Missed tactics, part 2
The puzzles featured in this batch follow the same format as in part 1: a brief description of the game whence the puzzle originated, an explanation of what is happening on the board and of how to approach solving the puzzle, and the solution. I have also added the name of the opening directly beneath the puzzle image. This may be useful for situations when a particular opening is played and I can steer the game more or less in the direction of the puzzle.
1. 2024-01-26, game 1
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| White to move (Semislav Defense) |
Explanation: Black is threatening two major captures, 31...Bxd4 and 31...Rxf4+, and it looks like White has been put on the defensive. If White moves the queen to a square that guards the bish on f4, i.e. 31.Qe3 or 31.Qf2, Black can still reply 31...Rxf4+ because f4 is attacked twice. Where my calculation fell short was in failing to see that White has a winning offensive move. How so? After 31.Nxf7, Black can no longer threaten check; and if he captures White's queen with 31...Bxe4, White first captures with 32.Rxe8+ and then chops Black's queen on the next turn. Alternatively, if Black recaptures on f7, with either 31...Qxf7 or 31...Kxf7, White still wins material because the bish on e5 is triple-attacked.
Solution: 31.Nxf7
2. 2024-01-26, game 2
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| Black to move (Bird's Opening) |
Explanation: White is ahead in material, but at the moment Black is the one doing the attacking and White's king is cornered. Black would like to give a check on the second rank, but the f2 square is double-guarded and checking with 34...Qd2+ leads to a repetition of moves. A repetition of moves is how my game ended, because I failed to see that White has a winning rook sac. How so? After 34...Rh1+, White has two ways to continue: 35.Kg2 and 35.Kxh1. 35.Kg2 leads to mate with 35...Qf1#; and 35.Kxh1 leads to 35...Qxg3, after which White's position is resignable.
Solution: 34...Rh1+
3. 2024-02-07
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| Black to move (French Defense: La Bourdonnais Variation) |
Explanation: White should have played 15.fxe5 with a discovered defense of his knight on g5 and an advantage of +1.5. 15.Qe2, while it does double-attack the pinned knight on e5, gifts Black a game-changing tempo. How so? Not 15...f6, as I played, since 16.Nf3 would attack e5 a third time. Rather, after 15...Be7, Black breaks the pin on the e-file and is double-attacking White's knight on g5. If White continues 16.fxe5, Black has 16...Bxg5; and if 16.Qxe5+, Black has a pawn fork with 16...f6.
Solution: 15...Be7
4. 2024-02-11
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| Black to move (French Defense: Exchange Variation) |
Explanation: White's pawn move severely weakened his king, owing to Black's queen-and-bishop battery on the c8-h3 diagonal and the activity of Black's dark-square bish and knight on g6. How so? After 13...Bxh3, White has three ways to continue: 14.gxh3, 14.Bf1, and another move like 14.Nxd5. In the event of 14.gxh3, Black is winning after 14...Qxh3. In the event of 14.Bf1, Black retreats his bish and play continues with White at a positional disadvantage. In the event of 14.Nxd5, Black replies 14...Bxg2 where 15.Kxg2 would be answered with 15...Qg4+ and Black's position is crushing.
Solution: 13...Bxh3
5. 2024-02-17
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| Black to move (French Defense: Exchange Variation) |
Explanaion: White reasoned that, material being equal in the endgame, his king needs to advance to the center. This, however, has given Black a winning tactic. How so? The move 39...f4+ is forcing. If White captures with 40.gxf4, Black replies 40...Kf5 followed by 41...Nxf4 and the passer on h5 gives Black an advantage. If White moves the king with, for example, 40.Ke2, Black replies 40...fxg3 and the two connected passers are decisive.
Solution: 39...f4+
6. 2024-02-24
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| Black to move |
Explanation: Black, down one pawn in material, was threatening 22...Bxe4+ with a fork on the king and the h1-rook. White appears to have solved his problem by defending e4 with the bish, but what I failed to see was that White's situation was made even worse by that move. How so? After 22...Rxf3, Black regains the material advantage and threatens 23...Rxe3 or 23...Bxe4+. If White recaptures with 23.Nxf3, Black proceeds with 23...Bxe4+ with a fork on the knight and king; and after the king moves, Black has 24...Bxf3 with a fork on White's rooks.
Solution: 22...Rxf3
7. 2024-02-26
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| Black to move (London System) |
Explanation: The tactic I found in the game involved winning the pawn on c3 by first capturing on e2 with the knight and deflecting the queen away from the pawn's defense. What I failed to find was a stronger tactic winning both the pawn and the bish on e2. How so? After 20...Qxc3, White can't recapture with 21.Qxc3 on account of 21...Nxe2+ with a royal fork. If the Queen wishes to continue defending the bish e2, it comes at a heavy price, albeit one that is difficult to calculate. 21.Rdb1, for example, the top engine move, is met with 21...Qc2 double-attacking the e2-bish; and if 22.Qxc2, Black wins the a1-rook after 22...Nxc2. If White tries 21.Rd2, Black can capture with 21...Qxd2, because after 22.Qxd2 Black has 22...Nf3+ with a discovered rook attack on White's queen. If White tries 21.Rd2, it fails for the same reason: Black captures with 21...Qxd2, and if 22.Qxd2 then 22...Nf3+. Lastly, if White tries 21.Rab1, Black captures with 21...Qxb2; and after 22.Rxb2 Black replies 22...Nxe2+ with a discovered attack on White's d1-rook.
Solution: 20...Qxc3
8. 2024-03-15
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| White to move (Benoni Defense) |
Explanation: Black is double-attacking White's knight on c4. White would like to capture with 11.Nxb6, further attacking Black's a8-rook and revealing a discovered attack on Black's a6-bish, but after 11...axb3 Black's bish is defended. White's idea of a discovered attack on the a6-bish is correct -- but after a different capture with the knight. How so? After 11.Nxd6+, Black recaptures with 11...exd6 and White chops Black's bish with 12.Bxa6.
Solution: 11.Nd6+
9. 2024-03-29
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| White to move (Englund Gambit) |
Explanation: The queenside and center are locked, but on the kingside White has a pawn majority. White has to find a sequence of correct moves in order to force a win and avoid a draw, and it involves understanding where the king wants to go and how it wants to get there. Where does the king want to go? To the h4 square. How does it want to get there? By eventually advancing the pawn on h4 to h5, taking away the g6 square from Black's king, and then playing Kg3-h4 or Kh3-h4 when Black's king isn't on g5. There are numerous ways for the king to reach h4, so this is not a conventional puzzle. The point is to visualize what White wants the kingside to look like in order to win. For example, 51.Ke3 Kf6 52.Kf3 Kg6 and now White can play 53.h5+. Black replies 53...Kg5, occupying the square White wants his king to be in; so White plays a waiting move, 54.Kg3. Black's king has to vacate g5 with 54...Kf6, and now White can play 55.Kh4. Black's king is forced further away, e.g. 55...Kg7, and now White can push 56.g5. Whatever happens, White emerges with a passer on the kingside and from there an easy win.
Solution: See explanation
10. 2024-04-03
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| Black to move (French Defense: Guimard Tarrasch) |
Explanation: By sliding his bish to c5, White was probably hoping for 27...Bxc5 and 28.Nxc5 with a fork on Black's queen and rook. However, since Black's bish is defended by the queen, he can ignore White's attack and capitalize on White's weakened f4-pawn. How so? The pawn is attacked by Black's knight on g6 and by the rook on a4. After 27...Nxf4, White cannot recapture with 28.gxf4 due to 28...Rxf4+ winning White's queen.
Solution: 27...Nxf4
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