- Absolute Pin Tactic-- OTB Examples
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There are several kinds of Pins in chess, but the Absolute Pin (AP) and the Relative Pin (RP) deserve the immediate attention of chess students. Pins must be taken as one of the most essential tactics in your chess "toolbox." The more tools a mechanic or carpenter has and knows how to utilize them well, the more jobs s/he can do. The more tactics you know and can bring into action during a chess game, the more games you will win. Any pin is a LINE TACTIC and can only be done by a LINE PIECE (Queen, Bishop or Rook). You expect the attacker to be protected, but in some cases, other threats are involved to make it fruitful as a sacrifice, anyway. Three chessmen are involved, an attacker and two defenders all on the same line, whether a file, rank or diagonal. The chessman in the middle is the first and direct target, but it is not very valuable when compared to the piece at the end. The piece at the end is the indirect target; it would not be in danger unless the middle chessman steps off the line. If the middle chessman moves along the line, the last piece is still safe. So, it is pinned to the line, not to just one square (in most cases). This game collection concerns itself with the Absolute Pin, which occurs when the last piece is the King. When the middle chessman steps off the line, it would bring their King into check. Therefore, that chessman must not be moved off the line. In other words, there is an in-line relationship between the attacker, an intermediate chessman and the defending King which must be maintained because the 'First Law of Chess' says that you cannot put your King in check! An Absolute Pin is a choke-hold on that chessman in the middle. That unit is stuck, glued, frozen or nailed to the line, like a train car on a smooth track with no switching point. It can't get off from the track and the middle unit cannot get off from the line. Use tactics to take advantage of your new Absolute Pin. It is a strong opportunity to set a winning strategy! Note the power being effected by an Absolute Pin when the Queen is in the middle. I like to call it a Royal Absolute Pin (RAP). ChessCoachClark (CCC) originated this game collection and he updates it on occasion. This project is a work in progress, culling games from various sources, including several chess training books and personal research. The games are ordered by date (oldest first), not by importance. Be well.
Be safe.
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44 games, 1872-2020 - Aggressive Castling as a Tactic-- OTB Examples
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Newer students to chess need to realize that chess privileges and special moves are not just basics to be learned like the moves of the chessmen. The simplest tools of chess can be much more powerful than these players may imagine. Not only do special moves have versatility, but they can be used as tactics with devastating effects! Of course, the most dramatic and decisive effect possible from any tactic is checkmate. This game collection is intended to show a wide variety of dynamic maneuvers that may be effected by Castling, one of the most fundamental applications of the rules of chess. The point is to spark the imagination and foster creativity in students. This game collection is specifically bringing attention to castling being applied with motifs that include check, discovered check, double attack, En Prise, En Garde and others. They can be leveraged into advantages on the board, even checkmate immediately. No matter whether Kingside or Queenside castling, black chessmen or white chessmen, the value of being alert for opportunities to use castling as a tactic is a worthy effort! There is a fabulous chess writer and commentator on Chess.com whose handle is BatGirl. See her article, WHEN CASTLES ATTACK, for some interesting points. It was the resource for some of the games provided here. Also, there is a game collection by FSR, MATE BY CASTLING, that provided some of the games listed here. Several games in his collection were in common with BatGirl's article. Both efforts are limited to checkmate by castling, but thanks to you both! Castling for checkmate usually, but not always, requires a King Hunt-- the defending King is pushed all the way to the home rank of the other team. This process may be just as startling as the Castling Mate itself for the first few times being observed. Although not at ChessGames.com yet, BatGirl showed NN vs E. Znosko-Borovsky, which was part of a simultaneous exhibition set of games in Dundee during 1930. The last bit of the game scoring is given here, where a King Hunt and two Discovered Checks are capped off by a Castling Mate on the Queenside: 1. hxg3 hxg2+ 2. Kxg2 Bh3+ 3. Kxh3 Ng4+ (Discovered Check) 4. Kxg4 Qd7+ 5. Kg5 Be7+ 6. Kxg6 Rg8+ 7. Kh7 Bf6+ (Discovered Check) 8. Kxg8 
click for larger view8. ... O-O-O#
click for larger viewThere are also a few games here that exemplify the value of Castling late, due to the support to the position, possibly even thwarting the other player's plans abruptly. Several of these games demonstrate the Thornton Castling Trap, which is new to me for that naming, but the tactic has been in my toolbox for quite a while-- un-named, that is. A greedy Rook that grabs the b2 Pawn is 'chopped off' by Queenside castling with check. ChessCoachClark (CCC) originated this game collection and he updates it on occasion. This project is a work in progress, culling games from various sources, including several chess training books and personal research. The games are ordered by date (oldest first), not by importance. Be well.
Be safe.
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32 games, 1850-2016 - Anastasia's Mate Examples
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The checkmate pattern called the Anastasia's Mate is a colorful one. It often surprises students when seen for the first few times. Only one "stopper" is needed, usually a defending chessman between the "horns" of the Knight. So a crowded position may be involved for the Anastasia's Mate, which can be stunning! ChessCoachClark (CCC) originated this game collection prior to 2015 and he updates it on occasion. This project is a work in progress, culling games from various sources, including several chess training books and personal research. The games are ordered by date (oldest first), not by importance. Be well.
Be safe.
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14 games, 1852-2013 - Arabian Mate Examples
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This game collection is intended to be a source of Arabian Mates in the strict definition of the term. The Rook attacks the King and the Knight covers an escape square of the defending King and also protects the attacking Rook. This mate pattern is common in the corner, but may be used in other parts of the board as well. Smothered Mate and the Arabian Mate are equally appealing to me, but I have found that many beginners and some near-intermediate chess students find the Arabian Mate difficult to understand and use. It only makes sense to them when I break it down by escape squares and danger/attacked squares, then show the process of how the Arabian Mate can be reached. Many chess authors seem content to allow equivocation among the Anastasia's Mate, Arabian Mate, Hook Mate, Vukovic Mate and others. However, these mate types are given distinctive treatment in several books. For brevity, THE ART OF ATTACK IN CHESS, by IM Vladimir Vukovic should be sufficient as a citation. Chapter 4: Mating Patterns has distinct sections for these and other checkmate processes. Here is an example of the Arabian Mate, from the game
Z Andriasian vs B Burg, 2013 
click for larger viewChessCoachClark (CCC) originated this game collection prior to 2015 and he updates it on occasion. This project is a work in progress, culling games from various sources, including several chess training books and personal research. The games are ordered by date (oldest first), not by importance. Be well.
Be safe.
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30 games, 1860-2013 - Back Rank Mate Examples
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The Back Rank Mate is one of the three most important mating patterns that a chess student should know. Further, it will be seen in every level of chess, even at the top (super) master level. It could be said that Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess is a book that focuses on the Back Rank Mate. (The book is miss-named, as it does not teach the beginning information about chess, but it certainly shows how to improve your chess vision and chess thinking!) Read that book once you do know the fundamentals-- chess notation is not even used there, so it will be easy for you to learn from it. Bobby Fischer was the only player from the United States to become World Chess Champion and his book is among the top three chess books that I recommend to students. Do your best to learn the Back Rank Mate. Look for opportunities to use it and avoid weaknesses in your position that might allow it to be used against you! Also, be sure to learn it from both sides of the board and even in the two vertical orientations. ChessCoachClark (CCC) originated this game collection and he updates it on occasion. This project is a work in progress, culling games from various sources, including several chess training books and personal research. The games are ordered by date (oldest first), not by importance. Be well.
Be safe.
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29 games, 1886-2017 - Battering Ram Tactic-- OTB Examples
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An effective attack uses two or more line pieces as a team on the same line. It can be called a Battering Ram, a Barrage or Battery. Even if this attack is not immediately effective, it always adds pressure to the area under its influence. The lines of power accumulate and can devastate. One version is called Alekhine's Gun, where the Queen joins both Rooks. ChessCoachClark (CCC) originated this game collection and he updates it on occasion. This project is a work in progress, culling games from various sources, including several chess training books and personal research. The games are ordered by date (oldest first), not by importance. Be well.
Be safe.
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2 games, 1976-2006 - Blockade Tactic-- OTB Examples
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Stopping the advance of a Pawn is common, but these games show this tactic being applied for special purposes or better structure. ChessCoachClark (CCC) originated this game collection and he updates it on occasion. This project is a work in progress, culling games from various sources, including several chess training books and personal research. The games are ordered by date (oldest first), not by importance. Be well.
Be safe.
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2 games, 1971-2013 - Box Mate Examples
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One of the most elementary and essential checkmate patterns for a beginner to learn quickly is the Box Mate. It is very similar to the Back Rank Mate, but no defending Pawns are in the mix. Some chess writers consider the Box Mate to be among the four basic mate patterns that every chess player should know. It is important for beginners to understand that the Box Mate is the ONLY way for the Rook and King vs. King endgame to be solved. The targeted King must be pushed to the edge or into a corner for this checkmate to be possible. Thus, each case requires the attacker to follow three key steps: 1-- Make the space of the King get smaller and smaller. 2-- Push the King to the edge or into the corner. 3-- Use the Rook and King as a team to finish the Box Mate. Ask your coach why the Waiting Move tactic is usually part of the process of getting this checkmate. Direct Opposition and Rectangular Opposition are also vital to getting this checkmate. Opposition is a large enough topic to need thorough coverage elsewhere, but for this mate, it is a means of pushing the King off to one side or backwards, then finally covering any escape square with the "Kings' Fence." This is my fanciful name for that set of squares neither King may use-- two Kings must never be placed face-to-face, whether on a diagonal or in front of each other. To be specific, when the lone King has been brought to the edge of the board, Direct Opposition is required. The Kings are in front of each other with one empty square between them. It's still the Box Mate-- there is no other type of mate that is possible with Rook and King against a lone King. So, let's call this one style or flavor or case of the Box Mate. Games with this Box Mate will be labelled with S1 below. 
click for larger viewTwo other styles of the Box Mate are available when the lone King has been relegated to the corner of the board. One style also needs Direct Opposition and games of this form will be labelled S2 below. 
click for larger viewThe 'last' style needs Rectangular Opposition and its games will be labelled S3 below. 
click for larger viewWhen FULL begins the game header, that game actually proceeded to the Box Mate, so it is a full example of the three-step process. (One or two games may have such a trivial ending that some steps were abrogated, though.) Some games are included where the concepts for the Box Mate are applied, but other pieces are present on the board. These cases help develop chess visualization and should be examined after the basic concepts are solid skills. BUSY starts the game header for such games (only when there are more than two other chessmen). Such games may not even need either Direct Opposition or Rectangular Opposition, if helpers contribute effectively enough to the mate. Some games are included where the defending King is not alone, so the Box Mate-- technically-- is not being demonstrated. Again, they are here for the benefits of visualization and application of the Box Mate concepts. Still other games do not lead to a Box Mate, but the threat of the Box Mate became a tactic to win the game. Again, they are being given below for the benefits of visualization and application of the Box Mate concepts. ChessCoachClark (CCC) originated this game collection prior to December of 2018 and he updates it on occasion. This project is a work in progress, culling games from various sources, including several chess training books and personal research. The games are ordered by date (oldest first), not by importance. Be well.
Be safe.
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27 games, 1889-2017 - Castling Examples
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This game collection was primarily intended for my students to use in conjunction with my related project-- Game Collection: Aggressive Castling as a Tactic-- OTB Examples, but it may be of interest to general chess players. Some of the games show simple demonstrations of the rule being used and others are rather unusual or famous for various reasons. All of the Monaco Amber tournament games are BLINDFOLD, by the way! ChessCoachClark (CCC) originated this game collection in October of 2021 and he updates it on occasion. This project is a work in progress, culling games from various sources, including several chess training books and personal research. The games are ordered by date (oldest first), not by importance. Be well.
Be safe.
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20 games, 1893-2018 - CHESS NOTATION 101: SAN Gems for Students
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Algebraic Notation is the written code, even a language of sorts, for chess moves. Further, chess notation is the most important way that people "talk chess." It is both a simple/compact and precise system. So, algebraic notations definitely manifests my take on the KISS principle-- Keep it Short and Simple. Putting a long series of sequential chess pictorial diagrams into materials is tedious, so this shortcut method of showing moves for a game is critical to know. All chess books and websites use chess notation. (The only exception I know is the highly-regarded book, BOBBY FISCHER TEACHES CHESS and it does have pictorials aplenty.) You need to know Algebraic Notation for almost anything about chess. For example, anyone from a coach analyzing an opening for his/her team to an announcer giving commentary at a World Chess Championship speaks to us by using its system. You also need it to learn from your own games, especially if you work with a mentor. You will often be required to use SAN or LAN to write your moves on a score sheet in formal games and USCF or FIDE tournaments, especially to contest something that happened during play. The Arabs developed Algebraic Notation in ancient times (USCF, EVERYTHING CHESS BASICS BOOK, p. 2) and after subsequent changes in Europe, it became the most important system, every-where in the chess world, more than 30 years ago. All forms of notation look cryptic at first, but all of them have this special benefit: "One enormous advantage which chess has over the great majority of other games is that to get a record of what happened in an important international contest or in your own friendly encounters is quite easy. There is a special notation which enables you to take down in a convenient shorthand form all that happened."
Leonard Barden
AN INTRODUCTION TO CHESS MOVES AND TACTICS SIMPLY EXPLAINED, p. 34. This collection is complete as far as ChessGames.com is concerned. 15 games seems about the right number of exercises for a series of homework assignments for students. They can start out with several games and then go on to the other games if they need more practice and not be bored. My full list for SAN teaching includes these games not found (yet) at ChessGames.com: Nadezhda Kosintseva vs Siranush Andriasian 1995 46 moves (Girls U10) COMPLEX MATE. Vaclav Pekar vs Josef Varejcko 2013 23 moves QUEEN AND KNIGHT MATE-- Type A. That second missing example was Game #4 from IM Jeremy Silman's article, "Hannibal Lecter Presents: Readers' Questions" of Dec 10, 2013. Algebraic Notation skill is needed by any developing chess champion, including you! Practice will make it become natural and quick to write accurately. So, take some time and make some effort, then notation becomes easy. Get a chess book with lots of games and diagrams, then practice SAN, using a chess set to make those moves as you write them down. Refer to that book's diagrams to double-check your work. You can do it! Later, you should practice writing the notation with the labels on the edges of your chessboard covered up. Your visualization skills are enhanced by knowing the names of the squares without those crutches or training wheels. "Any student who is old enough to learn the alphabet is quite capable of learning this new language with ease."
Sunil Weeramantry
A Note to Parents and Coaches, p. iv
from SIMPLE CHECKMATES, by A. J. Gillam
ChessCoachClark (CCC) originated this game collection and he updates it on occasion. This project is a work in progress, culling games from various sources, including several chess training books and personal research. The games are ordered by date (oldest first), not by importance. Be well.
Be safe.
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13 games, 1834-2003 - CHESS NOTATION 135: LAN Gems for Students
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Long Algebraic Notation (LAN) is not the most popular form of chess scoring systems, but it is quite useful and has advantages over other systems. To show a turn/ply, LAN starts with the abbreviation of the chess piece (or a figurine/icon for international purposes), but no symbol for the Pawn. Then it gives the starting square, a hyphen/minus sign and the ending square. So, when Black moves out the Knight on the King's side, one would write Ng8-f6. For captures, replace the hyphen with a lowercase "X" and Promotion just needs the abbreviation of the upgraded piece at the end: g2-g1N. Castling is the same as in SAN-- O-O for the King's side or short castling and O-O-O for the Queen's side or long castling. By the way, those are capital letters, not zeroes, per the USCF (United States Chess Federation). It is more tedious to use LAN because it shows both the starting and ending locations of the move. The flip side of this point is that a beginner can understand it more easily. In fact, many books for beginners do use LAN. Another advantage is that there are no ambiguous moves to resolve when moves are recorded by LAN. Any error is corrected more easily in LAN because of the fact that each turn/ply has two pieces of information, not just one. Still another benefit to it is that the game can be easily restored if there is an error or one needs to backtrack from a given position. It has been reported that FIDE (the World Chess Federation) has not accepted LAN for decades. The USCF does accept LAN, so make your own choice about learning it or not. I do feel that one can be versatile, getting to know more than one notation system. One could even learn the EDN (English Description Notation) system that has been around for nearly a century and will be seen in chess literature up to the 1970's and 1980's. Some famous books are still being printed with EDN today. Publishers want to avoid the expense of converting to Algebraic Notation and error checking, obviously. Well, here are actual games that you can use to practice LAN. Convert a game by watching the moves in a PGN viewer, but ignoring the SAN listing in the window (you may even want to hide that area by resizing the window). Check your work by playing the game on a physical chess set or with the PGN viewer with its preferences set to LAN, rather than SAN. This game collection will be limited to 15 games. Games are listed in date order, not in order of importance. ChessCoachClark (CCC) originated this game collection and he updates it on occasion. This project is a work in progress, culling games from various sources, including several chess training books and personal research. The games are ordered by date (oldest first), not by importance. Be well.
Be safe.
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2 games, 1620-2004 - Clearance Tactic-- OTB Examples
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One of the most useful thought exercises for a chess player is "What if?" Once a chain of plies has been seen that can be accomplished when a chessman or two is out of the way, the Clearance tactic may be utilized to do just that job. It often begins with a sacrifice to open the line (file, rank or diagonal) for another piece to leap into action. Now a material advantage, positional advantage or even checkmate is available. In fact, Averbakh vs Ragozin, 1954
is a case where checkmate follows the Clearance tactic in any one of three ways using the two Rooks. ChessCoachClark (CCC) originated this game collection and he updates it on occasion. This project is a work in progress, culling games from various sources, including several chess training books and personal research. The games are ordered by date (oldest first), not by importance. Be well.
Be safe.
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9 games, 1953-2016 - Copy-Cat Games-- Worse than just silly!!
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Students need to be warned not to play all the same moves as their opponent. That poor sort of strategy gives your opponent a great advantage-- they will know what you're going to do! You lose the initiative in your game, then. You allow the other player to lead you, literally. The best you could usually hope for is a draw, but many more times the result will be a trap, resulting in your loss. The famous Copy Cat Trap is a six-move line often employed against an unwary beginner to snap off the Queen at the cost of a Knight. Why not play to win? However, IM Cesar Hidemitsu Umetsubo employed the Copy Cat Trap in a 2011 game at Campos Novos (Brazil) against Joco Felipe de Olive Cassaniga (not yet at ChessGames, but it is available at the FIDE website). Copy Cat Games are formally called Symmetrical Games. Karel Traxler, Josef Krejcik, Sam Loyd and others have composed chess lines on this motif. These contrived games commonly end in checkmate. The Batsford Book of Chess Records (2005), page 57, was my first exposure to the Rotlewi vs Eliashov [sic] game Rotlewi vs M Elyashiv, 1909. It says that "the opponents were probably not playing seriously, but amusing themselves and their honorable spectators. It was the last round of the amateur tournament in the international Chigorin Memorial congress, and this draw assured Rotlewi of second place behind Alekhine, while Eliashov at best would take undivided fourth place instead of sharing 4th-6th." The commander of the Black chessmen has also been seen as Eljaschoff, for those of you who peruse chess databases. Further, the Batsford Book of Chess Records, on page 57-58, claims that the game E Stoliar vs J Szukszta, 1969 by the two masters Efim Stoliar and Januza Szukszta in Bulgaria in 1969 is the longest Copy Cat game. It diverges from being a true symmetrical game slightly, but it also ends in a draw. There was a fifteen-move 2003 game in Vienna between Konstantin Landa and Dierk Seifert (not at ChessGames yet) that is a decent example of a symmetrical game-- it breaks symmetry a couple of times. It ends with resignation at apparent disadvantage of a Pawn, but a game analysis engine shows a four-point disadvantage. Do not act like a blind, brainless imitator. Creative effort is valuable in chess. Always play with a sense of purpose and think ahead. You make progress by giving your best to each game-- by applying as many excellent principles as you have learned. Chess progress or improvement is not for the lazy. Anyone may choose to just play chess for fun. If your idea of relaxing is to copy half-moves without even short-term goals, then no one will stop you. No one will impose on your freedom to play this game within the rules. The problem is, however, that you should expect to lose, or get a draw at the best of times. Take a look at two other Copy Cat game collections-- Game Collection: Copycatz & Agreed/Book Drawz Fredthebear's pic by <fredthebear> and Game Collection: Copy cat by <truepacifism>. ChessCoachClark (CCC) originated this game collection and he updates it on occasion. This project is a work in progress, culling games from various sources, including several chess training books and personal research. The games are ordered by date (oldest first), not by importance. Be well.
Be safe.
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4 games, 1900-1969 - Corner Mate Examples
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The Corner Mate is an interesting checkmate pattern where the Knight attacks the defending King and the Rook covers escape/flight squares. One "stopper" is needed directly in front of the King, usually a chessman from the defending side. As mentioned in its name, it occurs in the corner of the chessboard. I am using the designation for Corner Mate as described in the Wikipedia article on checkmate patterns. Some chess authors use the descriptions given by Eric Schiller. However, what Schiller defines as a Corner Mate is the H-File Mate at Wikipedia. What Schiller describes as the Knight Corner Mate is just a Corner Mate for Wikipedia. You may decide for yourself what terminology to use. My point is to establish clarity for students and allow them to be versatile with the terminology or consistent with a given preference. Voltaire said that if you want to converse with him, you should first define your terms. You may choose to follow some teachers and coaches who avoid naming checkmates in the main. It may take a little longer for anyone to recognize the mate you have in mind, but you can explain it well enough to remove ambiguity. Not a problem, really. However, if you *do* choose to use names, then be responsible and considerate about it. You should even recognize that there is a difference between a Bishop and Rook Mate and a Rook and Bishop Mate-- which piece made the final attack on the King? Also, students should be ready to use mate threats as tactics for several purposes. The Corner Mate threat can force one's opponent to exchange a piece for the attacking Knight, often at a loss. Even the Queen may fall in the face of this type of Knight check! 
click for larger viewR Tischbierek vs J Levitt, 1987 The White Knight at 30. Nc7+ has made a Discovery Attack-- the Knight uncovers the line of power from the Queen into the Black Rook-- while making check. So, the Corner Mate pattern is used as a threat. The White Queen is now attacking the Rook for an En Prise capture with check. The Black Rook is lost after the Black Queen is forced to capture that Knight in order to sort out the check. White wins the Exchange for a substantial advantage-- Stockfish 11 within CG at d37 gives the position an evaluation of +11.22. Not the Corner Mate itself, but just its threat in a combination still won the day. The Corner Mate has also been used as a preliminary tactic for a subse-quent tactic that leads to mate. Often, for the games included below, one needs to look into the continuation to see how the Corner Mate threat was engaged or the mate itself was done. This is often due to the courtesy trend of resigning once the mate is clear to the targeted player. I have found a multitude of games that apply this mating pattern, but they are not at ChessGames.com, yet. Possibly the most beautiful and unusual of the missing games concludes with a position that is both a Double Check Mate and Corner Mate! Here is that conclusion for you to enjoy:
click for larger view
21. Bxe4 Nxe4
22. Nf7#
Caorlin, Marco vs. Bratteteig, Tore-Inge
London 2010
22 moves 1-0
ChessCoachClark (CCC) originated this game collection and he updates it on occasion. This project is a work in progress, culling games from various sources, including several chess training books and personal research. The games are ordered by date (oldest first), not by importance. Be well.
Be safe.
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10 games, 1955-2012 - Cross-Check Tactic-- OTB Examples
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There is a somewhat rare, but fascinating, half-move in chess where one player makes check and the other player not only foils that check but makes check against the first player with the same half-move. This event is called a Cross-Check or a Counter-Check (FM Mike Klein). Another, rather obvious choice in naming is the Reply-Check. It may be of interest that the Wikipedia article on the Cross Check would not include a tactic that begins with a capture as a Cross Check. I respect that declaration for now, but the Portisch-Pinter game below Portisch vs J Pinter, 1984 does have one of its THREE Cross-Checks as such a tactic, namely 32. ... Bxg4+. So, Wikipedia should only assess this game as having two Cross-Checks. That point in the article is implicitly contradictory, however-- this same game is cited (as an URL to ChessGames.com, no less!) in the External Links without being named! The only description there is "Three successive cross-checks in a game." J W Knudsen vs B G Christensen, 2004 was recently added at ChessGames.com-- thanks CG! This game features a Cross Check at the end, namely 94. ... Nb3+. ChessCoachClark (CCC) originated this game collection and he updates it on occasion. This project is a work in progress, culling games from various sources, including several chess training books and personal research. The games are ordered by date, not by importance. Be well.
Be safe.
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12 games, 1944-2019 - David and Goliath Mate Examples
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The Pawn, which in a way deserves to be capitalized, must be respected and must be protected. Even though the Pawn is not a piece, it is a chessman that is a valuable part of your team. It is not enough to hope for and work toward Promotion. Look for any opportunity to make the Pawns shine brightly, especially when supported by another Pawn or a piece. They can block, kick away, trap, and otherwise harass the enemy to distraction and even to a loss! In fact, the Pawn can not only be the decisive factor in a chess game, but the Pawn can win the game outright! Furthermore, sometimes ONLY the Pawn can make the mate the most quickly. At any rate, each of these games made me smile as I saw how the "Mr/Ms Short Stuff" of the chessboard won the game as the final stroke in a checkmate line. ChessCoachClark (CCC) originated this game collection and he updates it on occasion. This project is a work in progress, culling games from various sources, including several chess training books and personal research. The games are ordered by date (oldest first), not by importance. Be well.
Be safe.
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25 games, 1620-2015 - Decoy or Lure Tactic-- OTB Examples
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This tactic is important, but not usually presented to beginners or even intermediate players. Several names can be used for it, even Deflection. I take issue with that one, however slight the difference. In my humble opinion, in simplest terms, the Deflection is a push, whereas the Decoy or Lure is a pull. Further, the Decoy or Lure is meant to bring a chess piece into a more dangerous square. The pending result is often trapping (or mate, if it were the King to be brought away) for that same piece, but Deflection is pushing a piece away so that *another* piece becomes a viable target. Deflection has more in common with Removing the Defender or Undermining, then. I may be putting too fine a point on matters, but at least for today, that's my understanding. My mind is open for clarification or correction and I will consider matters further. ChessCoachClark (CCC) originated this game collection and he updates it on occasion. This project is a work in progress, culling games from various sources, including several chess training books and personal research. The games are ordered by date (oldest first), not by importance. Be well.
Be safe.
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11 games, 1900-2017 - Deflection/Undermining Tactics-- OTB Examples
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ChessCoachClark (CCC) originated this game collection and he updates it on occasion. This project is a work in progress, culling games from various sources, including several chess training books and personal research. The games are ordered by date (oldest first), not by importance. Be well.
Be safe.
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21 games, 1997-2003 - Discovered Attack Tactic-- OTB Examples
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This technique uses two chessmen on the same line to attack either one or two other chessmen, even where the two attackers are focused on just one target. The chessman in the front moves, which uncovers the one in back to attack on that line. WGM Jennifer Shahade has a very expressive name for this tactic-- the Peek-a-Boo move! It should make it easy for the youngest chess students to remember this highly important tool for building a winning game. Another way to describe this tactic is that one line has two attackers along it. When the one in front moves out of the way, the other one, in the back, in automatically attacking. The first piece may attack the same piece as the other piece (in the back) or a different one. The Discovered Attack is therefore a Double Check when both attackers focus on the other King. The most beautiful example is Reti vs Tartakower, Vienna 1910, included below. ChessCoachClark (CCC) originated this game collection and he updates it on occasion. This project is a work in progress, culling games from various sources, including several chess training books and personal research. The games are ordered by date (oldest first), not by importance. Be well.
Be safe.
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52 games, 1865-2017 - Double Attacks but not Forks-- OTB Examples
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The Double Attack and the Fork are not synonymous. Every Fork is a Double Attack, however. In the interests of clarity, the term Fork is being applied to any chessman that attacks two or more chessmen in the same ply. The Double Attack is the more general term, being applied to two chessmen attacking the same target or two chessmen attacking two targets or one chessman attacking two targets. IM Daniel Rensch is far more restrictive when defining the Fork and Double Attack-- the Fork is only that tactic made by a Knight or a Pawn and the Double Attack is the category for all of the other chessmen (at Chess.com and videos for children). So, I will respectfully disagree with him and express gratitude to the majority of chess masters and writers who make the more common definitions the norm. Any chessman has the power to make a Fork and a Double Attack as well. "The Fork is the simplest example in chess of the 'Double Attack' type of combination. Any piece can Fork; even a King often attacks two men simultaneously in the later stages of a game."
British chess champion Leonard Barden
AN INTRODUCTION TO CHESS MOVES AND TACTICS,
SIMPLY EXPLAINED
Page 76.
(A more rigorous definition of a Combination may be in order, but the Fork and Double Attack usages by Barden are fine.) So, the Fork is a special case of the Double Attack and most certainly among the top three most important tactics. As the Knight and Queen could theoretically make seven-way Forks, there are possibilities of 'Double Attacks' on more than two chessmen. Of course, any game having a Double Attack bringing checkmate is a treasured jewel for everyone. Some writers have also used Double Threat and Two-Pronged Attack for the Double Attack. There are probably other colorful references in the chess literature as well. Here then is a my partial list of games that demonstrate two or more attacks (even an attack on a square) on chessmen. ChessCoachClark (CCC) originated this game collection and he updates it on occasion. This project is a work in progress, culling games from various sources, including several chess training books and personal research. The games are ordered by date (oldest first), not by importance. Be well.
Be safe.
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16 games, 1620-2018
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Kibitzing
