Chess WITH THE KNIGHT
This is a Christmas Puzzle Special. Eight graded puzzles , some leading to checkmate, some winning material, with no clues given. Please resist the temptation to use computers to solve them. White to play in all positions. Have a very happy Christmas!
1. Black has a big material advantage but loses immediately to 1. Bg6 mate. The crossfire of two Bishops can cover a lot of squares.
2. A typical back rank mate, except to the side. 1.Qxh7ch , Kxh7 2.Rh4 mate. It is often easier to checkmate the King at the edge of the board because only 6 squares are involved. In the corner it is only 4 squares.
3. Finding forcing moves usually makes the solution easier to find. 1.Rd8ch Rg8 forced 2.c4 mate. Checks are the best forcing moves.
4. The Black King is cornered. 1.Bc7ch Kh7 2.b6 mate Note the Black Rook is taking up one of the possible escape squares.
5. Even Grandmasters sometimes forget basics. In this case leaving your King on an open file when sadly behind in development is disastrous. 1.Qd8ch Kxd8 2. Bg5 dblech Ke8 forced 3. Rd8 mate. The secret to this mate is too strike quickly before Black can get his king safe.
6. Danish GM Bent Larsen was aware that the Black Queen is preventing Qc7 mate so he
played 1.Bf5 . If Black takes the Bishop 2. Qc7 is mate. If he doesn’t he loses his queen. He didn’t like either choice so he resigned.
7. This is harder. Nunn v Short. Nunn won with 1. Rxg7ch Kxg7 2.Bh6ch if Kxh6 3.Qh4ch ,Kg7 4.Qh7 or if 2 ....... Kg8 3.Qxf8ch Rxf8 4. Rxf8 winning
8. Botvinnik playing White realised that h8 was a winning square if he could get his queen or Rook there or create one by promoting his pawn. He won with 1. Qxh7ch Kxh7 2.Rh5ch Kg8 3.Rh8ch Nxh8 4.gxh8=Q mate brilliant.