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The 1000-day course

Day 892: Save the piece

Target rating: 1896

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: rook to b7 (c7·2)Analysis
a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
White to move — find the best continuation
2. Mate in 3: queen to f7 (h5·2)Analysis
a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
White to move — find the best continuation
3. Mate in 3: queen to e8 (e3)Analysis
a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
White to move — find the best continuation
4. Mate in 3: rook to b7 (b3·2)Analysis
a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
White to move — find the best continuation
5. Mate in 3: rook to e6 (e1·3)Analysis
a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
White to move — find the best continuation
6. Winning blow: rook to h7 (h6·3)Analysis
a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
White to move — find the best continuation
7. Mate in 3: knight to c6 (b4·2)Analysis
a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
White to move — find the best continuation
8. Mate in 3: queen to d6 (f8·3)Analysis
a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
White to move — find the best continuation
9. Winning blow: queen to g6 (h7·3)Analysis
a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
White to move — find the best continuation
10. Mate in 3: rook to d7 (g7)Analysis
a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
White to move — find the best continuation

Core set

11. Rescue the rook to e1Analysis
a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
White to move — find the best continuation
12. Rescue the knight to e7Analysis
h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
Black to move — find the best continuation
13. Pin: pawn to h7Analysis
a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
White to move — find the best continuation
14. Win the hanging bishop on h4 (e7)Analysis
h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
Black to move — find the best continuation
15. Rescue the pawn to h6Analysis
h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
Black to move — find the best continuation
16. Mate in 3: knight to d6 (b5·3)Analysis
a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
White to move — find the best continuation
17. Winning blow: rook to e6 (e1·25)Analysis
a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
White to move — find the best continuation
18. Mate in 3: rook to d5 (c5)Analysis
a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
White to move — find the best continuation
19. Mate in 3: queen to b3 (b5)Analysis
a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
White to move — find the best continuation
20. Winning blow: queen to f5 (g5·2)Analysis
a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
White to move — find the best continuation
21. Mate in 3: bishop to c6 (h1·2)Analysis
a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
White to move — find the best continuation
22. Mate in 3: rook to e8 (e4·2)Analysis
a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
White to move — find the best continuation
23. Winning blow: rook to h7 (h1·13)Analysis
a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
White to move — find the best continuation
24. Mate in 3: rook to c8 (d8·2)Analysis
a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
White to move — find the best continuation
25. Mate in 3: fork on e8 (a8)Analysis
h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
Black to move — find the best continuation

Challenge

26. Winning blow: pawn to a8 (a7·8)Analysis
a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
White to move — find the best continuation
27. Chess960 tactic on d3Analysis
a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
White to move — find the best continuation
28. Skewer: pawn to h3Analysis
h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
Black to move — find the best continuation

Review

29. Winning blow: queen to e7 (e4·4)Analysis
a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
White to move — find the best continuation
30. Mate in 3: queen to b5 (b4·3)Analysis
a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
White to move — find the best continuation

Day complete — every puzzle solved. See you tomorrow!

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