February's Blitz 'n' Memes
Welcome everybody, to another awe-inspiring 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 unearthed in the deepest corners of the InterWebs...
We have a really interesting set of puzzles this month, with a nice mix of straightforward tactics and one or two killers. Good luck solving all five on the first attempt.
So, without further ado, lets get to the Blitz 'n' Memes.
Back to the Back
Our first tactic comes way of the 3rd round, IM rnanjo, playing White, uses forcing moves to extinguish any chance of a Black come back.
Black assumes he can use the coming check on f3 in order to attack the hanging White Queen, big mistake, White can check first...
File-Opener
Another tactic from the 3rd round, this time, MSN-04SAZABI, playing White is able to up a file to the Black king.
Black's king side pawns are far too advanced, but how to punish this impudence?
Attacking Defense
It's often been said that the best defense is a strong offense, in the 4th round, IM rnanjo, playing Black demonstrates this sage wisdom.
White is hoping to bring his rooks to the eight rank and threaten checkmate...but there is a problem with this stratagem.
A particularly difficult tactic from the first round, IM rnanjo, playing Black, finds the most accurate method to win material.
Black is winning a piece but must be accurate to make the most of it, fundamentally, the more pieces that come off the board, the more the extra piece will be worth.
Opening Horror Show
Our fifth and final tactic is from the fifth round, MSN-04SAZABI, playing Black, puts on a clinic in opening theory.
Going after an undefended pawn leads to winning the White queen, but how?
Good Luck!
Congratulations to IM rnanjo for winning with a perfect 7/7 score. And of course congrats to my puzzle GMs who scored 5/5 on Blitz 'n' Memes, the Victory is yours!!
As always, thanks for reading and feel free to share these puzzles with your friends down at the Bar or Library.
Cheers, SheldonOfOsaka.
P.S. Feel free to invite the Click Button #1 or #2 to a game of chess, but bring a chess set with more than a half dozen pieces missing...
Click Button #2