The Deadly Attacks Of Romantic Chess
This series is all about attacking chess and combinations and fun. And all of them are in puzzle form (some easy, some difficult) so you can see how your tactical IQ stands up to the old, sometimes forgotten greats. And, if you learn a tiny bit about chess history as we go along, you’ll be all the better for it.
You may ask, “How can chess history help me?”
Well, did you know that people who master chess history live at least 10 years longer than those that don’t? It’s a fact!
I hope you clearly understand that learning as much chess history as possible is literally a matter of life and death! Though this series offers a bit of chess history, if you want real chess history (and a longer life), you MUST read all of Batgirl’s articles. Simply put, ignore Batgirl’s articles, and wave goodbye to those golden years.
Finally, after you try to solve a puzzle, don’t forget to look at the notes!
Puzzle 1:
At the end of Part 2 of this series, I mentioned that after Philidor died (in 1795) crazy tactical chess made a wonderful resurgence. And, as more and more players got back in the tactical swing of things, it eventually led to the Romantic era of chess. The games here are the first rumblings of that period’s birth.
Here we feature a game played by a gentleman named George Atwood. “Who is that?” you might ask. Obviously, he was a very strong chess player, but did you know that he was also a celebrated mathematician who actually invented a machine that illustrated the effects of Newton’s first law of motion? You didn’t know that, did you? Well, consider yourself educated. Oh, and that tiny bit of information just added two days to your lifespan.
In this puzzle, White has many ways to win, but find the most practical (and probably best) way to take Black down in a safe, controlled fashion.
Find a safe and controlled win
Puzzle 2:
It’s not wise to leave one’s king in the center
Puzzle 3:
Dismantle Black’s house
Puzzle 4:
William Lewis, an Englishman, was a chess writer and a strong player. However, when I think of this man, two things come to mind: he seemed to be a bit of a jerk (he did some really nasty things to his chess teacher Jacob Sarratt), and he was one of the men that served as the Turk’s brain!
Infestation of knights
Puzzle 5:
Simple and effective
Puzzle 6:
Black’s turn to deal out some punishment!
John Cochrane was a world-class chess player, a lawyer, a midshipman in the Royal Navy. He wrote articles and books about chess and law, and he was a bit of an adventurer. Though a Scotsman, he spent many years living in India and, all in all, seemed like a very interesting and kind fellow. For example, Howard Staunton, who called Cochrane the “Father of the English Chess School,” wrote about Cochrane who, after receiving a nice sum of money for a successful legal case, gave it all away to some victims of an Indian famine.
Of course, nobody can win every game, and in this one Cochrane comes a cropper to the great Deschapelles.
Chasing the enemy king
Puzzle 8:
Dragging the enemy king into the open
Puzzle 9:
Breaking down the door
