Day 817: Save the piece
Target rating: 1736
Lesson of the day
Saving the piece: one of your pieces is attacked, and the job is not to lose it for nothing. There are several tools: retreat with tempo, defend it, block the attack, or create a bigger counter-threat. Before retreating automatically, look for a retreat that attacks something — you save the piece and gain time in one move. The typical mistake is panicking onto the first available square, where the piece gets trapped again.
Warm-up
1. Mate in 3: queen to c7 (g7)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
2. Mate in 3: queen to c7 (f4)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
3. Mate in 3: rook to g7 (f7·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
4. Mate in 3: bishop to b5 (f1)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
5. Attack on the uncastled king: queen to f8 (h6·5)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
6. Mate in 3: queen to b8 (g3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
7. Mate in 3: queen to d8 (d7)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
8. Attack on the uncastled king: bishop to f4 (c1·35)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
9. Mate in 3: pawn to d8 (c7)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
10. Attack on the uncastled king: queen to f4 (e3·4)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
Core set
11. Rescue the pawn to b4Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
12. Win the hanging queen on a8Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
13. Rescue the king to f7Analysis
Black to move — find the best continuation
14. Rescue the king to f5Analysis
Black to move — find the best continuation
15. Rescue the queen to f5Analysis
Black to move — find the best continuation
16. Mate in 2: rook to b6 (b7)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
17. Mate in 3: queen to e8 (c8·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
18. Mate in 3: queen to a8 (e4·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
19. Mate in 3: queen to e6 (b3·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
20. Attack on the uncastled king: knight to f6 (g4·8)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
21. Mate in 3: pawn to h5 (g4)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
22. Mate in 2: bishop to g2 (d5)Analysis
Black to move — find the best continuation
23. Mate in 3: queen to b7 (c7)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
24. Mate in 3: queen to a3 (c5)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
25. Mate in 3: queen to b4 (a3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
Challenge
Review
Day complete — every puzzle solved. See you tomorrow!
Day 818 →