April's Blitz 'n' Memes
Welcome everybody, to another tactic filled edition of Blitz 'n' Memes.
If you're a fan of puzzles taken from amateur online blitz tournaments, then you have come to the right place, because that is what I do.
As always, the tactics have been selected from the Japan Chess Federation's monthly blitz tournament: TGIF Blitz. The tourney takes place on the 3rd Friday of every month, 21:00 JST, right here on chess.com. It consists of seven rounds of blitz, with a time control of 3+2; and is open to all JCF club members.
The memes on the other hand were sought out from the 8 corners of the InterWebs...
We have a couple of tough tactics this month, a bit more subtle than usual. It will take something special to get all 5 correct on the first attempt.
So, without further ado, lets get to the Blitz 'n' Memes.
In the Line of Fire
Our first tactic is taken from the 3rd round, IM rnanjo, playing Black, is able to take advantage of a misplaced piece.
What's the shortest distance between two points? There, that is your hint.
Queen Squeeze
Next we have a great position from the 7th round, Shin_Sapporo_Chess_Club, playing White, is able to constrict Black's movements leading to a gain of material and a gain of the full point.
Can you put the squeeze on Black?
In the Knight Time
Once again IM rnanjo shows his quality, this time in the 4th round, playing white. A couple of knight moves decide the game.
First going after the Black queen, then the king.
Pawn Parade
Another 4th round clash, and another masterclass from Shin_Sapporo_Chess_Club, playing White, he is able to set the scene for his pawn center to take center stage.
But how?
Positional Demolition
Our final position is from the 6th round, MSN-04SAZABI, playing White, is able to demolish, Black's position.
This tactic is so, much about winning material, as it is about winning the positional war. Good luck.
And that was it, that was April's Blitz 'n' Memes, congrats to IM rnanjo for winning with a 6/7 score. And of course, congratulations to you puzzle warriors who achieved 5/5 on the first attempt. Well done!!
As always, thanks for reading and feel free to share these puzzles with your friends down at the library or arcade.
Cheers, SheldonOfOsaka.
P.S. snick into the Click Button's house and smear poison ivy on his chess set.
