tactics from round 2 of the daily chess championships 2025
Level: Very easy
White to move
1 qxc7 pretty easy - wasn’t it(?) - now believe it or not he was 2600 on bullet - and yet he lost this game up a bishop!!! Now for another relatively easy puzzle...
Level: Easy
White to move (AGAIN TRY TO SOLVE THIS BEFORE LOOKING AT THE SOLUTION)
Solution 1 … bxf3! 2 gxf3 fxe6 3 qxe6 kh8 now for a easy to medium-ish puzzle…
WARNING!! SOLUTION BELOW TRY TO SOLVE THIS AS HARD AS YOU CAN BEFORE LOOKING AT THE SOLUTION...ELSE THE SKY WILL FALL ON YOUR HEAD...
1...rfc8! 2 qa7 rxb2 thanks to this tactic I am now back in the game - though there are still lots of puzzles in this game to come...
1...rfc8! 2 qa7 rxb2 thanks to this tactic I am now back in the game - though there are still lots of puzzles in this game to come...
Now for a medium level puzzle...
There are 3 captures...but which is the best capture for white?
WARNING! BE LAZY AND JUST LOOK AT THE ANSWER UNLESS YOU REALLY WANT TO IMPROVE THE HARD WAY...
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Here are three possible answers in order of ‘goodness’
1...qxa2? is bad because after 1...rxa2 2 rxa2 the pin on the f3 knight and the active queen and knight and bishop more than compensate for a slight material deficit...shameful bronze if this was your preference
1...rxa2 played in the game – it is an okay move with equal chances for both sides though black can try 1… rb1! 2 bd1 and either 2...bxf3 or 2...rxd1 and the game is equal according to the computer...Sparkling silver if this is your final answer.
1 qxe4 maintains some slight advantage to white so that is the answer ¾ points - if you guessed 2...rxa2 no points if guessed 1 qxa2? Glorious gold if you guessed 1 qxe4 (this game might be covered fully in another of my blogs).
now for a hard puzzle… black to move
WARNING THIS SOLUTION WILL DO YOUR HEAD IN. BUT NO GUTS NO GLORY.
Solution is 1… bf3 2 kf1 qd6 3 kg1 qd3 4 ra1 kxg7 with a winning advantage for black because the two minor pieces are clearly superior to the rook in this position - plus the white king has no pawn cover...
You thought that was tough – well you ain’t seen nothing yet...
WARNING SOLUTION BELOW IS INCREDIBLY HARD – ATTEMPTING IT IS HAZARDOUS TO YOUR PEACE OF MIND. I FAILED BUT MAYBE YOU CAN SUCCEED WHERE I FAILED GLORIOUSLY….
1...rxf6!! (I missed this brilliant move in the game and ended up losing the game – the insight here is that after black takes rook with 1...qxf6 white plays 2 rf1 qg7 3 bxf7 ke7 4 bxg8 qxg8 with equal material and an attack on blacks king - plus opposite coloured bishops which generally favour the attacker who in this case is white
3 rxf7x seems good because if black takes twice on f7 then white got a advantage since the black king is out in the open but if black plays 3...qh6! White does not have enough compensation for the sacrificed material.
So there you have it some hard some easy puzzles and some not so easy puzzles - if you think your score is good feel free to share it in the comments below – if you think your score is bad feel free to share in the comments below – its all relative this life isn’t it...
See you in my next blog where I will share my experience june's Bundaberg Chess Open 2025.
