Day 213: Uncastled king
Target rating: 875
Lesson of the day
Punishing the uncastled king: your opponent delayed castling, and now his king is stuck on its starting square under fire. In Chess960 this is deadlier than in classical chess — the king may start in the center or near the edge, and the familiar defensive setups simply do not apply. The signs: the victim still holds castling rights, and the files toward his king are half-open. Open lines before the king manages to hide.
Warm-up
1. Winning blow: pawn to d3 (c2·7)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
2. Winning blow: king to h1Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
3. Attack on the uncastled king: queen to h6 (h5)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
4. Winning blow: pawn to a3 (b2·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
5. Winning blow: king to e2 (e1)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
6. Attack on the uncastled king: queen to a7 (a8)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
7. Winning blow: queen to d6Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
8. Attack on the uncastled king: bishop to d4 (a1·11)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
9. Attack on the uncastled king: bishop to e4 (b1·10)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
10. Attack on the uncastled king: pawn to g5 (h4·14)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
Core set
11. Attack on the uncastled king: knight to f5 (g3·12)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
12. Attack on the uncastled king: rook to a5 (a1·5)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
13. Attack on the uncastled king: queen to b4 (d2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
14. Attack on the uncastled king: pawn to b5 (a4·33)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
15. Attack on the uncastled king: bishop to b4 (a5)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
16. Winning blow: bishop to b7 (a6·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
17. Fork: knight to e2 (f4·5)Analysis
Black to move — find the best continuation
18. Winning blow: queen to h5 (g6)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
19. Mate in 1: queen to g2 (b2·4)Analysis
Black to move — find the best continuation
20. Attack on the uncastled king: rook to g6 (g3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
21. Winning blow: knight to e2 (c3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
22. Attack on the uncastled king: queen to e6 (e2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
23. Winning blow: queen to g8 (g7·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
24. Attack on the uncastled king: bishop to d3 (b1·5)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
25. Attack on the uncastled king: queen to c3 (d2·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
Challenge
Review
Day complete — every puzzle solved. See you tomorrow!
Day 214 →