Solution to Problem # 45

This position is from Bernstein-Capablanca, as found in Chess Traps: Pitfalls & Swindles, by Horowitz and Reinfeld. Black proceeds as follows:
1... Nxc3 2.Rxc3 Rxc3 3.Rxc3


Now here Black must be careful. At first glance, he might want to continue with 3... Qb1+ 4.Qf1 Rd1, but White follows with 5.Rc8+, with mate to follow.

Instead, Black plays 3... Qb2! and White cannot protect both his rook and his queen.

Solution to Problem # 44

This position is adapted from a position in Fine's Basic Chess Endings. White wins with the elegant 1.f6 gxf6 2.Kf7! f5 3.g7+ Kh7 4.g8=Q#.

Solution to Problem # 43

This position is from the game Gruenfeld-Soltis, 1979 and is courtesy of www.wtharvey.com.

White wins with 1.Nxg6. If 1...Kxg6 2.Bh5+ Kf6 3.Bxe5+.

Solution to Problem # 42

This position is from the game Bradford-Mirabile, Foxwoods 2007. White won with the pretty 21.Nxg6 fxg6 22.Rxc8 Raxc8 23.Qxe6+ 1–0
(23... Kh7 24.Qh3+ Bh6 25.Rd7+ Rf7 26.Rxf7+ Kg8 27.Qxc8+ with mate to follow shortly)

Solution to Problem # 41

This position occurred in the game Vertkin-Stripunsky, Foxwoods 2007.

Black won with 16…Ng4+ 17.hxg4 hxg4+ 18.Nh5 Bf2! 0-1

Here is the complete game score:

Vertkin,Sergey (2242) - Stripunsky,Alexander (2638)
9th Foxwoods Open: Open Section Foxwoods, 04.04.2007
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Qc7 6.0–0 Nf6 7.c4 Bd6 8.h3 Nc6 9.Ne2 Ne5 10.b3 b6 11.Nbc3 Bb7 12.f4 Bc5+ 13.Kh2 Nxd3 14.Qxd3 Qc6 15.Ng3 h5 16.Re1 Ng4+ 17.hxg4 hxg4+ 18.Nh5 Bf2 0–1

Solution to Problem # 40

Our thanks go out to www.wtharvey.com for this puzzle. The position shown is from Arkell-Krush 2000 and Black won with the simple 1... Be4. If the White rook moves off the b-file, the White knight is lost, but if White moves 2.Rb2 or 2.Rb3, Black will mate with 3.Ra1.

Solution to Problem # 39

In Reinfeld's words, "Black finds an extraordinary finesse" which "has to be calculated to a hair." He wins as follows: 1…Rxd5 2.Rxd5 Qb7 3.Qg2 Qb1+ 4.Qg1 Qe4+ 5.Qg2 Qxg2+ 6.Kxg2 Nf4+ forking White's king and rook.

Solution to Problem # 38

This position is shown in Fred Reinfeld's excellent book The Complete Chessplayer. White wins with 1.Rc8 Rxc8 2.Qe7! [not 2.dxc8(=Q)+ since Black has 2…Qxc8] and Black will either be mated or lose his queen.

Solution to Problem # 37

This position is courtesy of www.wtharvey.com and features a game from Teimour Radjabov,when he would have been only about ten years old.

White wins with the simple 1.Nh7+ Ke8 2.Nf6+, forking the Black king and queen.

Solution to Problem # 36

This position comes from the game Waitzkin vs. Hoyos-Millan, New York, 1992 and is courtesy of www.wtharvey.com.

White wins with 1.Rxg6+ fxg6 (1...Qg7 2.Qxg7#) 2.Rf8#.

Solution to Problem # 35

This position is from Dlugy-Stoyko, Cherry Hill, 1991 and is courtesy of www.wtharvey.com.

White wins with the simple 1.Rh6, threatening both 2.Ng6 and 2.Qxe7.

Solution to Problem # 34

Black won with 1…Re2+ 2.Kxe2 Bxg4+ 3.Ke1 Re8+ 4.Be2 Rxe2+ 0-1
(from Szukszta-Tal, 1956)

Solution to Problem # 33

This position is from Melia-Khotenashvili, Tbilisi, 2002 and is courtesy of www.wtharvey.com.

White wins with the simple tactic 1.Qxd8 Qxd8 2.Ne6+.

Solution to Problem # 32

In this position from Van Wely-Karjakin 2005, White caused Black's immediate resignation with 24.Nf6+
(24…Kh8 25.Ne8 Qe7 26.Qxf8+)

Solution to Problem # 31

White put a quick end to the game with 10.Qf7+ Kd6 11.Rd1+ and Black resigned.

Solution to Problem # 30

This position comes from the game Reyes-Lozoya 2005. White wins with 1.Bg7+ Kg8 (1… Rxg7 2.Qh5+ Kg8 3.Qe8#) 2.Bh7+ Kxh7 3.Qh6+ Kg8 4.Qh8#.

Solution to Problem # 29

This problem is courtesy of www.wtharvey.com and comes from the game Silman-Johnsen, London 1978. White wins with 1.e6 Qd6 (1...fxe6 2.Qd4+ e5 3.Nxe5) 2.exf7 Rc8 3.fxg6.

Solution to Problem # 28

This is one solution. Can you find another such that no two queens are attacking each other?

Solution to Problem # 27

This position is courtesy of www.wtharvey.com and is from the game Melia-Hoolt, Belfort, 2005.

White wins with 1.Rxd7+ Bxd7 2.Rf7+ Kd8 3.Qxd7#.

Solution to Problem # 26

This position arose in the game Reti-Tartakower, Vienna 1910. White wins with 1.Qd8+ Kxd8 2.Bg5+ Kc7 3.Bd8#.