Chess puzzle: Sublime coordination of pieces

Hello Everybody,

Chess develops analytical thinking. How deep can you go depends on your calculating skills and also your subconscious understanding of the relationship between squares, pieces and movement.

For example, look at the following position?

How far can you calculate? Or, can you, at the outset see what is the relationship between White's pieces and the Black Queen. This is the kind of depth you need to develop in your moves. It is actually very simple and a series of forced moves if you understand the relationship.

Run the flash player for the solution but pause for a while and think about the answer.

H. Rinck, El Ajedrez Americano, 1930

White to play and win

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's

www.chessblog.com

Also see her personal blog at

www.chessqueen.com

Chess puzzles: Climb the staircase

Hello Everyone,

When it comes to Rook endgames, the staircase motif is often the most difficult to work out. How about (not one) but two staircase chess studies? Can you find the solutions without looking through the moves in the flashplayer below?

Hope you enjoy the puzzles.

1. White to play and win

H. Rinck, La Strategie, 1977

And, here's another.

B. Horwitz

White to play and win.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's

www.chessblog.com

Also see her personal blog at

www.chessqueen.com

Chess endgame: Did you get the key?

Hi Everyone!

Here is the puzzle we put before you some days back. The question was which Black move is better - NxNd4 or Nc5? Which do you think is the best attempt for Black at winning the game?

With 1. ... Nc5 White simply plays 2. Ne2 and Black cannot make any progress!

You can run the flashplayer below to check your answer!

Mainline

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Furman-Zhukhovitsky, Leningrad, 1969, 0-1

Variation

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If at move 3. White tries 3. fxg5 then 3. ... Kxg5 4. Kc4 f4 0-1 because Black Queens first and can then handle the White King with checks for a winning endgame.

Hope you enjoyed this endgame study.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's

www.chessblog.com

Also see her personal blog at

www.chessqueen.com