exercise 1

XABCDEFGHY
8l+r+-tr-mk(
7zp-wq-+pzpp'
6Pzp-+nsN-+&
5+-+psN-+-%
4-+-zP-+Q+$
3tR-+-+-+-#
2-zP-+-zPPzP"
1+-+-tR-mK-![
xabcdefghy
White attacks with 4 pieces the black king. The
next sacrifice will destroy the defense:
1.Qxe6!
[ 1.Qg6 is also good Ng5 ( 1...fxg6 2.Nxg6+
hxg6 3.Rh3# ; 1...hxg6 2.Rh3# ) 2.Qxg5+- ]
1...fxe6
[ 1...Qc1 2.Nxf7+ Rxf7 3.Rc3! Rxc3 4.Qe8+
Rf8 5.Qxf8# ]
2.Ng6+ hxg6 3.Rh3#
1-0

XABCDEFGHY
8r+lwq-trk+(
7zppzppvlpzp-'
6-+n+-sn-zp&
5+-+N+-sNQ%
4-+-+P+-zP$
3+L+-+-+-#
2PzPP+-zPP+"
1tR-vL-mK-+R![
xabcdefghy
( 2.Nf4 Ne5 3.Bxf7 Bc5 ; 2.Nxf6 fxg6-+ )
2...Rxf7 3.Qxf7 Bb4+ 4.c3 Ne5 5.Qxf6 gxf6
6.cxb4-+ ]
1...Bxf6 2.Bxf7+ Rxf7 3.Qxf7+ Kh8 4.Qg6
Bxg5 5.hxg5 Ne5 6.Qh5+1-0
exercise 3
(Diagram)

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:
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+

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

XABCDEFGHY
8r+l+-trk+(
7zpp+p+p+p'
6-+n+-+pwQ&
5+-+-+qvL-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-zP-+-+-#
2P+-+-zPPzP"
1+-+-tRRmK-![
xabcdefghy
exercise 4

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-+r+k+(
7zp-zpl+-zpp'
6-vlp+-+-+&
5+-sNpwq-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-wQ-vL-+-#
2PzPP+-+PzP"
1tR-+-+RmK-![
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 ]

2.Nxd7+ Kg8 3.Nxe5+1-0

exercise 5

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

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+rtr(
7zppwql+pmkp'
6-+pvl-zpn+&
5+-+p+-+Q%
4-+-zP-zP-sN$
3+-+L+RsN-#
2PzPP+-+PzP"
1+-+-+RmK-![
xabcdefghy
5.Ne3# ]
2...Bxf5 3.Nxf5+ Kh5 4.Rh3+ Nh4
[ 4...Kg4 5.Nh6# ( 5.Ne3# )]
5.Rxh4+ Kg6 6.Rh6# Conclusion: a
suffocating defense doesn't help.
1-0
exercise 7
(Diagram)
White's king is unprotected, while a lot of Black
pieces are orientated toward him. However, it
seems that there is no entrance. Usually,
something must exist in these situations and the
player should be very careful at every momonet
(move) during the practical game in order to not
loose the occasion.
In exercises, the student knows that something
should exist. During the game, the player should
always look with a fresh eye to the position and
find such simple combinations.
1...Rxc3 2.Qxc3 Nxe4 3.Qb3 Nf2+ 4.Kg1
Nh3+ 5.Kh1 Qg1+ 6.Rxg1 Nf2#
0-1

XABCDEFGHY
8-+r+-trk+({
7zpp+-sn-+p'
6-wq-zpPsnpvl&
5+-+-zp-+-%
4-zP-+P+-+$
3vL-sNQ+-+-#
2P+-+L+PzP"
1tR-+-tR-+K!
xabcdefghy
exercise 8

XABCDEFGHY
8rsnl+-trk+({
7+-+-wqpzp-'
6-+-+p+-+&
5+-+pzP-sNQ%
4-zp-+-+-+$
3+-zP-+-+-#
2-zp-+-zPPzP"
1+R+-mK-+R!
xabcdefghy
The black king can be saved by only a move: the
queen sacrifice. After this, the white king will be
in an unproper position that the advanced black
pawns can exploit.
This exercise is instructive if you will need to
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 ]
[ 3.Kd1 Nc6 4.Kc2 Ra3 5.Rxb2 Nd4+ 6.Kb1
cxb2 7.Kxb2 Rb3+ 8.Kc1 Ba6-+ ]
3...c2 4.Rxb2 Ra1+ 5.Kd2 Rxh1 6.Rxc2
Ba6-+
0-1
exercise 9

XABCDEFGHY
8r+l+rwqk+({
7zpp+n+pzpp'
6-+pvl-+-+&
5+-+-zp-vL-%
4-+PzPQ+-+$
3+-+L+N+-#
2PzP-+-zPPzP"
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

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-wqkvl-tr(
7zppzpn+p+-'
6-+-zp-+-+&
5+-+-+-zp-%
4-+LzPPvL-+$
3+-sN-+Rzp-#
2PzPP+-snP+"
1tR-+QsN-mK-![
xabcdefghy
artificially placed cannot win against
harmoniously developed pieces.
White wins easily in 2 ways:
1.Bxg3
[ 1.Bxf7+ Kxf7 2.Bxg3+ Kg8 3.Rxf2+- ]
1...Nxd1 2.Bxf7+ Ke7 3.Nd5#
1-0