Day 418: Promotion
Target rating: 1139
Lesson of the day
Promotion turns a pawn on the last rank into a queen and rewrites the evaluation on the spot. In tactics the passer rarely walks in for free — usually a sacrifice clears its path. Count the tempi: how many moves does the pawn need, and can the defender stop it in time? And watch the promotion square itself — it must be out of enemy reach or won by force in your combination.
Warm-up
1. Winning blow: queen to c7 (c6·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
2. Winning blow: queen to c3 (e1)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
3. Winning blow: queen to d6 (d7)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
4. Winning blow: knight to d7 (e5·8)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
5. Winning blow: king to d2 (e1·5)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
6. Attack on the uncastled king: queen to f6 (b2·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
7. Attack on the uncastled king: rook to d3 (d1)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
8. Winning blow: knight to d6 (f5·4)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
9. Winning blow: pawn to c4 (d3·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
10. Winning blow: rook to g6 (g1)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
Core set
11. Winning blow: pawn to f7 (f6·8)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
12. Winning blow: knight to e6 (g5·12)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
13. Winning blow: bishop to c6 (g2·4)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
14. Winning blow: pawn to h6 (g5·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
15. Winning blow: queen to e8 (e6·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
16. Mate in 2: queen to d3Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
17. Attack on the uncastled king: pawn to c4 (b3·41)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
18. Winning blow: king to f2 (g1·10)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
19. Winning blow: queen to a8 (d5)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
20. Winning blow: rook to h8 (h1·7)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
21. Winning blow: queen to g5 (d2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
22. Attack on the uncastled king: bishop to f4 (c1·31)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
23. Attack on the uncastled king: queen to e6 (e1)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
24. Mate in 2: rook to d7 (d1·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
25. Mate in 2: queen to b5 (b2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
Challenge
Review
Day complete — every puzzle solved. See you tomorrow!
Day 419 →