Day 426: Overload
Target rating: 1152
Lesson of the day
Overloading exploits a defender with two jobs at once — guarding a piece and covering a mating square, for instance. It cannot do both: your first strike forces it to handle one duty and abandon the other. Find the overworked piece by asking what happens to each of its charges if it gets distracted. Then hit one target and collect the other — an overloaded defender only pretends to defend.
Warm-up
1. Winning blow: rook to d1 (d3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
2. Winning blow: king to a2Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
3. Attack on the uncastled king: knight to c7 (b5·23)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
4. Winning blow: king to f2 (e2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
5. Winning blow: knight to c7 (b5·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
6. Winning blow: king to c1 (d1·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
7. Attack on the uncastled king: pawn to c7 (d6·8)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
8. Winning blow: king to c1 (d1·4)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
9. Attack on the uncastled king: queen to f6 (f3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
10. Winning blow: king to f1 (g2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
Core set
11. Winning blow: queen to e7 (e6·5)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
12. Winning blow: rook to e7 (e1·7)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
13. Winning blow: queen to h8 (h6)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
14. Winning blow: knight to e5 (d3·14)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
15. Attack on the uncastled king: pawn to c5 (b4·34)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
16. Mate in 2: queen to d6 (e6·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
17. Mate in 2: queen to a6 (f1·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
18. Mate in 2: knight to b6 (a4)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
19. Attack on the uncastled king: bishop to a3 (b2·7)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
20. Winning blow: queen to a5 (d5·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
21. Winning blow: bishop to h4 (e1·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
22. Attack on the uncastled king: knight to b3 (d2·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
23. Winning blow: queen to a8 (f3·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
24. Winning blow: queen to f5 (f2·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
25. Winning blow: bishop to g7 (b2·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
Challenge
26. Attack on the uncastled king: queen to f7 (f3·5)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
27. Attack on the uncastled king: knight to d5 (e3·19)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
28. Attack on the uncastled king: knight to d6 (b5·13)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
Review
Day complete — every puzzle solved. See you tomorrow!
Day 427 →