chess puzzles

venda

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16 Mar '24 16:01

venda
Dave
S.Yorks.England
Joined
18 Apr '10
Moves
83700
16 Mar '24 16:01
I've just recently been doing the chess puzzles published on the site.
I knew they were there, but haven't really bothered with them before.
I'm fine with the mate in 2 or 3 moves, but mate in 8 and 9 which some of them are!
Can anyone on here really think that far in advance or is it just a question of how many errors?
I have also noticed a lot are published by someone who doesn't seem to be on the site anymore.
I hope he or she just left.
I would also ask Russ to keep this facility on any "new build"
I don't know how many use it but I like it.
BigDogg
Secret RHP coder
on the payroll
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Moves
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16 Mar '24 18:00
@venda said
I've just recently been doing the chess puzzles published on the site.
I knew they were there, but haven't really bothered with them before.
I'm fine with the mate in 2 or 3 moves, but mate in 8 and 9 which some of them are!
Can anyone on here really think that far in advance or is it just a question of how many errors?
I have also noticed a lot are published by someone who ...[text shortened]... also ask Russ to keep this facility on any "new build"
I don't know how many use it but I like it.
Usually with longer mates you don't just 'see all the way to the end' but rather look for short-term 'threats' that must be defended. Once one is defended, you make another, etc., until there is one at the end that cannot be stopped.

Or, it could be that the defender doesn't have a lot of freedom of movement in the first place, and it's more a matter of pulling the noose tight. Zugzwang may enter the picture.
greenpawn34
e4
Joined
06 May '08
Moves
42492
16 Mar '24 22:348 edits
I often pick a player at random and do two or three.
The lad posts frequently on chessgames.com.

As Big Dogg says, you do not need to see all the way to the end, if it is a sac-sac mate
then often you can. The longer ones you can do in steps and trust your intuition.

The chances are that is what the player playing the longer combinations did
during the game.It is not speculative or hope chess. It is going all in
knowing there is bound to be a mate in there or at the very least a perpetual.

Botvinnik - Capablanca, AVRO 1938

When Botvinnik played his famous 30.Ba3 he says in his very honest notes he did not
see it all but he saw at the very least he had a perpetual so went for it.

G. Chandler - V. Slaven, Edinburgh 1991

I was going for a perpetual here, It was best I thought I had. I did not see the mate
till I saw Black has to play Kf6. I could quite easily have said I saw it all when I played
Rh1h6 and someone just seeing the game with no notes might think I did.
But I didn't. I only saw the quiet move Qh5 when the position appeared in front of me..

FEN r1r5/3b1kpR/3Pp1q1/1p1p1pP1/3P1P2/p1P5/6K1/4Q2R w - - 0 29
Invert Board PGN Headers

[FEN "r1r5/3b1kpR/3Pp1q1/1p1p1pP1/3P1P2/p1P5/6K1/4Q2R w - - 0 29"]
29. R1h6 Qxh7 30. Rxh7 Rh8 31. Qh4 Rxh7 32. Qxh7 a2 33. g6+ Kf6 34. Qh5 e5 35. Qg5+ Ke6 36. Qe7# *
BigDogg
Secret RHP coder
on the payroll
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1
17 Mar '24 07:391 edit
Another example. It's actually pretty easy to solve, despite being 10 moves long.

Hersom, Donald H.
The Fairy Chess Review, 1936

White to move and mate in 10 moves.

FEN K7/1p1p1p1P/kP1P1P2/Pp6/1P2p3/6P1/4P3/8 w - - 0 1
Invert Board PGN Headers Comments

[FEN "K7/1p1p1p1P/kP1P1P2/Pp6/1P2p3/6P1/4P3/8 w - - 0 1"]
{ Forget about 10 moves later - Black has only one pawn move left and then he's stalemated. White has to do something fast to relieve it. } 1. h8=N e3 2. Ng6 { Just in time. } 2... fxg6 3. f7 g5 { Uh-oh. Black's about to get stalemated again. } 4. f8=N { Forced, as with the first promotion. Have to sac another piece to avoid drawing. } 4... g4 5. Ne6 dxe6 6. d7 e5 { By now, the theme of the problem is becoming obvious! } 7. d8=N e4 8. Nc6 { A third N sac. } 8... bxc6 9. b7 c5 10. b8=N# { It is only fitting that a 4th N promotion gives the checkmate. }
venda
Dave
S.Yorks.England
Joined
18 Apr '10
Moves
83700
17 Mar '24 09:19
@greenpawn34
I'm glad he's still around even if not on here
venda
Dave
S.Yorks.England
Joined
18 Apr '10
Moves
83700
17 Mar '24 09:30
@BigDogg
See what you and GP mean
Thanks for all that
mchill
Cryptic
Behind the scenes
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17 Mar '24 09:323 edits
@venda said
I've just recently been doing the chess puzzles published on the site.
I knew they were there, but haven't really bothered with them before.
I'm fine with the mate in 2 or 3 moves, but mate in 8 and 9 which some of them are!
Can anyone on here really think that far in advance or is it just a question of how many errors?
I have also noticed a lot are published by someone who ...[text shortened]... also ask Russ to keep this facility on any "new build"
I don't know how many use it but I like it.
I'm fine with the mate in 2 or 3 moves, but mate in 8 and 9 which some of them are! Can anyone on here really think that far in advance or is it just a question of how many errors?

The short answer is "Yes" there are a select few on the planet who can think that far in advance, but fortunately you don't have to. Tactics exercises will expand your ability to recognize patterns, and as yours improves, you can make decisions with increasing accuracy, without having to calculate the exact moves all the way through. Laszlo Polgar understood this when he began educating his daughters using tactics exercises.

You're on the path to improvement venda, keep up the good work. 🙂
greenpawn34
e4
Joined
06 May '08
Moves
42492
17 Mar '24 11:221 edit
Ha-Ha.

I've done a classic. I never knew they had a puzzle page at the bottom of the page.
I thought you were talking about this site;

https://www.wtharvey.com/index.html

What a fool, I bet you lot think I'm a nutter.

That site is on my favorites and I thought Russ had linked to it that is why I started
going on about OTB chess.. Of course I do not try two or three of those set mate puzzles a day.

The site I linked too (by WTHarvey aka William Harvey) is the best puzzle site on the net.

OTB problems, set mate problems,...all kind of things. Give it a go.
I'll mention it in the next blog. (I might forget to mention my forum blunder.)

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