Day 920: Save the piece
Target rating: 1943
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. Winning blow: rook to c1 (a1·6)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
2. Winning blow: bishop to c5 (b6·6)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
3. Winning blow: rook to d6 (e6·4)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
4. Winning blow: queen to e5 (d4·5)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
5. Attack on the uncastled king: knight to e6 (f8)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
6. Winning blow: queen to d8 (f8·4)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
7. Winning blow: rook to f8 (a8·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
8. Winning blow: queen to b7 (c7)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
9. Winning blow: queen to a3 (c1·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
10. Winning blow: queen to h3 (d3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
Core set
11. Pin: king to g4Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
12. Rescue the knight to f7Analysis
Black to move — find the best continuation
13. Rescue the pawn to g3Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
14. Win the hanging queen on c2Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
15. Win the hanging queen on d8 (a5)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
16. Mate in 3: rook to f6 (f1·6)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
17. Mate in 3: queen to d5 (d7·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
18. Mate in 3: rook to f3 (f1·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
19. Mate in 3: knight to c7 (b5·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
20. Mate in 3: rook to e7 (e1·8)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
21. Mate in 3: rook to d7 (d6·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
22. Mate in 3: queen to c7 (g3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
23. Mate in 3: pawn to e5 (f4)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
24. Mate in 3: queen to c7 (b7·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
25. Winning blow: rook to a6 (d6·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
Challenge
Review
Day complete — every puzzle solved. See you tomorrow!
Day 921 →