Sharpen
up your mental reflexes with these basic
yet juicy tactical tests.
1) White
has done everything he can to hold the
d4-pawn. However, the setup White’s
used contains a fatal flaw.
BLACK
TO MOVE
2) White’s
a pawn up and should clearly win. What’s
the prettiest way to add to the first player’s
gains?
WHITE
TO MOVE
3) In
a solid, old line of the Caro-Kann – 1.e4
c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Nxf6+
exf6 6.Bc4 Qe7+ 7.Qe2 Be6 – White
usually answers Black’s threat of …Bxc4
(since White can’t recapture due
to the fact that his Queen is pinned to
its King) with either 8.Bxe6 or 8.Bb3,
gaining no advantage in either case. Grandmaster
Hort once recommended 8.Be3, breaking the
pin along the e-file and developing a piece
at the same time. How should Black react?
BLACK
TO MOVE
4) Black
hasn’t castled, which is never a
good thing, but King safety via …0-0
is only a move away. Will the Black King
be able to flee, or can White bring down
Black’s house?
WHITE
TO MOVE
5) In
this game Black has just moved his f6-Knight
to d7, hoping to take advantage of the
pin along the a1-h8 diagonal. Was this
wise?
WHITE
TO MOVE
6) How
is White doing here?
WHITE
TO MOVE
7) White
sacrificed a piece for an attack, but it
seems the Black defenses have held. Or
have they?
WHITE
TO MOVE
8) Who
would guess that Black is ready to lay
down his arms in defeat?
WHITE
TO MOVE
9) Both
sides are about to rush forward with their
pawn majorities. It looks like a race,
but instead it’s a rout.
WHITE
TO MOVE
10) Some
sharp play ices the game for White.
WHITE
MOVES
To see the answers, click HERE!
