direct threat and an eventual mate?

A miniature mate in two.

A very fine and well-crafted composition that has practical value.

This is an old favorite of mine for showing students. It’s actually very logical.

This is a wild and wooly game from 1896 between Reinisch and Traxler. It started out 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5 5.Nxf7 Bxf2+ 6.Ke2 Nd4+ 7.Kd3 b5 8.Bb3 Nxe4 9.Nxd8. Black has just sacrificed his queen for a mating attack and does, indeed mate on move 17. See if you can figure out how he did it. Give it a try!

This is known as a “grotesque” problem. A massive disparity in forces can’t prevent the little guy from mating. It’s a very narrow mating path, and it’s good brain practice.

There is more than one way to mate in three in this position. Find one!