To Do or Not To Do - Chess Puzzles
By on 22 Feb 26 16:58
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The header, which reeks of click bait but not meant to be read that way, stems
from part of an article by John Nunn in the January 1993 British Chess Magazine.
And a recent statement from Magnus Carlsen when talking about this game.
D. Guijarro - M. Carlsen, Titled Tue 13th Jan 2026
This. by the way, this is your first puzzle! (White to play)
Guijarro spent 35 seconds before playing 1. Qd2 and resigned after 1...Qxd3
So White missed it and lost, Magnus defending his opponent on his stream
says basically the same as John Nunn; ‘This is why you don’t do puzzles kids.
Because if this is a puzzle you see it immediately. But in puzzles you are
trained to see puzzles, while in games, you are not.” (I hope you solved it!)
I fully agree regarding you have no way of knowing when something is on but
solving puzzles, and the more the better, do help you spot tactical shots in a game.
2nd Puzzle M. Corden - NN England 1970 (White to play)
A toughie, some will need a clue
The method of choice by John Nunn in his BCM article was to play through games
from Informator looking for tactical errors. Remember this was 1993 so if you are
going to try it (I advice not too) then pick an issue before 1993 and computer analysis.
Wait! What! You disagree with G.M. John Nunn!
Yes and no. I am not sure that the hit or miss method of going through a collection
of games looking for a tactical trick or a better move that may not even be there is the
best way to go if you try this method. If after 3-4 games you find nothing, because there
was nothing of note to find, you will soon get fed up and possibly give up on the idea.
The way to ensure it does work is to fill a book with no names and no notes games
(preferably under 25 moves) making sure there is an unplayed tactical shot in there.
This way not only do you have to find the trick it will sharpens up your sense of when
the position is critical, time to pause so you can start fishing about in troubled water.
No tap on shoulder as to where the trick is on, but it is in there, you have to find it.
Try it. Here is a short game. Can you spot the tactic that was NOT played.
Here instead of 14.Nxd7
The game was Berlin - Aspengren, Correspondence 1928.
As an experiment I looked at RHP draws under 25 moves from 2025. The third
game I looked I spotted a possible missed shot when the draw was agreed.
guglielmo87 - Bish RHP 2025 Black has played 24....d5-d4 and a draw was agreed.
I can add the moves why I think they agreed a draw. Look out for a missed shot.
Yes an equal position, but did you spot the shot? It was right at the start.
After 25.Bxd4 Qa4! Black should have played on one more move.
The thread accompanying this blog is Thread 204908
