These puzzles are divided into five categories: beginner, intermediate, advanced, expert, and grandmaster. Five of each type of puzzle is provided, and most are taken from actual games. The solutions are listed immediately after the puzzles.
If a puzzle is listed as a “composition,” it was created specifically for this blog post.
It is also important to note that one of the puzzles has two correct solutions because they transpose into each other.
The color on the bottom of the diagram is the side to move in every puzzle.
— Beginner —
Composition
Solution: 1. Bf5
This forces the immediate win of material. When the queen moves, the bishop on
c2 will be captured.
Composition
Solution: Bh6
The threat of Rxf8# cannot be addressed.
Opening Trap in the Two Knights’ Defense
Solution: 10. … Qe4+
Play would continue: 11. Qe2 Nxe2 and white can resign because he will be
unable to extricate his knight on h8 and will be down too much material.
N.N. – N.N. Minneapolis 2019
Solution: 23. Qd8+
Play would continue: 23. … Rxd8 24. Rxd8#
Larry Christiansen – Anatoly Karpov Hoogovens 1993
Solution: 12. Qd1
Black loses either the knight or the bishop on d6 and Karpov immediately
resigned.
— Intermediate —
Opening Trap in the Ruy Lopez
Solution: 5. … c6
Play would continue: 6. Nc4 Ng6 7. Ba4 b5
Black wins a piece for two pawns and should win the game.
Opening Trap in the Philidor Defense
Solution: 6. Nxe5
Play would continue: 6. … Nxe5 7. Qxh5 Nxc4 8. Qb5+ Qd7 9. Qxc4
White has won a pawn and has a superior position.
Viswanathan Anand – Garry Kasparov Geneva 1996
Solution: 34. Qxg4
This immediately wins material and Garry Kasparov resigned on move 54.
Hans-Joachim Beyer – Robert Wade New Zealand Championship 1940
Solution: 25. Nxe4
Play Continued: 25. … Bxf6? 26. Nxf6+ Kh8 27. Bg7+ Black Resigns
Robert Fischer – Reuben Fine Skittles Game 1963
Solution: 14. h4
Play Continued: 14. … Qxh4 15. Bxg7 Rg8 16. Rfe1+ Kd8 17. Qg3
Black Resigns
— Advanced —
Composition
Solution: 1. … f3
Play would continue: 2. Bd5+ Ka7 3. Qxe4 Nxe4 4. Bxe4 Qg4 and white can
resign.
Levon Aronian – Ian Nepomniachtchi Speed Chess Championship 2020
Solution: 28. … Qxa2+
Play would continue: 29. Kxa2 Bxb3+ 30. Kb1 Bc2+ 31. Ka2 Ra8#
Note: This combination did not appear in the game; however, it was found by the
commentators at the time.
Albert Fox – Christian Bauer Washington D.C. 1901
Solution: 18. Qxg6!
Play continued: 18. … hxg6 19. Nxg6 fxg6 20. Bxc4+ Kf8 21. Rh8#
Mikhail Tal – Anatoly Bannik USSR Championship 1962
Solution: 18. Qe2!
Play Continued: 18. … Bxc3 19. Rxb8 Rxb8 20. Bg5 Bxe1 21. Bxf6 Nxf6
22. Qxe1 Nxd5
Black resigned on move 28.
Martin Ortueta Estaban – Jose Sanz Aguado Madrid 1933
Solution: 31. … Rxb2!
Play Continued: 32. Nxb2 c3 33. Rxb6 c4! 34. Rb4 a5 35. Nxc4 c2 White Resigns
— Expert —
Composition
Solution: 1. Ng5!
Play would continue: 1. … fxg5 2. Bxh7+ Kh8 3. Ng6+ Qxg6 4. Bxg6
White obtains a clear material advantage and black lacks compensation.
Note: 1. Bxh7+ Kxh7 2. Ng5+ Kg8 3. Nxf7 Rxf7 is also winning.
William Lombardy – Robert Fischer USA Championship 1960-61
Solution: 30. … Rxc3+!
Play continued: 31. bxc3 Rxe5+ 32. Kd2 Rxe1 33. Kxe1 Kd5 34. Kd2 Kc4
35. h4 b6 36. Kc2 g5 37. h6 f4 38. g4 a5 39. bxa5 bxa5
with a win in sight.
Jean-Francois Perrier – Frank Wellmuth California 1917
Solution: 9. Nxe5!
Play Continued: 9. … Bxd1 10. Bxf7+ Ke7 11. Bg5+ Kd6 12. Ne4+ Kxe5
13. f4+ Kd4 14. Rxd1 Ke3 15. 0-0! Nd4
White continued to deliver checkmate on move 22.
Eigil Pedersen – Christian Poulsen Copenhagen 1949
Solution: 20. Bxg6!
Play Continued: 20. … hxg6 21. Bg7+! Kxg7 22. Qxg6+ Kh8 23. Qh5+ Kg7
24. Qf7+ Kh8 15. Ng6#
Jules Arnous de Riviere – Paul Morphy Paris 1863
Solution: 17. … Nf3+!
Play Continued: 18. gxf3 Qh4 19. Rh1 Bxh3 20. Bd2 Rf6 White resigns
The threat of Rg6 and Bf5# cannot be attended to without considerable material
loss.
— Grandmaster —
Leonid Shamkovich – Vladimir Titenko Moscow 1963
White to Move
Solution: 12. e5!
Play Continued: 12. … Nxe5 13. Nxe6! fxe6 14. Rxe5!! dxe5 15. Bxf6 Qc7
16. Bxe5 Qf7 17. f4! Bc6 18. Qe2 Be7 19. g4 Black Resigns
Karl Gilg – Akiba Rubinstein Carlsbad International 1929
White to Move
Solution: 48. Rh6!
Play Continued: 48. … Rxe4 49. Kf5 Re1 50. Rh7+ Kf8 51. Rf7+ Ke8
52. h5 Rf1+ 53. Kg6
The win is now just a matter of simple technique and Black
resigned on move 58.
Mikhail Tal – Svetozvar Gligorich Candidates’ Tournament 1968
White to Move
Solution: 56. Ra3!
Play Continued: 56. … Kb7 57. Rg3 g5 58. Re3 Kc6 59. Re7 Kxc5 60. Rh7 g4
61. hxg4 fxg4 62. Rxh6 Bb7 63. Rg6 Black Resigns
Robert Fischer – Svetozvar Gligorich Havana Olympic 1966 Analysis
White to Move
Solution: 15. Na4!
Play would continue: 15. … Kb8 16. Rxc7! Qxd1 17. Rc8++ Ka7 18. Bb8+ Ka8
19. Nb6#
Note: This combination did not appear in the game. Rather, Fischer provides it in
his analysis of the game in My 60 Memorable Games.
Bozidar Ivanovic – Rudolf Osterman Yugoslavia 1979
Solution: 19. Bh6!
Play could continue: 19. … Ng5 20. Bxg5 Bxg5 21. Bxh7+ Qxh7
22. Qxh7+ Kxh7 23. Nxg5+
White has won material and obtained a clear advantage.
Many of these puzzles are taken from books. In particular, 100 Awesome Chess Moves by Eric Schiller (Cardoza Publishing, 2000). My 60 Memorable Games by Robert Fischer, The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal by Mikhail Tal, and Chess by Laszlo Polgar were also used. All of these books are well worth reading.
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