Kent Junior Chess Association (KJCA) Coaching

White to play and check mate in three moves. This one is very elegant. Answer to Puzzle No. 15. 1 Bd4 + (This is much better than taking the Queen, when Black replies h x g2, and is still much better) 1… Q x d4 2 Qg7 + !! K…

A tricky one to start the day. White is under pressure. But they. have an elegant way to force a draw in just two moves. Can you find it? Answer next time. Answer to Puzzle 14: 1 h8 = B!! Kb8 2 Be5 ++ If you found this under promotion,…

White to play and mate in 2. Should be easy, right? Actually, this one is tricky. if you need a clue, remember you don’t have to promote to a Queen. Answer to Puzzle 13 1 R x b7 ! if 1… B x b7 then 2 Q x a4 wins…

White to play and win. This is from a game between two fine players of the past, Simagin and Aronin in 1947. Can you see how White can make a sacrifice to great effect? Answer next time, as usual. Answer to Puzzle 12: White wins by 1 B x h7…

Sometimes you have to make a sacrifice to win the game. It’s White to play. What is the strongest move? Answer next time as per usual. Solution to puzzle no 11. After 1 c4?? Black unleashed the stunning reply 1… Qg3 + White is forced to play 2 Qxg3 which…

Sometimes the point of greatest danger is when you are on the verge of victory. This is a position from Bilek – Heidenfeld at the 1968 Olympiad. Grandmaster Bilek is two pawns up and confidently heading for victory. After some thought, he played 1 c4 and waited for his opponent…

Every pawn counts. This game is a golden oldie, from 1937. You have the White pieces alongside Nicolai Krogius of Russia. Your opponent is Mr. Gauffin. It’s White to play. How can you gain an advantage with a surprising move? Answer to Puzzle no. 9. If White plays 1 Qd7??…

Even the best lose sometimes! This is from the recent World Team Rapid completion in Hong Kong, and it’s a game between the great Magnus Carlsen and Arjun Erigasi. Carlsen solved this problem, but still lost the game a bit later on. It’s White to move. What happens if White…

White to play. How can White gain a winning advantage? We’ll share the solution in our next puzzle. The solution to Puzzle No 7: 1 b6!! Now if 1… a x b6, then 2 c6!! b x c6, 3 a6. The White pawn will Queen, winning the game. If 1……

White is two pawns down, and Black is threatening to bring their King forward and promote the g or h pawn. What can White do? We will share the solution next time. The answer to Puzzle No. 6 was: 1 Rg4 + ! f x g4 2 Qg5 + Kh8…