Day 308: Uncastled king
Target rating: 845
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. Attack on the uncastled king: queen to c5 (e3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
2. Attack on the uncastled king: pawn to c4 (b3·34)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
3. Attack on the uncastled king: king to g2 (g1·6)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
4. Attack on the uncastled king: pawn to e5 (d4·90)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
5. Attack on the uncastled king: bishop to g7 (a1·7)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
6. Attack on the uncastled king: pawn to g3 (h2·22)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
7. Attack on the uncastled king: pawn to d5 (e4·95)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
8. Attack on the uncastled king: pawn to f4 (e3·39)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
9. Attack on the uncastled king: queen to g4 (e2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
10. Attack on the uncastled king: queen to h7 (h5·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
Core set
11. Attack on the uncastled king: bishop to g4 (d1·8)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
12. Attack on the uncastled king: pawn to f3 (g2·20)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
13. Attack on the uncastled king: bishop to d5 (h1·18)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
14. Attack on the uncastled king: knight to h8 (f7·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
15. Attack on the uncastled king: rook to d6 (d3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
16. Attack on the uncastled king: knight to g5 (h7)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
17. Winning blow: knight to a3 (b5)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
18. Winning blow: pawn to g4 (g2·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
19. Winning blow: pawn to a5 (a4)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
20. Attack on the uncastled king: queen to a2 (b1·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
21. Winning blow: bishop to g6 (f5·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
22. Winning blow: rook to f8 (c8·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
23. Winning blow: rook to b1 (f1)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
24. Winning blow: rook to e1 (g1)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
25. Winning blow: pawn to g3 (g2·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
Challenge
Review
Day complete — every puzzle solved. See you tomorrow!
Day 309 →