# Chess/Tactics Exercises

Chess is, of course, a game of tactics and strategy, and the tactics
described in the Chess/Tactics entry are
important to any chess player. The right tactics can allow you to make
quick gains of material, can protect you from quick losses of material,
and can, ultimately, help you to win chess games.

## Tactics Practice

Good chess players, then, must practice tactics. Consider the chess
boards below. In each board white can win material by force, if he
chooses his moves wisely and utilizes the tactics described in the
Chess/Tactics entry.

Play white first in each board (unless, of course, it is otherwise
stated), and force material gains for white with the right tactics. The
solutions are at the bottom of this page.

```{=html}
<div style="float:left">
```
```{=html}
</div>
```
```{=html}
<div style="float:left">
```
```{=html}
</div>
```
```{=html}
<div style="float:left">
```
```{=html}
</div>
```
```{=html}
<div style="float:left">
```
```{=html}
</div>
```
```{=html}
<div style="float:left">
```
```{=html}
</div>
```
```{=html}
<div style="float:left">
```
```{=html}
</div>
```
```{=html}
<div style="float:left">
```
```{=html}
</div>
```
```{=html}
<div style="float:left">
```
```{=html}
</div>
```
```{=html}
<div style="float:left">
```
```{=html}
</div>
```
```{=html}
<div style="float:left">
```
```{=html}
</div>
```
```{=html}
<div style="float:left">
```
```{=html}
</div>
```
```{=html}
<div style="float:left">
```
```{=html}
</div>
```
```{=html}
<div style="float:left">
```
```{=html}
</div>
```
```{=html}
<div style="float:left">
```
```{=html}
</div>
```
```{=html}
<div style="float:left">
```
```{=html}
</div>
```
```{=html}
<div style="float:left">
```
```{=html}
</div>
```
```{=html}
<div style="float:left">
```
```{=html}
</div>
```
```{=html}
<div style="float:left">
```
```{=html}
</div>
```
```{=html}
<div style="float:left">
```
```{=html}
</div>
```
## Solutions

### 1.

-   1\. **d5** **Ne7** (White threatens knight with pawn, black moves
    knight, knight no longer guards **b4**.)
-   2\. **Qa4+**\... (Fork tactic; queen checks king, and threatens
    bishop. Black must concede bishop.)

### 2.

-   1.**Rxd7**+ **Kc8** ( if \...**Nxd7??**, **2. Qe8#**)
-   2\. **Rd5+** (if **Re7**+, **Kb7** and White risks losing an
    exchange) **Kb7**
    -   2\. **Qc6** is also acceptable. It is followed by \...**Ra7**,
        **Be6** and eventual moves that clear black pawns on the right.
-   3\. **Rxe5** **Bd6**
-   4\. **Rh5**, and white wins a pawn while still being able to keep
    pressure on black.

### 3.

-   1.**Rf8**+ **Rxf8** (\...Ka7? 2.Bxe3+ b6 3.Rxh8) (White\'s rook
    forks check and black\'s rook, and discovers threat on black\'s
    knight from white\'s bishop.)
-   2.**Rxf8**+ **Ka7** (Rook checks king. King moves diagonally.)
-   3.**Bxe3+** (Bishop takes knight with check, gaining a piece and
    avoiding a checkmate on Rg1.)

### 4.

The expected solution:

-   1\. **Qf4**; black\'s pinned knight is now en prise (thrice
    attacked, twice defended).
-   1\. \...**Ned7** defends for black (1. \...Ng6 is fruitless, as
    white needs simply relocate his queen, Qf5, and black is out of
    tricks)
-   2\. **e5!** and we see that white\'s first move was critical,
    preparing his e pawn to assume the now vacant e5 square, forking
    black\'s knight and rook.

This one is a tricky alternative:

-   1\. **Rf5** **Ned7** (2. \... Re8? 3. Raf1 Ned7 4. Qf2!) (White adds
    pressure to the knight forcing a withdraw.)
-   2\. **Qf2** **Rg8** (2. e5? Rb6 3. exf6 Qxe2) (White adds pressure
    to the other knight, preventing black from moving any of its
    defenders, and also protects the bishop. There are other responses
    for black, but this generates some offensive threats and is probably
    the best option.)
-   3\. **e5!** **Rxg5** (3. \... Nxe5? 4. Bxf6 Rxf6 5. Rxf6) (White\'s
    pawn move offers the most immediate reward in the impending
    exchange. White still has potential with 3. Bh4, but the gains, if
    any, will take many more turns to come to fruition. For example, 3.
    Bh4? Rg6 4. Rf1 Qe8! yields a situation far less favorable for
    white.)
-   4\. **exd6** **Rxf5**
-   5\. **dxe7** **Rxf2**
-   6\. **Kxf2** (White does not necessarily have to allow the exchange
    happen to completion, but since white has a material advantage such
    simplification of the board is only to his or her benefit.)

This results in white having a bishop, a rook, and a pawn on the seventh
rank versus two knights. From there, white can win a further few more
pawns somewhat easily, giving a hefty material advantage. One might try
the more immediate 1. c5 with the hope of 1. \... Rd5 2. Bxf6 but to do
so is forgetting that 1. \... Rc6 is another response. Also, one might
try 1. Bxf6 Rxf6 2. Qg7, with the idea that black cannot save both of
the rooks at once, but this also does not work because of 2. \... Rxf1+.
White must now play something like 3. Rxf1, which gives black the
opportunity to save the rook on h8.

### 5.

-   1.**Qb3**+ **Kh7** (\...**Rf7** 2.**Qxf7**+ **Kh7**) (White checks
    king with queen. King moves away.)
-   2.**Rh1**+ **Qh5** (White checks king with rook. Black blocks with
    queen.)
-   3.**Rxh5**+ **gxh5** (White exchanges rook for queen!)

Note the importance of white\'s knight in this exchange. It guarded
**f7**, preventing a simple defense of the initial check with **Rf7**.

Alternatively, if 1. \... **Kh8**,

-   2\. **Nf7**+

if 2. \...**Kg8**, 3. **Nh6**+ (or **Nd6**+) wins the queen for a
knight. If 2. \...**Kh7**,

-   3\. **Rh1**+

if 3. \...**Qh5**, 4. **Rxh5** (back to main variation)

if 3. \...**Kg8**, 4. **Nh6**+ (or **Nd6**+) wins the queen for a knight

### 6.

-   1.**Nf6**+ **Kf8** (\...**gxf6?** 2.**Bxf6 Nxa1** 3.**Rh8#**)
    (**Nf6** checks, and threatens two rooks. A naive defence of
    **gxf6** would result in checkmate.)
-   2\. **Nxd7**+ **Kg8** (Any other move allows 3. **Rh8#**)
-   3\. **Nf6**+ leaving Black in the same bind, eventually winning
    Black\'s other rook as well.

### 7.

-   1.Rh3+ Kg8
-   2.e7+ d5
-   3.exd8=Q Rxd8
-   4.Qxc5 Bxh3
-   5.gxh3

### 8.

-   1.Rh8+ Kxh8
-   2.Qxf8+ Kh7
-   3.Qxg7# -

Also 1.Qe6+ Rf7 2.Rf1 (Black\'s rook is pinned) Black cannot stop
3.Qxf7#

### 9.

-   1.Rh7+ Kg8
-   2.Rcg7+ Kf8
-   3.Bd6+ (Computer give the better 3.Bh6 \...
-   4.Rh8# is better and logical!) \...Re7 4.Bxe7+ (With mate following,
    this was what I saw and played. Bh6 is better but it might be to
    hard for all to find, both lead to mate)

### 10.

-   1.Rxf8+ Kxf8
-   2.Qf3+ Kg8 (\...Bf4 3.Bxf4 exf4 4.Qxf4+)
-   3.Qxg3

### 11.

-   1.**Nf6** **Qe7** (\...**Bxf6**? 2.**Qxf6** **Kg8** 3.**Bh6**\...)
    \... 1. \...**Qc8** gives white mate in at most 8 moves)
-   2.**Nxe8** to win an exchange

Alternatively,

-   2.**Nxh7**+ **Kg7** 3. **Bxe7** to win an exchange (when black
    recaptures on h6 or e7 just move the other piece away)

### 12.

-   1.Ne7+ Kh8
-   2.Nf7+ Qxf7
-   3.Rxf7

Alternatively,

-   2.Nexc8 (Threatening back rank mate with Rf8#)

if 2. \... **Bxe3**+ then 3. **Qxe3**

Other black moves that avoids mate should allow 3. Nxa7

### 13.

-   1\. \...Bh4
-   2.Qxh4 Nf3+
-   3.gxf3 Qxe3+
-   4.Kd1 Bb1+
-   5.Qxd8+ Rxd8#

### 14.

-   1\. \...Bxg3
-   2.fxg3 Rxg3+
-   3.hxg3 Qxg3
-   4.Kh1 (4.Kf1 Qf3+ 5.Kg1 Rg8+ 6.Kh2 Qg2#) Qh3+
-   5.Kg1 Rg8+
-   6.Kf2 Rg2+
-   7.Kf1 Qh1#

### 15.

-   1\. \...Bxb3
-   2.cxb3 Qxd1

### 16.

-   1.Qe6+ Kf8 (1. \...Kh8? 2.Rxh7+ Kxh7 3.Qxg6+ Kh8 4.Rh1# or 4.Qh7#)
-   2.Rxh7 Bg7
-   3.Rdh1 or 3.Bxg6 with mate following. There are different moves
    Black can play, White is likely to play both Rdh1 threating rook
    sacrifice on h8 followed by mate and Bxg6 which is threatening Qf7#.

1.Qxd4 is also winning for White. 1. \...Ng7 2.Rxh7 Kxh7 3.Qh4+ Kg8 (3.
\...Nh5? Qxh5, g pawn is pinned) 4.Bxg6 Kg8 With mate following.

### 17.

-   1.Nd2+ Kc2
-   2.Nf3 (There is no way for White to avoid giving up an exchange.)

### 18.

-   1.Qh5+ Kg8
-   2.Qxh7+ Kf7
-   3.Qxf5+ Kg8
-   4.Qh7+ Kf7
-   5.Rf3# (1.Qxh7? Re5 2.Rf3 Ke8 and game continues)

### 19.

-   1.Nf5+ Kg8 (1. \...Kf8? 2.Rh8#)
-   2.Qg4+ Kf8
-   3.Rh8#

## A Highly Tactical Position

What follows is a complex board.

The board arose after the opening moves

1.e4 e5

2.Nf3 Nc6

3.Bc4 h6 (Ask yourself, was **h6** a bad move?)

4.Nc3 Na5 (Ask yourself, was **Na5** a bad move?)

5.Bxf7+

Even an experienced player might struggle to calculate all the possible
moves and their consequences. One way to improve one\'s tactical vision
is to set-up this board, or indeed any board, choose an opening move,
and then continuing, picking the best moves possible, and noting the
success of the initial move.

Consider the **h6** and the **Na5** moves, and note their weakness.
Indeed, the **Na5** move\'s tempo renders black\'s only developed piece
useless, and the **h6** move weakens the King\'s side and scuppers a
future defensive **g6** move. Black may have anticipated a Fried Liver
Attack, and made a
pre-emptive defense, though such an attack should threaten black.

Now consider how the game might develop. Black is in check. He can take
the bishop (**Kxf7**), but this might not be tactical. If Black moves
**Kxf7**, there is an inevitable knight check (**Nxe5**). White might
then play **Qh5** which may be played with check.

Studying the many variations, and the patterns of movement, will be
beneficial for any chess player, especially once white\'s queen is
active. There are many mate threats that can be created, and many
guarded squares that black cannot move his king to.

Here are possible scenarios. First, **Ke7**, where black moves his king
forward, and out of check, which is discussed in some detail. Second,
**Kxf7**, where black captures white\'s bishop, which is left as an
exercise for the keen reader.

:\*1\...Ke7 Declining the Bishop capture 2. Nd5+ now the King is forced
to capture the Bishop (or play Kd6 with no lose of material for white),
2\...Kxf7. It was bad for black to decline the sacrifice because white
was able to muscle black into accepting it, and now white has an
additional knight bearing down on the black king. 3. Nxe5+ Ke6 (3\...Ke8
Would lead to mate with 4. Qh5 g6 5.Qxg6#) 4. Qh5 (White now threatens
5. Qf5+ Kd6 and 6. Nf7+ winning the Black queen the following move)
4\...Qg5 (it is plausible that Black will play this in attempt to trade
queens and greatly reduce White\'s attack) 5. Qf7+ Kd6 (The e5 Knight is
immune from capture from the King, for two reasons. 5\...Kxe5 is met
with a.) 6. f4+ forking the Queen, so long as f4 is defended by a white
piece, and b.) 6. d5+, this is good because it facilitates the
development of the dark square bishop, but white is likely to lose the
bishop so long as the queen is protected by the h pawn. There are two
ways but only 1 black queen you might say, regardless it is still good
to have two ways. What this means is if white can utilize his knight and
queen for different things since they aren\'t tied down to the defense
of the f4 square, and the d5 knight will remain immune. That means white
is more flexible and can respond to blacks defenses in more ways) 6.
Qxf8+ (vacates the f7 square with tempo) Ne7 7 Nf7+ (forking the King
and Queen) Black\'s position is hopeless.

:\*1\...Kxf7 See if you can work out what can happen here.
