Day 654: Winning exchange
Target rating: 1436
Lesson of the day
A winning exchange is a forced series of captures on one square that leaves you ahead in material. It is pure arithmetic: count the attackers and defenders of the square and note the value of every piece in the queue. Capture in the right order — cheap pieces first, expensive ones later — or a winning trade turns into a losing one. The classic error is stopping the count halfway and missing the opponent's final recapture.
Warm-up
1. Winning blow: king to b1 (c1·26)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
2. Winning blow: rook to d1 (d2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
3. Winning blow: king to a2 (b1·28)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
4. Attack on the uncastled king: king to b2 (b3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
5. Winning blow: knight to c6 (d4·9)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
6. Winning blow: queen to a5 (c3·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
7. Mate in 2: bishop to g8Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
8. Winning blow: knight to f2 (e4·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
9. Attack on the uncastled king: queen to c8 (c5·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
10. Attack on the uncastled king: knight to d3 (f4·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
Core set
11. Winning blow: rook to d8 (d7·5)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
12. Winning blow: bishop to c4 (b5·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
13. Fork: bishop to c3Analysis
Black to move — find the best continuation
14. Castling-960 to the rescue on c1 (e1·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
15. Mate in 3: rook to g4 (g3·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
16. Winning blow: queen to e4 (d3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
17. Fork: knight to a6 (c5)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
18. Winning blow: queen to g3 (h3·5)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
19. Fork: queen to h5Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
20. Winning blow: bishop to e5 (b2·5)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
21. Fork: queen to f6 (f4)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
22. Attack on the uncastled king: bishop to b5 (e8)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
23. Fork: rook to c4Analysis
Black to move — find the best continuation
24. Winning blow: pawn to h7 (h6·5)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
25. Fork: rook to d6 (d8)Analysis
Black to move — find the best continuation
Challenge
Review
Day complete — every puzzle solved. See you tomorrow!
Day 655 →