Day 792: Counter-strike
Target rating: 1696
Lesson of the day
The counter-strike: instead of defending against the threat, you answer with a bigger threat of your own. While your opponent grabs a pawn, you deliver mate — the arithmetic favors you. Look for a counter when direct defenses fail: do you have a check, an attack on the queen, a mating threat? The beginner's error is meeting every threat with a reflexive defense without checking the counterattacking resources first.
Warm-up
1. Mate in 3: knight to d6 (f5)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
2. Mate in 3: queen to h7 (d3·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
3. Mate in 3: queen to d7 (b5)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
4. Mate in 3: queen to e7 (f7)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
5. Attack on the uncastled king: knight to c6 (a5·7)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
6. Mate in 3: queen to c4 (c2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
7. Attack on the uncastled king: pawn to f7 (f6·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
8. Mate in 3: queen to c5 (d6)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
9. Mate in 3: queen to c8 (c1)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
10. Mate in 3: bishop to f4 (e3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
Core set
11. Mate in 3: queen to c8 (g4·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
12. Mate in 3: queen to g4 (e4·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
13. Mate in 3: bishop to a5 (d2·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
14. Mate in 3: rook to c1 (f1)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
15. Mate in 3: queen to f8 (a8·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
16. Mate in 3: queen to c5 (b5)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
17. Mate in 3: fork on a2Analysis
Black to move — find the best continuation
18. Fork: bishop to d5 (b7)Analysis
Black to move — find the best continuation
19. Mate in 3: rook to g7 (g8)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
20. Mate in 3: queen to e3 (f4)Analysis
Black to move — find the best continuation
21. Mate in 3: pawn to f3 (e2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
22. Mate in 2: queen to f8 (g7·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
23. Mate in 2: queen to g8 (g3·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
24. Mate in 3: rook to b7 (b3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
25. Mate in 2: discovered attack on g6Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
Challenge
Review
Day complete — every puzzle solved. See you tomorrow!
Day 793 →